. >> reporter: defense lawyer kirk nurmi argued the idea that jodi arias went to see el commander todoesn't make any sense if she planned to kill him she would have done it right away instead of spending the day with him having sex and taking photos. >> she could have shot him right there if that was her plan. she didn't. doesn't make any sense if this is a premeditated murder. >> reporter: nurmi attacked the victim, travis alexander saying he not only abused arias but was a pedophile. he played a portion of a phone sex tape when he compared arias to a 12-year-old girl. >> you cannot write that to the heat of the moment. that is sick and that is wrong. you can't put any spin on that. >> reporter: combined, both sides argued more than seven hours. prosecutor juan martinez had the last word. >> in this case, trafts victor alexander was slaughtered by this woman, slashed his throat, she stabbed him in the heart and then she shot him in the face and all of that thinking about it in advance. thank you. >> reporter: there are four different verdicts the jury could come back with. two of th

>> your attorney. >> kirk nurmi you're talking about.here are no mitigating factors for you in terms of arguing against the death penalty? >> nothing that is what you typically see in a case like this, such as a childhood where there was drugs, alcoholism, molestation, things like that. none of those things occurred in my family. so i don't know. i guess we would sort of joke that my mom didn't beat me hard enough. so i don't really have mitigation. >> you've actually started at least you tweeted out that you're selling t-shirts for domestic violence children. do you plan to continue that? >> yes. >> why? >> i assume they're doing okay as is with government funding and donations. but i've spoken with people who have worked in those shelters and they always need donations. it's important to me to be able to assist them in being able to assist survivors. >> a lot of people are going to be seeing this. is there one thing you'd like to get out to all those people? >> i guess what i really want to say is to other women who are in a situation

doesn't make any sense that this is a pred meditated murder. >> reporter: nurmi also attacked the victimxander, saying he not only abused arias but was a pedophile. he played a portion of a phone sex tape when travis alexander compares arias to a 12-year-old girl. >> who says that? you cannot write that off to the heat of the moment. that is sick and that is wrong. you can't put any spin on that. >> reporter: combined both sides argued for more than seven hours. prosecutor juan martinez had the last word. >> in this case travis alexander was slaughtered by this woman, slashed his throat, she stabbed him in the heart and when she shot him in the face and all of that thinking about it in advance. thank you. >> reporter: the jury will be looking at four separate choices for potential verds. two of them are first degree murder. if they come back gult on e thur one of those then jodi arias is looking at a potential death sentence. second degree murder is also on the table with a sentence of potentially 10 to 22 years in prison and they can also sentence her to malg with a potential sentence o

we know from her attorney nurmi she intends to talk about her artwork and display her artwork. of the eight mitigating factors the defense has laid out. her friends were going to testify, we'll support only of the mitigating factors. she will corroborate the lack of family support and she has always tried to better her life. she has, obviously, taken a turn for the worse. whether she will say, please stair spare my life. i can have some value to society even behind bars, share my story with others so they don't go wrong. it's a wild card. >> i'll say. the wild card would be whether all of a sudden the video of her saying, you know, i really prefer not to spend time behind bars. i prefer to die. whether that would rear its head, jean ka rar ez darryl brewer is an ex-boyfriend of jodi, he testified and now he is one of two people asking for percy. what are we expecting him to say? >> ashleigh, i saw him in the courthouse yesterday. this is the point, the mitigating circumstance, are they substantial to call for the leniency here? this was probably the most stable relationship she

doesn't make any sense that this is a premeditated murder. >> reporter: nurmi also attack the victim,ly abused arias but was a pedophile. he play a portion of a phone sex tape when alexander compares arias to a 12-year-old girl. >> who says that? you can't not write that off to the heat of the moment. that is sick. and that is wrong. you can't put any spin on that. >> reporter: combined both sides argued for more than seven hours, prosecutor juan martinez had the last word. >> in this case, travis victor alexander was slaughtered by this woman. slashed his throat. she stabbed him in the heart and then she shot him in the face and all of that, thinking about it in advance. thank you. >> reporter: ted roland, cnn, phoenix, arizona. >> and new this morning, five u.s. soldiers have been killed by a bomb in southern afghanistan. no word yet on precisely where they were stationed. the taliban launched its annual spring offensive this week with attacks aimed at foreign military bases and diplomat areas. earlier this week, a roadside bomb killed three british troops. >>> also new this morning

but what we're seeing here is nurmi trying to make strategic moves. here he's saying i want a motion for a mistrial because we have to do everything we can. this is life or death. and this is it. the moment is now. we have to put forth a case in the mitigation phase. how can we do that? we do not have all the witnesses available. because, guess what, the jury, they're going to look and see she doesn't have a family member there. her mother's not testifying. she only has these two individuals who are prepared to get up and testify and now she only has one. so nurmi is saying, because of the threats, this woman, her friend, is not going to testify. we are not putting up this other witness. now he's really looking at an issue for appeal because he's saying i have an opportunity here to make a strategic move, i'm not going to put up my witnesses if we can't really put forth a case that we want to put forth in the mitigation phase right now. >> i'll tell you what, i think we're beyond that. i don't think it is just the intimidated witness who doesn't want

. >> then, it was the defense's term with kirk nurmy making their case. >> it's not even about whetherke jodi arias. nine days outs of ten, i don't like jodiarias. >>. >> what you want to play is obviously their story of self defense. that something happened in the heat of passion between these two people. who, at one time, were linked as love everies. >> jodi arias says travis alexander yelled at her for dropping the camera. he called her stupid. he says even a 5-year-old could hold a camera. and then he swrumps out. and then he attacks. he remembers on a previous occasion, he had choked her to the point where she lost consciousness. she feared that it might go farther. this time was different. he was angry. he was angry in a different way. >> as 12 jurors begin to deliberate behind closed doors, perhaps they've already provided us with a clue to what they contemplate while deciding the fate of jodi arias. >> after all the lives you have told, why should we believe you now? >> it's been four months that this jury had listened to this. now, it's all in their hands. for the first time,

. >> reporter: then it was the defense's turn it kirk nurmi making their case. >> it's not even abouter or not you like jodi arias. nine days out of ten i don't like jodi arias. >> anything less than first degree is a victory for the defense here. so what you want to play is obviously their story of self-defense, that something happened in the heat of passion between these two people who at one time were linked as lovers. >> jodi arias says travis alexander yelled at her for dropping the camera. he called her stupid. he says even a 5-year-old could hold the camera. and then he jumps out. and then he attacks. and then he holds her down. and she remembers that on a previous occasion when he holds her down he had choked her to the point where she lost consciousness. she feaerd that it might go farther. this time was different. he was angry. he was angry in a different way. she was in reasonable fear that he was going to end her life. >> reporter: as 12 jurors begin to deliberate behind closed doors, perhaps they've already provided us with a clue to what they contemplate while deciding t

. >> reporter: during his closing argument of the sensational trial arias' attorney kirk nurmi made thisng admission. >> it's not even about whether you like jodi arias. nine days out of ten i don't like jodi arias but that doesn't matter. >> reporter: what matters, he told the jury, is that arias is not guilty of first degree murder. >> the simple answer is that he attacked me. >> reporter: during this four-month trial the 32-year-old has insisted she shot and repeatedly stabbed her ex-boyfriend travis alexander because she had to. that she was a battered woman who finally lost it. >> she simply snapped. if miss rare yas is guilty of any crime at all, it is the crime of manslaughter. >> reporter: prosecutor juan martinez believes arias deserves the death penalty if convicted. he calls her a stalker who killed her ex in a jealous rage over seeing him with other women then made up abuse allegations to justify the cold-blooded premeditated murder. >> travis victor alexander was slaughtered by this woman. >> reporter: alexander's family sobbed as he recounted that day in june of 2008. jodi

. >> then, it was the defense's turn with kurt nurmi making their case. >> it's not even about whetherike jodi arias. nine days out of ten, i don't like jodi arias. >> anything less than first degree is a victory for the defense here. so what you want to play is obviously their story of self-defense, that something happened in the heat of passion between these two people who, at one time, were linked as lovers. >> jodi arias says travis alexander yelled at her for dropping the camera. he called her stupid. he says even a 5-year-old could hold a camera. and then he jumps. out. and then he attacks. and then he holds her down. and she remembers that on a previous occasion when he held her down, he had choked her to the point where she lost consciousness. she feared it might go farther. this time was different. he was angry. he was angry in a different way. she was in reasonable fear that he was going to end her life. >> after four months of testimony and 18 days of jodi arias taking the stand, her fate rested with the jury. >> single count against jodi arias. first degree murder. if they

>> in his summation, defense lawyer kirk nurmi didn't ask for an acquittal.ors were likely to convict jodi of something. >> if miss arias is guilty of any crime at all, it is the crime of manslaughter and nothing more. >> and he pointedly reminded the jury that this wasn't a reality show. that their decision shouldn't be about whether they approve of the woman whose sexual escapades have been part of their daily routine for four months. >> nine days out of ten, i don't like jodi arias. >> it was a phrase that resonated, if not with the jury, then certainly with his client, who responded via twitter. nine days out of ten. that sounds about right. if you think it's strange that a murder defendant would laugh it up via social media even while a jury deliberates her fate, then you don't know jodi arias, but of course that was kind of the ish a throughout this trial. who was she? >> i don't know. >> look closely at jodi during cross-examination. no matter how much she sobs, while strategically perhaps covering her face, there seemed to be no tear drops falling fro

we saw an opening statement from curt nurmi, he tried to define the law and said it is not cruel you're looking at, it is unusually cruel, depraved. i think under the circumstances with the doctor testifying, with the blood all over the place, it is going to be a very tough day, certainly for the defense to try to establish that and we know most of all, ashleigh, it is a horrible day for that family as they sit in that courtroom, having to listen to this. >> oh, without question. we keep seeing these shots of the gallery and the victim's sister, front and center. often with an expression on her face. she sat through four months through this to culminate in the focus on the ugliest part of this crime. joey jackson and jami stand by. thank you for that. don't forget to catch joey on hln's after dark at 10:00 p.m. eastern time, a great program for you to catch up if you haven't had a chance to see everything that transpired live moment to moment in court. we're monitoring all the testimony going on right now. not only in the jodi arias case, but also in the o.j. simpson case. we're going t

the very next day we heard from ki kirk nurmi who painted a different scene. he was more folksy.g about what kind of person jodi arias was. about the kinds of things she suffered through out her life. about her relationships and the way travis alexander treated her. we were told about graphic texts. we heard phone sex recordings, all designed to make it seem like travis alexander was not so innocent himself. he wanted the jury to see jodi arias as a battered woman suffering from ptsd who acted out of self-defense. we will hear what this jury ultimately close to believe but they have a tough task ahead of them. right now three women on death row here in arizona. jodi arias could be the next. this is a jury that took its time and yesterday i heard back from people on twitter, why don't we have a verdict yet? what is taking so long. i respond, this is a death penalty case. they need to deliberate this. they have one shot to get this right. and the whole world is watching. >> let me put you on hold, diana. another breaking story. gina dejesus is in the vehicle her family is arriving.

what kirk nurmi is trying to do is cast doubt on travis alexander's character and trying to paint jodictim. let me tell you. i heard a doozy of a lie today. i've covered a lot of trial and i've never heard a defense attorney say about his own client, nine days out of ten, i don't like her. what he is trying to say is that even if you don't like jodi arias, she is still entitled to a good defense. he is trying to poke hole in this prosecution theory of premeditated murder. he is trying to slow a paper trail. bank deposits, he mention that had she had $750 in her own account. why can't she take out and buy gas along the way. that she stopped at the homes of two ex-boyfriends. that she rented a car that you have to show i.d. and get a receipt. all this design to cause doubt. the jurors, i was paying at love attention to them, very attentive, hanging on every word he's saying. taking notes. and jodi arias looking at the jurors, trying to make eye contact with them. in fact, making a lot more eye contact with them than her own attorneys. it has been a riveting day in court. another one of t

kirk nurmi the defense attorney for jodi arias in the courthouse says he is, quote, optimistic. three of the -- or two of the three jurors that were removed from this case are also here. they've been brought in and they will be in the courtroom to hear this verdict as it is read. >> ted, walk us through why some of those jurors were removed from the case. >> reporter: the first juror was removed because of what was told to us via sources of something incomplete on her juror questionnaire which came up during the trial. they had a conference with the judge in her chambers. this juror took notes like nobody else. she was very dialed into it. the feeling was she was pro prosecution. when she was bounced the alexander family was visibly upset. they were in that hearing in the judge's chambers and when they came out two of the sisters were crying because they felt like this juror had been thrown off for the wrong reasons. we don't know specifically on the record why but that was a lot of drama in this case. then the other two, one juror was sick one day and they just had to move the

defense attorneys have already announced they'll stay on the case, which is a surprise to me because nurmig off the table trying to get away from jodi arias at the end and we saw wilmont step in and making the closing statement. they say they'll stay on. change of venue, they'll probably try for it but be careful what you ask, you may surely get it. they may get an even more conservative jury pool somewhere else. >> nancy grace, we appreciate your time this friday. dan, as well. >>> now we want to turn to ginger zee out in central park with another look at the weather in for sam champion this morning. good morning to you, again, ginger. >> hey, good morning. i'm here with the growing crowd. you can see a sound check behind me, the stage up there. that is one sparkling stage that mariah has and a lot of excited fans. right to the weather. it's chilly in the midwest and i'm talking 30s, some freeze warnings and even frost advisories in place last night. you can see that 41, chicago, this morning but let's check out a look at the pacific northwest, because they are going to have a slightly sc

. >> reporter: defense attorney kirk nurmi compared the trial to the salem witchtrial. >> her right tond time again. >> reporter: to the surprise of no one the judge would have none of it. >> your motion towithdraw is denied. >> reporter: arias' attorneys responded by saying they'll stay but will call no witnesses since it's not a fair hearing. they claim one of those witnesses, childhood friend, patty womack, backed out of testifying because of death threats. so later this morning we expect jodi arias and only jodi arias will address the jury who will then decide if the 32-year-old spends the rest of her life in prison or heads to death roy. for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, phoenix. >> joining us now "gma" legal analyst dan abrams. her attorneys tried to remove themselves from the case. they again asked for a mistrial. what's going on here? >> not surprising that the judge said no. but, you know, put yourself in the attorney's position for a moment which is you've got perspective witnesses who are saying, i'm not going to testify in this case because of death threats

. >> then it was the defense's turn with kirk nurmi making their case. >> it's not even about whether jodi arias. nine days out of ten, i don't like jodi arias. >> anything less than first degree is a victory for the defense. so you want to play that story of self-defense, that something happened in the hoot of passion between these two people who were one time linked together as lovers. >> jodi arias says travis alexander yelled at her for dropping the camera. he called her stupid. he said even a 5-year-old could hold a camera. then he jumps out and he attacks and then he holds her down and she remembers that on a previous occasion when he holds her down, he choked her to the point where she lost consciousness. she feared that it might go farther. this time was different. he was angry. he was angry in a different way. she was in reasonable fear that he was going to end her life. >> after four months of testimony and 18 days of jodi arias taking the stand, her fate rested with the jury. >> single count against jodi arias, first-degree murder. if they don't find first degree, they can

. >> and then it was the defense's turn with with kirk nurmie making the closing statement. >> it is whether you like jodi arias. 9 of 10 times, i don't like jodi arias. >> you have to play that there is a self-defense and a heat of passion that at one time you are not linked as lovers. >> jodi arias says that alex travis alexander yelled at her for dropping the camera and says that even a 5-year-old could hold a camera, and then he jumps out and attacks, and then he holds her down. she remembers that on a previous occasion when he held her down, he had choked her to the point where she lost consciousness. she feared that it might go farther, and this time was different. he was angry, and angry in a different way. she was in reasonable fear that he was going to end her life. >>> after four months of testimony and 18 days of jodi arias taking the stand, her fate rest rested with the jury. >> single count against jodi arias, first-degree murder. if they don't find first degree, they can go down to second degree and then manslaughter, and if it is not premeditated, then not guilty. >> p

the defense attorney, kirk nurmi came in. they brought in jodi arias. the jury came in. right away they handed that verdict to the clerk. >> any reaction from juan martinez? did he make eye contact with the family? >> honestly i could not see him. from where i was standing, ted. but, clearly, he is somewhat that supporters of the prosecution have been very happy with his performance, one of the stars of this trial if you will. >> reporter: we just saw one of travis alexander's friends leave the courthouse and that is why you heard the applause there. >> ted, we are over a block away from you. we can hear the eruptions of emotions, the screams. jeffrey toobin and i getting breaking news on our blackberries about some of the breakdowns of the jury vote. if you're just joining us i want to reset what we're covering here in phoenix, arizona outside of the maricopa county superior courthouse. a jury of eight men and four women has just reached its verdict and delivered that verdict in the courtroom, guilty. jodi arias is guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of travis

kirk nurmi the attorney for jodi arias is visiting her at the jail where she hangs out before she has is interesting is has only been a few days since that man and cocounsel made a motion to quit the case. motion denied. judge said no. understandably, judge said no. we are at the finish line of a $1.7 million, $1.8 million defense. he's had his visit with jodi arias in the jail. who knows what that conversation was like? because jodi has said she wants to speak. maybe in elocution. maybe just testimony. but she wants to stand up in her own defense. or does she want to actually defend herself any longer? at this point it is anyone's guess which is part of the reason why this has been such a fascinating case. just gets more fascinating. that is it for me. have yourself a wonderful weekend. i'm headed back down to phoenix for jodi's case. in the meantime jake tapper takes it from here. >>> congressional hearing drinking game. if you took a yagr shot every time someone said outrageous at today's irs hearing you'd be in for one mother of a hangover. i'm jake tapper and this is "the lead."