‘If I Can’t Have You: The Jodi Arias Story’ Explores the Motives Behind the Slaying of Travis Alexander
True crime is having a moment right now. Fans can’t get enough of documentaries, books, and podcasts about killers. It’s a strange fascination. Luckily, for true crime fans, there is plenty of media to feed this interest. Discovery + is currently streaming a documentary that might pique the interest of true crime fans. If I Can’t Have You: The Jodi Arias Story takes a deep dive into the 2008 murder of Travis Alexander.
Who are Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander?
On June 9, 2008, friends found Alexander dead in his home in Mesa, Arizona. He had been stabbed 27 times and recieved a gunshot wound to the back of the head. Jodi Arias, Alexander’s ex-girlfriend, was arrested for the murder shortly after.
The pair met in 2006 at a networking opportunity. They bonded despite their differences. Alexander was a Mormon and Arias was not. They soon began a long-distance relationship that lasted five months. The relationship seemed to be turning “volatile” toward the end, according to Inside Edition and the pair called it quits. In spite of their breakup, Arias moved to Mesa to be closer to Alexander. She then began to display disturbing tendencies, like showing up at his home uninvited.
Although Arias was borderline stalking him, Alexander would still occasionally “jump into bed with her,” Inside Edition reports. Alexander began seeing other people while allegedly still seeing Arias. At the time of his death, he had been experiencing random knocks on his door. Someone even slashed his tires once. Upon finding him dead, Alexander’s friends immediately pointed to Arias.
Did Jodi Arias kill Travis Alexander?
Initially, Arias claimed she was out of town at the time of Alexander’s murder. However, according to Redhanded the podcast, the police soon discovered a digital camera that “placed Jodi at the house on the day that Travis had last been seen alive.”
Arias then changed her story, saying that strangers attacked during a home invasion. When this story started to fall apart, Arias changed courses again. She claimed that Alexander had been abusive toward her, and she had killed him in self-defense. This story did not convince a jury. In 2015, Arias received a life sentence for the murder of Alexander.
What details does the discovery+ documentary give on Jodi Arias?
It’s not surprising that the story of Alexander’s murder immediately gripped true crime fans. Her claims that Alexander was abusive cast some doubt on her motives. Would a jealous ex-girlfriend go so far? Would she really feel, as the documentary states, “If I can’t have you, no one can?”
The discovery+ documentary, released in February could shed some new light on the subject. The Hollywood Reporter claims the series features “interviews with Arias’ defense attorney, friends of Alexander, and family members of Arias as it aims to answer the question: “Is Jodi Arias a sociopathic murderer, or is she a misunderstood woman who acted in self-defense?”
