Summary: The lead prosecutor claims that a juror was in love with Jodi Arias, a claim that a fellow juror and supporters of Arias also believe may be true.
The lead prosecutor on the Jodi Arias case is releasing a book where he details his theory behind one juror’s obsession with Arias, among other details of the case. Prosecutor Juan Martinez does not name the juror but others, including another juror on the case, says it is pretty obvious who the juror is.
Foreman Bill Zervakos is the one juror that held out against the death penalty and also was claimed to be a womanizer, making eye contact with Arias whenever the jury was led into the judge’s chambers. Zervakos claims he approached the trial from a “non-emotional point of view”, but very few believed his claim since he grumbled and complained every time a fellow juror number 18, Tara Harris Kelley, asked Arias a question. Zervakos even admitted in an interview, “It is difficult to separate yourself from the emotions and personal side of it.”
Arias was arrested and tried for the murder of her ex-boyfriend in 2008, Travis Alexander in Mesa, Arizona. Alexander was shot and stabbed repeatedly in his throat then slashed inside the home they shared. The two had broken up and he was moving on to date other women. The prosecution said Arias was obsessive and upset that Alexander was moving on. Martinez’s book also details that two knives, a 9mm handgun, and condoms were found in her rental car when she was arrested. These details did not go before the jury.
Five years later, Arias was convicted, but the jury, including Kelley and Zervakos, could not decide on the death penalty and nor could another jury because of another holdout. She was instead sentenced to life in prison. She is appealing that sentence.
Zervakos has gone on to hold several interviews defending his reason for holding out against the death penalty, placing blame on Alexander and Martinez. In one interview, he stated, “I am very sure in my own mind that Jodi was mentally and verbally abused by him. Is that an excuse? Of course not. Did it factor into the decision we made? It has to.” He later said in another interview that he took his job seriously, but questioned if Martinez did.
The book presents new evidence that has not been seen, including how Arias forged letters pretending to be Alexander confessing to being a pedophile. Another book was recently released by her public defender. L. Kirk Nurmi details in his book how Arias used flirtation to try and manipulate him, causing him to try to be dismissed from the case. He even quit his job, but the court ordered him to stay on the case.
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