A former cell mate of convicted killer Jodi Arias has said that Arias threated to have people "on the outside" kill prosecutor Juan Martinez. Arias was convicted in May of the 2008 murder of her one time boyfriend Travis Alexander. Cassandra Collins shared a two bunk cell with Jodi Arias and told MyFoxPhoenix.com that if she got the death penalty she would seek revenge against Martinez. Collins called Arias "dangerous, very dangerous," and told MyFox that Martinez "needs to get good security staff around him to make sure she can't get anybody on the outside...to harm him."
Collins also told MyFox that Arias had been trying to "manipulate" other inmates into believing her version of events regarding the night Travis Alexander was killed. Arias admitted to killing Alexander but claims that she did so in self-defense. The self-defense claim came after Arias' first two stories unraveled at her feet. First Arias claimed that she was not at Travis' home when he was killed. When evidence contradicted Arias' claim she said that two masked men broke in and killed Alexander. When police did not believe that story, Arias claimed self-defense.
According to Fox, the Maricopa County Attorney's office is investigating the claims made by Collins. Jodi Arias once dominated the news. Her trial lasted months and each day of the proceedings was broadcast live to the nation. Since the end of May, when Arias was placed in limbo, her image has virtually disappeared from the evening news. Arias was convicted of first degree murder but the jury that convicted her could not make a decision regarding her sentencing. For seven months Arias has been waiting to learn when the new sentencing trial will begin.
Judge Sherry Stephens has yet to schedule a retrial for the sentencing hearing. A new jury must be sworn in and they will be tasked with deciding if Jodi Arias will get life in prison or the death penalty. During her trial Arias soaked up the spotlight in celebrity fashion. She did interview after interview and even tweeted during the trial. Arias caused a stir when she told a news agency in Phoenix that she would rather get the death penalty than spend the rest of her life in prison.
Arias has faded from public view since the first jury was dismissed. She still tweets and has a loyal band of followers who believe she is innocent of any crime. But Arias is no longer at the front of the news. To some the spectacle of her trial has ended and it is not as important as it once was. To others, such as the reporters covering the trial the Judge's decision to ban the media from the new hearings is unconstitutional.
Lawyer David Bodney is representing a number of media outlets that are fighting to have live access to the Arias proceedings. "The trial court has gone from transparency to blackout and bewilderment,' Bodney said to USA Today. "There have been repeated flagrant violations of the public's constitutional right to attend proceedings." Arias has been going back and forth to court but the goings on behind the closed courtroom doors has left many wondering. Has the hype surrounding Arias died down for good, or will it be renewed when her sentencing trial is scheduled?
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