Jodi Arias Retrial Shrouded in Secrecy

The retrial of Jodi Arias is slated to begin in early September.  In a case that has been notorious not only for the brutal nature of the crime and the courtroom dramatics that captured the attention of a television viewing audience - the delays that have marred the proceedings seem endless and have frustrated the masses!  When you think about the fact that Travis Alexander was murdered on June 4, 2008 and it's now July 18, 2014 and we are still waiting for justice to be handed down it's mind boggling to me.

The public that watched the drama unfold during the 5 month long televised trial has been kept mostly in the dark since Judge Sherry Stephens declared a mistrial several months back. The wheels of justice seem to have slowed to a near crawl as we wait to learn how this story ends.  Meanwhile, Arias spends another birthday at the Estrella jail in Phoenix, is this the 5th or 6th birthday she's spent in custody?  At least Jodi Arias is still having birthdays, unlike Travis Alexander who has no more birthdays or holidays to celebrate.  We may not be hearing as much on what's happening behind court room doors these days, as they are handling this case with an abundance of caution but Motions have been filed and Motions have been ruled on.  The court minute entries are about as close as I have gotten to knowing what the heck's going on with this trial!  The latest minute entry from late May is outlined below:

RULING
The Court has considered the Motion to Reconsider and Re-Urge Request for Evidentiary Hearing on Motion to Dismiss State’s Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty Due to State’s Preclusion of Mitigation Specialist filed March 31, 2014, the Objection to Motion to Reconsider and Re-Urge Request for Evidentiary Hearing on Motion to Dismiss State’s Notice of Intent to 
Seek the Death Penalty Due to State’s Preclusion of Mitigation Specialist filed April 7, 2014, the Reply to State’s Objection to Motion to Reconsider and Re-Urge Request for Evidentiary Hearing on Motion to Dismiss State’s Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty Due to State’s Preclusion of Mitigation Specialist filed on April 10, 2014, the sealed Stipulation Between 
Counsel for Jodi Ann Arias and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office dated March 19, 2014, and the oral argument and offer of proof by defense counsel provided on May 16, 2014.

Defendant seeks an order dismissing the State’s Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty because the mitigation specialist assigned to her case was banned from the Maricopa County Jail for a period of one week. Defendant claims this incident prejudiced her ability to prepare her mitigation, has affected the relationship between the defendant and her defense team 
in that there is now a lack of trust, and has resulted in the mitigation specialist being treated differently by the Maricopa County Sheriff. Defendant seeks an ex parte sealed evidentiary hearing to establish these facts. 

Nothing new here.  I'm really really curious as to how the defense team will approach this new jury when the retrial finally does begin.  Will they continue their all-out assault on Travis' character and try to paint Jodi as a victim of his emotional and verbal brutality?  Will Jodi continue to claim she is a survivor of domestic abuse?  Will she try to show remorse while presenting another Power Point presentation of all the good she can do while in prison in Goodyear?  Your guess is as good as mine.  The last I've heard is that the trial will be recorded but not broadcast live - I have no clue if they will wait until the trial has concluded to air the footage or how they plan to proceed with the media interest this trial continues to garner.

If you've heard anything new or relevant, please do leave a comment!  I'm going to try to update this page on a more regular basis when there is something new to discuss!  Hope everyone is well and I'm looking forward to seeing the conclusion of this trial - have a great weekend!