Deborah

Deborah (Hebrew: דְּבוֹרָה, Modern Dvora, Tiberian Dəḇôrā ; "Bee") was a prophet of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth according to the Book of Judges chapters 4 and 5. The only female judge mentioned in the Bible, Deborah led a successful counterattack against the forces of Jabin king of Canaan and his military commander Sisera; the narrative is recounted in chapter 4.

Judges chapter 5 gives the same story in poetic form. This passage, often called The Song of Deborah, may date to as early as the 12th century BC and is perhaps the earliest sample of Hebrew poetry. It is also significant because it is one of the oldest passages that portrays fighting women, the account being that of Jael, the wife of Heber, a Kenite tent maker. Jael killed Sisera by driving a tent peg through his temple as he slept. Both Deborah and Jael are portrayed as strong independent women. The poem may have been included in the Book of the Wars of the Lord mentioned in Numbers 21:14.

Murder of Travis Alexander

On June 4, 2008, salesman Travis Alexander was killed by his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias, in Alexander's house in Mesa, Arizona. Arias was convicted of first-degree murder on May 8, 2013 and sentenced to natural life in state prison on April 13, 2015.

At the time of the killing Alexander sustained multiple knife wounds and a gunshot to the head. Arias testified that she killed Alexander in self-defense. The murder and trial received widespread media attention in the USA.

Background

Travis Victor Alexander was born on July 28, 1977, in Riverside, California. After his father's death in July 1997, Alexander and his seven siblings were taken in by their paternal grandmother, Norma Jean Preston Alexander Sarvey (1932–2012), who eventually introduced them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alexander was a salesman for PPL - Prepaid Legal Services (later renamed LegalShield), a legal services company. He also worked as a motivational speaker for PPL.

Jodi Ann Arias was born on July 9, 1980, in Salinas, California. She and Alexander met in September 2006 at a PPL Services conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alexander was a Mormon and on November 26, 2006, Arias was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a ceremony at a Southern California Mormon church. Alexander and Arias began dating in February 2007. Arias moved to Mesa, Arizona. In April 2008, she moved to Yreka, California, and lived there with her grandparents.