Jodi Arias sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole

PHOENIX, April 13 (UPI) -- Jodi Arias, convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Arias is likely to appeal the conviction by alleging misconduct against prosecutor Juan Martinez. She will serve her sentence at the Lumley Unit in the Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville.

"The crime involved substantial plan and preparation. The defendant did not render aid to the victim. The defendant destroyed evidence at the crime scene," Maricopa County Judge Sherry Stephens said. "The defendant went to great lengths to conceal her involvement in the crime. The court has also considered the harm to the victim's family members."

Arias, 34, was convicted in the homicide of Travis Alexander, 30, in 2013, but was in legal limbo since jurors in the initial trial were deadlocked in the penalty phase. Alexander was found dead in the shower of his Mesa, Ariz., home.

He had been shot in the head and had his throat slashed. Arias said she killed him in self-defense.

Before the sentence was delivered, Alexander's sisters delivered victim impact statements.

"I don't want to remember him anymore, because it hurts too much to remember him alive," Hillary Alexander said. "I remember how he was brutally taken from us and I can't handle it. This is what I've had to do so I can cope."

Arias escaped the death penalty in early March when a 12-person jury could not agree on a sentence, causing the judge to declare a mistrial.

It was the second time a jury could not agree whether Arias should receive the death penalty or life imprisonment.