Jodi Arias has become a national figure of notoriety after being arrested for the murder of her ex-boyfriend. The highly publicized case involves allegations that the beautiful 32-year-old woman killed her 30-year-old ex-boyfriend in his Mesa, Arizona home in June 2008. The man was discovered with 27 stab wounds, a slit throat, and a bullet to the head in a gruesome murder scene. All signs pointed to Arias, who initially denied having anything to do with the murder.

Two years after she was first suspected, Arias admitted that she killed the man but only out of self-defense. If she is convicted of first degree murder, she may face the death penalty. Now, the trial regarding Jodi Arias is in full swing. The most recent move in the 38-day case involved Arias' defense team. The defense lawyers recently filed a motion asking a judge to allow an expert witness into the courtroom to rebut an expert witness that was hired by the prosecution. The prosecutorial witness claimed that the accused killer had a borderline personality disorder. The defense says that they want to call their own psychologist to get a proper diagnosis of Arias' mental condition.

Oftentimes, individuals that are charged with violent crimes can receive reduced sentences if the defense can prove that the individual was in a state of mental incapacity or was mentally ill at the time that the act of violence took place. This is because the courts maintain that crazed and unaware individuals should not be required to suffer the death penalty for an action that they were not fully aware they were completing. Sometimes, mentally incapacitated individuals may commit gruesome murders without any idea that they have just completed a serious felony. The defense team hopes that hiring a professional psychologist to assess Arias' mental condition may help their case and prove that she is not fully responsible for her actions.

The prosecution says that Arias' personal disorder is characterized by her history of inappropriate anger, feelings of emptiness, suicidal thoughts, and transient stress. In most cases, getting a rebuttal like this is not warranted, but because of the weight of the case and the possibility of the death penalty the court may allow it. A legal analyst told ABC News that it is very rare for the defense team to ask for a surrebuttal like this and even more rare for the defense to receive one.

In this case, the defense is trying to reduce Arias' charges to manslaughter by sudden quarrel or heat of passion. If the judge allows the jury to find her guilty of this lesser charge, then Arias may only face a few years behind bars, rather than suffer a lifetime sentence or a death penalty. A manslaughter charge in Arizona can carry between 7 and 21 years in prison when a defendant has no prior record of violent crime. Arias has been behind bars already since July of 2008, which means that she could only face another three years in prison after the case.

The Jodi Arias trial shows a lot about how courts handle serious murder cases. Oftentimes, one of the most important components of these cases is the mental soundness of the individual that has been accused of the crime. As well, the defense will work hard to reduce the charges to something that comes with less jail time, like changing a murder charge to a manslaughter one. In addition to this, the defense team will try to challenge prosecutorial witnesses with their own witnesses who may testify in favor of the defendant rather than against him or her. If you want more information about violent crime trials or if you have been accused of a violent crime and are looking for a hardworking attorney to assist you, then you need to talk to local criminal defense lawyer for more information!