One of Arizona's most dramatic and much talked about murder trials finally ended on Monday. 

Convicted murderer Jodi Arias was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for the gruesome death of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2008.

Maricopa County Judge Sherry Stephens could have ruled that Arias be given a life sentence with the possibility of release after serving 25 years.  However, Stephens saw no reason for such leniency saying the crime "was especially cruel."

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"It involved substantial planning and preparation. ... The defendant destroyed evidence ... and went to great lengths to conceal her involvement," the judge said.

A death sentence could not be imposed on Arias after two juries failed to reach a unanimous decision.

Before her sentence was read, Arias, in black and white striped prison uniform, made a final plea to the judge as she expressed shame for what she has done.

"To this day I can't believe that I was capable of doing something that terrible," Arias said.

"I'm truly disgusted and repulsed with myself. I'm horrified because of what I did, and I wish there was some way I could take it back," she added.

Alexander's family and friends were in tears and hugged one another after the sentence was read.  The victim's sisters earlier appealed to the judge to hand down the harshest penalty available to Arias.

Samantha Alexander was emotional as she recalled the day she walked into her brother's house, where the crime took place.

"He was there for five days," she said. "Five days he is there decomposing in the shower. I'm sure his soul was screaming for someone to find him."

Alexander's younger sister Tanisha Sorenson even shouted at Arias, "Burn in hell!," describing her as unrepentant and evil.

Arias admitted shooting and stabbing Alexander in 2008, but she claimed it was self-defense.  Defense lawyers had portrayed Alexander as a sadistic boyfriend who physically and emotionally battered Arias.  But prosecutors said Arias killed Alexander out of rage after the victim tried to end their relationship.

Thirty-year-old Alexander was found dead in the shower inside his home in Mesa, Arizona in June 2008. He was shot in the head and stabbed nearly 30 times.  His throat had been slit.

A jury convicted Arias of First-Degree Murder in 2013, but failed to reach a unanimous decision for a death sentence.

Another jury was formed in October 2014, but like the first one, they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.  This resulted in the death penalty being struck down, paving the way for the judge to decide on Arias' sentence. 

Arias will be serving her life sentence at the maximum security unit of the Arizona State Prison Complex, near Goodyear, Arizona.

TagsJodi Arias, first degree murder, Travis Alexander, Arizona