Jodi Arias Asks The Jury To Spare Her Life

Jodi Arias, the convicted murderer of boyfriend Jason Alexander, addressed the jury in the final phase of her trial and asked them to spare her life.

Her statement, a direct address to the jury, ran for nearly 20 minutes in which she frequently broke into quiet tears. Like during her testimony, she asserted that she had been abused and had killed Alexander in self-defense after feeling physically threatened.

She told the jury that killing Alexander was “the worst mistake” and “the worst thing I’ve ever done.” Although she claimed it was hard to believe that she was guilty of such an atrocity, “I know that I was, and that I’m going to be sorry for the rest of my life – probably longer.”

Arias, pleading for her life, claimed that if she were allowed to live that she would be a productive member of society. She claimed that she would teach fellow prisoners to read and perform acts of charity from behind bars.

The convicted murderer also referenced her past statements, which suggested that she would prefer the death penalty to life in prison. "Each time I said that, though I meant it," she said, "I lacked perspective." She has credited her family for reinstilling in her the desire to live.

Arias defense attorney Jennifer Willmott argued that Arias’ lack of a prior criminal history and her young age should keep the jury from sentencing her to die. Prosecutor Juan Martinez counter-argued that sparing her life would be giving her something she’s no longer entitled to. "You have a duty, and that duty really means that you actually do the honest, right thing, even though it may be difficult," he said.

If sentenced to death by a unanimous vote by the jury, Arias will be the fourth woman on Arizona’s death row.

Click HERE for Uinterview's coverage of the Jodi Arias murder trial.

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