Judge gives Arias life term
Three of her victim's sisters urged the sentence; another option was parole in 25 years.
PHOENIX - The nearly seven-year legal saga of Jodi Arias ended Monday as a judge sentenced her to life in prison for killing her ex-boyfriend, and the victim's sisters unleashed their pain over the 2008 murder that captivated social media with its salacious details.
Three of Travis Alexander's sisters tearfully urged Judge Sherry Stephens to impose the harshest penalty available against Arias. They described Arias as "unrepentant" and "evil" and lashed out at her.
As Arias was leaving the courtroom, Alexander's younger sister, Tanisha Sorenson, said loudly, "Burn in hell," prompting her sister to try to quiet her down.
Samantha Alexander cried as she recalled walking into her brother's house after investigators had finished collecting evidence there. "He was there for five days," she said. "Five days he is there decomposing in the shower. I'm sure his soul was screaming for someone to find him."
Alexander's family and friends hugged each other with tears in their eyes but smiles on their faces after the judge imposed the most severe of two available sentences and denied Arias a chance to be eligible for release after serving 25 years. About a dozen jurors from the two trials were in the courtroom to witness the sentencing.
Before the sentence was handed down, Arias gave a rambling statement in which she stood by her testimony and accused police and prosecutors of changing their story during the investigation. She said she was sorry for the pain she caused Alexander's family and friends.
"I'm truly disgusted and I'm repulsed with myself," Arias said, recalling the moment she put a knife to Alexander's throat.
She has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her. Prosecutors said Arias killed Alexander in a jealous rage after the victim wanted to end their affair.
Arias, wearing black-and-white striped jail clothing, cast her gaze away from Alexander's sisters as they spoke to the judge, but looked at her mother as she sought leniency.