Jodi Arias Trial Update Today: Judge Calls Closed-Door Meeting With Lawyers; Arias Tweets Plea for Donations for Appeal; Deal in the Making? (Video)

Jodi Arias Trial Update Today: Jodi Arias trial Judge Sherry Stephens called for a meeting with lawyers behind closed doors today, one day after Jodi Arias tweeted, "Donations are now being accepted for my appeals at Justice4Jodi.com." Something is happening beyond the cameras in the case.

The media was barred court as both the defense and prosecuting attorneys in the Jodie Arias were in court for a closed-door meeting. They are looking for a way to settle one of the most famous court trials in recent American history.

Jodi Arias was found guilty of the murder of Travis Alexander in May. The jury found the former waitress eligible for the death penalty, but could not agree whether to sentence her to death of life behind bars.  The second phase of the Jodi Arias trial is the penalty phase, having already been convicted of killing Travis Alexander.

Bill Montgomery, the prosecuting attorney from Maricopa County, said the state is still pursuing the death penalty, but will listen to what's on the table.

In a written statement late last month, county attorney spokesman Jerry Cobb said that the state "is always willing to discuss possible resolutions to the case."

Today's court date was a settlement conference that could decide life or death for Jodi Arias.

Under Arizona law, a death sentence can only be imposed by a jury, so the penalty phase of the Jodi Arias case would have to be retried.

If a settlement is reached, Judge Sherry Stephens will decide whether to sentence Jodi Arias to life in prison with no option for parole or to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years.

If there is no settlement, Jodi Arias' death penalty will stand and the judge will set a new trial date. They would first have to pick a new jury, which might take a long time because the Jodi Arias trial was so widely covered in the media. The second phase of the trial itself could take months because the new jury will have to review evidence and testimony from the original trial.

Jodi Arias has taken to Twitter to asking for donations for her appeals fund at Justice4Jodi.com. On Oct. 10 Jodi Arias tweeted "That rumor that somehow my family profited from my trial? Absurd. I'm filing for bankruptcy (if I can ever afford to do so)."

The Justice4Jodi.com site said: "This trust is for payment of the beneficiary's legal expenses related to the appeals of her pending criminal case, including, without limitation, attorney fees, investigator fees, expert-witness fees, and transcript filing fees." The site also notes that donations are not tax deductible.

If a new jury sentences Jodi Arias to death in the penalty phase of the trial, her case can be be appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the Judge Stephens or a jury sentences Jodi Arias to life in prison, the case can be appealed as far as the Arizona Supreme Court.

A month ago Attorneys for Jodi Arias asked that the jury be sequestered in the second Jodi Arias tria "to ensure that the jury is not exposed to community and/or media influence." Jodi Arias' lawyers asked the judge to shield the jury from the intense publicity surrounding Jodi Arias' first trial, which went on for five months and was watched in millions of homes, streamed live on the internet.

In May, a jury found Jodi Arias, 32, found guilty of premeditated first-degree murder for the June 2008 brutal slaying of Travis Alexander, her former boyfriend. Arias maintained that she was forced to fight for her life when she triggered one of his violent outbursts during a nude photo shoot at his Arizona home.

Because of the extreme violence with which she killed Alexander and her resolute insistence that she was defending herself from repeated domestic abuse, the public was polarized during the trial. The medical examiners' reports showed that Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times in the torso, chest, heart, and back, shot him in the face, and slit his throat from ear to ear with such violence that he was almost decapitated in less than two minutes.

Jodi Arias admitted she killed Travis Alexander, but said she acted in self-defense because he was given to bouts of rage. Prosecutors said the killing was premeditated and fueled by jealous rage after Alexander said he wanted to break up with Jodi Arias and go to Mexico with another woman.

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