PHOENIX, Ariz. (WTVR) -- Jodi Arias, the woman accused of brutally murdering her boyfriend, took the stand in a Phoenix courtroom Monday afternoon.
Jodi Arias admitted that she killed Travis Alexander in June 2008 at his Mesa home.
"The simple answer is that he attacked me and I defended myself," she said.
However, prosecutors claimed Arias killed Alexander in a jealous rage as he was stabbed and slashed 27 times, shot in the forehead and had his throat slit.
Arias spoke in a halting voice as she described how an idyllic childhood in California turned abusive when she was about 7 years old.
She also said she made false statements early in the investigation about not being at the scene of the crime because she planned to commit suicide and never have a trial.
The 32-year-old could become just the fourth woman on Arizona's death row if convicted.
Defense attorneys have been trying to portray the victim as a liar and cheat who repeatedly deceived his friends and family, claiming he was a devout Mormon saving himself for marriage when he was, in fact, sexually involved with numerous women, including Arias.
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