#JodiArias Sentenced To Life In Prison Without Parole For Boyfriend's Murder

#JodiArias was arrested in 2008 after the graphic murder of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, and has now been sentenced to life in prison without parole, after a long and difficult legal process. The judge called the crime "especially cruel" during the sentencing in court today. Alexander's body was discovered in his Arizona, home with a shot in the head and stabbed nearly 30 times. His throat had been cut from ear to ear.

Arias first said she had not been present when he was murdered, then when DNA proved she was lying, she said there had been a home invasion by two unknown killers. She finally admitted to the heinous act during the trial, with her lawyers claiming that Travis Alexander was a violent womanizer, and that she had killed him in self-defense during a domestic argument.

Summary of the sentencing today April 13, via HuffPo

Prior to sentencing, several of Alexander's relatives were given the opportunity to address the court. Among them were Alexander's sisters, Tanisha Sorenson and Samantha Alexander.

"This person who decided to play the role of God needs to suffer the consequences of her own actions," Sorenson said.

Samantha Alexander said her brother's slaying was "one of the worst possible things" she could imagine. She also said she was sickened that Arias had not only initially denied killing her brother, but had gone as far as to attend a memorial service that was held for him prior to her arrest.

"Not only did she act as if she had no idea, she had the audacity to go to his memorial with a smirk," said Samantha Alexander.

When Samantha Alexander stepped down, prosecutor Juan Martinez called Alexander's murder "a butchering" and asked that the judge not show Arias leniency.

Arias' mother, Sandy Arias, asked the court during Monday's sentencing hearing not to sentence her daughter to natural life. She said she believed her daughter was the victim of an abusive relationship, and said she felt her daughter had been falsely incarcerated.

"Our lives have been forever changed. … We will stand by her always," Sandy Arias said.

A defiant Jodi Arias spoke next.

From the start, Arias took a defensive stance and denied statements made by the Alexander family that she had refused to enter into a plea agreement before the penalty retrial.

"My legal team and I tried to settle this case on four different occasions," Arias said. "I was not the one who refused to settle this trial. It was Travis' family who not only refused to settle … but bragged about it all over social media."

Arias also said she now remembers stabbing Travis Alexander -- something she claimed during her first-degree murder trial that she was unable to do.

"I do remember the moment the knife went into Travis' throat," Arias said. "He was still conscious. He was trying to attack me."

After maintaining she was a victim of domestic abuse, Arias said she regretted killing Alexander.

"I live every day wishing I could undo what I did to Travis," she said.

Arias has been behind bars since her 2008 arrest.