Jodi Arias Trial Update: Arias Sill Uncertain On Appeal Or Plea Deal

As Jodi Arias awaits her next court date in July, the convicted murderer admits she's still conflicted about whether or not she should appeal her guilty verdict.

Currently living in a Maricopa County jail cell, Arias, 32, was found guilty in the grisly premeditated first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old Travis Alexander, in June 2008. Arias admitted she killed her ex, but claimed Alexander abused her so intensely that he fractured her grip with reality, and that she was forced to kill Alexander in self-defense because she feared for her life due to his alleged habitual physical and emotional abuse. Over four months of grueling testimony, the defense was never able to produce a single shred of evidence to corroborate its allegations against Alexander.

The eight men and four women serving on the jury were able to agree Arias was guilty of first-degree murder in May, but after more than 13 hours of deliberations, jurors announced that they could not reach a unanimous agreement on her sentencing, sending proceedings into a mistrial, and Arias' fate once again hanging precariously in the balance between a life sentence in prison or execution. With the jury dismissed, both sides are currently preparing to argue for against another penalty phase, which would involve selecting entirely new jurors and going through a kind of "mini-trial" of all the facts in the case.

State's attorney Juan Martinez, and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery will now either offer Arias a plea bargain, meaning Arias would not receive the death penalty, would serve a life sentence in prison and the trial would be over, or they could push ahead, requiring the selection of a new jury and dragging Arias and her attorneys through the penalty phase all over again.

While the prosecution hasn't officially announced its intentions yet, Montgomery has already said he's preparing for a retrial and is confident impartial jurors can be found despite the trial's pervasive media coverage.

Arias was initially expected to begin another penalty phase July 18, but Judge Sherry Stephens delayed her decision on new sentencing last week after defense attorneys claimed they needed more time to gather witnesses to testify on Arias' behalf. While Arias' likely July 18 trial date approaches to determine if a new jury will be selected, the former waitress and aspiring artist confessed over the weekend that she was unsure if she would appeal her guilty verdict in the mean time.

"Let's clear up any confusion. Anyone asking 4 donation$ right not on my behalf 4 my appeals is not legit. I'm not currently accepting donations 4 appeals," Arias wrote on Twitter through an unidentified friend. "Just don't know yet if I will plea or appeal."

Arias would have to appeal her verdict to have the ruling overturned. A new jury in another penalty phase of the trial could not reverse the first jury's guilty verdict.

State's attorney Montgomery had previously indicated he would feel "ethically obligated" to entertain any plea deal offered by the defense. However, he's already effectively announced no such deal will be offered to Arias, and that the prosecution will continue to seek the death penalty for Arias.

Oddly, the person tweeting on behalf of Arias was not her friend Donavan Bering, a women who has been Arias' de facto mouthpiece via Twitter since April. Inmates are not allowed to communicate through the Internet in prison.

"To all those worrying who is tweeting for me NO IT IS NOT DONAVAN. Thank you," Arias clarified.

Arias' infamy and fame have swelled thanks to her alternately antagonistic and histrionic online venting. She currently has over 76,000 followers on Twitter, and sells her own artwork through a personal website.