Jodi Arias, the 32-year old charged with the murder of her boyfriend Travis Alexander in his suburban Phoenix home. Arias has claimed she acted only in self defense, while the prosecution seeks to paint her as a vengeful and jealous killer.
Arias initially told authorities she had nothing to do with Alexander's death, then shifted the story, claiming it was masked intruders. She then said it was self-defense. Her changing narratives, she claimed, is a result of her suicidal state in the early stages of the trial.
Last week, Arias admitted to lying throughout the investigation in order to cover her tracks and avoid being caught, according to the AP.
"Were you forced to testify?" defense attorney Kirk Nurmi asked her.
"No," she said.
"When you chose to testify, did you so do with the idea that the lies you told would be called into question?" Nurmi asked.
"Yes," Arias said.
Arias also was questioned repeatedly during cross-examination last week about the steps she took after she killed Alexander. She admitted that she tried to create an alibi. She dumped the gun in the desert, got rid of her bloody clothes, tried to clean the scene at Alexander's home and even left the victim a voicemail on his mobile phone within hours of killing him and dragging his body into the shower. She said she was too scared and ashamed to tell the truth.
