Jodi Arias Trial Update Today: Jodi Arias was reportedly revealed as her own secret witness at her sentencing retrial. On day 20 of the Jodi Arias retrial, the former waitress was depicted by her lawyers as suffering from mental illness and emotional and physical abuse.

In an effort to spare Jodi Arias from the death penalty for the murder of Travis Alexander, her legal team put psychologist Dr. Robert Geffner on the stand at Maricopa County Superior Court. For four straight days, Dr. Geffner examined journal entries, e-mails and text messages between Arias and Alexander to attest that Arias suffered from a personality disorder. A mental health finding would be sufficient cause for the jury to vote in favor of life in prison instead of the death penalty.

According to CBS 5, one of the text messages from Arias to Alexander read "I'm very sorry for all the pain we've caused each other. Most of it is my fault. I never meant to hurt you."

The timing of Dr. Geffner's testimony was reported as a tactic to give the jury something to think over during the holiday break.

When Judge Sherry Stephens closed the courtroom, all she said was that an unnamed witness would not give testimony in an open count. The media fought the secrecy in court.  According to reports the court ordered that transcripts of Arias' secret testimony be released.

On Tuesday, an Arizona Court of Appeals opinion revealed that Arias refused to testify in open court during the penalty retrial because she received death threats in jail. Arias and her attorneys told the judge an open courtroom would affect her ability to think and answer questions in a manner "she truly means."

The opinion said Arias did not feel she would be "able to fully communicate what she wants to say, communicate her remorse and go through all the mitigating factors and get them out there in front of the jury with the public here," her lawyers told the judge.

Jodi Arias was convicted of first-degree murder on May 8, 2013 in the June 2008 death of Travis Alexander, but the jury couldn't reach a unanimous decision on whether to sentence the former waitress to death or life in prison.

Alexander was found murdered in the shower of his Mesa, Ariz., home in June 2008. Alexander's throat had been violently slit, he was stabbed 27 times and shot in the head.

In Arizona, capital-murder trials have three parts. First, a jury has to find the person guilty of first-degree murder. Jodi Arias was found guilty on May 8, 2013. Second, jurors decide whether there were any aggravating factors. The jury found that the murder was committed in an especially cruel fashion one week later. The third is sentencing. Under Arizona law, Jodi Arias' murder conviction stands, but prosecutors can pursue a death sentence in the penalty phase with a new jury. If the second jury fails to reach a verdict, the death penalty would be removed as an option. Judge Stephens would then sentence Jodi Arias to either life behind bars or be eligible for release after 25 years.

According to reports from ABC Fox News and The Huffington Post, the cost to Arizona taxpayers for Jodi Arias' defense has pushed past $2.7 million. The reports say that figure will continue to increase as the penalty phase retrial continues.