Jodi Arias Trial: The End Is Near

The Jodi Arias trial is finally nearing an end with closing arguments scheduled to begin next week.

Judge Sherry Stephens drew a line in the sand Wednesday, when she announced attorneys would begin delivering their closings arguments on May 2.

Stephens said court will be held tomorrow, but will not be held again after that until May 1.

“I’m going to ask that you arrive so that we may start at 9 a.m. [On May 1] … We are going to stay here until we finish,” Stephens said. “Final jury instructions will be read on [May 2] and the attorneys will give their closing arguments on [May 2 and May 3]. Then the case will be submitted to you for decision.”

Arias trial has been going since Jan. 2. The case was initially scheduled to go to the jury on April 11. However, there have been several delays throughout the proceedings and the trial typically only runs Monday through Thursday. Today was day 52 of the trial.

With news of the fast approaching end date, testimony went somewhat quickly Wednesday, with the prosecution calling two rebuttal witnesses to the stand.

The first witness called by prosecutor Juan Martinez was Robert Brown, a detective for the Mesa, Arizona Police Department’s forensic computer division.

Brown testified he examined Arias’ cellphone and found several photos that had been taken on June 3, 2008, one day before Arias’ ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, was killed. The photos, which were shown to the jury, show Arias with brown hair.

Earlier in the trial, a California rental car agent testified Arias had blonde hair when she came to his agency and rented a vehicle for her road trip to Arizona.

When Brown finished testifying, Martinez called Mesa Police Detective Esteban Flores to the stand.

Flores detailed the inspection of Alexander’s home and the closet where Arias claims she retrieved the handgun used to shoot Alexander.

During her 18 days on the witness stand, Arias said she was physically and emotionally battered by Alexander and feared for her life when she killed him. Arias said Alexander attacked her when she dropped his camera and she ran into the closet and grabbed a gun he owned off a shelf.

Alexander was shot, stabbed nearly 30 times, and his throat was slashed from ear to ear.

Flores said he did not find a holster, bullets, cleaning kit or any other items that would indicate Alexander owned a gun.Flores testimony was important, as the defense has claimed Arias used Alexander’s gun to shoot him.

She said she later disposed of the gun but does not remember the exact location. The prosecution contends Alexander did not own a gun. Martinez believes Arias stole the gun she used to kill Alexander from her grandparents in the weeks leading up to the murder.

During cross examination by the defense, Attorney Kirk Nurmi asked Flores if Arizona requires gun owners to register their guns. Flores said the state does not.

Shortly thereafter the judge recessed court for the day.