In brief: Arias sentenced to life without parole
PHOENIX – The nearly seven-year legal saga of Jodi Arias ended Monday as a judge sentenced her to life in prison for killing her ex-boyfriend, and the victim’s sisters unleashed their pain over the 2008 murder that captivated social media with its salacious details.
Three of Travis Alexander’s sisters tearfully urged Judge Sherry Stephens to impose the harshest penalty available against Arias. They described Arias as “unrepentant” and “evil” and lashed out at her.
Alexander’s family and friends hugged each other with tears in their eyes but smiles on their faces after the judge imposed the most severe of two available sentences and denied Arias a chance to be eligible for release after serving 25 years.
Before the sentence was handed down, Arias gave a rambling statement in which she stood by her testimony and accused police and prosecutors of changing their story during the investigation. She said she was sorry for the pain she caused Alexander’s family and friends.
“I’m truly disgusted and I’m repulsed with myself,” Arias said, recalling the moment she put a knife to Alexander’s throat.
She has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her. Prosecutors said Arias killed Alexander in a jealous rage after the victim wanted to end their affair.
The 34-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder last year.
Obama to visit last of 50 states in May
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will complete a rare presidential run through all 50 states when he delivers the commencement address at a South Dakota community college next month.
Amid much speculation over when he’d finally make it to South Dakota, Obama used an interview Monday with KSFY, the ABC-affiliated TV station in Sioux Falls, to break the news himself.
South Dakota is the only state still waiting for Obama to visit – but only for a few more weeks.
“I can’t let my South Dakota friends feel neglected,” he told station anchor Nancy Naeve.
Obama will travel to Watertown, in the state’s northeastern corner, to deliver the commencement address at Lake Area Technical Institute on May 8.