By Bary Alyssa Johnson (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jul 29, 2013 04:52 PM EDT

Travis Alexander, the Arizona man who was brutally murdered in 2008 by Jodi Arias, would have turned 36 on Sunday.

Earler in May, Arias was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Alexander in his Mesa, Ariz. home.

Rather than dwell on his untimely passing, friends, family and even jurors from the trial gathered on Sunday to celebrate the day in a way his loved ones say Alexander would have wanted.

According to Examiner.com, Tanisha Sorenson, Alexander's sister, organized a party that asked guests to put together 400 gift bags, which they then handed out to the less fortunate at University Park in Phoenix.

The bags were decorated with a photo of Alexander along with motivational quotes. They were filled with water, clothes, shoes, food and hygiene products, according to MyFoxPhoenix.com.

"All these pictures of my brother, it touched us so much because that's who he was," Sorenson said.

Sorenson reportedly said that her brother wanted to change the world, to help better people and to show them the way to a brighter future.

"You know, this is just a tribute to him," Clancy Talbot, Alexander's friend, told reporters. "You know it makes me feel good to do, what I know Travis would want us to do."

Sorenson also scheduled a private ceremony to honor her brother's memory, which loved ones and even the jurors from the trial were expected to attend.

The jurors who found Arias guilty of first-degree murder could not come to a unanimous agreement about her sentencing, forcing a new jury to be called for yet another penalty phase in the trial that is expected to begin in September.

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