Jodi Arias Trial Unexpectedly Halted | HuffPost

Arias Trial Unexpectedly Halted

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Senior Crime Reporter, HuffPost

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PHOENIX -- The Jodi Arias penalty retrial was halted for unexplained reasons Thursday afternoon.

"Ladies and gentleman, we do not need you for the rest of the afternoon," Judge Sherry Stephens told jurors after the afternoon recess.

After a sidebar conversation with lawyers, Stephens explained, "The reason we don't have court is because of a matter that is outside the control of any of the parties. You should not blame anyone for the fact that we cannot proceed this afternoon."

The judge inexplicably asked one juror, No. 17, to stay and apparently met privately with the juror and the attorneys. When Stephens and the lawyers emerged from the meeting, there was no additional explanation for the delay and court adjourned for the day.

The delay follows the dismissal this week of two jurors. The jury panel now includes 16 people -- 12 jurors plus four alternates -- to decide whether Arias will be sentenced to life imprisonment or death in the 2008 slaying of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. A jury convicted Arias of first-degree murder in 2013, but deadlocked during the sentencing phase, prompting the penalty retrial.

"If they go below 12 it's a mistrial," legal analyst Jeffrey Evan Gold told HuffPost.

Former police detective Esteban Flores told reporters on his way out of court Thursday that no jurors were dismissed. However, Gold said that "doesn't mean that one won't be dismissed."

"If the juror had a family emergency, why wouldn't the judge say so? That happens all the time, but it didn't happen here," Gold continued. "The juror went into chambers to discuss something and when a court does things that are so secretive, it makes you wonder."

The incident comes on the heels of Wednesday's dismissal of juror No. 9, after journalist and legal analyst Beth Karas told the judge she was approached outside the courtroom by the juror. Karas said the juror, an unidentified woman, was not wearing her juror badge and asked her if she was Nancy Grace.

That dismissal came one day after another juror was dismissed due to an ongoing family emergency.

RETRIAL PHOTOS: (Story Continues Below)

Jodi Arias Penalty Retrial.

Jodi Arias(01 of37)

Jodi Arias in court on October 21, 2014, the first day of her penalty retrial. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Travis Alexander(02 of37)

A photo of Alexander that was shown in court.The body of 30-year-old Travis Alexander, the man Arias dated for months, was found on June 9, 2008, in a pool of blood in the shower of his Mesa apartment by friends. His throat had been cut from ear to ear, and he had been shot in the face and stabbed 27 times.In 2013, a jury found Arias guilty of first-degree murder, but was deadlocked on whether to sentence her to life imprisonment or death, prompting the penalty retrial now in progress. (credit:Mesa Police Department)

Jodi Arias(03 of37)

Jodi Arias in court on October 21, 2014, the first day of her penalty retrial. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Judge Sherry Stephens(04 of37)

Judge Sherry Stephens in court during the first day of the Jodi Arias penalty retrial on October 21, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Prosecutor Juan Martinez(05 of37)

During the state's opening argument, prosecutor Juan Martinez described Alexander's death in graphic detail."She loved him so much that this is what she did to him," Martinez said. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Prosecutor Juan Martinez(06 of37)

The prosecutor contended Arias was a jealous woman who killed Alexander because he wanted to end their relationship."The only just punishment for this crime is death," he said. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(07 of37)

Jodi Arias listening to the prosecutors opening argument. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Defense Attorney Kirk Nurmi(08 of37)

Arias' defense attorney, Kirk Nurmi, listening to the prosecutors opening argument. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Defense Attorney Kirk Nurmi(09 of37)

The sexual undertone of the Jodi Arias penalty retrial surfaced early on day one, when Arias' defense attorney, Kirk Nurmi, warned jurors during opening arguments that they would see "sexually graphic" evidence during the trial."You will see photographs that Mr. [Travis] Alexander took of Ms. Arias," Nurmi said. "Not just any photographs. Some of them are nude photographs that were taken the very afternoon of his death ... Some are close up shots of Ms. Arias' genitalia. Some are close up shots of her anus. [The prosecutor] will show you these pics to shock you.” (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Defense Attorney Kirk Nurmi(10 of37)

Nurmi said the photos should serve as "objective indicators" of what Arias and Alexander's relationship was about. It was an apparent attempt to convince the jury -- as the defense attorney had attempted to do during last year's trial -- that Arias was an emotionally and physically battered woman, forced to succumb to her boyfriend's every whim. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Michael Melendez(11 of37)

After opening arguments, jurors were shown photos of Arias naked and in various states of undress, exposing her breasts and genitalia from different angles. A photo of a nude Alexander in his bed was also shown in court.The nude photos, as well as photos of Alexander in the shower prior to and following his murder, were shown during testimony by Michael Melendez, a member of the Mesa Police Department, who analyzed electronic devices collected during the investigation. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Michael Melendez(12 of37)

Melendez said the photos were recovered from a memory card that was found inside a digital camera in Alexander's washing machine after his murder. The detective said the images, which had been deleted, were recovered from the card.The naked photos were taken around 1:45 p.m. on June 4, 2008, the day Alexander was murdered. The photos of Alexander in the shower were taken that same day, from about 5:22 p.m. to 5:29 p.m., Melendez testified. Those photos were followed by a snapshot of the ceiling in Alexander's home and a photo of his body in the shower at about 5:32 p.m. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(13 of37)

Arias in court. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Judge Sherry Stephens (14 of37)

Judge Sherry Stephens in court during the second day of the Jodi Arias penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Juan Martinez(15 of37)

Juan Martinez in court during the second day of the Jodi Arias penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(16 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the second day of her penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Dr. Kevin Horn(17 of37)

The jury heard gruesome details about the violent killing of Travis Alexander during testimony on day two by Dr. Kevin Horn, of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

X-Ray(18 of37)

As bereaved family members sat with their head down in the courtroom, Horn testified in graphic detail about the brutal attack that resulted in Alexander's death on June 4, 2008. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(19 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the second day of her penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(20 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the second day of her penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Dr. Kevin Horn(21 of37)

Horn described how Alexander was stabbed 27 times, shot in the right brow with a .25-caliber gun, and nearly decapitated when his throat, voice box and arteries were cut. As Horn spoke, jurors looked at photos of the dead Arizona man whose body, Horn said, was decomposing and starting to mummify when the autopsy was conducted on June 12, 2008.Horn testified the injury to Alexander's throat, which he described as a "single cut across the neck," would have been "rapidly fatal.""The knife injuries I believe came before the gunshot wound," Horn testified. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Martinez And Horn(22 of37)

While questioning Horn, prosecutor Juan Martinez shocked courtroom watchers when, without warning, he walked up to Horn, grabbed his pen, and pretended to stab him. Martinez then asked Horn how long that action took, prompting an immediate objection by the defense.Following a brief sidebar, the judge told Martinez he must notify the court before approaching a witness.Martinez then asked Horn if it is difficult to be stabbed, to which Horn replied, "I don't stab people." (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(23 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the second day of her penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Juan Martinez(24 of37)

Juan Martinez in court during the second day of the penalty retrial on October 22, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Nathan Mendes(25 of37)

When Horn stepped down, Martinez called Nathan Mendes to the stand.A Special Agent with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Mendes was a Siskiyou County Sheriff's Detective when Arias was arrested in July 2008.Mendes testified about Aria's infamous smiling mug shot and her demeanor the day of her arrest."She looked up at the correctional officers that were booking her and asked if her hair was okay," Mendes testified.He added, "The whole thing was odd, including the [mug shot] photo ... Most people who take a booking photo don't take a really nice photograph and she was grinning."Mendes then went on to detail a trail of credit card receipts found in Arias' possession, which detailed her trip from California to Utah and Nevada, in the days leading up to and after Alexander's slaying. Mendes said there were no receipts from Arizona, suggesting Arias had attempted to hide her visit there. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Judge Sherry Stephens and Juan Martinez(26 of37)

Judge Sherry Stephens and Juan Martinez during the third day of the penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(27 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the third day of her penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(28 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the third day of her penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Esteban Flores(29 of37)

Esteban Flores, a Mesa police detective, testified on day three about the sequence of events in Alexander's killing. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(30 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the third day of her penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Sidebar(31 of37)

The attorneys at a sidebar with the judge during the third day of the penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Kurt Nurmi(32 of37)

Kurt Nurmi in court during the third day of the penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jennifer Willmott (33 of37)

Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott in court during the third day of the penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(34 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the third day of her penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(35 of37)

Jodi Arias in court during the third day of her penalty retrial on October 23, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Kevin Friedman(36 of37)

On day three, prosecutor Juan Martinez called Kevin Friedman, a former police officer with the Yreka, California Police Department to the witness stand. Friedman testified he investigated the theft of a .25 caliber handgun that was stolen from Arias grandparents' house on May 28, 2008.The stolen gun, which has never been recovered, is the same caliber as the gun that was used to shoot Alexander.During his testimony, Friedman noted that several other guns, stored in the same cabinet as the .25 caliber gun that was stolen, were left untouched, as well as a large amount of quarters that were on top of the cabinet."Nothing else was found missing in that room [that the gun was taken from]," Friedman said. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Jodi Arias(37 of37)

The trial is scheduled to resume at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time on October 27, 2014. (credit:Tom Tingle/The Arizona Republic)

Earlier Thursday, prosecutor Juan Martinez called Kevin Friedman, a former police officer with the Yreka, California, Police Department, to the witness stand. Friedman testified he investigated the theft of a .25-caliber handgun that was stolen from Arias grandparents' house on May 28, 2008.

The stolen gun, which has never been recovered, is the same caliber as the weapon used to shoot Alexander.

The body of Alexander, 30, was found on June 9, 2008, in a pool of blood in the shower of his Mesa apartment by friends.

During his testimony, Friedman noted that several other guns, stored in the same cabinet as the .25-caliber pistol, were untouched, as well as a large amount of quarters that were on top of the cabinet.

"Nothing else was found missing in that room," Friedman said.

The trial is scheduled to resume at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time on Monday.

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