i'm ryan owens for "nightline" in phoenix. >> fascinating trial.ur thanks to ryan owens. >>> just ahead, watch out for those teeth. we join the alligator wrestlers going face to snout with some of america's most dangerous predators. [ stefan ] with a cold or flu, nighttime nasal congestion can be the worst part. my medicine alone doesn't always give me all the congestion relief i need to sleep. [ female announcer ] adding breathe right nasal strips can make all the difference. it's proven to instantly relieve cold or flu nasal congestion. [ stefan ] and because it's drug free, it's safe to use with any medicine to relieve my nighttime stuffy nose. so i can breathe better and sleep better. [ female announcer ] go to breatheright.com for special offers. this is another! ta-daa! try charmin ultra strong. it cleans so well and you can use up to four times less than the leading value brand. and it's four times stronger. charmin ultra strong. both of us actually. our pharmacist recommended it. and that makes me feel pretty good about it. and then i heard

here's abc's ryan owens. >> if travis were here today, he would tell you that it wasn't me.rter: her web of lies untangles before our lies. >> i'm all for the ten commandments. thou shalt not kill. >> reporter: every detail shown to riveted jurors, who will decide if jodi arias should die for her crime. >> if i hurt travis, if i killed travis, i would beg for the death penalty. >> reporter: for the last three days, the prosecutor has played interrogation videos of arias from july of 2008. she's just been arrested for the brutal murder of alexander. >> i'm begging you to at least come clean and tell me why. >> i wish that i had answers. i'm sorry. >> reporter: he was found butchered in the somehhower of home. >> if i was trying to kill somebody, i would use gloves. i have plenty of them. >> reporter: the 30-year-old businessman and devout mormon had been stabbed 27 times. his throat slit so deep he was almost de ceglcapitated. and he was shot in the head. >> this is over. this is absolutely over. you need to tell me the truth. >> the truth is i did not kill travis. >> reporte

i'm ryan owens for "nightline" in phoenix. >> thanks to ryan for the report on that trial. >>> just aheadus blows on the field have led to the shocking suicide of football legend junior seau? the new discovery, and an abc and espn exclusive as his family speaks out for the first time. ♪ [ male announcer ] you've reached the age where you don't back down from a challenge. this is the age of knowing how to make things happen. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. can be the worst part. my medicine alone doesn

but here's ryan owens with the background. ♪ oh, holy night >> reporter: that attractive woman singingistmas carols behind bars could soon be on death row. prosecutors will argue that 32-year-old jodi arias, should die for the one-time murder of her one-time boyfriend, travis alexander. she may sound soft-spoken. but police say she stabbed alexander 27 times, slit his throat, and shot him in the head at his arizona home, in 2008. arias has pled not guilty. the two met at a work conference six years ago. jodi says they fell in love, traveled the country together. and to strengthen her ties to the devout mormon, she even converted. but travis' friends say, after dating a few months, she tried to break it off. and told them this. >> there is nothing about her that i see as marriage material or wife material. but it's hard to say no to a woman that sneaks into your house, crawls in your bed and tries to, you know, seduce you. >> reporter: travis' family and friends say jodi was stalking him in the months before the murder, something she denies. but at first, she denied being at his house a

but first, here's abc's ryan owens with the latest on the story. >> this is detective steve flores.message that you needed to talk about something. >> reporter: most accused killers do not reach out to the police. >> i wanted to offer any assistance that i might have. >> reporter: but jodi arias is not most accused killers. >> we dated for, like, five months. and we broke up and we continued to actually see each other. >> reporter: you're listening to a conversation between jodi and the lead detective trying to solve the murder of her ex-boyfriend, travis alexander. the conversation happened the day after his body was found in the shower of his mesa, arizona, bedroom, in june 2008. >> that was the last time you saw him. right? you haven't been back in town since then? >> not at all. >> reporter: jodi admits, that was a lie. not only was she in his house that night. she killed him. she said in self-defense. ♪ o holy night >> reporter: the soft-spoken woman who won the jailhouse christmas caroling competition, wiped away tears as the prosecution showed the jury gruesome photos of his

but ryan owens has the latest on the story. >> reporter: fatal attraction? or self-defense?ow, jodi arias' defense will begin. did she kill her boyfriend in a jealous rage? or did he die while jodi was fighting for her own life? >> jodi would live or she would die. >> reporter: the prosecution has laid out every gruesome detail of how mormon businessman travis alexander was killed. after initially lying to police, arias finally admitted to stabbing him nearly 30 times and shooting him in june of 2008. >> jodi, this is over. this is absolutely over. you need to tell me the truth. >> listen, the truth is i did not hurt travis. >> reporter: first, she said she wasn't there. then, she was and witnessed intruders kill him. and finally, the version her attorneys are now telling the jury, that arias killed alexander in self-defense. >> the defense is going to come in and clean up this mess of her multiple stories and explain that in some kind of a narrative. >> reporter: domestic violence experts will testify to try to explain away her lies. and ultimately, most expect jodi arias,

abc's ryan owens is in phoenix with more on the story. , good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. the pictures were so graphic that were shown in court, the truth is, a lot of people couldn't handle them. in fact, we saw one member of the jury, wiping away tears. travis alexander's sisters shielded their teary eyes, as prosecutors showed crime scene photos of alexander's bathroom. there is blood everywhere. signs of a struggle. police say his one-time girlfriend, jodi arias, stabbed him, slit his throat and shot him in the head in a jealous rage. arias cries, too. she admits she killed him. but says it was self-defense. the medical examiner testified alexander's body was covered in stab wounds. and some were defensive. that he was fighting for his life. >> if you have injuries to the backs of the forearms or to the palms or backs of the hands. that is consistent with someone trying to either grab the knife or fend off injury. >> does that mean that mr. alexander was alive at the time that these injuries were inflicted? >> i believe he

ryan owens has the very latest. >> reporter: is the jodi arias seen here a kind, gentle soul pushed tooabusive boyfriend? or a calculating stalker who killed that boyfriend in a jealous rage? >> sir, could you introduce yourself to the jury, please? >> reporter: on day one of her defense, arias' attorneys called a boyfriend she dated before she dated alexander. >> i knew jodi because we were in love. >> reporter: he didn't want his face shown publicly. but daryl brewer said he dated the much younger arias for four years. they everyone bought a house together. the divorced dad says she was great with his son. >> jodi was a very responsible, caring, loving person. >> did you ever see jodi act jealous towards women that you came in contact with? >> no. >> reporter: but on cross-examination, brewer may have done damage to her case. he told the prosecutor arias took a nude picture of him in the shower. remember, she snapped these photos of travis alexander in the shower seconds before prosecutors say she started stabbing him. he testified arias visited him the day before the murder and borro

for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, phoenix. >>> let's get more from dan abrams. a lawyer. but i thought the first rule for a lawyer in court is don't ask a question you don't know the answer to. >> and don't call witnesses that aren't going to help your case. we've seen witnesses called by the defense to prove what? he had an ex-girlfriend that was once mad at him. so what? another witness testified that she and her relative witnessed a fight that jodi arias once got in with alexander. oh, my goodness. they once got into a fight. if that's the standard for suggesting someone needs to engage in self-defense, we're all in a lot of trouble. >> are they backing themselves into a corner where they have to put jodi arias on the stand? >> i don't see how else they have a shot in this case. we talk about how risky it is to call a defendant to the stand. in this case, with things going as badly as they are, for jodi arias, the risks go down because it's almost riskless. >> she creates one bit of sympathy. >> the only reason there's risk, is because the death penalty is on

abc's ryan owens has the story. >> reporter: she's the admitted killer so many can't keep their eyese soft-spoken, small-framed 32-year-old, who won a jailhouse christmas caroling contest. ♪ o, holy night >> reporter: and who cries every time prosecutors describe what she admits she did. stab her one-time boyfriend, travis alexander 27 times, slit his throat and shot him in the head. jodi grew up in the small city of yreka, california. she dropped out of high school, only the get her g.e.d. in jail a few years ago. she was an aspiring photographer. her myspace page includes many albums of pictures. including one called, in loving memory of travis alexander. >> jodi wants nothing but to see travis. >> reporter: jodi's attorneys want the jury to believe she killed travis in 2008 in self-defense. that he abused her and she feared for her life when she attacked him in the shower of his mesa, arizona, home. friends of travis say the 30-year-old was a successful businessman, who overcame all the odds. his parents were drug addicts. he grew up occasionally homeless. until he converted to mo

and ryan owens has the latest on the case. >> reporter: jodi arias cried through much of the openingements of her capital murder trial. >> this is not a case of whodunit. the person whodunit sits in court today. >> reporter: prosecutors say she stabbed her former boyfriend, travis alexander, 27 times. slit his throat and then shot him in the head as he showered in his mesa, arizona, home in 2008. they argued that travis was a devout mormon, seduced and stalked by arias, and ultimately killed by her in a jealous rage when she found out he was dating other women. >> she rewarded that love, by sticking a knife in his throat. >> reporter: arias' attorney told the jury, her client was force to kill, in self-defense. ♪ o holy night >> reporter: she says her client who won a christmas carolling contest behind bars, was abused and controlled by travis, who she claims was a sexual deviant hiding behind his religion. >> that t-shirt is a perfect example of how travis treated jodi. >> reporter: the two only dated for months, but the two continued a sexual relationship, including the day of the

abc's ryan owens has the latest. >> reporter: they are the frightening images that have become far too common. police leading helpless students off-campus. a twitter picture of people cowering in classrooms. this time, the setting is lone star college, a community college north of houston. tuesday afternoon, authorities said that it wasn't a lone deranged gunmen targeting students, but two men having an argument near the campus library. their fight ended in gunfire. >> i heard bang, bang, bang, bang. someone started screaming. >> reporter: police say that a college maintenance worker was caught in the cross-fire, shot in the leg. a female student also went to the hospital after reportedly having a heart attack. the two gunmen, one a student, are in custody. the college chancellor said after so many campus shootings, his school is ready. >> we have had three training exercises for faculty and staff on what to do in an event like this. >> reporter: for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, dallas. >>> there's been a record drug bust along the mexican border. netted marijuana with

abc's ryan owens has that from phoenix. >> i know i didn't take travis' life. >> reporter: jodi ariasalso deceiving herself? this morning, a never-before-seen look at the admitted killer's journal, seized by police from her bedroom in her grandparents' california home. on this page obtained by abc news, arias writes, travis is dead. what happened? travis, what is this? the entry comes days after she stabbed and shot travis alexander in june 2008. three days after his body was found, another bizarre entry. it just feels like he hasn't called me in too long. i hear him singing. i hear him laugh. on wednesday, prosecutors played more of the interrogation tapes from after her arrest. arias repeatedly says she didn't kill alexander. but if she did, she would do it very differently. >> i don't think i could stab him. i think i would have to shoot him continuously, until he was dead. >> nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> i do. >> reporter: the jury heard from the man arias rented a car from where she drove to alexander's mesa, arizona home. when she returned it, the floor mats were m

>> her name's jodi. >> reporter: for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, phoenix. >>> let'shis from our "gma" legal analyst, dan abrams. and nancy grace. nancy will be covering the trial tonight on hln. let's begin, it's hard, knowing what we know now, more damaging evidence than that phone call that jodi made. >> you're right. we are going to have more devastating evidence. the state left off with a fingerprint expert on the stand. and what she really is a crime scene tech, to boil it down. she's going to lay out all of the physical evidence, that she is protecting the chain of custody. and she's going to give an overview of all the fingerprints they found. and when i hear that the defense is trying to bring up, he asked her to wear a french maid outfit. please. if that was a crime, about 50% of american men would be behind bars right now. so, you get the french maid outfit. and you get the crime scene photos. you know, it is laughable. i agree with you. but i've got to tell you, i've prosecuted a lot of homicides, including mass murder. and when i look at these crime scene

for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, phoenix. >>> let's check in with our legal team., dan abrams, along with nancy grace, who is going to cover the trial on her hln show. prosecutors always have the first go. the case seems strong. but this is relentless. >> there is an enormous amount of evidence here now. not just that she lied. but she lied again. the question in this case, and i think probably all the lawyers recognize this, is not is she going to be convicted? it's what is she going to be convicted of? will it be second-degree murder? will it be first-degree murder? will she get the death penalty? those are the key questions. that's why the interrogation tapes become really tricky for her. on the one hand, she has to take the stand if she wants to be serious about the self-defense claim. there's no other evidence of self-defense. and you see on the interrogation tapes, her convincingly lying about nuance after nuance, if she gets up there and lies to the jury, it calls into question. she's in a tough spot. >> she sure is. nancy, on top of it, you have the phone r

and ryan owens is in phoenix with the dramatic details. , ryan. >> reporter: good morning, george. jodi arias faces the death penalty. prosecutors say she should die not just for how heinous this crime was, but for how she acted right after committing it. >> nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> yes. >> reporter: ryan burns is a blockbuster witness for the prosecution. he was a romantic interest of jodi arias. she visited him right after killing her former boyfriend, travis alexander. driving from the bloody crime scene in arizona, to his home in salt lake city. >> what was her demeanor like? >> she was fine. she was laughing at the simplest little things, just like any other person. she was -- i never once felt there was anything wrong about the day. >> reporter: burns says she acted normal, but looked different. her blonde hair was dark. she had cuts on her hands. she told him she broke a glass while bartending. but burns' most damaging testimony was this -- less than 24 hours after arias repeatedly stabbed and shot one man, she was

ryan owens is covering the trial from phoenix. >> reporter: george, good morning to you. it's quite fascinating. the prosecutor is using jodi arias' own words, along with pictures they took that day, against her. he is shredding credibility. >> if i killed travis, i would beg for the death penalty. >> reporter: those words from a woman who admits she did kill travis alexander, and now faces the death penalty. the jury that decides if jodi arias gets that sentence, appeared riveted to this interrogation video. it was taped july 2008, a month after arias repeatedliy estabbe and shot her boyfriend. >> i looked at the map. i know where i went. >> reporter: she craws them a map, to say she was nowhere near alexander's mesa, arizona, home. >> what would you show if you were there? will that change your mind? >> i wasn't there. >> reporter: at which point the detective confronts arias with what police found on this camera in alexander's washing machine. prosecutors say she tried to wash away evidence. but on its memory card, police disco

for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, phoenix. >> and for more, we're going to go to "gma'snalyst, dan abrams. the gas can testimony was kreeshl and jumped out at everybody. it was present bid the defense attorneys and it could have helped the prosecution. >> i think it helps the prosecution enormously. if you view the case as i do, there's almost no chance she'll be acquitted. if you're going for second degree, the gas chance support the theory that this didn't just happen. there wasn't a fight. wasn't an incident. >> it wasn't a heat of the moment, passion type of thing. >> exactly. that's why the idea of getting the gas canisters, so she would haven't to stop anywhere along the way, is very important testimony. >> wouldn't have to stop along the way and leave a record of her travels. sfland be seen on camera, whatever the case may be. >> it's important to point out her first story was that she had nothing to do with this, wasn't anywhere near the place. >> that wi >> that's the story they went with. it was only after evidence was found at the scene that she was linked the