Judge schedules retrial in Jodi Arias case

PHOENIX (AP):



The judge in the Jodi Arias murder trial declared a mistrial in the life-or-death penalty phase after the jury said it couldn't come to a decision.



The judge today scheduled a retrial for July 18 in the case of Jodi Arias, convicted of first-degree murder for killing her boyfriend in 2008.



Travis Alexander was stabbed and slashed nearly 30 times and nearly decapitated at his home.



The jury determined the killing was cruel enough to merit consideration of the death penalty.



If a new jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, the judge would sentence Arias to spend her entire life in prison or be eligible for release after 25 years.



The judge cannot sentence Arias to death.



The verdict came two days after Arias spoke directly to jurors and pleaded for her life.



She said she "lacked perspective" when she told a local reporter after her conviction that she preferred execution to spending the rest of her days in jail.



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