A woman who served on the jury in the five-month long Jodi Arias murder trial was driven to tears when she received a summons for jury duty a month after convicting Arias in the murder of Travis Alexander, according to CBS News.
"I was released from serving on the Jodi Arias jury on Memorial Day weekend and exactly one month later, I got another jury summons," Marilou Allen-Coogan said. "I cried."
Allen-Coogan served on the jury that convicted Arias of murder but was unable to decide whether to give Arias the death penalty or to sentence her to life in prison. Arizona state law allows for a retrial of the penalty phase if the state chooses to do so; the retrial may start as early as September but a date has yet to be decided upon.
Allen-Coogan didn't regret serving on the jury for the Arias trial, her first time on a jury, but she wasn't ready to sit on another jury only a month later. Luckily for her if a person has served on the jury in a trial they are exempt from jury duty for two years. One phone call later and Allen-Coogan was excused, according to CBS News.
"I explained the circumstances, through my crying and blubbering mess," Allen-Coogan said about the phone call that got her out of jury duty. "I had a min-breakdown."
While Allen-Coogan was less than thrilled after being summoned for jury duty for a second time she told CBS News that in the future she wouldn't have any problems serving as a juror in another high-profile murder trial like the one involving Arias.
"I would do it again," Allen-Coogan said. "It's my civic duty, It's how I was raised."
In other news related to the trial July 28 would have been Travis Alexander's 36th birthday and his family is planning an event in his memory that members of the jury that convicted Arias are expected to attend, according to HLN.
Tanisha Sorenson, Alexander's sister, will host what is being called a "Remembering Travis Birthday Party." According to a message posted on the Facebook page for "The State vs Jodi Arias - Travis Alexander Murder Trial" Sorenson is looking forward to seeing "close friends, friends, and some of the sweet jurors who served on the trial" at the party.
In addition to the party the family of Alexander is also planning on commemorating Alexander's birthday with a day of service.
"We will be setting up in Arizona for a day of service, I hope everyone who supports our family and Travis will somehow give service to others this day and always," the invitation on Facebook said. "Travis' birthday falls on the Sabbath and I'm excited to also attend what would [have] been his family church service on that morning."
Sorenson explained that she had a special bond with her brother through community service.
"Travis always did things like this and this exact activity is something Travis and I did together the last day I spent with him and it made me feel so good inside," Sorenson said. "I will always cherish that last day we spent together helping the homeless."
