Jodi Arias jury: ‘We feel like we failed’ in not delivering death sentence
PHOENIX — The jurors who served on the Jodi Arias penalty phase retrial panel said they “feel like they failed” after they were unable to come to a unanimous decision on the death sentence.
“We absolutely feel the penalty should have been death,” a juror told media on Thursday.
County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the jury was hung after one juror did not vote for the death penalty.
“…I will not fault the jury and I will not lay any blame or criticize their work in the case,” he said at another press conference.
A few of the jurors said they wanted to do the right thing and were upset at the outcome.
“I am angry that there wasn’t a finality to this and all these people in this room weren’t able to have that be a decision,” a juror said.
Jurors said they felt the trial’s spotlight fell unfairly on Travis Alexander’s life, rather than the case itself.
While the jury failed to convict Arias, effectively sentencing her to life in prison with the possibility of parole, they said they hope the family is at peace knowing a majority wanted to sentence her to death.
Jurors said the holdout, who did not partake in the press conference, focused on Arias’ journals and believed she had psychological problems. Other jurors agreed Arias may have borderline personality disorder, but did not consider it a mitigating factor.
“The biggest thing that angered me was that she alluded that the death penalty would be a form of revenge,” a juror said of the holdout.
Another said they believed the holdout had her mind made up from the beginning, as she admitted she had watched some of a Lifetime movie about the case and refused to deliberate with others.
The jurors asked Judge Sherry Stephens to excuse the holdout, but were turned down.
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