Jodi Arias Trial Update: 2 Jurors Sent Home, Nancy Grace Controversy

The retrial of Jodi Arias began on Tuesday, Oct. 21, and since then two jurors have been dropped.

The first had a family problem and was let go, while another was dismissed when the juror asked a reporter if she was Nancy Grace, a CNN commentator and vocal critic of Arias. The reporter was actually Beth Karas and not Grace. After Karas told the court of the encounter, the juror was dismissed.

The retrial of Arias is just the sentencing phase of the trial, as she has already been convicted of the murder of salesman Travis Alexander, her former boyfriend.

The body of the 30-year-old Alexander, the man Arias dated for months, was found by his friends on June 9, 2008, in a pool of blood in the shower of his apartment in Mesa, Arizona. His throat had been cut from ear to ear, and he had been shot in the face and stabbed 27 times.

Arias was subsequently tried and found guilty of first-degree murder on May 8, 2013.

However, in the sentencing phase last year, the jury could not agree whether to give Arias the death penalty or a life sentence. Thus, a mistrial was declared.

The retrial saw over 400 people being considered for jury duty and 17 were initially selected. That number is down to 15 after the departure of the two jurors.

After the dismissal of the last juror, Judge Sherry Stephens cautioned the remaining jurors that they should refrain from discussing the case, watch TV or read reports in newspapers about the case.

The trial has seen the prosecution present photos that Alexander supposedly took of Arias on the day he died. These photos, according to the Huffington Post, were sexually graphic and included naked shots of Arias' body and genitalia.

As in Arias' first trial, the prosecution hopes that the photos will shock the jury and lead to the imposition of a death sentence.

On the other hand, defense attorney Kirk Nurmi contended that the photos serve as an objective reminder of the type of relationship that existed between Alexander and Arias. The defense is trying to prove that Arias was forced to comply with Alexander's demands and that she was emotionally and physically battered.