Arizona Department of Corrections

Jodi Arias

The Arizona Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday morning from attorneys trying to overturn the murder conviction of Jodi Arias.

Arias’ lawyers said misconduct by prosecutor Juan Martinez interfered with her right to a fair trial. 

Representing Arias, Cory Engle faced the three-judge panel and said Martinez’s pronounced and persistent misconduct violated her client’s due process.

Engle said one example of that was his improper questioning of witnesses.

“The accusations of experts having relationships with Arias and the accusation that they were hiding evidence and the way he tied those together across both experts — they wove together to tell one story,” Engle said.

Speaking for the state, attorney Terry Crist agreed that Martinez engaged in some misconduct but said there's more to consider.

“No, it’s not OK at all," Crist said. "It’s just a question of remedies, and the remedy is not to reverse the conviction. That’s what every case on the subject has said. We don’t punish prosecutors by reversing convictions.”

Crist said Martinez's misconduct didn't cause jury prejudice.