Mom obsessed with Jodi Arias trial takes her teenage son on 21-HOUR journey to Phoenix courtroom so they can hear grisly evidence in person
Murder, religion, sex and intrigue,
the lengthy trial of Jodi Arias has had enough to command worldwide
audiences but some followers are now indulging their interest by
actually turning up at court.
Dozens of spectators have started traveling in person to watch Arias' trial for the murder of her former boyfriend Travis Alexander at Maricopa County Superior Court.
One woman even traveled with her 15-year-old son on a 21-hour car journey to hear the lurid evidence in person today, Arizona Family reports.
Kelly Woods drove to the courtroom with her son and mother Mary.
'It is amazing,' Woods said. 'It goes way beyond what I ever would have thought.'
The family live in Arias' small hometown of Yreka, California, and have been avidly watching the trial on TV.
They say they know her family in the small community of 12,000 but that doesn't prevent them for supporting the case prosecutor Juan Martinez.
'I think he's very dynamic,' Mary Woods said. 'He really goes at it. He does the job. He's good.'
'I have mixed feelings on the
death penalty itself,' she added. 'So I feel she really deserves not to
come out again, but whether it would take her life or not I'm not quite
sure yet there.'
Woods defended bringing her son to the trial which was last week shown graphic photographs from the bloody crime scene.
The pictures revealed a large pool of blood in the basin of the shower where Alexander was found dead.
'You know what, it's out there and I think if you're open and you talk about it with your child the better benefits you're going to have,' she said.
'The more communication you have with your children the better off they're going to be in the long run.'
The family will be in court today and tomorrow.
And they are not the only ones.
Queues are now often seen around the Phoenix building as people jostle for a seat in the packed courtroom.
Arias notoriety has won her a
bizarre following across the country with the suspected murderer making
thousands of dollars from selling art from behind bars.
She was banned from publicizing her colored pencil drawings on Ebay but her family and friends are continuing to sell the pieces at a high premium. One reportedly made $3,000.
Alexander's body was found in his Mesa, Arizona, apartment bathroom in 2008. He was shot in the head, stabbed 29 times with his throat slit.
Arias admits the killing but says she acted in self defense.
In her February testimony she said: 'I was in the bathroom. I remember dropping the knife.
'It clanged to the tile and made a big noise. I just remember screaming and I don’t remember anything after that — not immediately.
'I couldn’t imagine calling 911 and telling them what I had just done. I was scared of what would happen to me.'
Arias is facing the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.
Dozens of spectators have started traveling in person to watch Arias' trial for the murder of her former boyfriend Travis Alexander at Maricopa County Superior Court.
One woman even traveled with her 15-year-old son on a 21-hour car journey to hear the lurid evidence in person today, Arizona Family reports.
Followers: Kelly Woods and her 15-year-old son traveled 21 hours to watch the case in court today
'It is amazing,' Woods said. 'It goes way beyond what I ever would have thought.'
The family live in Arias' small hometown of Yreka, California, and have been avidly watching the trial on TV.
They say they know her family in the small community of 12,000 but that doesn't prevent them for supporting the case prosecutor Juan Martinez.
'I think he's very dynamic,' Mary Woods said. 'He really goes at it. He does the job. He's good.'
On trial: Jodi Arias' trial for murder has commanded worldwide audiences with its grisly details
Woods defended bringing her son to the trial which was last week shown graphic photographs from the bloody crime scene.
The pictures revealed a large pool of blood in the basin of the shower where Alexander was found dead.
'You know what, it's out there and I think if you're open and you talk about it with your child the better benefits you're going to have,' she said.
'The more communication you have with your children the better off they're going to be in the long run.'
The family will be in court today and tomorrow.
And they are not the only ones.
Queues are now often seen around the Phoenix building as people jostle for a seat in the packed courtroom.
Courtroom: Dozens of followers now regularly
turn up at court hoping to get a place as a public spectator to watch
prosecutor Juan Martinez, pictured, in action
She was banned from publicizing her colored pencil drawings on Ebay but her family and friends are continuing to sell the pieces at a high premium. One reportedly made $3,000.
Alexander's body was found in his Mesa, Arizona, apartment bathroom in 2008. He was shot in the head, stabbed 29 times with his throat slit.
Arias admits the killing but says she acted in self defense.
In her February testimony she said: 'I was in the bathroom. I remember dropping the knife.
'It clanged to the tile and made a big noise. I just remember screaming and I don’t remember anything after that — not immediately.
'I couldn’t imagine calling 911 and telling them what I had just done. I was scared of what would happen to me.'
Arias is facing the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.