Jodi Arias Trial: Woman Accused of Killing Ex-Boyfriend Confesses to Murder, Says It Was Self Defense; Set To Take Stand Again

Californian Jodi Arias took the witness stand on Monday and made a surprise confession regarding her ex-boyfriend's murder-she claimed that she did kill him, but did so in self-defense. The 32-year-old also claimed that she had plans to commit suicide shortly after the murder.

"Did you kill Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008," Arias' defense attorney Kirk Nurmi asked her when she took the stand. "Yes I did," Arias answered. When asked, "Why?" Arias responded, "The simple answer is that he attacked me and I defended myself."

Arias is accused of brutally murdering her 30-year-old former boyfriend Travis Alexander, a devout Mormon and businessman, in his suburban Phoenix home. According to prosecutors, Alexander was shot in the head, stabbed 27 times and then had his throat slit open from ear to ear by Arias. He was left to die in his bathroom, where friends found him days later.

Jury members listened intently on Monday as Arias described her abusive upbringing with her mother and father, as well as past abusive boyfriends. While prosecutors allege that Arias acted in a fit of rage after finding out Alexander planned a trip to Mexico with another woman, Arias maintains that she killed him after he attacked her.

However, it is not the same story she originally told police and reporters when recounting the incident. Arias first reportedly told police that two masked intruders had attacked her and Alexander and that she had barely been able to make it out alive. Although she failed to report the supposed incident to police, she believed that Alexander had survived the attack.

According to CBS News, Arias also explained why she had initially lied to investigators. "At the time, I had plans to commit suicide. So I was extremely confident that no jury would convict me because I didn't expect any of you to be here," she told jurors. "I planned to be dead."

During the first day of trial, Arias defense attorney encouraged her to describe her stormy past with former abusive boyfriends. According the CBS News, the move was made to attempt to establish a history of similar relationships and compare it to her relationship with Alexander.

Arias is set to take the stand again on Tuesday. If convicted, Arias could become the fourth woman on Arizona's death row. The trial is expected to last through at least April.