The salacious murder trial of Jodi Arias, which was full of sex, giant lies and images of everything, ended in the same dramatic fashion as an Arizona jury Wednesday found her guilty of first-degree.
Arias was reportedly stoic in court Wednesday, according to a report by CNN, her eyes briefly welling with tears when a clerk announced the jury had found her guilty of first-degree murder for killing Alexander in June 2008.
The Associated Press reported her saying in a post-conviction interview that she preferred a death sentence.
Alexander's sisters cried and consoled each other after the verdict was read before the crowded courtroom.
Then, as news of the jury's decision spread, the large gathering of people outside the Maricopa County Courthouse erupted in cheers.
Several of Alexander's friends, including Dave Hall, told reporters they were relieved.
"It just feel so good...to finally have the truth and be vindicated," he was quoted saying by CNN.
"Looking at Jodi's face, I think this is probably the first time in her life she has ever been held responsible for what she's done, ever, and I think she's in shock," said another Alexander friend, Clancy Talbot. "We have waited five years through the circus that Jodi has created."
Jurors return to court Thursday for the aggravation phase of the trial, key in determining whether or not Arias lives or dies, and she could take the stand again.
Prosecutors will have a chance to present additional evidence for jurors to decide if Alexander was killed in a cruel manner.
Alexander was stabbed repeatedly, shot and nearly decapitated five years ago. Arias claimed she killed him in self-defense after he attacked her, but the level of violence in the slaying caused at least some anti-domestic violence advocates to doubt her story.
Medical examiners found Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, primarily in the back, but also in 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 a little less than two minutes.
After the aggravation phase, jurors will be asked if Arias should receive a death sentence and if the vote is for death, the judge will be bound by that decision.
But, if the jury decides against the death penalty, the judge could choose one of two options: life in prison without the possibility of parole, or life in prison with the possibility of parole after at least 25 years.
"Now the odds, I think shift somewhat in her favor, because it's a very different thing to sentence someone to die than to convict them," CNN senior legal analyst Jeffery Toobin said.
There are currently 127 people on Arizona's death row. If Arias receives the death penalty, she would be only the fourth woman in the state to receive a capital sentence.
However, "now the odds, I think shift somewhat in her favor," CNN senior legal analyst Jeffery Toobin said. "It's a very different thing to sentence someone to die than to convict them."
Meanwhile, Alexander's family is preparing to file a civil wrongful death lawsuit, attorney Jay Beckstead told reporters outside the courthouse.