Jody Arias, the subject of a five-month First Degree Murder trial that ended in her conviction, was in court again today. This time pleading for her life as the jury determines whether she should get a prison sentence or the death penalty.

Earlier in May, after a trial that began in January, Arias was found guilty of killing her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in the shower of his home on June 4th, 2008. He was found naked, stabbed 27 times in the back and torso, had his throat slashed, and was shot in the face.

It was pointed out by the prosecution during the lengthy trial even though it was reported as a burglary at Arias’s grandparents’ house, where their .25 caliber firearm as well as other items were stolen, that they suspect it was that very weapon that was used to shoot Alexander in the face. A spent .25 caliber casing was found at the scene. During the trial the prosecution argued that the burglary was staged by Arias.

In the days leading up to the murder, Arias rented a vehicle from Budget Rent-a Car in Redding, telling them she was only going to use the vehicle locally. But, when the vehicle was returned five days later on June 7th, it had 2,800 miles driven on it during the time she rented it. While driving that vehicle on June 5th, she was stopped by a West Jordan police officer for a missing front plate and the back plate upside down. The officer assisted Arias to fix the license plate and did not charge her for the incident.

Borrowing two gas cans from her ex boyfriend Darryl Brewer and buying a third, Arias gassed them up before her trip to Mesa according to prosecutors. She then turned off her cell phone and drove to Alexander’s home in Mesa, Arizona. She had prepared in this way so that there would be no evidence of her being in Arizona state according to the prosecution.

Investigators found a damaged but new digital camera in the washing machine with its memory erased. Even so, Mesa Police would be able to retrieve the images taken prior to its attempted destruction. On it were photos of Alexander and Arias in suggestive poses, then an image of Alexander in the shower, then images of him bleeding, dying in the shower.

Investigators also found a bloody palmprint on the wall in the hallway leading to the bathroom with DNA from both Alexander and Arias.

Even with this damning evidence, Arias continued to protest her innocence, saying she had last seen Alexander in April., but she would later change her story to one of home invaders breaking in, killing Alexander and attacking her. She would later again change her story and admit to killing Alexander in self-defense because she was a victim of domestic violence.

Two days after returning the rented car in Redding, Arias was indicted by a Grand Jury on June 9th. and was arrested on June 15th at her grandparent’s home.

After a five-month trial Arias was found guilty of First Degree Murder. For that, Arias is elegible to receive Life without Parole, Life with the possibility of Parole after 25 years, or the death penalty.

There are currently two women on death row in Arizona, if sentenced to death, Arias will be the third. Only one woman was ever executed in the state of Arizona. That woman was Alaskan cabaret singer Eva Dugan, who was convicted of killing a wealthy Tucson chicken farmer in 1930. A mishap in that hanging decapitated the woman, no woman has ever been executed in that state again.

Although Arias had told a reporter immediately after her conviction that she would rather be executed than spend the rest of her life in prison, today she asked the jury to spare her life.

Dressed in black, Arias took to the podium and spoke for 18 minutes. She started by saying that she never meant to cause Alexander’s siblings so much pain. Reading from a piece of paper, she told the jury and the packed courtroom, that as long as she lives, she will donate her hair to “Locks of Love.,” saying she has already donated hair to the cause three times since her incarceration.

She also related to the jury, “If I get permission, I’d like to implement a recycling program… each week huge loads of waste are hauled off to landfill. A substantial proportion of that could be kept out of landfill and recycled instead. It may even create new jobs for the people there. This is one small thing that could have a positive and far-reaching impact on the community and planet,” said Arias. “I’d like to start a book club or reading group. Something that brings people together in a positive and constructive way so that we can share and recommend other good books and stimulate discussions of a higher nature.”

Her time addressing the jury seemed more like a job interview or a plea for a business loan as she tried to humanize herself for the jury that is dutied with determining her fate. She showed a plethora of childhood photos, giving a narrative of her life for the court.

Very little remorse for her crime was shown.

In the closing statements Tuesday afternoon, Arias’s lawyer Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott told the court, Arias is a better person than her worse deed, and that the jury must make the moral decision to decide if she is to live or die. Meanwhile Arias listened showing no emotion.

Willmott continued, arguing that Arias was in the position she has found herself in because a poor childhood. Willmott told the jury that after Arias’s little sister was born, her relationship with her mother changed.

Willmott finished her closing statement and the prosecution began theirs. This time, autopsey photos were shown to the court and the jurors. Arias did not look at them.

Countering the defense’s claims of a bad childhood, prosecutor Juan Martinez, asked the jury where were the medical reports, police reports, and records of 911 calls to back up the evidence of abuse. Telling the jury that Arias only ever did the bare minimum to get by in life, he asked the jury to do the right thing. He then closed.

During rebuttal, the defense continued to blame Arias’s family for not being there for her. Then before finishing the attorney said “Can you see, there is still value in her life.”

The jury is now deliberating her fate.