After the Jodi Arias trial wound down to a deadlock decision last week, the drama of one of the most controversial murder trials in recent history seems to have a continuation.
On Tuesday, the Maricopa County judge released a court document that reveals the events that took place before the jury came up with the decision. Based on the document, most of the jurors believed that Juror 17 reported to the court that she felt harassed by the other jurors because of her opinion.
"My opinion is being --- it's not being valued whereas I'm sitting and listening to – you know, we are sitting taking turns. And you know, other people's opinion are being written down and valued. I don't feel mine is," the juror said.
Meanwhile, those who have voted in favor of giving Arias the death penalty told the press that Juror 17 watched a Lifetime movie that featured the defendant's first murder trial. They also believe that she had an agenda for voting against the death penalty. The juror admitted to the court that she did see some parts the documentary.
"I caught parts of it. I've never watched it through and wondered how much of it was facts or opinions, but didn't stay up at night about it," the juror claimed.
One of the jurors, on the other hand, reportedly said that Juror 17 went to court expecting Arias to be some kind of a monster, but she saw that she was not. This is perhaps why she decided not to vote for the death penalty.
"Eleven of us strived for justice for Travis, but to no avail," one of the jurors said in a news conference on March 5, as quoted by ABC News. "We absolutely thought [the punishment] should be death."
Arias' mistrial was declared Thursday after five days of jury deliberation. Due to the 11-1 vote, the death penalty was removed as an option for her punishment. This leaves Maricopa County judge Sherry Stephens to decide on Arias' fate and give her either a life sentence or a life with possibility for parole after 25 years. The decision is expected to be made on April 13.
