Jurors were questioned for the penalty phase retrial of Jodi Arias' on Monday, in an effort to pick an unbiased panel that has Arias' life in their hands: life or prison or the death penalty, Fox 10 Phoenix reported on Monday.
Potential Jurors were asked if they believe in the death penalty, if they understand that Arias is guilty of premeditated murder where her victim suffered considerably and if they could separate themselves from what happened during the first trial to make a fair assessment in her sentencing.
Out of the 400 jurors questioned last week, 175 remained on Monday, according to AZ Central. Perspective jurors were split on the death penalty, with some saying they are morally opposed to it while others said it's not used frequently enough.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez stressed that Arias has already been convicted and the jurors will not be expected to re-determine her guilt or innocence.
Jurors will be questioned for at least 10 more days and those who passed Monday's questions will return on Oct. 16. In total, the will have 16 to 18 jurors. Several will then be assigned as alternatives, with 12 designated to seal Arias' fate.
Arias, now 34, was convicted in May 2013 for the 2008 murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. She inflicted roughly 30 stab wounds on Alexander, slit his throat and shot him in the head in the shower of his Mesa, AZ home. The murder had been carried out in a particularly heinous way, opening up the potential for a death penalty sentence for Arias. During the penalty stage, however, the jury could not unanimously decide on a life in prison or death sentence.
If just one judge votes against the death penalty, Arias' life will be spared. Open statements are scheduled for Oct. 20 and the trial should be over by Dec. 18.
