Jodi Arias: Life Without the Possibility of Parole
Maricopa County Superior Judge Sherry Stephens sentenced Jodi Arias to life in prison without the possibility of parole. No one in court was surprised by this. After jurors in her murder trial deadlocked for the second time on a decision to give Arias the death penalty, Judge Stephens had only two choices at the hearing: life without the possibility of parole, or life with a chance of parole in 25 years.
This sensational and salacious trial ended with the 34-year-old standing in court soaking up her last remaining bit of attention that she desperately sought throughout her arrest and trial. She used this as a chance to show off to the world just how disconnected from reality she is, and to lash out at Travis Alexander and his family.
A jury convicted Arias of murdering on-again off-again boyfriend Travis Alexander. Prosecutors say she shot Alexander and stabbed him over 30 times in his suburban Phoenix home in a jealous rage because he wanted to end the relationship.
Her first trial was televised and captured the nation’s fascination in part because of the kinky details about their relationship and because Arias gave jailhouse interviews and Tweeted from jail through someone managing an account for her. People went so far as to create websites dedicated to her eye glasses and hair styles. Somehow through it all, Arias developed a sympathetic image with enough people to save her life.
This is a victory for Jodi Arias. Even though she will spend the rest of her life in prison – the first five years are in solitary – she is spared a date with the executioner.
Jodi Arias could not get enough public attention. Now she will have a lifetime of attention from inside an Arizona prison from an audience that’s likely to be less sympathetic.
Nelly’s Magic Bus Ride
Lawyers for rap and reality star Nelly say the drugs cops found on his tour bus were not his.
Police in Tennessee arrested Nelly and several others after pulling the bus over for not having proper Department of Transportation stickers. Cops say they smelled pot and when they searched the bus found, meth, marijuana and guns.
Nelly’s lawyer said 15 to 20 people had access to the bus prior to the stop and there were multiple people on the bus when cops searched it.
The challenge for the prosecution is that when multiple people have access to the location where drugs were found it can be tough to prove whose drugs they were. They aren’t going to dust those drugs for fingerprints!
Nelly was booked on felony charges for the meth and misdemeanor marijuana possession. He was also booked for drug paraphernalia. Cops say there were about 100 small Ziplock type bags commonly used for the sale of drugs. However, notwithstanding the presence of the baggies, there did not appear to be sufficient evidence to support a possession for sales charge, such as scales, ledgers of “pays” and “owes” or other material typically associated with drug dealing. Perhaps those were just sandwich bags after all.
One hundred plastic bags by themselves is not necessarily a problem. Especially if police did not find scales or ledgers showing drug transactions.
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Darren is an accomplished TV personality, attorney, interventionist, keynote speaker, and 'misbehavior expert' who appears constantly on countless TV and radio shows.