Jodi Arias Retrial UPDATE: Where Has the Convicted Murderer Gone? Media Groups Push for Transparency in Case

Where has Jodi Arias gone?

The convicted murderer who occupied every crevice of American media for months after she was charged with the killing of her former lover has largely disappeared from the press. All eyes were on Arias as she edged toward celebrity status earlier this year; after she took the stand, the Arizona native spent weeks speaking to cable networks for interviews. Lifetime made a short movie about the murder, trial and subsequent media storm.

But since the hearings ended in May, almost all of the sentencing proceedings have occurred behind closed doors at the behest of Judge Sherry Stephens, who is presiding over the case. Now, a handful of media sources and First Amendment lawyers are saying that the secrecy surrounding Arias is unnecessary.

"The trial court has gone from transparency to blackout and bewilderment," attorney David Bodney, a representative of multiple news outlets insisting upon transparency, told the Associated Press. "There have been repeated flagrant violations of the public's constitutional right to attend proceedings."

33-year-old Arias admitted that she stabbed her former boyfriend Travis Alexander in his Phoenix home in 2008, but maintained that she acted out of self-defense. Alexander died from almost 30 fatal stab wounds, a slit throat and a shot to the forehead. The jury has yet to sentence Arias for her crimes. Prosecutors are currently arguing that Arias acted in bitter, jealous rage, and are pushing for the death penalty.

During the beginning of the trial earlier this year, Stephens allowed nearly all press and public into the courtroom, which some news networks started broadcasting live. According to AP, some people traveled to Arizona from out-of-state simply to watch the case unfold. But the judge has since closed the doors on the trial and all its tangentially related dramas, including Arias' threats to fire her lawyer and asking citizens to help foot her legal bills.

"The public is deprived of its First Amendment right to attend criminal proceedings," Bodney told AP. "The public has a right to be heard before they're just locked out."

Phoenix defense lawyer Mel McDonald, who has worked as a federal prosecutor and Maricopa County judge in the past, said that Stephens was most likely shocked by the storm of media attention Arias received, and is now scrambling to scale back on access to protect the case.

"The more that comes out, the harder it's going to be to find an impartial jury and the greater risk of prejudice and error," McDonald said.

Meanwhile, Arias has stayed fairly active on social media, posting inspirational quotes and links to sites where her various pieces of art are being sold through a third party.