AP reports the top prosecutor in Phoenix said Thursday that he is confident an impartial jury can be seated to determine the punishment for Jodi Arias, and he is open to input from defense lawyers and the family of the victim about possibly scraping a new trial in favor of a life sentence for the convicted murderer.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery discussed the next steps for the Arias case at a news conference Thursday. A jury convicted her of murder earlier this month but was unable to reach a verdict on whether she should be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty for the killing of her lover Travis Alexander five years ago.
The deadlock means that Montgomery’s office will have to put on a new trial to determine her punishment. But it’s also possible that lawyers agree to end the case without a trial and give Arias a life sentence with no parole.
Several factors are being weighed by Montgomery’s office ahead of a court hearing scheduled for June 20, including feedback from Alexander’s family. He declined to say whether defense lawyers had come forward with an offer to take the death penalty off the table, but added that he has “an ethical obligation” to consider such a deal.
