Murder

LAS VEGAS — Ivan Arenas bought an iPad for his oldest son, Marcos, as a birthday present less than two months ago. The family has never had a lot, the father said, and his 15-year-old son learned to value everything he had.

PHOENIX — Jurors deciding the fate of convicted murderer Jodi Arias were brought to tears Thursday, visibly shaken by dramatic statements from the victim’s family members as they described how their lives were ripped apart by the killing.

RENO, Nev. — Authorities are seeking murder charges against a 25-year-old man they believe is responsible for a string of five apparently random killings this week in northern Nevada.

PHOENIX — Prosecutors on Wednesday tried to convince jurors that Jodi Arias should be eligible for the death penalty, saying Travis Alexander suffered tremendous pain as he fought for his life while Arias stabbed and slashed him nearly 30 times.

SALT LAKE CITY — The attorney for a Salt Lake City pediatrician charged with murdering his ex-wife said Monday he plans to ask for a drastically reduced bail so his client can get out of jail while the case plays out in court.

Prosecutors said if that happens, they want to make sure John Brickman Wall, 49, is forbidden from speaking with his children about the crime.

Wall made his second court appearance Monday since being arrested and charged last month in the September 2011 death of his ex-wife, Uta Von Schwedler. Police called the death of the University of Utah biologist suspicious after she was found drowned in a bathtub, but didn’t file charges until April 25.

During Monday’s short court hearing in Salt Lake City, state court Judge Robin Reese agreed to schedule a bond hearing for May 20 at the request of Wall’s attorney, G. Fred Metos.

TRENTON, N.J. — Police stormed a New Jersey home early Sunday and fatally shot a registered sex offender who had held his girlfriend’s three children hostage, ending their 37-hour ordeal and recovering the bodies of the captives’ mother and another sibling, authorities said.

PHOENIX -- Jodi Arias said in a post-conviction interview with a TV station that she prefers the death penalty over life in prison.

Arias talked to Fox affiliate KSAZ in the courthouse minutes after she was convicted of first-degree murder. With tears in her eyes, she said she feels overwhelmed and that she was surprised because she didn’t believe she committed first-degree murder.