Investigation Discovery is showing a 3 part miniseries called Young, Hot, and Deadly, where they profile the murder of Travis Alexander by his beautiful but deadly ex-partner Jodi Arias. At the time, the case received widespread media attention for its particularly salacious details.
Alexander and Arias had dated intermittently for about a year in a relationship that was described by friends as tumultuous. Arias seemed to be consumed with jealousy and had threatened suicide if he left her.
Alexander kept trying to distance himself from Arias, but she kept turning up at his home, she stalked him, hacked into his Facebook account, and even slashed his tires.
Was Travis Alexander concerned for his life?
One day Alexander chillingly told friends not be surprised if “I don’t show up, and you find me dead someplace.”
Travis Alexander was found dead in his home in Mesa, Arizona, on June 10, 2008. The 30-year-old had been shot in the head and stabbed nearly 30 times, and his throat had been cut ear to ear.
Investigators believe that Arias showed up at the house on June 4. The pair took graphic sexual photos of each other and made a sex tape, all of which were found on a camera left at the scene.
The camera also showed an image of Arias reflected in Alexander’s eyes just before she killed him. There was also an image showing her dragging his body across the floor.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelJodi Arias blamed the murder on two unknown home invaders
Arias denied having anything to do with the killing; she blamed the crime on a home invasion. She told investigators that two masked intruders had broken into the house and attacked them; she said they threatened to kill her family if she spoke about the incident.
However, when confronted with the evidence against her, she changed her story. She admitted to killing him but claimed it was self-defense.
At her trial, she tried to portray Alexander as an abusive monster; she even accused him of indulging in child pornography. Police maintain they found no evidence of child pornography.
The jury refused to believe Arias’s tales, and she was convicted of first-degree murder.
Arias was initially convicted of first-degree murder in May 2013; however, the jury remained deadlocked over whether to sentence her to life imprisonment or the death penalty. This impasse caused a retrial that commenced in September of the following year and again led to a jury being deadlocked.
Eventually, in 2015, Judge Stephens ruled on prison for life without the possibility of parole. There may be a final twist in this case as her judges launched an appeal in October of last year; they argue that the prosecutor was guilty of misconduct. Arias remains in prison as she awaits a decision on this appeal.
At her sentencing, Arias said she regretted killing Alexander, but she still maintained she was a victim of domestic abuse.
More high profile murders
Follow the links to read about other high profile murders that made national headlines and were profiled by Investigation Discovery. There was the case of former NBA star Lorenzon Wright who was murdered by his ex-wife Sheera Wright. Or the case of New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez, who was accused of killing his friend Odin Lloyd.
Catch all three episodes of the miniseries Young, Hot, and Deadly from 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.