Jury in Jodi Arias murder trial struggling to reach a unanimous decision on sentencing PHOENIX - A frustrated-looking jury has come out of deliberations during the penalty phase of the Jodi Arias murder trial unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Jurors are debating whether Arias should be sentenced to life in prison or get the death penalty. The judge sent them back to deliberate, saying they should identify areas of agreement and disagreement as they work toward a decision. If they are unable to make a unanimous decision, a new jury will be selected. If the new jury encounters the same gridlock, the death penalty option for Arias will be taken off the table and the judge will determine the sentencing, with it being either a choice of life with the possibility of parole or natural life. Arias was convicted last week of first-degree murder in the June 2008 stabbing and shooting death of her one-time lover, Travis Alexander, in what prosecutors described as a cold, calculated killing carried out in a jealous rage. Arias has maintained all along it was self-defense. Alexander's sisters were crying inside court Wednesday when the jury said they were having difficulty reaching a verdict, according to the Fox News producer inside the courtroom. The case went to the panel Tuesday afternoon, and jurors deliberated for about an hour before adjourning for the day. They resumed Wednesday morning. In a surprise jailhouse interview just hours after the jury began deliberating her fate, Arias spoke out Tuesday about her murder trial, her many fights with her legal team and her belief that she "deserves a second chance at freedom someday." Arias spoke to The Associated Press as part of a series of interviews with media outlets. She repeated many of her claims from previous interviews, testimony on the witness stand and her statements to the jury earlier Tuesday as she pleaded for mercy. But she provided some new information about her case and how she believed her lawyers let her down by not calling more witnesses who could have bolstered her claims that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Alexander. Following her conviction last week, she told a local TV station that she preferred the death penalty. She said Tuesday night that she changed her mind after a tearful meeting with family members that same day, realizing that her death would only cause them more pain. "I felt like by asking for death, it's like asking for assisted suicide and I didn't want to do that to my family," she told the AP. Arias said she fought from the beginning to keep cameras out of the courtroom to limit the media spectacle, and believes that the jury should have been sequestered. "The prosecutor has accused me of wanting to be famous, which is not true," she said. However, Arias has sought the spotlight at every turn, providing TV interviews and even using a third-party to tweet throughout the trial. She gave the interviews Tuesday after the judge lifted an order barring jail officials from arranging any media requests. The judge did not elaborate on the reason for the ruling, but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office quickly began making the media arrangements that lasted late into the night. The prosecutor insisted her claims of self-defense were an exaggerated attempt to avoid being convicted. After Arias finished speaking, Judge Sherry Stephens explained to jurors that their finding would be final. The jury heard closing arguments later Tuesday, with Willmott citing Arias' mental health problems and lack of a criminal record among the reasons to spare her life. He implored jurors to look at the "whole panorama" of the case, not just Arias' statement Tuesday, and explained how Alexander's family will live with the pain of their loss for the rest of their lives.