Jodi Arias Trial: Juror Dismissed for DUI Arrest?

Was a juror recently dismissed from the Jodi Arias trial kicked out because of a DUI arrest?

Juror 8, real name Daniel Gibb, was arrested in Gilbert, Ariz. last weekend and charged with a DUI. As cops questioned Gibb at the scene, he told arresting officers he was a juror in Arias' murder trial, according to authorities.

Following Gibb's arrest, the officer who charged the juror met privately in court with Judge Sherry Stephens as well as prosecuting and defense attorneys in a "sealed hearing," according to KNXV-TV. By Thursday, Judge Stephens informed the juror who had taken "copious notes" and asked numerous questions that he would no longer be allowed back in the court room. After the announcement, Judge Stephens refused to comment or elaborate on why Gibb had been removed from the trial.

Despite his abrupt dismissal, Gibb characterized his time as a juror positively, describing his fourth months listening to testimony in Arias' trial as a "great experience."

"It was a privilege to know the other jurors and I will miss them," Gibb said in a statement to KNXV. "It was actually a great experience. Thank you for respecting my privacy."

With Gibb out of the jury, a 15 person panel will continue to follow the rest of court proceedings, and 12 of those jurors will determine the verdict.

Gibb was the third juror removed from court since Arias' trial began in January. Earlier in the trial, Judge Stephens dismissed Juror 11 because of an illness. Another member of the jury, Juror 5, was removed at the request of one of Arias' defense lawyers, Kirk Nurmi, who asked that Judge Stephens pull the woman, 38-year-old Meliha Omanovic, from the jury because she had made "prejudiced statements" in the presence of other jurors.

Omanovic was reportedly asked to leave because of a casual comment she made during the testimony of an expert witness for the defense. As Dr. Richard Samuels explained to the court that he was making $300 an hour for his services as a witness for the defense, Omanovic told another juror, "For $300 bucks per hour you'd think that they could get us better chairs to sit in," according to NBC 12 News.

A 32-year-old photographer from California, Arias is charged with the grisly first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend Alexander in June 2008. Arias has admitted to killing her former lover, so her guilt isn't up for debate - but her mental state at the time of the killing is. Arias' future depends on whether the jury believes she killed Alexander in self-defense, or was actually a jilted lover exacting jealous revenge. Medical examiners found that Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, primarily in the back, shot him in the head, slit his throat from ear to ear with so much force it almost decapitated him, and left his bloodied corpse crumpled over in the bathroom shower of his home - all in the course of 106 seconds.

Before court closed last week, Judge Stephens announced the defense would be allowed one final expert witness before closing arguments begin Thursday. This is a huge win for Arias' lawyers whose entire case was effectively dismantled by the state's last expert, psychologist Janeen DeMarte. The prosecution's expert easily poked holes in the credibility of the defense's experts, psychotherapist Alyce LaViolette, and psychologist Richard Samuels; based on her review of the psychotherapist's notes, DeMarte said she did not believe LaViolette had conducted a thorough evaluation. DeMarte also said that she believed Arias was afflicted with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), not Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or memory problems, and said she showed no signs of domestic abuse, all arguments the defense has repeatedly hammered as an explanation for the numerous discrepancies in Arias' testimony.

The defense will call Dr.Robert Geffner in an attempt to refute DeMarte's testimony. Judge Stephens said court will go on as long as Geffner needs to provide testimony.

Arias faces the death penalty if convicted. The trial resumes May 1 when the jury will hear from Dr. Geffner.