Jodi Arias Trial Verdict IS IN: GUILTY Of MURDER In The Slaying Of Travis Alexander
Image courtesy Arias
Phoenix, AZ- In the 4 month long trial of Jodi Ann Arias for the murder of her brief boyfriend Travis Victor Alexander, the jury deliberating since last Friday has arrived at a verdict in her case. Arias was found guilty of the pre-meditated murder of Travis Alexander on June 4th, 2008.
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tiberious says:
May 18, 2013 at 12:22 am
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Tiberius, I completely agree with your post. Some criminal pathology and behaviors can never be “fixed” and the perpetrators must be contained to prevent them from reoffending.
So, what can we take away from this crime? Evidence was presented that showed JA was stalking Travis and his girlfriend(s). She was entering his home without permission, peeping in his windows, hacking into his email and social media accounts, stealing his journals, following him on dates, probably slashing tires, etc. So many red flags.
How can anyone protect him or herself from a crime like this? Earlier, another BOC poster wrote about being stalked and mentioned how very important it is to cut off all contact with the stalker. Cutting off ALL contact is of paramount importance because any contact, even minor, can fuel the obsession that is driving the stalking behavior. One should also notify LE each time the stalker is on or near one’s property or has made threats. Talk with LE and follow any advice they give you regarding steps you can take to stay safe. Stay mindful of your environment; trust your gut.
If only Travis had realized how dangerous stalkers can be…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you, Blink, for giving us a forum where we can process crimes like this, learn from them, and advocate for the victims.
It is my pleasure and thanks to all the super smarties here for letting me hang out with you
B
Okay I thought i was over this trial… but this penalty phase is getting me to me!!!… grrr and lol at the same time! anyway…
I was always angered by the ” abuse excuse” element in this trial. And I thought the guilty of pre med with aggravation put that prong to rest.
But – Calling defense witnesses to talk about how great Arias was before the murder is just another way of saying it is Travis’s fault, she was fine until she met him.
Arias saying she is making a better life after the murder is just another way of saying it was Travis’s fault, if it hadn’t been for him, her life would be fine and not in need of improvement.
When arrested for Travis/ murder, Arias was living in one small room in her grandparents very modest and in need of care house. She was working for tips as a waitress. She had been on her own since age 15. She had twelve full years to do whatever she wanted with her life before killing Travis. Many young people are well into their chosen path by 27, some incredibly successful by then, particularly those in the arts.
Between age 15 and 25, she lived with three different men, the last of whom had a young child. She never mentioned feeling any attachment to Brewer’s child when she talked about the relationship with Brewer. Yet Nurmi referred to the child by saying that Brewer would talk about Arias and the influence she had on the kid. Ouch.
I hope that Martinez is able to illustrate how many of Arias’s drawings are images stolen from copyrighted sources. I cant see how her drawing can offer much to anyone besides those who value ” murderabilia” or ” prison art” .
If someone believes Arias has talent as an illustrator or photographer, Arias lack of work ethic to make use of her” talent” is just more evidence that she wasted her life. It is not like she has spent the last five years illustrating the Book of Mormon, for example. Or teaching other inmates drawing techniques that would allow them to express themselves.
The real point is, do any of her mitigating factors outweigh the crime she committed. Is it worth it or even possible to rehabilitate her- whatever her dx is.
There is a whole cluster of tragedy and loss around this murder:
Samantha , Steven Alexander: loss of constituttional right of life liberty and pursuit of happiness- five years on, both damaged to the point of being unable to keep from breaking down. The helplessnessthey feel: loss of their parents to health issues , loss of grandmother to a broken heart, and now brother Travis to murder. Pray for them.
Ashley Redd Thompson : the woman (interviewed by Flores) who had placed an anonymous call to police saying they should check out her husband Dustin Thompson, because he was acting weird around time of murder. She died of a bullet to her head, suicide, in 2010.
Dustin Thompson: is currently in jail serving 27 months on mortgage fraud.
Travis Grandmother : Bereft after murder.Died just before Jury selection.
Daniel Freeman ( friend of Travis, called as a defense witness, but later said he was duped by Arias and beleives she is guilty as charged), His younger brother Joshua shot himself in the head the day Arias was arrested in July 2008. He wrote a suicide letter referencing the sexual abuse he had undergone as a child, and said that he was so afraid he would turn into an abuser, he chose death. Joshua died a week after shooting himself.
Alyce Laviolette: Career basically over. Any good she might have done on behalf of domestic violence is totally compromised, because Arias convinced her she had been abused.
Kirk Nurmi: Had intended to start private practice. Arias wrote a letter to the judge demanding he be kept on the case when he first tried to withdraw.What real success can he have with that after this trial?Reputation stained indelibly.
Dr. Samuels: No one will ever take him seriously again. He believed Arias.
Jennifer Willmott: . The most she could do after this is be relegated to an occasional talking head on HLN .
Juan Martinez: i know he appears to have won this case, but he did not do a good job with forensics at all.The jury proved to have common sense, thank God- but Juan asked a lot of them.
The public: There is rabid division about Arias. Name calling , death threats, bomb scares, low lives, media blitz focused on the worst in everyone involved.
We all seem to have lost any sense of a uniting moral compass.
Although it hasn’t been shown, I am wondering if the attitude towards Arias innocence or guilt can be further stratified into socio -economic terms… I dunno.
The biggest division I can see is that the pro Arias group places blame of Alexander. perhaps the dividing line is those who beleive they are victims in life and those that don’t.
Seroquel is also popularly used currently in the treated of alcohol withdrawal in conjunction with Ativan and Haldol. Not to mention in Alzheimers- basically “bad” behavior.
@whodunnit
whodunnit says:
May 18, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Really good.
Second that, sorry who, I meant to comment similarly and hit approve before I could. Thank you Rose.
B
“I will simply say what I have always maintained- and that is as an investigative criminal analyst, if I am strictly evaluating the crime scene as to the interaction between the offender and the victim, I do not believe that we know all of what is “wrong” with Arias, and that is if she acted alone.
If she did not, it would explain a lot about the incongruency.
B”
———————————————————–
Early on I put a lot of thought into the scenario “if she acted alone”. But, who would have been motivated to help her commit such a horrific crime? And why would she desire to take full responsibility if she had help?
From HLN
“Ralphael Colombo says a “gentleman” was with her, but he didn’t know who the man was. In a phone call played for the jury earlier in the trial, Arias told Mesa, Arizona, police Det. Esteban Flores that her future sister-in-law took her to rent a car, but she did not mention whether her brother was there, too.”
Sorry, I forgot to include the website. Ralphael Colombo is the owner from Budget rent a car. Here’s the link.
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/01/16/arias-mysterious-road-trip-was-she-alone
Second that, sorry who, I meant to comment similarly and hit approve before I could. Thank you Rose.
B
——
see what I mean, how can I stay away from this site with all the wonderful people here!!
GraceintheHills says:
May 18, 2013 at 1:05 pm
If only Travis had realized how dangerous stalkers can be
————————————————————-
Yes Grace, If only….I was the poster that talked about the stalking. Your comments made me think about his reasons for not completely cutting her off. Hate to go here but I do think it may have been for the physical reasons. Not so much because she was putting out but more so because that was something forbidden to him from his religion. Many times people want what is forbidden more than if it was not forbidden. But because of her issues it may not have mattered if he cut her off. Sadly that may have accelerated this same outcome. There are some instances where the only way to rid yourself of a stalker is just short of being in a witness protection program. I think this would have been the case, with all that we know about Jodi and the things she has done. She saw him as a way to have a better life. Some have said well her past beaus lived and well to me looks like all she got was mediocre (in her eyes). True emotion has nothing to do with it and I do not think there was true emotion in any of her relationships.
Gee, what has happened to the psychology and philosophy idea that man is intrinsically good? My coursework was all in education and admin. and was taken 40 years ago. It’s hard to believe that is true these days with some of these horrendous crimes we have all been changed by…CA, now JA and others. Is man inherently evil or a blank page? It’s a sad world out there. Thanks to all of you in any and all LE and investigative work. You have a gift and you are using it well. You give us hope for the future in the advocacy of all victims.
@ Who
The biggest division I can see is that the pro Arias group places blame of Alexander. perhaps the dividing line is those who beleive they are victims in life and those that don’t.
That’s what I have seen. There are many people out there who, at some point, were true victims of some type of abusive situation. What happens after that seems to be polarized communities. There are those in treatment phase which takes many years and I am not necessarily speaking about them. You either get help or you don’t. Every single person I know who was abused, especially in younger years, who has not received treatment considers themselves victims. They LOOK for ways to relish in their comfort zone – never taking responsibility for their own part in any situation. The sad part of that is I can name one right now raising her children in the same mindset. Nothing is ever their fault and it is a horrible disservice to them. They are always victims. Tragically a person faced criminal charges and loss of job/marriage due to a crazy circumstance surrounding one of the children. By the time the charges were cleared, the other persons life/marriage/career was ruined.
The opposite end is those who have faced the demons and stabilized through treatment. When talking of specific abuse situations, they might refer to themselves in that specific moment as a victim but not in present day. The abuse does not define them. In fact, it is more of a motivating factor to go out there and do better, be better, rise above. They are the survivors.
Those who blindly support JA because abuse is their “cause” fall into that first group. They may be or have known true abuse victims but they are not beyond it. They are zealots motivated by a word – people filled with self-doubt, self-hate, mistrust and consumed about “righting a wrong.” You know you have made great progress in treatment the day you realize that this isn’t a movie and you just might bear a bit of responsibility. When you realize you can’t define that public acknowledgment, the never-realized vindication, a sincere apology as the day that this will finally be over. It will never be over. It will change. You will grow. You will become whatever you set your mind to accomplish. You set and meet goals and dreams because you REALLY DO deserve them – no matter what he/she has done in the past or could do in the future. When the forgiveness is there, the anger is gone, expectations focus more on yourself than that someday fantasy of vindication, you have survived.
I’m sorry to be so long but this “Survivor” thing on that other site just really irked me to no end and reading the comments of supposed people who support victims of domestic violence have a very vile way of showing it for sure, especially since Travis was the victim. (and my message to any of those – on that other site of course! – who might question that statement, you know well that abusers ALWAYS blame the victim.)
I’m sorry to be so long and on my soapbox again. This is just one of those topics….AJMHO
Blink, several times now you have intimated that perhaps Jodi might
have had help in committing the crime…and each time I get the most
awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. I have thought about the people we have been introduced to from her past, and for the life of me, I cant think of anyone who would be so swayed by her to assist in a murder. Can You?? We don’t have to name names, of course, but if you have a feeling, could you share it sometime? If you cant, I understand.
Here’s the thing- I don’t think this was a premeditated murder in the traditional sense. If one does not believe she was there having sex with Travis ( I do not) then one has to believe she was there via some other nefarious means. The back and forth of them, and the confession on her part that she falsified texts and whatever else, leads me to wonder why anyone thinks she would just do that to Travis if her goal was to extort him in the first place.
The fact that very little of the blood and crime scene evidence was submitted at trial, and her pal that she was writing on the inside of magazines to may have accomanied her on the rental trip, and may have been the originator of letters she tried to have included makes me want to know more about the M2.
B
gigi
I believe that man is intrinsically good. Having said that, we have to take a hard look at where society finds itself today. I have been on the planet longer than most who post here. What have I witnessed happening during that long time?
Beginning at the time in the 1960′s we saw a movement that was extant in the youth of the time where they decided that those within their own peer group were smarter than anyone older. Wisdom is a learned process based on ages old value systems that must be refitted to society at each generation. There were enough of that generation that had zero wisdom and didn’t choose to believe in it to adversely affect the mores of the time.
This group did not want anyone to tell them what good behavior was or to insist that they practice it. Whatever felt good was ok. Neither family nor society could or should call them out on bad choices. IMO it only takes about twenty per cent of the population to greatly affect the mores of a generation.
In addition, we had a public school system all across the country where millions of older experienced teachers were retiring. These were replaced by a new generation of teachers who did not have the same quality of those who preceded them. Unless parents and grandparents were alert enough to recognize these conditions and give help to their children, they did not receive the same work ethic as the parents.
Peer pressure for equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity was the word of the day. This resulted in reducing the level of scholarship required to complete a high school education. We are now almost three generations into this foolish idea.
No matter what the times are showing, in history, there have always been those who stood for good values. These are the people who become the very core of a quality society and are able to carry things thru to the next times so that some pattern of good is available to guide people.
This site is to me very important in connecting people to build that very valuable group. We have to learn to love and respect one another and learn from our exchange of ideas. Yes, this blog is about crime and victim advocacy. It is that and much more as we build knowledge and understanding.
Monitoring and guiding a site as this, requires a lot of effort. This could not happen if there was not a person such as Blink who is willing to give of herself for the benefit of an audience extending all across the world. She does this while being a caring mom, wife and an eternal student. So I salute her and each of you who are making a difference.
And I salute you for caring to contribute your vast experiences to ALL of our educational benefit.
Eternal student indeed, lol. It absolutely makes a difference in a positive and in some cases, “path altering” way. Much of my learning is from the critical thinking savants on this site. The strength in numbers and like minds thing is not a myth.
B
Sorry Blink..I didn’t know where else to post this.
What do you think of the possibility of Madeleine McCann being alive/this case being solved?
None without a recovery, but I have not written on her case, and it pains me to say it.
B
Graceinthehills writes:
If only Travis had realized how dangerous stalkers can be
———-
I am certain that every time Travis was threatened by Arias, she simply presented a different self that would alter his feelings of doubt. She inadveratntly admitted int when she said she used sex to “calm him down” betraying that she would use anything to make him feel the way she wanted him to feel.
As far as Travis’ character, many people who are not shown healthy examples of love at an early age cannot tell the difference between obsession and unconditional love. I think this was Travis shortcoming, that he could not tell the difference.
Arias did everything to make him believe that her actions were all because she loved him,( and is maintaining that to this day, by the way) This is very compelling to anyone who has a whole inside, and who is narcissistic too. I do think that Travis had the flaw of narcissism, but only because he had to be self centered to survive his childhood. I think his involvement with the church was incredibly admirable, I am just so sorry it couldn’t save his life.
I think it is deplorable for the defense to say that Travis failed his religion. I think it may be more true that his religion failed him.
Notes from Friday’s television program about Jodi Arias which I incorrectly attributed. Should have said Dr. Stuart Kleinman (not Clyman), forensic psychiatrist
Altered mental states which are of such magnitude that a person has little or no awareness of their behavior are very, very uncommon.
So what is very reasonable to conclude is that this person acted out their rage and told lies about it afterward.
If someone after a crime engages in behavior that suggests an effort to cover it up then that would not be consistent with amnesia.
If you didn’t remember it happened what’s the need to cover up something.
It takes a certain kind of person with great chutzpah to go on national television and tell a big lie to the entire world.
If a person has an intense need for something and a clear consistent boundary is put up by another individual and if ultimately that need is never going to be satisfied that will create an intense level of rage.
Survivor says:
May 18, 2013 at 7:06 pm
–
agreed and well put.
– Blink writes:
The fact that very little of the blood and crime scene evidence was submitted at trial, and her pal that she was writing on the inside of magazines to may have accomanied her on the rental trip, and may have been the originator of letters she tried to have included makes me want to know more about the M2.
B
—–
Yes, where IS Matt MCartney and is he relevant. Where exactly was Arias on June 3rd. Why was she in Pasedena. Was that in fact her departure point for Mesa. Did Mccartney follow her.
There is reference to statements on the ariasisinnocent site ( lurkers, hello) which are attributed to M.M., in which he shows ” righteous” anger toward Travis on Arias behalf, and claims that Arias purposely has protected him ( Mccartney), kept him out of this, because he asked her to. Red Herring? I dunno. Could I imagine Arias embroiling Mccartney in a last stand confrontation with Travis that escalated? Yes, and I even have atheory about his involvement, but what is the point? Arias knows the truth and she is not telling. Looks like she is willing to die for that.
It is the time stamps on the photos and the statement by the roomate that he was home by 6:30 p.m. on June 4th that make the murder difficult to believe as having been done by a single person. These things beg the question, ” how could she have done all that in such a short amount of time?”
Again, only Arias can tell us the truth. And again, it appears she would rather die.
Maybe she is planning to tell about other involved parties as part of her appeal????
@GraceintheHills says:May 18, 2013 at 1:16 am
Thank you GraceintheHills. Sorry for your loss and no justice! How bad.
As we all surely have a story to tell and our experiences have shaped us, we have learned to not look away when a Person goes missing or an injustice happens while others prefers to only care about the color of their shoes.
This is why Blinkoncrime is so important as Blink with her experience and knowledge is.
A Texas Grandfather says:May 18, 2013 at 8:21 pm
This site is to me very important in connecting people to build that very valuable group. We have to learn to love and respect one another and learn from our exchange of ideas. Yes, this blog is about crime and victim advocacy. It is that and much more as we build knowledge and understanding.Monitoring and guiding a site as this, requires a lot of effort. This could not happen if there was not a person such as Blink who is willing to give of herself for the benefit of an audience extending all across the world. She does this while being a caring mom, wife and an eternal student. So I salute her and each of you who are making a difference.And I salute you for caring to contribute your vast experiences to ALL of our educational benefit.Eternal student indeed, lol. It absolutely makes a difference in a positive and in some cases, “path altering” way. Much of my learning is from the critical thinking savants on this site. The strength in numbers and like minds thing is not a myt
h.B
———————–
How true!
Big Hug, Grace.
gigi…dont know if you are a Christ follower or not, but the theory that people are basically good is contradictory to what God says. God says that
Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (c.f. Mark 7:21-23)
Genesis 6:5 & 8:21 – The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… from his youth.
People may do some good things, but basically our hearts are evil and we dwell on sin continuously. Sin is anything that falls short of perfect holiness.
Not trying to be preachy. I am just stating what we really are, and not what we think we are or want to believe we are. This is why we need a Savior.
I have never thought there was anyone else involved in the murder of TA besides JA, BUT – If MM was involved in TA murder in any way, perhaps that is why JA pushed to get a plea deal. JA knew that MM was privy to the details, and he could sink her if he talked. His testimony could have gotten her the conviction of Murder 1, and she wanted to take her chances on a plea deal of Murder 2. Prosecutor JM rejected the plea deal, and pushed for a trial to convict her of Murder 1. The prosecutor’s risk paid off. JA remains mute about MM because she needs to appeal now, and MM being brought into the picture now would only wipe away any chance of appeals down the road. If JA gets the death penalty, she may talk, but she still has much to lose, as she will still want to appeal for LWOP.
OK – that may be one explanation, but I have a question. Why was MM not brought in as a witness in regards to the fraudulent letters about TA and the pedo claims?? If MM was the other ninja, why is he getting off scott-free? This is the most thought I have given as to the possibility of another person besides JA involved in his murder. It leaves me with more questions than answers.
Maybe she is planning to tell about other involved parties as part of her appeal????
Just to be clear, I do beleive it is possible that Arias acted alone, but I also think the time line was longer than prosecution or defense has put forth, which would have allowed her more time to both commit the crime and try to cover her tracks. In any case, I will always believe that this was a botched attempt to control Travis that in turn resulted in a messy death.
if another party was involved, one has to figure out why she would protect that party. I beleive that Arias never imagined the jury would convict her of pre med, Denial may be the factor that prevents her from revealing more.Thinking that it still isn’t necessary to ” fill in the blanks”, in keeping with her way of skewing her story to fit what is before her, also fits her M.O. I wonder if the jury is so frustrated that they would give her DP just to see if she would finally come clean?!
I don’t put it past her warped mentality to act as a ” martyr”, but I think her statements in the penalty phase may illuminate more about her attitude toward responsibility ( or lack of it) at this point.
Sue says:
May 19, 2013 at 11:13 am
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@ sue- I read your post after I submiited mine, your theory answers my question as to motive for Arias to ” protect” Mcacrtney- well done!
here is what I could find re: Mcartney being interviewed.
The source is the court minutes form the case. They can found in total ( a lengthy tome) by googling court minutes Arias Trial, as well as on Justice 4Travis Facebook page.
\ here is a snip from court minutes:
5/24/2011 MOT – Motion – Party (001) 5/24/2011
NOTE: TO COMPEL; ANY AND ALL MATERIALS RELATED TO THE ATTEMPTED INTERROGATION OF MATT MCCARTNEY
5/24/2011 TSP – Transcript of Proceedings – Party (001) 6/2/2011
Long time reader with just a few comments here:
1. The concept that human beings are inherently good is incorrect,as evidenced by toddlers taking others’ toys that they see and want, hitting other toddlers when they don’t get their way, etc. That well-documented stage of early childhood development is not a learned behavior from their families. Rather, it is an inherent behavior displayed universally as the formulation of self-will and physical skill development finally enable the child to act on his/her impulses. It corroborates that “Even a child is known by their actions.” (Proverbs 20:11). From that point on,parents experience the ongoing process of trying to teach their children self-control…how not to act on those “self” impulses that are harmful to bother others and themselves.
2. Has it occurred to anyone that the best way to prove a mitigating lack of familial support for Jodi is to prevent her mother from testifying on her behalf? Why is it assumed that Jodi’s mother is unwilling to speak on her behalf or support her? It makes more sense that Jodi or the defense is refusing to allow her mother to testify to bolster her claims of “dysfunctional” family. Secondary to that, should the defense allow her mother to testify, it’s a minefield for the defense as to Jodi’s past familial interactions.
3. Jodi’s past behavior’s (growing pot at 12, leaving home at 15 to move in with a much older man, allegedly kicking her mother, etc.), coupled with an obvious lack of former friends/classmates from elementary and high school coming forward to vouch for Jodi’s character, we can surmise that Jodi was likely a difficult child/teen to raise. Given the extent of Jodi’s ability to lie “in plain sight” and ever changing stories, why is it we tend to condemn her parents for allowing her to move out at 15? In all likelihood, they were probably completely overwhelmed and exhausted from dealing with her and her behavior. After all, most of you were worn out, angry, and frustrated from just her weeks of testimony (the lies, spins,denials,lack of personal responsibility, and ever-changing details). Imagine 13-15 years of Jodi wreaking havoc in your household, regardless of what instruction, discipline, and correction you attempted to impose. Suffice is to say, that the Arias’ likely had no concept of what they were dealing with and hindsight is always crystal clear.
4. Did no one else find it glaringly obvious that Jodi has a self-control issue (at best, when the defense stated that Jodi did not want to be confronted by Travis’ family in making their victim-impact statements? The excuse given was that she would be upset by their physical resemblance to Travis. The very argument put forth that her feelings (the feelings of a suspect; Jodi being “upset”)should be considered above their loss is both unheard of and reveals the degree of narcissism involved here. Jodi, herself, is elevated in importance, with everyone and every thing being subservient to her. As her request was denied and she was unable to manipulate the court, she purposefully acted out (reporter taped phone call) requiring psychological intervention. Is it a coincidence that she was substantially medicated for the victim-impact statements? Hardly. IMO, the defense asking for video taped victim-impact statements signaled that they knew their client would not control/was unable to control herself (behavior, facial expressions, ticks, etc.). Given that she was drawing Samantha during the trial, sketching during court, sparring with Martinez, and leaking inappropriate facial expressions repeatedly throughout the rial thus far, the reality is that the defense had to rely on medication to somewhat control/subdue their client. This is the same client that shot a man in the head, stabbed that man 29 times, and nearly decapitated him. They could not take a chance that Arias would lose her self-control and reveal exactly what she is to jurors during the penalty phase. Medicating Jodi is deceitful to the jury; they have yet to actually see Jodi as she really is…as Travis saw her in those final minutes. This Jodi is “calm”, “emotional”, and “subdued” (all medically so) during victim-impact statements, making her more frail-looking…all of which impact jurors emotionally and affect sentencing. The uncomfortable truth is that defendants should not be medically cleaned up/enhanced/”stabilized” during trial proceedings. It prevents the jury from accurately assessing the crime, the defendant, and ultimately, the danger to society.
Welcome trinket!
I can empathize and agree with much of your post, except 2 areas.
1. Jodi’s parents are responsible for their child under the law, and even if she was an absolute Hellion and I have no doubt she was, it does not absolve them. In fact, had they sought intervention, it is feasible she would have received treatments she desperately needed. That said, as a Mom of 2 teens, you can bet I thank the God Lord daily we do not have that burden or choice to make.
2. Medicating Jodi- The girl arranged an interview immediately post-verdict asking to die. Her lawyer’s were OBLIGATED to seek to withdraw and whatever competency interventions they were granted. Lest we forget, she is now a convicted potential death row inmate, and for all we know her own attorney’s may have suggested they had concerns for their own physical safety at the same table with her and Arias was given an ultimatum to take the prescribed meds based on her eval or sit their in her oreo pj’s with a muzzle and shackles. I say that I want the court to intervene in that the process of her adjudication now protects EVERYONE, she no longer has the presumption of innocence so as unprofessional as I may sound on the issue, I could give a rats ass if she is sitting there drooling on herself.
I think people want some sort of quid pro quo here, and while I understand it, folks need to educate themselves on the types of personality disorders this girl has. She will fail, but she is just getting started behind bars. I think Rose mentioned previously that the civil suit will be her reason to go on- absolutely. There will be clothes, there will be makeup and there will be the chance to sit across from Travis’s family so he can stay current in her thoughts.
Next up- “What I could not say in court” as told exclusively to …….
This is what we are dealing with here, absolutely disassociated with reality.
The lights are on, but nobody ever lived there.
B
here is link to court minutes documentation.
http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/JOnamesearch.asp?casenumber=CR2008031021
there was a motion to compel notes from attemtped interview of Matt Mcartney on 5/24/2011
On 5/25/2011, the motion was granted.
Make of it what you will!
correction, “attempted interrogation”- that implies something else to me as opposed to an interview- at any rate you can bet he asked for counsel because if counsel had been present for him they would be required to have his atty listed on the motion to compel.
B
Sue says:
May 19, 2013 at 11:13 am
I’ve always believed there’s a lot of truth in Jodi’s story. I always believed when she referred to the balaclava twins in her story, she was talking about a man and a woman……Travis and Jodi. Now I’m beginning to wonder, was there a dude with her? She was dressed in black yoga pants with a white stripe. Could she have entered the home ‘to appear like an anonymous robber/intruder’ with help? All those stabs….. Doubt that can ever be estabalished.
At some points in the trial, Jodi would shake her head at certain details in JM’s statement (specifically, closing arguments and aggravating factors). To me, she was denying it went down THAT way. JM may not have gotten the timeline and details right, but the only person who could know for sure, is Jodi and she sure as heck isn’t going to offer that info up at any time. c-word did the same thing in he trial. It was about denying they did it, it was denying it happened ‘like that’.
I do believe the shot was the first injury. She mentioned there was a jamming, in her ninja story. IMHO, that’s a mini confession. That would mean a second shot was attempted because it was expected he would die from a shot to the head. The knife was an after thought. She ran alright…to the kitchen. The blood bath wasn’t expected and so she did a poor job in cleaning up her mess. Sneak in, take trophy pics of Travis’ last minutes on earth, shot and run.
It seems impossible for her to have done this on her own. Yet, if that first shot majorly impaired him, that would have made it more than possible for Jodi to murder Travis on her own.
AJMHO
should be…..shoot and run
@ GraceintheHills says:
May 18, 2013 at 11:31 am
Thanks for clarifying that details for me, wrt to adderall. I read that it makes a person feel happy and elated.
I appreciate you keeping my comments in line. It never occurred to me, to consider how prisoners are treated for psychological illnesses. Makes great sense, to me.
xo xo xo
Continued from my above post…
The fact that defense requested video-taped victim-impact statements reveals to me that they are aware that Jodi will not deal well with being upstaged by the family’s grief. She needs to be the center of attention. This trial is her story (in her mind), a production about how poor Jodi was forced to kill big, bad Travis. It’s her shining moment in the spotlight (universal publicity), her deviant psychological chess game against the prosecution (her war on truth, in reality). The prize? Beating the prosecution at their own game (mistrial), beating the consequences of her behavior(getting life instead of the death penalty),escaping with her “sweet, innocence” image intact (the deception), and trumping Travis’ family. Jodi, and others like her, need to know definitively that society does and will hold her accountable for her choices. That’s why we
The reality is that she despises Travis’ family (as she despised Travis when he got wise to her games) and she feels threatened by them, specifically their victim-impact statements. Just like Travis’ words, their statements would call her out for what she was, have the power to expose her to the whole world, and expose her manipulative games and nature. That’s what Jodi cannot abide.
The reality is that Jodi wants life in prison without parole. If she wanted to die, she’d have been dead already, it’s been nearly 5 years. There will always be someone to manipulate in prison and she’ll become Queen Bee with her following. She’s demonstrated her adaptability to prison already-coded magazine messages and Twitter account, anyone?
The death penalty is not and should not be about revenge. It’s about justice, the ideal of fairness. In murdering Travis, Jodi murdered his dreams, his future, and his entire line of possible descendants. She cut him off, literally. Murder is an absolute and intentional disregard for human life, the devaluing of another. It is one person or persons playing God and determining when another’s life will end. Why should she be allowed to live; the “right” to breathe, move, and experience all of life’s emotions, relationships,and experiences that she denied Travis? If a murderer knew beyond a doubt that if he/she were caught, they would be executed within 6 months-1 year, we would see a noticeable decline in the murder rate. Instead, we seek to “understand” (i.e. excuse, sanitize) their behavior with mitigating circumstances. The word “mitigating” by the way, means to lessen. The reality is that Jodi Arias made a discernible number of choices, regarding Travis and she chose to extinguish his life. Yes, extinguish because she shot and stabbed repeatedly as Travis’ life leaked from his wounded body. Everything about this woman screams heartless, without conscience. Such people are a danger to the rest of society. We are merely a means to their end.
Again, agree with much of your post except I respectfully but emphatically disagree that the death penalty is a deterrent to anyone, but moreover the type of murder is crucial to any similar discussion as well. I can tell you the vast majority of cases that I have studied in my practice or education nobody thinks they will be caught. They all think they are smarter or luckier than the law. I might even suggest that creating a law like that ( would never happen) might INCREASE homicides to certain profiles with a high level of self-destructive or suicidal ideation or tendency.
B
Who–you said it well. Thank you Blink, that was a road to go down that just got lost in the crowd of other nefarious things we had to consider. I just cant imagine that Jodi would take the fall for ANYONE, she is just tooooo selfish. If there were someone else to blame for Travis’s murder, I think she would do it, because as Juan
stated a zillion times, in Jodi’s mind, it is always someone else’s fault.
Sue–that is a good question, why didn’t he testify?
There is no way she could or would implicate someone else who could solidify her premeditation. Under that auspice he turns on her and they both go down anyway. There is no benefit to her whatsoever if someone else is involved if her defense is “self defense”. If true, I could definitely see it as her “new evidence” as grounds for appeal. That said, her attorney’s better not have known any of that.
B
Regarding Matt McC, I hadn’t known the details of coded magazine message JA tried to smuggle out to Ann Campbell for M.McC.
“Prosecutor Juan Martinez delivered the bombshell during cross examination before the court halted for the weekend on Thursday, revealing two magazines that allegedly contained secret coded messages written by Arias.
The two magazines — an issue of Star (ironically with a cover story about Casey Anthony, to whom Arias has been compared) and an issue of Digital Photo Pro — were intercepted by guards in August 2011 at the Estrella jail in Phoenix. Arias had intended for the two items to be handed over to Ann Campbell, a friend who has been a constant supporter and has visited Arias in jail every week, the prosecutor said.
Martinez did not reveal in court why the items drew suspicion, but at some point someone noticed the small, faint notes written in pencil in the margins.”
“In the Star Magazine at the bottom of one page was the following set of numbers: 43 40 56 20 37 54. Each number, the prosecutor said, corresponded to a page from the Digital Photo Pro magazine which contained a part of the message.”
“Strung together, the entire message, according to Martinez, read, “You f***ed up what you told my attorney the next day / directly contradicts what I’ve been saying for over a year / get down here ASAP and see me before you talk to them again and before / you testify so / we can fix this / interview was excellent! Must talk ASAP!”
The intended recipient of the message remains unclear. However, based on court documents, the magazines were intercepted just a few weeks after the prosecution interviewed Arias’ ex-boyfriend, Matthew McCartney, and just four days before a pre-trial hearing.
“You tried to get someone to lie at that hearing, didn’t you?” Martinez asked Arias on the stand. “No,” she replied.
“Based on Martinez’ line of questioning Thursday, it was clear the fiery
prosecutor was trying to draw a link between the possible witness tampering and Arias’ allegation that Alexander was sexually attracted to young boys. …The prosecution is hoping to convince the jury that the inflammatory testimony about pedophilia is just another one of Arias’ lies.”
“While a jury might make allowances for lying in the immediate aftermath of the killing, the coded messages, if believed, indicate deception three years after the crime and could be damaging to Arias’ defense.”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/jodi-arias-coded-message-potential-witness-prosecutor-claims/story?id=18582341#.UZlDlrVQE2A
Inda says:
May 18, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Notes from Friday’s television program about Jodi Arias which I incorrectly attributed. Should have said Dr. Stuart Kleinman (not Clyman), forensic psychiatrist
~~~~~~~~~~~
India, I missed this. What was the name of the program?
Thank you Blink..this is why you are the expert, and the rest of us just pull our collective hair out. Mr. Blink, and the blinkettes
are sure lucky to have a loved one with a computer chip brain. lol
Thanks, lol, but the fam would prefer that on occasion my chip would overwrite- occupational hazard
B
NaNa says:
May 19, 2013 at 9:14 am
Well, I do, Nana and I loved your post. His word is the truth, does not contradict and was meant to be followed as a life plan for abundance, blessings, peace, joy…..and above all, a profound, abiding and loving relationship with Him.
God bless you, sister, princess of the Sovereign Omnipotent Lord.
Hi Graceinthehills:
The program was Friday night at 10:00 pm Eastern.
CBS: 48 Hours: (New) Unraveling the lies of Jodi Arias.
@ Eloise says:
May 18, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Appreciate, muchly, the additional info! Knowledge is power. School house Rock! xo xo xo
Please humour me for PamSpaz aka Spaz….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPOIS5taqA8
Ragdoll says:
May 19, 2013 at 2:36 pm
@ GraceintheHills says:
May 18, 2013 at 11:31 am
Thanks for clarifying that details for me, wrt to adderall. I read that it makes a person feel happy and elated.
I appreciate you keeping my comments in line.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My dear friend, your comments are thoughtful, you have such a kind heart, and you add so much to the discussion! Please don’t think I am trying to keep you in line. I’m not. Having worked in a forensic correctional setting for so many years, I am very familiar with the restricted formularies, and what medications that are commonly prescribed for inmates. Usually it is the less expensive generic meds, but, heh, they still work for many.
Send you a very big hug!
trinket
Your point No. 1 above about little children being inherently ugly with uncontrolled behavior is true. As a Baptist minister once answered a question asked of him by by wife concerning that subject: “Children up to the age of about five and sometimes six are just little animals that have to be trained”.
We have in our ancestry, the animal. It took many thousands of years for a human to develop. Social behavior must be taught by parents so that children understand what is considered good or bad and that they should make an effort to choose good behavior.
I believe that from time to time there are children born that have defects that make it difficult for them to learn good behavior. Sometimes there are real genetic problems that are the root of this behavior. This is what I believe is Jodi’s problem. No matter what the family did, it was never going to be enough to correct Jodi’s problems by their efforts alone.
This is not a family of means. They were not afraid of work. Just how educated was Jodi’s mom and dad regarding how to raise children that have a problem?
We are all responsible for good or bad choices. However, if there is something wrong with the wiring in the brain, the choosing mechanism may be damaged. This means the person will be functional to a point, but there will always be a large number of bad choices. This where outside help is needed. Sometimes mothers and dads do not want to admit that a child of theirs is damaged and will just ignore the problem no matter how difficult. This is where family support can make a difference.
Stellar post.
B
O/T
I hope that this bad weather sequence through North Texas and the central states of the Midwest does not create damage to any of you.
My youngest daughter works for the National Weather Service. They classified the storm at Granbury as an EF4 and the storms today as a possible EF3. An EF5 is the most powerful category so one can see that these are dangerous.
Actually the storm location of Granbury is not true. The town closest is Acton. Granbury is the county seat of Hood county. My daughter has a lake house that was one half mile from the damaged area. They actually had tree damage from hail as large as grapefruit according to the neighbors.
If you live in the affected area, be alert and be safe.
trinket says:
May 19, 2013 at 2:37 pm
trinket writes, “The fact that defense requested video-taped victim-impact statements reveals to me that they are aware that Jodi will not deal well with being upstaged by the family’s grief. She needs to be the center of attention. This trial is her story (in her mind), a production about how poor Jodi was forced to kill big, bad Travis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome, trinket. I have enjoyed reading your thoughts on this case.
Here’s another angle. This week we will see both defense attorneys doing their best to keep their client off death row. So, perhaps the defense’s motion to compel the victims to videotape their impact statements was an attempt to put distance between the jurors and the victims’ palpable, overwhelming grief and suffering. It was a feeble attempt to depersonalize the victims.
The fact that very little of the blood and crime scene evidence was submitted at trial, and her pal that she was writing on the inside of magazines to may have accomanied her on the rental trip, and may have been the originator of letters she tried to have included makes me want to know more about the M2.
B
What do you mean by the M2?
Matt M.
B
I don’t think the DP is really a deterrent to someone committed to killing, we’re just not that evolved. Maybe there is some justice for society and for many victim’s families it might be revenge, fine with me. I see it more as a matter of depleting resources, if done more efficiently/timely. Take the $$ we spend on these killer over a 20 year period and put it into at-risk youth prevention, mental health etc.
I also think the reason Jodi said she’d prefer the DP in her post conviction interview is because she’s desperately trying to take back control. Now, if she gets the DP she can tell herself, no one did this TO her, not JM, not the jury, but that it was her choice all along. She’ll stand there just like Joan of Ark to receive the sentence SHE wants. And if it’s LWOP, oh well, back to prison stripes and more Silent Nights.
Perhaps this has been addressed further up the thread. No doubt JA is a live wire, and the DT cannot be absolutely certain what she’ll do or say once on the stand today. Suppose she starts undermining her DT’s efforts to avoid the death penalty as she did in her recent interview. Can her DT object and get her off the stand? Will the judge stop the proceedings? Either way, I’m making popcorn.
o/t: Blink’s recipe. Orville R kettle corn in the pop bowl thingie, add pinch of sugar and kosher salt.
Yes, they can, and they will to preserve the record. She would ultimately lose her right to testify and the hearing will proceed without her if the judge decides to remove her from the proceedings for being disruptive.
Here’s the thing- I think Jodi is aware that she appears to be looking like a soup sandwich to the jury these days. She is going to move into that reality where she now has a shot at getting out in her mind, and will adjust accordingly. I don’t think she is running backward for another Silkwood.
B
Is anyone else in cringe mode about what JA might say in court?
I almost feel bad for Fred & Wilma…they are stuck dealing with this nutjob they can’t control and I have a feeling Stabby won’t be happy until she has completely ruined their careers.
They were forced into a sh*t situation and are just trying to get thru it the best they can with what they have to work with. I’m still not a fan of the defense team but I do feel sorry for their situation.
I am guessing there was a collective sigh of relief when she was convicted for their own safety as I do think JA would have sought some form of retribution.
What will today have in store for us……..
b,ink writes:
correction, “attempted interrogation”- that implies something else to me as opposed to an interview- at any rate you can bet he asked for counsel because if counsel had been present for him they would be required to have his atty listed on the motion to compel.
B
——
The motion to compel notes from attempted interrogation was granted 5/25/11, when the trial was set for the end of 2011. (As we know a lot of twists and turns occurred from that point on!) As far as MM having representation-
Victoria Washington was recused shortly after the motion to compel. She put forth , basically, that there was a conflict of interest. It has never been verified if Washington was connected to MCcartney, but this idea has been floated out there for a while.
She moved to self-recuse or do you mean withdraw and was excused?
B
blink:
sorry if my legal jargon is off- I didnt mean to confuse things with revised/withdraw- point is Washington cited conflict of interest-
here is best I can do with court doc- go to this site, scroll down, Washiongton’s application to withdraw is the last doc.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/109828551/Jodi-Arias-Court-Documents
Washington applied to withdraw on Dec 16 2011. ( This was granted before the end of the year.)
In the doc, she says that she had a former client who would be compromised due to information she has access to because of repping Arias. She says she only found out about this the day before. It is interesting and kind of confusing/mysterious…
A Texas Grandfather says:
May 20, 2013 at 1:26 am
My youngest daughter works for the National Weather Service. They classified the storm at Granbury as an EF4 and the storms today as a possible EF3. An EF5 is the most powerful category so one can see that these are dangerous.
OT – ATG, my youngest daughter and family just moved to Granbury and she called me the night of the horrible tornadoes and hail. I had never heard of Granbury before she moved there, and then the weather brought Granbury to the attention of everyone. It’s a long way from Virginia, that’s for sure. So far, they have been safe, but I worry about them and everyone in that area.
Good Gravy you good people watching this?
Yowza.
B