Jodi Ann Arias was born on July 9, 1980, in Salinas, California. Arias was a carefree aspiring photographer from Palm Desert, California when she met Alexander, a motivational speaker, salesman, and devout Mormon from Mesa, Arizona. The pair had met at a company convention in Las Vegas in September 2006. At the time, Arias was looking for opportunities in network marketing. The pair seemed to have hit it off and started a long-distance relationship for a few months. As of February 2, 2007, Alexander and Arias were officially a couple.