The murder trial of 32-year-old Jodi Arias has devolved into a cable TV shouting match, and her defense team wants to scrap the entire thing.
Arias' lawyers asked again for a mistrial Sunday, claiming prosecutor Juan Martinez's frequent shouting and a "circus-like" atmosphere are making a fair trial totally impossible, ABC 15 reported Monday.
In a trial that's been widely televised, Arias is accused of plotting the murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander before stabbing him 30 times and nearly decapitating him.
The two Mormons apparently had a very raunchy sex life, which has likely made the trial attract even more media attention.
Martinez has basked in the publicity, even going so far as to pose on the courthouse steps with his "fans," according to a motion Arias' lawyers filed with the court Sunday. The public frenzy has transformed the proceedings from a fair trial "into something that more closely resembles a modern-day equivalent to the Salem Witch Trials which ended in 1693," her lawyers said.
The trial has indeed been dramatic. Arias admits she killed Alexander but says she was a battered woman who was trying to defend herself.
On Monday, Martinez traded sharp words with Alyce LaViolette, a domestic violence expert who was testifying in Arias' defense. Martinez wondered how LaViolette could characterize Arias as a domestic violence victim based only on her statements, the AP reported.
“Ultimately, what you’re saying is you are a human lie detector, right?” Martinez snapped, according to the AP.
Martinez was likely trying to remind jurors that Arias got caught lying to investigators several times before she finally told them she killed Alexander in self-defense. Her lies, including allegations that two masked intruders killed Alexander, earned her the nickname "Mormon Casey Anthony."
Arias could get the death penalty if she's convicted of murder.
SEE ALSO: Jodi Arias' Psychologist May Have Screwed Up Her Murder Defense
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