Arizona court upholds Jodi Arias' murder conviction, life sentence

March 25 (UPI) -- An Arizona court on Wednesday denied Jodi Arias' appeals of her 2013 murder conviction and sentence in the killing of her ex-boyfriend.

Arias, 39, appealed the conviction and sentencing, stating that trial publicity and alleged misconduct by prosecutor Juan Martinez prevented her from receiving a fair trial, leading to her conviction of first-degree murder and life prison sentence.

Judge Jennifer Campbell ruled that while Martinez did act inappropriately, the state presented "overwhelming evidence" that Arias was guilty.

"To be sure, Arias' conviction stands today not because of the state's devotion, above all else, to the pursuit of justice, but in spite of the prosecutor's willingness to put self-interest, self-promotion and self-aggrandizement above his duty to maintain the integrity of our judicial system," she wrote.

Arias was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 after her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander was found dead in the shower of his Mesa, Ariz., home. Arias said she killed him in self-defense.

Her sentencing came two years after her conviction as jurors in the initial trial were deadlocked in the penalty phase and a judge declared a mistrial after a hung jury.

Campbell ruled that the state was able to provide evidence that the killing was premeditated.

"The physical evidence presented at trial showed the victim was stabbed 27 times, had his throat cut so deeply he was nearly decapitated and after having succumbed to those injuries was shot in the head," she wrote. "Arias' attempts to manufacture an alibi at the time of the victim's death were confused and immediately unraveled; she then admitted having inflicted the entirety of the injuries unassisted."