PHOENIX (AP) — Convicted murderer Jodi Arias has declined to address a jury considering whether to sentence her to life in prison or death in the killing of her former boyfriend.
Arias said Monday that she wanted to make comments to jurors but insisted the courtroom be cleared. She said she wouldn’t make any remarks if she could be seen and heard from a remote viewing room.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens said an appeals court has forbidden Arias from making such closed-door comments.
Lawyers are scheduled to make closing arguments Tuesday in the proceeding that began in mid-October and has dragged on months longer than expected.
Arias was convicted last year in the 2008 death of former boyfriend Travis Alexander, but the jury deadlocked then on her punishment.
