In anticipation of a likely flurry of requests by MSNBC and CNN, who can’t get enough of convicted killer, Jodi Arias, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has ordered his media relations unit to turn down those petitions.
Arias, who was convicted in May of 2013 for the June 2008 brutal murder of her boyfriend, 30 year old Travis Alexander, will be facing a new jury beginning next week in the death penalty phase of her murder trial.
During the near five month long trial leading to her conviction, Arias was the focus of unprecedented media coverage. Always camera friendly, Arias acquiesced to almost every interview request until Sheriff Arpaio put a stop to them.
Since that time, Arpaio says, Arias has continued her attempts at self-aggrandizement. From her closed custody cell, she appears to be manipulating persons on the outside to help build her prestige by having them sell her artwork and personal items. Arias even attempted to have a documentary film team into the jail to feature her story. Arpaio refused to allow it.
“I know there is a good deal of interest in this inmate,” Arpaio says. “She probably has been the highest profile inmate ever in this jail system. But she’s had her 15 minutes of fame and any further attempts to convey her thoughts through interviews with the media will not be permitted while the penalty phase is ongoing.”