05-04-2013, 12:45 PM
^ I thought it was kinda smart of Nurmi at the time, but not sure now.
He knows that Arias is plain unlikeable. Figured it was his way of reminding the jury that even if they don't like her, that shouldn't be held against her when deliberating. "Why, even I can't stand her and I don't believe that she committed premeditated murder", sorta deal. But, I did hear some legal THs stating that it was really unprofessional and that it surprised them.
Here's another thing that made me suspicious of Nurmi's intent. In his closing, Nurmi made a point of telling the jury that Arias NEVER said that she had returned the third gas can to the same Walmart in Salinas (and Nurmi had also objected as "misrepresenting testimony" when Martinez claimed that she had said exactly that during his closing).
I checked. Yep, on cross-examination Martinez asked Arias specifically if she returned it to the same Walmart in Salinas. She said she had gone to a Starbucks or something in the same shopping center and confirmed that she then returned the can to the same Walmart for a cash refund. It's on trial tape and in the transcripts.
Could Nurmi really be that sloppy as to blatantly mess up regarding one of the state's premeditation points? Or, was he intentionally making a false statement and laying some grounds for incompetent counsel, as Tiki's friend suggested with the other statement? The jury remembers what Arias said, has it in their notes, or can ask for the transcripts.
IDK. It makes me suspicious of Nurmi too.
He knows that Arias is plain unlikeable. Figured it was his way of reminding the jury that even if they don't like her, that shouldn't be held against her when deliberating. "Why, even I can't stand her and I don't believe that she committed premeditated murder", sorta deal. But, I did hear some legal THs stating that it was really unprofessional and that it surprised them.
Here's another thing that made me suspicious of Nurmi's intent. In his closing, Nurmi made a point of telling the jury that Arias NEVER said that she had returned the third gas can to the same Walmart in Salinas (and Nurmi had also objected as "misrepresenting testimony" when Martinez claimed that she had said exactly that during his closing).
I checked. Yep, on cross-examination Martinez asked Arias specifically if she returned it to the same Walmart in Salinas. She said she had gone to a Starbucks or something in the same shopping center and confirmed that she then returned the can to the same Walmart for a cash refund. It's on trial tape and in the transcripts.
Could Nurmi really be that sloppy as to blatantly mess up regarding one of the state's premeditation points? Or, was he intentionally making a false statement and laying some grounds for incompetent counsel, as Tiki's friend suggested with the other statement? The jury remembers what Arias said, has it in their notes, or can ask for the transcripts.
IDK. It makes me suspicious of Nurmi too.