A Maricopa County jury deliberated less than two hours on Wednesday, the start of the trial’s penalty phase, before ruling that Arias had acted with extreme cruelty in the 2008 fatal stabbing and shooting of Travis Alexander, a finding that qualified her for capital punishment.

Alexander, a 30-year-old businessman and motivational speaker with whom Arias said she was having an on-again, off-again affair, was stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and had been shot in the face. His body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home.

On Thursday, prosecutors and defense lawyers are slated to present additional testimony and arguments for the jury to weigh before one last round of deliberations that will determine whether Arias is sentenced to death or to life in prison.

The defense is expected to revisit its claim that Arias acted out of fear, and that her relationship with Alexander was fraught with abuse and efforts by Alexander to control her.

In arguing against the death penalty, the defense can try to establish one of several mitigating factors recognized under Arizona law, the most relevant of which would likely be a claim that Arias acted under “unusual or substantial duress.”

The jury rejected Arias’ claims of self-defense when it found her guilty last week of premeditated murder, capping a four-month trial during which the petite former waitress from California took the witness stand to testify in her own defense.

It was not certain whether she would opt to make any further statements in court before the jury renders its sentence.

SUICIDE WATCH

Arias, 32, had been placed on suicide watch in a psychiatric ward after saying in a post-conviction television interview that she would prefer the death penalty to life in prison. She was returned to her jail cell on Monday.

Arias has admitted shooting Alexander and said she opened fire on him with his own pistol when he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.

The lurid circumstances of the case, which went to trial in January and featured graphic testimony, photographs of the blood-sprayed crime scene and a sex tape, became a sensation on cable television news and unfolded in live Internet telecasts of the proceedings.

On Wednesday, prosecutors focused on details of the murder in their bid to cast the crime as especially cruel, a legal standard for aggravating factors that qualify for the death sentence.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez said Arias had repeatedly stabbed Alexander for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away.

Alexander knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said.

“Each and every time that blade went into his body, it hurt,” Martinez told the jury. “It was only death that relieved that pain. It was only death that relieved that anguish, and that is especially cruel.”

The defense argued that adrenaline would have prevented Alexander from feeling the pain of the knife blows. If he were shot in the forehead first, rendering him unconscious in seconds, he would not have suffered, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi said.

During the trial, Martinez cast Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy in previous relationships. He said she had meticulously planned to kill Alexander.

Martinez said Arias also lied after the slaying to deflect any suspicion that she had been involved in his death, leaving a voicemail on Alexander’s cellphone, sending flowers to his grandmother and telling detectives she was not at the crime scene before changing her story.

Nurmi, meanwhile, argued that Arias had snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” in the moments between a photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower, and a subsequent picture of his apparently dead body covered in blood.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Louise Ireland, Cynthia Johnston and Andrew Hay)

Arias was found guilty last week of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home five years ago. He had been stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face.

The same jury that convicted Arias deliberated for about three hours on Wednesday, first day of the penalty phase, before ruling that she had acted with extreme cruelty in the 2008 killing, qualifying her for capital punishment.

On Thursday, prosecutors and defense lawyers will present additional testimony and arguments for the jury to weigh before one last round of deliberations to determine whether Arias is sentenced to death or to life in prison.

The defense is expected to revisit its claim that Arias acted out of fear, and that her relationship with Alexander, 30, was fraught with abuse and efforts by Alexander to control her.

The most relevant mitigating claim is likely to be that Arias acted under “unusual or substantial duress”.

The jury rejected Arias’ claims of self-defense when it found her guilty of premeditated murder.

It was not certain whether Arias, who took the witness stand to testify in her own defense, would opt to make any further statements in court before the jury delivers its sentence.

SUICIDE WATCH

Arias had been placed on suicide watch in a psychiatric ward after saying in a post-conviction television interview that she would prefer the death penalty to life in prison. She was returned to her jail cell on Monday.

Arias has admitted shooting Alexander and said she opened fire on him with his own pistol when he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower. She said she did not remember stabbing him.

The case featured graphic testimony and photographs as well as a sex tape, which became a sensation on cable television news and unfolded in live Internet telecasts of the proceedings.

On Wednesday, prosecutors focused on details of the murder in their bid to cast the crime as especially cruel, a legal standard for aggravating factors that qualify for the death sentence.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez said Arias had repeatedly stabbed Alexander for two minutes as he tried to escape from the bathroom. She then followed the bleeding victim down a hallway and slashed his throat when he was too weak to get away.

Alexander knew he was going to die and was unable to resist his attacker at that point, Martinez said.

“Each and every time that blade went into his body, it hurt,” Martinez told the jury. “It was only death that relieved that pain. It was only death that relieved that anguish, and that is especially cruel.”

The defense argued that adrenaline would have prevented Alexander from feeling the pain of the knife blows. If he was shot in the forehead first, rendering him unconscious in seconds, he would not have suffered, attorney Kirk Nurmi said.

(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Louise Ireland and Cynthia Johnston)

(Reuters) – A federal jury in Texas convicted the brother of two alleged leaders of Mexico’s Los Zetas drug cartel of setting up a racehorse enterprise to launder millions of dollars in illicit profits, authorities said on Thursday.

The jury found Jose Trevino Morales, 46, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Trevino Morales is the brother of alleged Zetas leaders Miguel and Oscar Omar Trevino Morales. Both men were named co-defendants in the case and are at large.

The jury also convicted Mexican businessman Francisco Colorado Cessa, 52, horse trainer and purchasing agent Fernando Solis Garcia, 30, and 49-year-old horse trainer Eusevio Maldonado Huitron.

The Zetas gang was formed in 1998 by 14 former Mexican soldiers. The cartel’s multibillion dollar drug trafficking, kidnap and extortion empire reaches from Central America to the United States, authorities say.

“This trial documented the violence, brutality and corruption generated by Mexican drug cartels, in this case the particularly ruthless Los Zetas,” U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman said in a statement.

“The government was able to show how the corrupting influence of drug cartels has extended into the United States with cartel bosses using an otherwise legitimate domestic industry to launder proceeds from drug trafficking and other crimes,” Pitman added.

Trevino Morales and the other defendants were accused of setting up “Tremor,” a horse breeding operation. Prosecutors said the defendants purchased a horse ranch in Oklahoma, bought several hundred horses, and managed to win several substantial races, including the All American Futurity, the major competition on the quarter horse circuit.

The Zetas’ money was stashed in race horses, some of which were given not so subtle names like “Big Daddy Cartel” and “Morning Cartel,” according to court documents.

An FBI affidavit claimed that at one point, Los Zetas was funneling $1 million a month into the horse operation.

The four defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison on sentencing.

An Arizona jury on Wednesday found Arias guilty of murdering 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed nearly 30 times, and his throat had been slashed.

Arias, who was put on suicide watch and moved to a psychiatric unit after the verdict, had been due in court on Thursday to begin the part of her trial in which a jury will decide whether she deserves to be executed by lethal injection.

But the proceedings were postponed, and are now due to resume at 10 a.m. (1700 GMT) on Wednesday. Court officials tweeted that trial proceedings were sealed on Thursday, but gave no reason for the postponement.

A spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Arias and her counsel had held a closed meeting with Judge Sherry Stephens.

“After that meeting, the details of which are under seal, Judge Stephens canceled court for the day without providing a reason,” spokesman Jerry Cobb said.

A call to defense attorney Kirk Nurmi was not immediately returned.

Arias, 32, had tried to convince the jury during her four-month trial that she had acted in self-defense after Alexander attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photographs of him in the shower.

She teared up as the jury’s decision was read while a crowd of hundreds erupted into cheers outside the court. Jurors could have convicted Arias of a lesser crime such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, but instead found her guilty of the most serious charge possible.

The trial, which aired graphic evidence including a sex tape and photographs of the blood-spattered crime scene, became a sensation on cable television news with its tale of an attractive and soft-spoken young woman charged with a brutal crime.

‘THE ULTIMATE FREEDOM’

In a television interview moments after the verdict, Arias indicated that she preferred a death sentence to life in prison. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office later moved Arias to a jail psychiatric facility after placing her on suicide watch on Wednesday.

“The worst outcome for me would be natural life. I would much rather die sooner than later,” Arias, speaking slowly and calmly, said in an interview with Fox affiliate KSAZ.

“I said years ago I’d rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I’d rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it,” she said.

In a separate development on Thursday, the sheriff’s office said deputies arrested a man suspected of tweeting that he was going to put a bomb in the courtroom where Arias’ case was being heard.

Laquint Cherry, 18, was booked into jail on a felony charge related to acts of terrorism. Sheriff’s office spokesman Joaquin Enriquez said no explosive device was found at the court and that the trial postponement was not related to the threat. In the next phase of the trial, the prosecution will present evidence trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that aggravating factors exist that merit the death penalty. The defense can also present rebuttal evidence. The decision will then be up to the jury.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the state planned to present “evidence to prove the murder was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner.”

Nurmi has argued that the one-time waitress snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” in the moments between a photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower, and a subsequent picture of his apparently dead body covered in blood.

(Writing by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Toni Reinhold and Xavier Briand)

Arias had been due in court on Thursday to face an Arizona jury tasked with determining if she deserves the death penalty for the slaying. The sensational case attracted national media attention.

Court officials could not be reached to confirm the postponement, and an official at the county prosecutor’s office was unable to immediately confirm it.

Arias was found guilty on Wednesday of murdering 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and his throat had been slashed.

Arias, 32, had tried to convince the jury during her four-month trial that she had acted in self-defense after Alexander attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photographs of him in the shower.

In a television interview moments after the verdict, Arias indicated that she preferred a death sentence to life in prison. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office later moved Arias to a jail psychiatric facility after placing her on suicide watch on Wednesday.

In the next phase of the trial, the prosecution will present evidence trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that aggravating factors exist that merit the death penalty. The defense can also present rebuttal evidence. The decision will then be up to the jury.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the state planned to present “evidence to prove the murder was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner.” A call to defense attorney Kirk Nurmi seeking comment was not returned on Wednesday.

(Writing by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Toni Reinhold)

Arias was found guilty on Wednesday of murdering 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and his throat had been slashed.

Arias, 32, had tried unsuccessfully to convince the jury during the four-month trial that she had acted in self-defense after Alexander attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photographs of him in the shower.

The trial, which aired graphic evidence including a sex tape and photographs of the blood-spattered crime scene, became a sensation on cable television news with its tale of an attractive and soft-spoken young woman charged with a brutal crime.

Arias teared up as the jury’s decision was read while a crowd of hundreds erupted into cheers outside the court. Jurors could have convicted Arias of a lesser crime such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, but instead found her guilty of the most serious charge possible.

In a television interview moments after the verdict, Arias indicated that she preferred a death sentence to life in prison, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said she was subsequently placed on suicide watch.

“The worst outcome for me would be natural life, I would much rather die sooner than later,” Arias, speaking slowly and calmly, said in an interview with Fox affiliate KSAZ.

“I said years ago I’d rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I’d rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it,” she said.

AGGRAVATING FACTORS

At the sentencing trial, the prosecution will present evidence trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that aggravating factors exist which merit the death penalty. The defense can also present rebuttal evidence.

The decision will then be up to the jury.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the state planned to present “evidence to prove the murder was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner.”

A call to defense attorney Kirk Nurmi seeking comment was not immediately returned on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez painted a picture of Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy in previous relationships, and he said she had meticulously planned to kill Alexander.

In making his case for premeditated murder, Martinez had accused Arias of bringing the pistol used in the killing, which has not been recovered, with her from California. He said she also rented a car, removed its license plate and bought gasoline cans and fuel to conceal her journey to the Phoenix suburbs to kill Alexander.

Martinez said Arias lied after the killing to deflect any suspicion that she had been involved in his death, leaving a voice mail on Alexander’s cellphone, sending flowers to his grandmother and telling detectives she was not at the crime scene before changing her story.

Nurmi meanwhile argued that the one-time waitress had snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” in the moments between a photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower, and a subsequent picture of his apparently dead body covered in blood.

The sentencing trial is set to begin at 1 p.m. (2000 GMT)

(Writing by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Beech)

Arias, who could face the death penalty, has admitted to shooting 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and his throat had been slashed.

Arias, 32, had tried unsuccessfully to convince the jury that she acted in self-defense after Alexander attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photos of him in the shower.

The trial, punctuated by evidence including a sex tape and photographs of the blood-spattered crime scene, became a sensation on cable TV news with its story of an attractive and soft-spoken young woman charged with such a brutal crime.

Arias teared up as the jury’s decision was read while a crowd of hundreds erupted into cheers outside the court. Jurors could have convicted Arias of a lesser crime such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, but instead found her guilty of the most serious charge possible.

“Five long years … of lying, manipulating. Now the citizens of Arizona have spoken,” Dave Hall, a friend of Alexander, told reporters as he left the court. He said a death sentence would be appropriate.

“If what she did to Travis does not justify the death penalty in America today, then what do we have one for?”

Arias, in a television interview after the verdict, indicated that she preferred a death sentence to life in prison, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said she was subsequently placed on suicide watch.

“The worst outcome for me would be natural life, I would much rather die sooner than later,” Arias, speaking slowly and calmly, said in an interview with Fox affiliate KSAZ.

“I said years ago I’d rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I’d rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it,” she said.

The case, which began in early January and was streamed live on the Internet, drew parallels with the similarly high-profile Florida murder trial of Casey Anthony, another young woman charged with an unthinkable crime. She was ultimately acquitted in 2011 in the death of her toddler daughter, Caylee.

In the Arizona case, jurors heard how the petite, dark-haired Arias met and began dating Alexander, a businessman and motivational speaker, in 2006. During 18 days of often salacious testimony, Arias said she and Alexander continued to have sex despite their break-up from a relationship marked by emotional and physical abuse.

Arias said Alexander had made her feel “like a prostitute” and that he kicked and attempted to choke her, although she admitted never reporting the alleged abuse to the police, seeking medical treatment or documenting it in her journal.

DESCRIBED AS MANIPULATIVE

Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi argued that the one-time waitress had snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” in the moments between a photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower, and a subsequent picture of his apparently dead body covered in blood.

But prosecutor Juan Martinez painted a different picture of Arias, portraying her as manipulative and prone to jealousy in previous relationships, and said she had meticulously planned to kill Alexander.

“Nothing indicates that this is anything less than a slaughter,” he told jurors in his summing up on Friday, asking them to return a verdict of felony first-degree murder.

An attorney for Alexander’s siblings, Jason Beckstead, said the family was pleased with the verdict and that his law firm planned to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Arias “in the very near future.” He would not say what damages would be sought.

A friend, David Hughes, said the decision brought “tremendous closure” to Alexander’s family and friends, who wept and hugged each other in the courtroom after the decision was read out.

“Once they read off that verdict, it was such a sigh of relief,” Hughes told Reuters. “I believe this is exactly what the family was waiting for for the last five years.”

At the sentencing trial, which begins on Thursday, the prosecution will present evidence trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that aggravating factors exist that call for the death penalty. The defense can also present rebuttal evidence.

Jurors will then determine if the aggravating circumstances were proved to exist beyond a reasonable doubt.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said the state planned to present “evidence to prove the murder was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner” at the next phase of the trial.

A call to Nurmi seeking comment was not immediately returned on Wednesday.

In making his case for premeditated murder, Martinez had accused Arias of bringing the pistol used in the killing, which has not been recovered, with her from California. He said she also rented a car, removed its license plate and bought gasoline cans and fuel to conceal her journey to the Phoenix suburbs to kill Alexander.

Martinez said Arias lied after the killing to deflect any suspicion that she had been involved in his death, leaving a voice mail on Alexander’s cellphone, sending flowers to his grandmother and telling detectives she was not at the crime scene before changing her story.

The jury, which reached a verdict on its third full day of deliberations, had grilled her on her claims that her mind went blank after she shot Alexander, and wanted to know why she had not called emergency responders – questions she struggled to answer.

The defense called a psychologist who testified that Arias’ memory lapses stemmed from post-traumatic stress as a result of Alexander’s alleged abuse and the killing itself – claims disputed by prosecutors.

In closing arguments, Martinez told the jury Alexander had sent an instant message weeks before his death saying he was “extremely afraid” of Arias because of her “stalking behavior.” (Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, David Brunnstrom, Richard Chang, Peter Cooney and Eric Beech)

The Maricopa County Superior Court said the jury verdict will be read at 1:30 p.m. local time/4:30 p.m. EDT.

Arias, 32, could face the death penalty if convicted of first degree murder in the death of 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed multiple times and his throat had been slashed.

Arias admitted to shooting Alexander, but said it had been in self-defense after he attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photos of him in the shower.

The jury reached its verdict on the third full day of deliberations. Judge Sherry Stephens gave them the case on Friday afternoon, then adjourned for the weekend.

Stephens had instructed jurors that they could consider the charges of first- and second-degree murder or the lesser charge of manslaughter, and that they should reach a unanimous verdict. First-degree murder requires proof of premeditation.

The trial, which began in early January and was punctuated by graphic testimony and evidence including a sex tape, was streamed live on the Internet and drew widespread media attention.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Juan Martinez painted a picture of Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy. He said she had meticulously planned and carried out the killing.

“Nothing indicates that this is anything less than a slaughter,” he told jurors in his summing up on Friday, asking them to return a verdict of felony first-degree murder.

Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi argued that Arias had suffered physical and emotional abuse by Alexander during a chaotic relationship defined by “sex, lies, and dirty little secrets.”

He denied the killing had been premeditated and said Arias had snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” after Alexander attacked her. If she is “guilty of anything at all,” he said, “it is the crime of manslaughter.”

(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Editing by Sandra Maler, Cynthia Johnston and Richard Chang)

Arias, 32, could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed 27 times, and had his throat slashed.

She has admitted to shooting Alexander, but said it was in self-defense after he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera while taking snapshots of him in the shower.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens told jurors they could consider the charges of first- and second-degree murder or the lesser charge of manslaughter. First-degree murder requires proof of premeditation.

In final arguments on Friday, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi told jurors that “sex, lies, and dirty little secrets” had defined a chaotic relationship between the pair. Nurmi said Arias killed Alexander in self-defense, not with premeditation as prosecutors have argued.

“Was it what the state said it was yesterday, this plan? Or was it an act of self-defense forced upon Miss Arias by the actions of Mr. Alexander?” Nurmi asked the jury.

“That is ultimately your job to determine, and fear, love, sex, lies, and dirty little secrets will help you understand … what happened.”

Resting his case, Nurmi said Arias had snapped in the “sudden heat of passion” in the moments between a final photograph she took showing Alexander alive and taking a shower and a subsequent picture showing him covered in his own blood.

He told the jury that “if Miss Arias is guilty of anything at all, it is the crime of manslaughter.”

In his rebuttal, prosecutor Juan Martinez said Arias had acted with premeditation throughout.

“Nothing indicates that this is anything less than a slaughter,” he told jurors, asking them to return a verdict of felony first-degree murder.

The trial, which began in January and included often graphic testimony and evidence including a sex tape, was streamed live on the Internet and drew widespread media attention.

‘LIKE A PROSTITUTE’

During the trial, in which the petite, dark-haired Arias wore glasses, the court heard how she met and began dating Alexander, a businessman and motivational speaker, in 2006.

During 18 days on the stand, she testified that she and Alexander continued to have sex despite their break-up from a relationship that was marked by emotional and physical abuse.

Arias said Alexander made her feel “like a prostitute” and that he kicked and attempted to choke her, although she admitted never reporting the alleged abuse to the police, seeking medical treatment or documenting it in her journal.

Martinez painted a picture of Arias as manipulative and prone to jealousy in previous relationships, and said she had meticulously planned to kill Alexander.

He accused her of bringing the pistol used in the killing, which has not been recovered, with her from California, and said she rented a car, removed its license plate and bought gasoline cans and fuel to conceal her journey to the Phoenix suburbs to kill him.

Martinez has shown that she lied after the killing to deflect suspicion, leaving a voicemail on Alexander’s cellphone, sending irises to his grandmother and telling detectives she was not at the crime scene before changing her story.

The jury had more than 100 questions for Arias. They grilled her on her claims that her mind went blank after she shot Alexander, and wanted to know why she had not called emergency responders – questions she struggled to answer.

The defense called a psychologist who testified that Arias’ memory lapses stemmed from post-traumatic stress as a result of Alexander’s alleged abuse and the killing itself – claims disputed by prosecutors.

In closing arguments, Martinez told the jury that Alexander had sent an instant message weeks before his death saying he was “extremely afraid” of Arias because of her “stalking behavior.”

Nurmi reminded the jury that she was charged with murder and not with lying.

“Did she lie? Of course she did, but that’s not in your verdict instructions,” he said. “The crime is premeditated murder.”

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Xavier Briand)

The 32-year-old California woman could face the death penalty if convicted of killing Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower at his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He was shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and his throat was slit.

Arias has admitted killing Alexander, whom she dated for several months and with whom she continued having intimate relations after their breakup. She said she killed him in self-defense after he attacked her in a rage because she dropped his camera.

Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi told the jury on Friday that Arias left a clear “paper trail” of receipts for a car she rented at the airport in Redding, California, countering the prosecution’s argument that she had gone on a mission to his home in the Phoenix suburbs intending to kill him.

“You don’t go to Budget rent-a-car, plop down a couple of hundred dollars and drive off with their car … you have a driver’s license and credit card information. There’s a clear paper trail,” Nurmi told the court.

“An airport with security cameras, and security all around … It doesn’t make any sense if you are on a covert mission,” he said.

In an appeal to counter the prosecution’s charges that Arias had bought gas cans and filled them up in California to mask her trip to the Phoenix suburbs to kill Alexander, Nurmi said she had kept the receipts for the items rather than tossing them.

“Why would this smart woman not … take this receipt and throw it right in the garbage can? ‘I don’t want anyone to know I bought this gas can, because I’m on this covert mission.’ But she didn’t do that, did she?”

In closing arguments on Thursday, prosecutor Juan Martinez said Arias took the first steps in planning the murder when she stole a .25 caliber handgun – the same caliber weapon used in the slaying – that was reported missing in a burglary at her grandparents’ California home.

Arias was never charged with the theft. She previously testified she shot Alexander, 30, with his own pistol, and that she only became aware of the theft after it occurred. The weapon used in the killing has never been recovered.

In an appeal to the jury on Friday, Nurmi said it “made no sense” for Arias to have stolen the gun, which led to a police report being filed, when she could have reached into the gun cabinet and removed it, or taken another more powerful, unregistered gun from her father.

“Why would she stage this burglary … when she could have just reached in there (to the gun cabinet), or got a gun from another source?” he asked.

Nurmi said Arias arrived at Alexander’s house the night before the killing, finding her lover watching videos. He asked the jury why she did not kill him then, when he had his back to her, if she was on a mission to kill him.

“You put the gun to his head and you do it. You put the knife to his throat and do it! What better time to do it? … It doesn’t make any sense.”

Closing arguments were continuing.

(This story has been refiled to remove additional word in paragraph six)

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Vicki Allen)