Arizona Boyfriend Killing: Jodi Arias Trial Continues With Mormon Claims (Watch Live Stream Online)
Jodi Arias, the woman accused of killing her boyfriend, Travis Alexander in June 2008 in Arizona, has continued to give evidence in her defense on Monday as the intriguing trial continued.
Arias continued on Monday to portray her ex-boyfriend to jurors as a domineering womanizer, and someone who used her for sex. She claimed to have awoken from sleeping one day to find Alexander already on top of her having sexual intercourse with her.
The 32 year old faces the death penalty if she is convicted of first degree murder.
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Arias described the sexual encounter on Monday, saying it took place in May 2007, which is approximately a year before he was murdered.
In her testimony Monday she told jurors that she did not fight Alexander off, but that she was extremely uncomfortable because she believed they were violating the teachings of the Mormon Church, which teaches that sex should only take place after marriage.
Arias had previously told jurors how Alexander had made repeated sexual advances early on in their relationship, and that he converted her to Mormonism during their relationship. She has claimed that Alexander, a Mormon, persuaded her to become a member of the Mormon Church and even performed her baptism in late 2006.
On Monday, answering questions from defense attorney, Kirk Nurmi, Arias claimed that she did not fight Alexander because she felt she was partly to blame for what was happening: "I felt like I was partially responsible because I went to sleep next to him. I was wearing a T-shirt, cute shorts. I just felt like being in his bed, sleeping there, it wasn't entirely his fault, like maybe it was invited."
Throughout Arias' defense, her attorneys have repeatedly brought up Arias' Mormon faith and beliefs while painting her as a victim to Alexander's domineering personality, portraying him as someone who belittle and bullied her through their five month relationship.
Arias though has changed her story numerous times, initially telling authorities that she was not at the murder scene at all, before changing her story to blame the murder on masked intruders. She finally has gone with the defense of self-defense, claiming that Alexander attacked her and she only killed him as she was fighting for her own life.
Meanwhile prosecutors have claimed that Arias killed Alexander in a jealous rage, stabbing and slashing him 27 times, as well as slitting his throat and shooting him in the head. Alexander's friends have also claimed that Arias stalked Alexander after they broke up, and that she became possessive and jealous.
The defense attorneys are still making their case, although they still have not tackled a defense to the prosecution's account that Arias attempted to clean the murder scene by washing his bedding, hiding the murder weapons, and dumping a memory card with incriminating photos of her into the washing machine.
Here is a live stream of the Jodi Arias trial:
