The Jodi Arias trial is set to resume Wednesday after a nearly two-week break since Oct. 30 after news organizations protested a decision to let a skittish defense witness testify in private and authorities were accused of destroying evidence, according to USA Today.
After a judge ordered that the public be kept out of the courtroom during testimony by the first witness called by Arias' lawyers, a new jury has been picked to decide her sentence, USA Today reported.
Defense attorneys launched a new legal attack Monday and are attempting to dismiss the case by alleging that authorities destroyed thousands of files on Travis Alexander's computer, like files from pornographic websites, that may have been beneficial in defending Arias, USA Today reported.
While some of the testimony by Arias' first witness was conducted in private, news organizations later succeeded in getting an appeals court to overrule Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens and barred her from closing the courtroom to the public, according to USA Today.
Arias was convicted of murder last year in Alexander's death, but jurors deadlocked on whether she should be sentenced to life in prison or death, USA Today reported.
Prosecutors said Arias attacked Alexander in a jealous rage after he wanted to end their affair and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman, according to USA Today. Arias has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her.
Arias' lawyers said some defense witnesses at the first trial were threatened and harassed for their role in the case and that the only people willing to testify for her at the second trial will do so only in private, USA Today reported.
It has not been reported if the first defense witness, whose identity hasn't been publicly revealed, will continue testifying on Wednesday or whether others will be called, according to USA Today.
