Jodi Arias Put On Suicide Watch After Guilty Verdict

Jodi Arias is now on suicide watch after being found guilty of murdering her former boyfriend by an Arizona jury on Wednesday. The 32-year-old admitted that she killed Travis Alexander back in 2008, but claimed self-defense. In light of the guilty verdict, Arias faces life in prison or the death penalty, but admitted in an interview that she prefers the latter.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Arias was put on suicide watch after statements she made to a local Fox affiliate that interviewed her following the guilty verdict.

“At the conclusion of this interview and in light of some of her statements during the interview, Arias was brought to jail and per Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, was placed on suicide protocol,” read a statement from the sheriff’s office. “Until she is released from suicide protocol by Sheriff’s officials, no further media interviews of inmate Arias will be permitted.”

The Sheriff’s Office is referring to an interview Arias gave toKSAZ, in which she explained that she would “rather get death than life” and that dying would be the “ultimate freedom.”

“I think I just went blank… I just feel overwhelmed. I think I just need to take it a day at a time. It was unexpected for me. There was no premeditation on my part,” Arias said.

“I said years ago I’d rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I’d rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it,” she added.

Arias shot Alexander in the face, slit his throat and stabbed him more than 20 times after a day of sex. The two had embarked on a passionate but secretive affair, in which Arias admitted to acting out Alexander’s pornographic fantasies. They broke up, after which Arias began stalking Alexander, even slashing his tires at one point.

The sentencing will begin Thursday.

What do you think of the Jodi Arias case? Should the verdict be life in prison, or the death penalty?