Jodi Arias, Murder Trial, Travis Alexander: Arizona Woman Surprisingly Admits to Murdering Ex-Boyfriend, May Face Death Sentence

32-year-old Jodi Arias admits she stabbed her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, 29 times, then shot him in the face and slit his throat, all in self-defense. In a surprising turn of events, the Arizona woman accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend took the witness stand in her own defense. Arias told jurors she was abused as a child, sometimes beaten with a wooden spoon by her mother. She also said she planned to committed suicide after Alexander's death. Alexander's body was found in June 2008. Arias faces a possible death sentence, if convicted of his murder.

On Monday, Jodi took the stand in a Phoenix courtroom for the first time and quickly admitted she killed 30-year-old Travis Alexander in self-defense.  Prosecutors have maintained her actions were caused by a jealous rage. The decision to have Arias testify was very unexpected because she faces the death penalty.  When defense attorney Kirk Nurmi asked her, bluntly, if she killed Travis Alexander, she responded:

"Yes. The simple answer is that he attacked me and I defended myself."

An earlier defense of Arias was how she denied even being at the scene of the crime. She said that she was never planning on facing a trial since she was planning on taking her own life. Prosecutors have kept on the gruesome details of the case, describing the nearly 30 stab wounds inflicted on Alexander followed by a slit throat and a bullet to the face. All of this just because he tried to end their relationship. The prosecutors then provided graphic and sexual pictures taken on the day of the murder for jurors to view. These pictures include the deceased taking a shower, only hours before the incident. More pictures show the couple naked and had Arias' hand prints in blood all over them. This trial, which began in early January, has also featured graphic police photographs from the crime scene in Mesa. These pictures included several of Alexander's badly wounded corpse.

Arias met Alexander in 2006 at a Las Vegas. They ended their relationship after five months, but continued to see each other for sex up until Alexander's death. Travis Alexander was a successful motivational speaker who defense attorneys on this case are calling a liar who coerced women like Aria into sex. It is also speculated that he was seeing many women at the time. One of Arias' most recent statements is that boyfriends abused her in the past.