Attorneys for Jodi Arias asked to step down from the case after their client was convicted of first -degree murder, but a judge denied the request, the Associated Press reported. Attorneys Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott reportedly asked a judge for permission to withdraw from the case, but were denied. The detail was contained in court minutes and provided no information about why the two defense lawyer asked to withdraw.
"I believe death is the ultimate freedom, and I'd rather have my freedom as soon as I can get it," Arias said after her conviction last week. On Wednesday, the jury panel took less than three hours to determine that Arias should be eligible for the death penalty, saying that Alexander's murder was particularly cruel and heinous. Also on Wednesday, Prosecutor Juan Martinez displayed photos of Alexander's corpse and the bloody crime scene for the jury, pausing in silence for two minutes to describe how long he said it took for Alexander to die at Arias' hands.
On Thursday, Martinez called upon Alexander's family and other witnesses in an effort to convince the panel Arias should face the death penalty.
The victim's sister Samantha Alexander struggled through tears as she described how their grandmother could not bear the loss of Travis and died before the murder trial ever occurred.
"He was our strength, our constant beacon of hope," Samantha said, describing how her brother helped the entire family deal with the loss of their parents.
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