Jodi Arias Takes the Stand in Defense, Alleges Childhood Abuse
Jodi Arias has taken the stand in her own defense in the trial that could leave her facing the death penalty. Arias, as planned, has accused Travis Alexander of abuse and neglect but also revealed her alleged childhood abuse to the jury.
"My mother carried a wooden spoon in her purse," Arias testified. Her father was also violent and hit her with a belt in addition to other abuse, she claimed. "He would shove me into furniture … piano, desk … one time I hit a door post. The side of my face hit a doorpost and knocked me out. I remember waking up and [my mother] was telling him to be careful," she told the jury.
Arias also testified about the abuse that Alexander allegedly subjected her to. Not only was he physically violent, he was emotionally abusive and manipulative, the defense has alleged.
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"Yes, I did," Arias said when asked if she killed Alexander. "The simple reason is he attacked me." She has maintained that Alexander lunged at her, and she had no choice but to react in self-defense.
Alexander was found dead in the shower, with 27 stab wounds, a gunshot wound to the head, and his neck slit from ear-to-ear. Arias initially gave police three different stories as to her actions regarding his death, which caused a great deal of speculation as to her innocence.
"I would have been thrown into a padded cell and stripped down … I was very confident no jury would convict me because I was going to be dead," Arias testified about her controversial statements on Inside Edition.
"No jury is going to convict me," she told the show during her interview from prison. "Why not? Because I'm innocent. You can mark my words on that. No jury will convict me."
Arias will take the stand again today as the trial continues. If she is found guilty, Arias could face the death penalty.
