The lurid tales of raunchy sex and accusations of pedophilia; the stories of abuse and cold manipulation; Jodi Arias' numerous admitted lies and inability to keep her own testimony straight; the lack of evidence backing up the defense's claims. What will matter most to the 15 jurors deciding Arias' fate?
With closing arguments finished, a jury of eight men and four women, all of which are predominantly over 40-years-old, are currently deciding if Arias is guilty of the brutal premeditated first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend and could return a verdict at any moment.
A 32-year-old waitress and aspiring photographer from California, Arias is accused of the grisly first-degree murder of her ex, Travis Alexander, in June 2008. Arias has admitted to killing her former lover, so her guilt isn't up for debate - but her mental state is. Arias' future depends on whether the jury believes she killed Alexander in self-defense because she feared for her life due to his alleged habitual domestic abuse, or was actually a jilted lover exacting gruesome, jealous revenge.
The prosecution is hoping to sustain a premeditated first-degree murder charge, but just how the jury will rule is anyone's guess at this point.
Were the jury to convict Arias of first-degree murder, court proceedings would next move into a kind of "mini-trial" to judge whether Alexander was murdered with cruel intent and if Arias understood he would suffer. If Arias is found guilty of first-degree murder she could find herself facing the death penalty, or at the very least life in prison with the possibility of being eligible for parole after a mandatory sentence of 25 years.
If the jury doesn't believe Arias premeditated killing Alexander, they could find her guilty of second-degree murder, which would carry a sentence of anywhere between 10 to 22 years or 15 to 25 years, according to various legal experts.
The jury could rule that Alexander's death was a result of manslaughter, meaning Alexander was killed recklessly, or that he attacked Arias.
Manslaughter sentencing typically ranges from 7-21 years, but for someone with no previous criminal record like Arias, a manslaughter charge usually draws a seven-year prison term. However, because of the gruesome nature of the crime, specifically the overwhelming amount of stab wounds, criminal defense expert Brent Kleinman believes the jury will likely chose a harsher sentence.
"That's reserved more for someone who might've accidentally killed another person in a traffic accident and is negligent," Kleinman told ABC News.
Were the jury to consider the manslaughter charge or not guilty by reason of self-defense, they would have to determine if "a reasonable person in a similar situation would believe that physical force was necessary against the use or threatened use of deadly force," according to court documents.
Medical examiners found that Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, primarily in the back, as well as the torso and the heart, slit Alexander's throat from ear to ear with so much force it almost decapitated him, shot him in the head, and left his bloodied corpse crumpled over in the bathroom shower of his home - all in the course of 106 seconds. The prosecution has argued that Arias stabbed Alexander before she shot him, which is significant to the prosecution's case that Arias was not acting in self-defense, and didn't commit a crime of passion, but was rather "posed to strike."
Arias has admitted to lying about Alexander's death to just about everyone. She first claimed she was never at Alexander's home the day he was killed. Then, when a bloody handprint on the wall confirmed she was at his home through DNA evidence, she admitted she was there, but said two masked intruders killed him. Finally, years later she backtracked to admit she killed the victim, but now claims it was in self-defense, saying he attacked her in the shower, forcing her to fight for her life. She claims she lied so often because she was "ashamed" she killed Alexander in self-defense and because she was afraid of revealing the details of their sexual relationship.
Of course, everyone could be wrong, and Judge Sherry Stephens could announce a hung jury, sending the entire case back through the ringer.
We can only estimate what's going happen; what's going through the jurors' heads after sitting through fourth months of testimony straight from a Lifetime movie is a mystery, but you can imagine the complex task ahead. The jury must now decide between the disparate versions of Arias reiterated by the state and defense in their closing arguments.
Arias' lawyers have portrayed her throughout the trial as an innocent, naive, devout convert of Mormonism who was sexually exploited by an often sadistic and abusive Alexander. The defense's case is essentially built around this version of Alexander. Arias has testified throughout proceedings about her lover's supposed double life: a pious virgin on the surface, but a "sexually deviant" violent control freak underneath. Alexander's friends contend the defense's portrait of him is nothing like the man they knew, and have said Arias was stalking him and was "possessive and jealous." However, Arias has consistently claimed the couple had a volatile relationship, and that Alexander was possibly a pedophile who was "emotionally detached."
We already have a fair indication of the public's verdict in the case. An earlier poll conducted by Latinos Post found that out of 2,127 votes, 91.87 percent believed Arias was guilty, 4.94 percent believed she was innocent, and 3 percent were undecided. But how do you think the jury will vote? Which version of Arias will the jury buy into? Let us know below.