Jodi Arias Trial: In Her Own Words.. How I Killed Travis Alexander With HIS Gun and HIS Knife
Photo Courtesy AP Pool
Phoenix, Arizona- In today’s highly anticipated morning testimony, Jodi Arias finally “gets there”.
After weeks of what can only be described as the dog ate my defense testimony led by Kirk Nurmi, Jodi Arias explains the events leading up to and during the murder of Travis Alexander.
Arias describes an irate and menacing Travis who bounds from the shower, causing her to drop his new camera and pouncing on her, knocking her to the wet tile floor.
“ A five year old can hold a camera better than you.” Arias stated Alexander screamed at her among other threatening expletives while she struggled to break free.
She then ran to the master bedroom closet and apparently using the Spiderman techniques she absorbed via osmosis from the alleged Valentines gift, retrieved a gun she claimed Travis owned over two feet out of her reach while he was sprinting behind her.
She pointed the gun at him, did not realize it went off and then Travis, still coming at her, stumbles to his knees on the now bloody tile beneath him. ( Editors Note: As I have always said, I believe the order of this injury is true and is important to the charges against her)
Enter gratuitous memory gap.
“I have no memory of stabbing him.” – Jodi Arias
Although Arias admits to having flash backs, she states she cannot remember any other details with the exception of her crouched in the bathroom covered in blood and drops a knife she believes was upstairs used by Travis to cut ropes he used to tie her up to the bed.
She did however, have the presence of mind to grab the ropes, the gun, apparently removes and loses her shoes and has no idea what happened to the knife she used to stab Alexander 29 times and slit his neck from ear to ear.
Next memory she is driving in the desert with the gun she alleges was Travis’s when she pitches it out the window at a random location, then puts the ropes in a dumpster behind a gas station and washes blood off her hands.
Pause for Arias innocuous driving babble and road scenery.
“Why didn’t you call 911 and tell them what happened?” Kirk Nurmi asks his sniffling but tearless client.
” …He attacked you, why did you feel You messed up pretty badly?”
“This time it was different, he had done it before and nothing happened, it was heightened.” Responded Arias.
While approaching a check point in Utah, she feels like she will be apprehended there.
Arias decided to do a “whole bunch of things” to cover up she was ever there.
So .. “I called his phone to leave a voice mail”. For nearly 16 minutes she says she tried numerous times to leave a cheery voice mail to ask as if she was not present in Alexander’s home.
“I just thought they would be listening to his voice mail, so I just thought it would throw the scent off for a while.”
– Jodi Arias
Yes, she actually said that on the stand. Defense Attorney Kirk Nurmi was observed writing a note to co-counsel Jennifer Wilmott to send an assistant out to Sam’s for an industrial size supply of Tums.
I made that part up. Testimony continues following jury lunch break.
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his bizarre SHOULD READ this bizarre video
Sorry friendies
@To Ragdoll: i am with your opinion.
@ to A Texas Grandfather: yes you are so right about this cop… i admire Debras mom so much. This woman wrote an amazing book and fought so hard for her daughter. She went many times to meet with amnesty international and they could not help much. She had not much money but went one to twice a year from Switzerland to Arizona to see her daughter. She did so much and always believed one day her daughter will be freed. I wish them the best.
There is not one whit of evidence that schools do or do not contribute to intelligence. The brain must be configured at birth to accept facts and truth and to be able to analyze them. Some are born with total recall and others cannot remember what happened two hours ago. Some have the ability to do marvelous things with their mind without seeming to put forth much effort, a Savant.
Most of the population do have brains that are teachable. The degree of success depends on the beginning of life and the early years where caring parents teach and nurture a child. Children all have a love of learning and will do so all their lives if given the proper start and no one turns off the desire. Parents and family are so very important to this process.
Disease can affect the learning of values to the point that none are maintained by an individual. Drugs of all types when not properly used, can do the same. The problem with mental diseases is the method of detecting and treatment.
This is the case with Jodi. She has mental issues that prevent her from behaving as society considers normal. She wanted Travis so strongly that she was willing to kill him to prevent another from having what she thought belonged to her.
For those familiar with criminal court proceedings: what (and who) can we expect to see during the rebuttal phase of the trial? Will there be (for example) clinical experts who will challenge defense expert testimony?
Has anyone–Rose?–done analysis on Gus Sear cy’s comments on cnn?
“SEARCY: Why do good girls hang out with bad guys? If you want to get real primal about it, when a man and woman make love to each other, a man releases a pheromone that women can become addicted to, and it goes back to primordial times.
I think she was very much addicted to him. I mean, she was willing to change her religion. She was willing to do everything for him. And every time she would try to break away, he would do something to bring her back, start talking nice to her and make promises. ”
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1302/13/ddhln.01.html
Caveman?
Yes Rose – After seeing the video of JA standing on her head and acting in such a bizarre manner, I certainly agree that JA should have been given a referral to see someone in the Mental Health field. Although she didn’t act in a suicidal manner then, her behavior was not normal and because of the nature of her crime, she should have been evaluated. A simple referral covers a lot of bases and allows for justice to proceed down the right path.
Perhaps she was seen by MH upon entry into the jail. I don’t know if that was the case.
Sue says:
March 16, 2013 at 3:32 pm
(Snipped)
Everyday, these people cross boundaries, but manage to stay under the radar until one day they get too brazen, and believe they can get away with a crime even more out of the norm of their typical behavior. After 1000 times of getting away under the radar, the 1001th time was the one that came to the attention of LE.
—————————————————————————————————————————
Sue,
I only snipped the “conclusion” of your above post, but I just wanted to say that i agree 100 percent with what you have written. It has always bothered me when one argues that a defendant has no criminal history, when what they are really saying is that the defendant has no RECORDED or DOCUMENTED criminal history.
Excellent post!
I really don’t care about Jodi and the wooden spoon in her moms purse
Or if she is a somethingpath
She killed with out mercy left him dead days to be found
Spent hours lying to save her butt
I just look at his family sitting there day after day and feel she is the worse thing that happened to them to
And I want her put away
Would it be considered prejudicial to have psyche tests done on a defendant and present those to the court? I know in child custody cases this is a requirement sometimes for the best well being of the child however I’m unsure as to its’ uses in criminal/murder trials.
Would a defendant need to consent to that? And if the defense expert chose to halfway test and diagnose a defendant does the prosecution then have an opportunity to have an expert meet and test the person charged? OR is the prosecution left with the inability to place diagnosis or expert opinion on the defendants mental status?
Sue says:
March 16, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Yes Rose – After seeing the video of JA standing on her head and acting in such a bizarre manner, I certainly agree that JA should have been given a referral to see someone in the Mental Health field. Although she didn’t act in a suicidal manner then, her behavior was not normal and because of the nature of her crime, she should have been evaluated. A simple referral covers a lot of bases and allows for justice to proceed down the right path.
Perhaps she was seen by MH upon entry into the jail. I don’t know if that was the case.
_________
How far is the mental health pracitioner within the penal system allowed to go in terms of diagnosis and are those findings admissable?
Amy’s Sister, yes, prejudicial. Hopefully a defense lawyer would never allow the client anything but impartial (hmmm) judgement.
Amy’s Sister – What’s said between an inmate and the Mental Health dept. in a jail is confidential. If the inmate’s records are subpoenaed by the court, then they are admissible. I don’t know to what extent JA was evaluated in jail. I’m not sure if there was a report written or a referral submitted while JA was in jail in regards to her supposed suicide attempt. Certainly if it was a REAL attempt, then she would have been referred to MH in the jail. Only the MH dept. can determine if she is in fact suicidal or not. I did not get the impression that her attempt was anything that caught the attention of a corrections officer. The way I understood the ‘attempt’, was that it hurt too much when she broke the skin a little, and she chickened out. And she kept it to herself. I would have to ask what happened to the razor blade she used and if it was ever noted that the blade was missing from any razor she used when she turned it back in. In most jails, a whole razor needs to be turned in when the inmate is finished shaving. If a blade is missing from the razor, well then it’s mandatory that the staff must find the missing blade. This would mean that a shake-down is preformed and if no blade is found, then everyone is locked down until it shows up – for the protection of the unit and the jail.
Could be that the staff was completely taken off guard when JA was on the stand that day and admitted she attempted suicide in jail with a razor blade. I would assume she was referred to MH when she returned that day to make sure she wasn’t going to be a danger to herself or others. This way, the jail is in the clear. From what I understand, she is model inmate.
I would sure like to know what the cops thought of her when she was still being questioned by them and she was acting so bizarre – before her arrest for Travis’s murder. When they brought her over to the jail to be booked, did they recommend she be seen by MH? Did they tell the booking officers how she was acting? I would hope so. It would be something the jail would need to know – especially because of the nature of her brutal crime. If nothing was said, someone could be in trouble now that the video is all over YouTube. And it could affect this trial.
N. Cahela says:
March 14, 2013 at 5:29 pm
Does anyone else (besides me) find the expert witness that testified today creepy? Sorry, but he just didn’t appeal to me. He didn’t seem like someone I would want to go behind closed doors with.
I know, I’m weird and everyone else probably sees him as a delightful man but 9 times out of 10 when I have a weird feeling about someone, it’s usually right.
~~~~
NC, I felt the exact same creep factor! And of course, then NG show reveals his questionable past.
My daughter and I were watching when I made the “creepy” comment. When his sanction came out on NG, I told my daughter, “I knew there was something wrong with this guy!”
Oh my gosh….saw this posted at the State vs Jodi Arias~Travis Alexander murder trial Facebook page. If i didn’t link it correctly, it’s on you tube and entitled Jodi Arias Trial: The Never Ending Answer
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=AQ4SFBYfzkY&feature=player_embedded&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded%26v%3DAQ4SFBYfzkY
Did not work for me Sott.
B
SOTT, I think the issue with your video is that it was a mobile version. Here is the link…and it is hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jodi+arias+trial+the+never+ending+answer&oq=jodi+arias+trial+the+never+ending+answer&gs_l=youtube.3..33i21.496.6792.0.7037.40.30.0.0.0.0.656.5631.22j4-1j7.30.0…0.0…1ac.1.t8ypRuDz_QU
pale rider
You are paying attention to your subconscious alert system. Everyone has this available to themselves. I believe that women have this in a more developed stage than men.
I was not at all impressed with this expert witness along with his books and papers.
In regards to the attempt at suicide, remember who is telling the story. If it was so little that the jailers didn’t notice, then it is a strong possibility of just being another Jodi made up story.
At Sott,s link at 5:24pm: I started watching the video, got bored listening to her and then just about jumped out of my seat! That was so very appropriate.
Scott, The link worked for me and it’s hilarious. I love the look on Martinez’ face and wonder what it was she really said to elicit that look.
Sott. Apologies. Auto-correct
Blink I have been thinking about your responses all weekend
You wrote :
“Under the law premeditation could be seconds. It is the time elapsed where the person has the ability to know that the actions they are leveraging will likely or could result in the death of the victim.”
me
Blink I think I get what your concerns may be regarding this point-
Are you saying that IF the jury believes that JA was mentally deficient(fog memory blackout) in those moments that could somehow negate premeditation?
No, I was really contrasting the critical elements of available thought capacity in terms of demonstrating seconds to form the two. Yes, in theory this defense is really trying to backdoor a mental defense here because JA did not qualify for one following her evaluations or she simply aided her defense and said no. I do not believe that will work and being a sociopath is not a defense to anything or any crime I am aware of..
As you went on to write:
“In theory and in some statutes, it is really a similar standard to the insanity or mental health defense in that the subject would need to not be able to distinguish between right and wrong in terms of capacity in those moments in question.”
Again are you trying to underscore the reasoning behind her claim to be suffering from the fog?
No, the only fog this girl suffers from is the one she created to avoid truth.
I am not 100% positive regarding all Arizona statutes- but
Under Arizona Revised Statute 13-1105, first degree murder is defined as:
“Premeditation” means that the defendant intended to kill another human being or knew [he] [she] would kill another human being, and that after forming that intent or knowledge, reflected on the decision before killing. It is this reflection, regardless of the length of time in which it occurs, that distinguishes first degree murder from second degree murder. An act is not done with premeditation if it is the instant effect of a sudden quarrel or heat of passion. [The time needed for reflection is not necessarily prolonged, and the space of time between the intent or knowledge to kill and the act of killing may be very short.]
—
You wrote:
I know everyone thinks in total this case has proven pre-meditation. It is very important we contemplate the legal definition as it relates to the charges. As an example, she could have planned this thing to the nth. Having an intimate afternoon took that off the table unless it can be proven that those acts were “in the commission of”. You can’t get there. Lying in wait is not the same as lying around with your bum in the air for pics.
But Blink according to the Arizona statute- wouldnt the fact (if we go with her story)..that she went for the gun instead of running out and escaping …… negate this: An act is not done with premeditation if it is the instant effect of a sudden quarrel or heat of passion. First it was suddedn it wasnt an instant – it wasnt a result of that quarrel but a previous one…
she chose to run for the gun- she claims she didnt but when all the facts are weighed this can be the only reasonable conclusion as
a. she had already reached the end of the hall(where she was afraid of being grabbed) she had enough time to get out if she wanted too.. she didnt run in the bedroom to grab a lamp or other object to throw or hide behind…
b. she needed to shut the door and turn on the light inorder to see c. she chose to climb up and get the gun
add to this she was taught “never to point a gun at a person loaded or unloaded” this alone could be in fact all the premeditation that was needed, because she always knew and understood the consequences of such an act.
It is my understanding that the State need not prove premeditation any other way- she gave it to them with her story.
She “stole” Travis/ gun – “in the commission of”. and she pointed- she aimed- she cocked and she pulled the trigger all without warning without yelling stop or i’ll shoot or beware or even firing off a warning..shooting first at the ceiling….
she shot him because she meant to shoot him and it can be inferred she hoped to kill him- she stopped in the MIDDLE of the bathroom and she turned and held ground waiting for him to exit the closet… she did not attempt to run back thru the hall to the exit or to the bedroom she dint attempt to hide or get away she was not “cornered” she had other options – she chose to stop turn point aim cock and wait for him she chose to shoot him.
2bcont
AJMO peace
@SOTT–Thought it was the real thing for a few seconds there. Some edit, lol. Thanks for the comic relief.
I read here daily but hardly ever comment because you all have some insightful post.I enjoy all of you. I have a question that if has been discussed I missed it.Was Jodi standing on her head so the blood would run to her face and give it some color since she was worried about not doing her make-up.Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.You Rock Blink
cont
You:
“This is why I was so miffed about the state trying to hammer home the “bullet last theory.” For me, it is way easier to get to pre-meditation if that is true and it can be used as the basis for felony murder, which will ultimately have the same possibility for a capital sentence.”
Me
But Blink , you are buying into the defenses claims (which i admiit the jury may also)
In fact according to the prosecution and the ME they are not “hammering” that point
According to the ME Travis died from blood loss. ..
3 injuries could have led to death-
the stab wound to chest –
the slit to the throat and
the shot to the head
all would suffice
he went on to say:
Defensive wounds to hands – occurred before fatal injury to head or throat.
TA attempted to grab the knife.
The Throat and head injuries the victim would likely not attempt to defend himself after those.
He couldnt say if with the head injury if he might have been alive . The neck he was alive – but there was losts lots of blood loss. With the Chest wound he was alive
So it seems the ME said he couldnt say which injury came first or last it is possible to have different possible scenarios…
The ME was asked by the defense:
Assume that pic is of Mr. Alexander =
#162 admitted and published.
appears to be a head – arm, shouder – foot in thedistant part (off to the right) person lying down – if this is tile – that would be him laying on his back. Blood on his right shoulder. Arm looks like it is flexed up. Head is also up? I don’t know what this blue object is in the foreground?
Does this appear to be a foot and pantleg? could be . . . shoulder is off the ground? I think so.
Once the wound to the neck – having his head up would be impossible?
He would have a few seconds – it is not beyond realm of reality. Picking up head or moving arm is quite possible.
Wouldn’t you expect to see more blood? Thatlooks like a lot of blood – uh can’t see what is below him, don’t know how much blood is here – from this picture… Blood on right shoulder, large area of blood and appears to be dripping.
The Gunshot wound was to his right side?
Yes====
But asked about the pic by prosecution he said it is likely the pic was of the throat slashing but did not totally rule out gun shot TMU
Went on to say
The Sequence of events was not written in report – it is not practice to write sequence in report – it would be speculative . . . after having all info then make determination
—
Blink,
So with further scrutiny, it seems that the ME did not say definitely that the gun shot came last only that it is likely due to the lack of blood…other scenarios are possible – to me that realization means they didnt back themselves up into a MUST be gun first vs knife first scenario–
Respectfully Mom3.0 and may I say you never present your point without substantive support and research- but Dr. Horne was quite clear that Travis could not have been shot first in his opinion because he felt that would have rendered him unconcious and/or incapacitated within a few minutes ( or seconds) due to damage to the frontal lobe. The exchange between him and the defense, and probably more importantly Det Flores and the defense is going to resonate with this jury in my opinion.
Keep in mind, I largely play devils advocate because for the most part, our personal conclusions can get in the way of what can be substantiated in court to the level of reasonable doubt. I truly believe that high profile cases should have a higher threshold of preparation and presentation than what I saw initially from Martinez and the forensic witnesses in this case.
I do feel he has backpedaled where necessary and I may thankfully eat my words after seeing his rebuttal presentation.
And yes, way too much left open to the jury to draw conclusions. The law is the law, but these folks are also “peers” and as such are human beings. The prospect of putting someone to death – I feel adds a layer of burden to a juror to have a complete picture of what occurred and the evidence that supports it, or does not.
And then, add that 12 people must agree. Needs to be tighter, imo.
B
Having said ALLL that-
Ill wait to hear more in closing or rebuttal because I do agree with you that it may be that it is too confusing to see the possibilities were left open- too much info obscures this they need to simplyfy it more..
AJMO Peace
2b Cont
Blink,
I’ll try again. Maybe i did it wrong, but it worked for me whem i re-tested the link above. Does this one work?
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AQ4SFBYfzkY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded%26v%3DAQ4SFBYfzkY
B,
Does this work?
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=AQ4SFBYfzkY&feature=player_embedded&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded%26v%3DAQ4SFBYfzkY
Thanks for allowing me to bounce these thoughts off you-
maybe I am totally wrong in my thinking I defer to your knowledge.
Sorry for the length
Cont-
You:
“In other words- she shot him, did not kill him, and continued to attack him so aggravated assault is a felony crime in the first degree here, followed by murder. ”
—I agree with this Blink but she may have stabbed in the head first or in the back first or… and then used the gun or slit his throat then the gun etc
the gun shot need not be first OR last it may be in the middle- it still all goes to cruelity and premeditation doest it?
she chose to KEEP going with the attack (aggravated assault) whether or not the gun was used first or not she cont between stabbing him and shooting and slashing she killed him.
You:
“Being adamant that the gun was used last to support the F6 rule on cruelty so the crime becomes a death penalty case was not worth the risk of confusing jurors, and definitely not worth the risk of Arias successfully defending it in the event that Nurmi brought on any heavy hitter forensics experts. If he had, as you heard me say numerous times in this case, as charged this is a defensible case- no matter what my personal feelings are. It should be clear that this jury is engaged and analytical.”
Blink I disagree with this logic, the gun scenario being last is not proving the cruelty…the totality of the crime is the cruelty she went there it can be inferred that she had sex with him inorder to put him at ease…and that is cruel- she posed him in the shower to further get him in a vulnerable spot and she attacked him – it can be inferred that she stole gramps gun or she stole Travis/ not for protection , not for defense, but to kill- then we add the knife whether first last or alternating…
the act is cruel the shooting the stabbing the defense wounds the neck slash all cruel the prosecution IMO does not need the gun last to show cruelty —
in fact wouldnt the gun last be human as she opted to finally pt him out of his misery? hey in that respect i suppose the defense could have said the neck slash was also human not cruel…
I agree with you this was not an indefensible case- if Jodi could have sold the abuse better… if she hadnt brought in the pedo charges…it all made her less sympathetic to me and more the agressor her arguing with the prosecuter did not bode well as it painted her as not a victim but again someone that has no problem standing up for herself and standing her ground to a fault. IMO
I await to hear your thoughts after the verdict on how nurmi could have handled the case better as I know you are still thinking ..
—
You:
“Who is going to believe that it only changed it’s order of events prior to the pretrial hearings required for capital cases?”
I can believe that the sequence was NEVER changed by the prosecution Blink…and i dont think i am dumb..
Flores may have been going off his own thoughts- he may have self erred having NOTHING to do with the ME or the prosecution- it may have just been a theory and nothing more an instant of pondering nothing concrete and he ran with it because it made the most sense to him at the time
Humans make leaps based on their own thoughts sometimes..
It happens, just like when he told Arias in that phone call that more than one killer HAD to have done this-
Obviously this was not fact and was merely HIS thought at the time not the findings of the MEs not CSIs – not the prosecutions but his.
and it was a mistake for him to voice them as a conclusion just as it was in regards to the gun first musings
YOU:
“I pray that overcharging this defendant in terms of what the state can prove beyond a reasonable doubt does not bite them in the ass.”
I dont necessarily think this case was overcharged- I am a reasonable person and I can follow the prosecutions case to conclude premeditation & guilt of Murder 1- but maybe its all based on faulty understanding of the law?
I will wait for the Judges instructions and I will wait to hear the defenses entire case and rebuttal etc becuase i am still open to being swayed by factsand evidence
and i will be praying right along with you.
You:
“There is a huge hole in how this goes down to ultimately what is a heinous and tortuous death that even as a person qualified to assess the overall scene (me) cannot reconcile conclusively. How is a jury to do that while following the charges of the court, ultimately?Way harder than it looks.”
— There may be holes in this case Blink but it seems each and everyone of them are a result of the defendants actions lies and cover-ups-
You:
I love u guys but you are not hearing me. There could be 50 .25 guns missing from Redding to Mesa from locations showing CCTV footage of arias.
That is not evidence of anything if you can’t tie it to the murder weapon which cannot happen.
The jury can consider testimony but not assume facts not in evidence.
We can all believe that she planned this or not, for the jury to consider 1st degree they must conclude the legal instruction on premed by the court.
—
snipped:
Premeditation is a state of mind. Premeditation and deliberation may be inferred from the established circumstances of the case, provided the inference is a reasonable one. In such case, the jury has the right to make the inference. The evidence of premeditation need not be direct and is often established by circumstantial evidence.
If i am understanding the above correctly:
The jury can infer she is guilty they can connect the dots reasonably… to get to guilty of premeditated murder in the first degree, based on evidence and circumstances of the case … just not assume facts that are not in evidence… am i understanding this correctly?
Blink
It seems obvious to me that what she says happened did not happen therefore it is reasonable for me to follow & weigh all the evidence so far to conclude the State proved its case because i can disregard her entire testimony/side. In addition, I am allowed to infer…
Please correct me if i am wrong.
Thanks again Blinky -
sorry for the length and any errors in spelling etc.
AJMO Peace
@ SOTT says:
March 17, 2013 at 5:24 pm
Oh my goodness! That was so funny!!! Thanks for sharing!
Here’s the youtube video. The title is apropo “The neverending answer.” My one and only laugh since this trial started!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ4SFBYfzkY
SOTT: funniest video ever! Don’t you know they’ve ALL felt like that throughout the trial?!? I laughed so hard!
We have all or most have seen the video of Jodi in the interrogation room. Remember the opening statements where it was stated that Jodi was a snoop. She pulls the sheet of paper out of the printer tray, then inspects the content of the waste basket among the other nonsense acts caught on the video.
Somewhere along the way, I think the defense made the decision to try a sneak approach to getting a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. Thus, all the nonsense and crazy testimony by Jodi on the witness stand.
Jodi’s testimony about the gun going off by itself is pure nonsense. Every gun of any type has to have the trigger pulled to fire. There is a certain amount of pull required to accomplish this which is measured in lbs. Trigger pull can be adjusted by a gunsmith up to a point. People who are not trained will put their finger on the trigger rather than outside on the trigger guard until time to shoot. What she may have been saying was it went off before I really wanted to shoot.
Something is missing in my understanding of the damage the shot made to Travis’s forehead. The autopsy report showed the brain not to be damaged while the ME or other forensics testimony indicated damage to the frontal lobe which would indicate penetration of the skull by the bullet. One or the other is not true.
The muzzle energy of the small 25 cal. bullet (approx. 55 grains) is less than 100 ft/lbs and fired from a pistol with a 2″ barrel will loose energy quickly. The blow to the forehead should not even knock a person down although the final resting place in the cheek above the upper teeth and the bullet path might create a burning sensation.
Although the prosecution has not made an issue of this point,I believe that Jodi putting socks over her shoes shows premeditation. This also precludes all the running and climbing she describes because socks are slick on most floors and one has to be careful when walking or running.
@Amys Sister. Thinking back to Hinckley as an example, Defense psychs said he had a thought disorder & Prosecution Psych said he had a personality disorder. The Court determined after hearing these experts he qualified for NGRI.
Then he got committed to the forensic section of a federal mental hospital (he’d been tried in federal court & also this hosp took “white house cases.”)
Whatever treatment facility the Judge commits the ngri person to after the Court’s finding, that staff does their own workup & diagnosis and reports back to the Court from time to time on treatment progress & evaluates the merits of any privileges the person requests (like going outside). As I recall Hinkley’s team diagnosed him with a schizoaffective disorder (he had a thought disorder & was depressed) & medicated him for that.
After all those days on the stand, I haven’t heard Arias’ thoughts wrt TA at the time she shot & butchered him.
She has said she feared him when he reacted to a dropped camera
because he once choked her.
I’ve come late to this but I gather when she dropped his camera he got mad & supposedly chased her.
(I don’t believe any of that.)
Imo she slaughtered him due to her thoughts about him. They could have been obsessive like Hinckley re Jodi (if I
can’t have him no one can).
They could have been paranoid & unrealistic about her jeopardy.
Either a slaughter like this arose from a Borderline’s rage, or arose from a thought disorder.
Twould have been nice to have a formal workup by psychiatrists for both sides early on.
@ to Sue:
I do absoluty believe JA to be a sociopath this ist why i posted Travises own words in a post after posting the article because no matter what, i believe what Travis said and saw in JA a long time ago.
@lyla says: March 17, 2013 at 10:45 pm
How funny
Funny video guys- I wasn’t expecting that ending either-ha!
Mom3.0- What a great rebuttal you wrote to our Blink. As you have read I am sure, I had disagreed with her stance on premed- vs. second degree and you did a wonderful write up with support of as B said. I hope we are right!
B
I do believe JM is planning a strong rebuttal as well, I believe that is part and parcel to his regular routine in these cases. I think there will be some surprises for all of us!
@atg. One has to formally plead ngri, and it must be before the trial starts.
Here’s Ohio’s rule (the State I’m unfortunately sitting in due to snow) & it’s pretty standard:
http://www.opd.ohio.gov/rc_casebook/insanity.htm
After pleading, one has to substantiate it to the 51 yard line with psychiatric testimony about
the state of mind at the moment of the murder.
great tape? Were there any comments
her attorney chose to put her on the stand
(in which case he’s the insane one)?
I thought she’d insisted (& he’d gotten her to sign
it was against his advice).
that was supposed to be “great tape”!!!!!!
personally I think an NGRI plea would’ve
easily trumped an “I killed him but I feel foggy”
defense ( which is an “I’m guilty but have mercy” plea.
So it seems to me the whole defense is the product of
disordered thinking, so maybe Jodi designed her own
defense.
For me JA had that camera around her neck all the time. The pictures that were accentally taken and showed the upper of the room respectively the shower were because she was down with her head fighting at Travis…
I’ve seen the crime scene re-enactment on HLN. 62 seconds to commit the crime. Doesn’t that contradict the sequence of the time stamped photos?
ATG says: …Something is missing in my understanding of the damage the shot made to Travis’s forehead. The autopsy report showed the brain not to be damaged while the ME or other forensics testimony indicated damage to the frontal lobe which would indicate penetration of the skull by the bullet. One or the other is not true…
_______
Thank you for pointing that out. I’ve been a little confused by it in terms of determining when Jodi shot Travis and wonder how the prosecutor will use the information to outline events to the jury in closing.
*********
Rose says: …Twould have been nice to have a formal workup by psychiatrists for both sides early on…
@ Rose: Indeed. Could the prosecution have requested a psych work up be done by one of their own experts?
Thank you to Sue and Word Girl for informing us that a)any mental health given within the penal system is confidential and b)prejudicial.
Thanks for reading and commenting Eloise. i went back and reread your stance and as you know I agree i think the fact that she cont on with the attack regardless of what method first or last is enough to get to premeditated.
Blink- thanks for your responses and I can see your point of view and I agree when someones life is on the line it is very important to go over and beyond and shore up all the gaps as they may be…
I wholeheartedly agree and this is one of the reasons why i think echols should probably not have been given the death penalty- as there was insufficient evidence to point to his being the mastermind killer of Stevie Mike and Chris- why him and not the other two?
I also think the prosecution fell short in this regard in the CA case- again it was mostly circumstantial evidence although I understood the reasons behind asking for the death penalty in both cases, as both met the criteria based on cruelty/heinous nature and the victim/s being under the age/s of 12
In truth I struggle with the death penalty…I understand the need for it and I think child killers and atrocious crimes may deserve it, such as this case and the others i mentioned- still I am not sure I could ever sit on a jury that has death as an option.
this jury has a very hard decision to make.
So I totally agree with your points in this regard.
I think this case may end up being hung because of the death penalty due to at least one juror identifying or sympathizing with Arias-
So yes I agree again in that respect the prosecution may have failed and the defense may have succeeded by bringing in the sex and the stories of abuse and letting JA on the stand…
I would be satisfied with the sentence of life in prison- as I do feel the prosecution has proven its case based on all info/evidence so far and based on the statutes as i understand them
Eloise yes i am waiting for rebuttal too
i agree again i think Mr Martinez has more to share…
AJMO
Peace
ps this Dr. he seems friendly and nice but expert IDK
IMO nothing he is saying makes me think he is helping the defense-
he agrees that a person could lie about amnesia and he agrees that a person who commits atrocious murders may suffer from PSTD…so again how is it this testimony is working for the defense and not for the prosecution…. IDK
“we encouraged her to tell the truth…she admitted to lying”
well isnt that another lie Arias told directly to the jury when she said pp I came forward and told the truth finally because it was wrong and disingenuous and made her feel icky?
AJMO peace
She doesnt remember being chased .she thinks she may have heard him chasing her …
OH boy Wilmott is trying to address his bad review complaints…
In his opinion it was false because it was a custody dispute where participants often lie…unlike murder cases where defendants just choose to forget…
Just a Hot mess in the latest of hot messes for this defense, imo. He is verklempt- not a good sign for one supposed to be qualified in this area and the defense obviously did not prep him.
B
AJMO
ATG, yes, thankfully I was either born with or developed a highly sensitive hinky meter, if you will – the Gift of Fear, to quote Gavin de Becker. My daughter is so much like me, and both of us are training my granddaughters to be the same.
I don’t believe JA would ever commit suicide. Even if she’s thought about/mentioned it, I can’t see her doing it.
She’s no dummy, though. I do think she’s crafted her story to fit into her defense’s/psychologist’s PTSD scenario.
The only crazy she is, is crazy like a fox, imo.
What did I miss? I cannot get the trial on ABC15 or Radaronline, yet HLN just played a quip. Where is the live stream today?
I wish I could enjoy this video but the sound is not clear
I have no problem with Jodi not remembering every stab wound
She remembers the gun shot and dropping the knife on the tile so she had the knife
Premed planning seems clear that she did plan to end Travis if he was taking some other girl to Cancun
So why is Samuals testimony so important
If Travis was attracting her he was naked and unarmed and wounded
I get confused folks I really do
This is ugly
LOL Post Of The Day.
It Tis just that Eloise.
B
@ SOTT
Priceless video! Those were my words in a previous post *shutup x 3* or SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!….in the exact tone, as perfectly demonstrated in the vid. That was my exact sentiment…lol.
Thanks for the giggles, friendy! xo