On June 9, 2008, Travis Alexander’s body was discovered in a shower in his home in Mesa, Arizona. Alexander was found to have died from 27-29 stab wounds, along with his throat being slit and a gunshot wound to the head. Alexander’s ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias, was the prime suspect after investigators discovered they had several arguments leading up to his death and certain pieces of evidence placed her at the scene of the crime. On July 15, 2008, the first stage of the case began when Jodi Arias was indicted by a grand jury and arrested for the first-degree murder of Travis Alexander. The pre-trial process began in March of 2009 where Arias was tested for competency to stand trial and defense lawyers were appointed. After spending two years …show more content…
The first group of people involved would be the police and investigators. The authorities had the responsibility of examining all evidence found in Alexander’s home and making the connection between that and Jodi Arias. Once they discovered probable cause that Arias committed the murder, they were then able to arrest her. After the investigative period, the next group of individuals involved was the prosecution, defense, judge, and jury. The prosecution and defense both had the responsibility of proving or disproving the notion that Arias was guilty of first-degree murder. To do this, they used various pieces of evidence and testimonies to convince the jury of their argument. The jury then decided whether or not Arias was guilty based on the claims of counsels, defense and prosecution. The judge was there to maintain order in the courtroom, negotiate between the counsels, and decide guilt, known as administrator, negotiator, and adjudicator respectively. Once Arias was convicted, the role then moves to correction. They are responsible for enforcing the punishment and incarceration that she was sentenced to. Each criminal trial has various actors that play different roles, which essentially determine the outcome of the