No decision yet on date for new sentencing phase for Jodi Arias

A judge in Phoenix Monday put off setting a date for a new sentencing phase for convicted murderer Jodi Arias. The day's proceedings lasted under 15 minutes, as Judge Sherry Stephens said she required more time to review two motions submitted last week by the defense. She continued the hearing until Sept.16, when she is expected to set a date for the penalty phase retrial and rule on motions pertinent to media coverage and access to prospective jurors' social media accounts, KTVK-TV, Phoenix, reported. Arias, 33, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2008 stabbing and shooting death of her ex-boyfriend, Tyler Alexander of Mesa, but the Maricopa County jury could not decide on the length of her sentence. If a new jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, Arias will automatically be sentenced to life in prison. Stephens would then decide if the sentence would include eligibility for parole after 25 years, ABC News reported.