Jodi Arias Trial: Defense rests in Arizona murder case

(AP) PHOENIX - Jodi Arias' defense attorneys have rested their case after about 2 1/2 months of testimony at her trial for the murder of Travis Alexander.

PICTURES: Slain boyfriend of Jodi Arias

PICTURES: Jodi Arias murder trial

Prosecutor Juan Martinez has started calling rebuttal witnesses in the trial that has been ongoing in Phoenix for more than three months.

The two sides have presented dueling portraits of Arias' ex-boyfriend, Alexander -- that of a man who feared for his life, versus a manipulative, abusive liar.

Dueling attorneys also have presented conflicting portraits of Arias, as the defense works to show she's a domestic abuse victim who was forced to fight for her life while prosecutors say she was a scorned lover who planned the killing.

Arias claims self-defense but faces a potential death sentence if convicted of first-degree murder in Alexander's 2008 killing at his suburban Phoenix home.

Complete coverage of Jodi Arias on Crimesider