A stolen handgun, a bloody handprint, and a waterproof camera containing
crucial evidence - calling the scene “horrific” is only the beginning.
Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias began a long distance romance after meeting
during a conference trip to Las Vegas in September 2006,
per ABC News. By February 2007, they were pretty much inseparable, but not everyone
was on board with the relationship. As one of Alexander's friends explained on "20/20,"
"I started seeing things that were just disturbing. I said, 'Travis,
I'm afraid we're gonna find you chopped up in her freezer.' [...] From very early on,
she was completely obsessed with him."
From the very beginning, Arias readily aligned herself with Alexander's Mormon
faith, which was something he took very seriously. However,
the couple's physical relationship allegedly started to cause problems for Alexander as
premarital sex is strictly prohibited in the Mormon religion. As a result,
Alexander reportedly experienced guilt over the relationship, and decided to break up with Arias.
When Alexander started dating other women, Arias reportedly started exhibiting some dangerous
behavior. According to Alexander's friends, Arias allegedly slashed his tires, hacked into
his social media accounts, harassed girls he was seeing, and even broke into his house. Despite
all of this, they would still occasionally meet up and have sex. Alexander's friends were unable to
wrap their heads around why he went on seeing her. Then, one day, he reportedly remarked to a friend,
"Don’t be surprised if you find me dead one day"
As it turned out, Alexander's ominous warning was more prophetic than he realized. Having not
heard back from Alexander while planning a trip to Cancún, a few of his friends
stopped by his home to check in. Inside, they found a nightmare. Alexander was curled up,
collapsed in the shower, and covered in blood. As reported by HuffPost, the 30-year-old had
been stabbed a total of 27 times, shot once in the head, and his throat had been slit.
Jodi Arias immediately became a suspect. Those who knew Alexander were well aware
of the couple's toxic dynamic. One of his friend's told police that Arias
was a stalker, and suggested that she was likely involved in the homicide.
The forensics team subsequently discovered a waterproof digital camera, long brown hairs,
and a bloody handprint on the wall of Alexander's home, which all pointed to Arias.
According to ABC News, Arias decided to contact the police herself after purportedly hearing about
her ex-boyfriend's murder. Upon questioning, she insisted that she hadn't seen him in more than
two months. However, investigators quickly debunked that claim after they found photos
of Arias and Alexander together on June 4, 2008, the day of his death. Additionally,
the bloody handprint on the wall contained remnants of both Alexander's and Arias' blood.
Police later found out that a .25 caliber handgun had been stolen from
Arias' grandparents' house shortly before Alexander was killed. After confessing to
being in the house the day of the murder, Arias asserted that she and Alexander had
been descended upon by two masked intruders while in bed together. According to her,
they killed Alexander and threatened to murder her family if she ever unveiled
the truth to the police or anyone else, per ABC News. However, there was no evidence to
back up Arias' version of events, and she was ultimately charged with first-degree murder.
The trial lasted for quite some time, and Arias was behind bars for several
years before she was finally convicted, per ABC News. As part of her defense campaign,
she claimed that Alexander had been verbally and physically abusive to her
throughout their entire courtship. While Arias stated that she killed her ex in self-defense,
no tangible evidence was ever produced to support this claim.
"I was in the bathroom. I remember dropping the knife."
In 2015, Arias was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of
parole. She narrowly avoided the death penalty after the jury failed to come
to an agreement on the matter. Following the trial, she said,
"I was really hoping the jury would see things for what they
are. [...] I didn't expect to walk away. I knew that was a possibility,
a slim chance [...] in a parallel universe somewhere, but certainly not first-degree."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse,
you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.