The Jodi Arias Trial--Fatal Attraction – The Murder of Travis Alexander

[Sphincter Cop]

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm amazed they put her up there!

I don't think her attorney likely had a choice. Arias wanted to represent herself initially. She tried to have some letters introduced that were supposedly written by Alexander back then; they were thrown out and deemed forgeries. I think that's when she decided she'd better let somebody else represent her.

She's such a pathological narcissist that I don't think she could resist the spotlight no matter what her attorney advised her.

Having said that, if the jury isn't filled with airheads, she was up the creek anyway. Maybe her attorney figured the only chance of saving her life is letting her give her pity party victim performance on the stand. She's a crazy bird, but she's a tiny defenseless looking crazy bird who can cry a lie shamelessly.

I sure hope the jury doesn't buy her bullshit.

[Adub]

I'm waiting for those jury questions. Will they bother? Or not.

[Sphincter Cop]

I'm waiting for those jury questions. Will they bother? Or not.

That would be spectacular; if they did!!

[heartbreaker6713]

I think the jury will definitely ask questions. I think the issue with the jury questions is going to be whether they are proper questions. Lets hope for some "proper" questions, i think the word is proper.

[thekid65]

I really wish we had the jury-question thing here in I-dee-ho. Looking fwd to watching her testimony this afternoon. That prosecutor is going to be relentless.

[heartbreaker6713]

how many states have the ability to allow jury questions? I don't think many do, right? I think it is very interesting and I don't think Washington state allows it either. I quickly googled and I think only Arizona, Florida and Kentucky do. I need coffee before doing any more searching and definitely before Jodi gets back on the stand!

[Duchess]

how many states have the ability to allow jury questions?

The states that expressly encourage judges to allow jurors to question witnesses are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Nevada and North Carolina. Out of these jurisdictions, Arizona, Florida, and Kentucky require that judges allow jurors to ask written questions. The respective highest state courts of Indiana and Kentucky have ruled jurors have a right to ask questions of witnesses.

Other jurisdictions give a more restricted endorsement of this practice. In Pennsylvania and Michigan, the respective state supreme courts have said it is permissible at the discretion of the trial judge. Texas does not permit jurors to question witnesses in criminal trials and Georgia law requires all questions to be written and submitted to the judge. Only Mississippi law expressly forbids jurors from questioning witnesses.

[heartbreaker6713]

how many states have the ability to allow jury questions?

The states that expressly encourage judges to allow jurors to question witnesses are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Nevada and North Carolina. Out of these jurisdictions, Arizona, Florida, and Kentucky require that judges allow jurors to ask written questions. The respective highest state courts of Indiana and Kentucky have ruled jurors have a right to ask questions of witnesses.

Other jurisdictions give a more restricted endorsement of this practice. In Pennsylvania and Michigan, the respective state supreme courts have said it is permissible at the discretion of the trial judge. Texas does not permit jurors to question witnesses in criminal trials and Georgia law requires all questions to be written and submitted to the judge. Only Mississippi law expressly forbids jurors from questioning witnesses.

thank duchess, I'm working on that coffee! Good to see my home state is on the board somewhat and going in the direction, hopefully they make more of a move to more of the lower courts(Michigan). I just don't like that it is at the discretion of the judge, I feel if they are going to do, do it across the board for the same type of trials and just put the limitations they need to be proper questions. so if I understand that right in Texas then you can ask witnesses in civil trials, is there anything else since criminal is out?

I do wonder though if it has an impact at all on the turn out of cases, letting jurors ask questions. I know this is a different case but in the Casey Anthony case did the jury ask questions, I can't remember. Obviously that is just one trial from Florida but just one that will stick out in many peoples minds.

[heartbreaker6713]

If she had such firm plans for killing herself, why didn't she do it. What a load...I hope to hell the jury isn't stocked with idiots.

An announcer on HLN pointed out and I sure hope the prosecutor tears into her regarding when Jodi said in her interview said that "no jury will convict me because i am innocent, mark my words" but on the stand trying to explain it as she thought she was going to kill herself not because time will tell or you'll see why, she said because I'm innocent in the interview. she tried to give a dumb reason to why she wouldn't be there but I and I think everyone else didn't believe it. Saying "the most bitter words ill ever eat" was also very awkward at the end, I don't get it.

[Adub]

Jodi's up explaining how she experimented with Wicca??

Jodi had sex with Matt and loved him. They lived together. Moved to Crater Lake into worker housing. It was a serious relationship. Matt never hit her, or called her a whore, nor a three-hole wonder.

Jodi nagged Matt, and Matt nagged Jodi about housekeeping that led to discord.

When the free housing was over Jodi and Matt parted living together ways, kind of.

Then, Matt cheated with Bianca. Bad boy.

Jodi loved him and needed to know the truth. Steve was gay, and Jodi chuckled.

Who the fuck is Steve? Not sure but his roomies were Romanian?

Both the gay guy (Steve) and the Romanians sounded funny, so she went to find Eddie. Who the fuck is Eddie?

Darryl Brewer ( *note: I think I may have seen his cock. but it may have been Steve's now that I know that Steve is gay)

Gay cock's look different? Possibly? Not Sure?

[HairOfTheDog]

Can't watch the trial; appreciate the update Adub.

Poor Jodi. It makes perfect sense now as to why the wacky Wicca had to butcher and shoot Travis Alexander.

If I didn't know better I'd think Jodi and her legal team were trying to sell insanity rather than self defense.

I'll do a quick search to see if juror questions from yesterday's testimony were presented - I'm curious to get a sense of where they're at as they listen to Jodi's heart-wrenching life story.

[HairOfTheDog]

I take it jury questions are submitted after each witness finishes his/her full testimony, so Arias won’t be subjected to those which are deemed proper until after she finishes telling her whole life story.

I got to watch the last part of the trial today. Tuned in just in time to hear about the first sexual encounter between Jodi and Travis. Poor Jodi, such an uncomfortable position she was forced to endure. I mean, having the man to whom she was so attracted sneaking into her room like that and performing oral sex on her. While she did consent and then returned the favor, that selfish bastard should have known how uncomfortable she REALLY felt.

I guess she got over the discomfort before their next encounter in the Starbucks parking lot though. What a trooper, that Jodi. While again she did consent, he should have known she wasn’t the kind of girl that would REALLY enjoy sucking off a Chi tea-drinking sex-craving “slumming” Mormon who then refused to kiss her (because it was “gross”), no matter what she did and said to the contrary.

I’ll give her this; she’s a very articulate woman. While she comes across as detached and I know she’s lying through her teeth, I do worry that at least one person on the jury might be lured into thinking that Travis pulled her in, pushed her away, and ultimately abused her. Hoping that prosecutor Martinez hasn’t objected much to what seems like a lot of irrelevant testimony over the last 2 days only because he knows that he can trip her up with her own words and play her like a fiddle on cross.

[thekid65]

You need a DVR HOTD.

She's a very well spoken woman. I cant wait for the cross examination to see how well she holds up.

[HairOfTheDog]

You need a DVR HOTD.

She's a very well spoken woman. I cant wait for the cross examination to see how well she holds up.

Cross examination should be very interesting. No DVR here, but I can view recaps of the actual testimony.

It will also be interesting to see if any psychological experts testify as having bought into the story that Jodi is laying out for us now: abused as a child, looking for love in all the wrong places and consistently betrayed by men, unable to break the cycle and pull away from Travis Alexander when he used and abused her, and then finally SNAP!! Jodi stands her ground and kills the shit out of Alexander rather than being victimized yet again.

She's scary. She is extremely well-spoken, artistic, sexually adventurous, and attractive (when the defense isn't dogging her up). I can see how so many men got sucked in by the lying murderess, they're lucky that she moved on. Until Travis Alexander.

[heartbreaker6713]

You need a DVR HOTD.

She's a very well spoken woman. I cant wait for the cross examination to see how well she holds up.

Cross examination should be very interesting. No DVR here, but I can view recaps of the actual testimony.

It will also be interesting to see if any psychological experts testify as having bought into the story that Jodi is laying out for us now: abused as a child, looking for love in all the wrong places and consistently betrayed by men, unable to break the cycle and pull away from Travis Alexander when he used and abused her, and then finally SNAP!! Jodi stands her ground and kills the shit out of Alexander rather than being victimized yet again.

She's scary. She is extremely well-spoken, artistic, sexually adventurous, and attractive (when the defense isn't dogging her up). I can see how so many men got sucked in by the lying murderess, they're lucky that she moved on. Until Travis Alexander.

Radaronline has some of the videos and i have heard you can find them online. Some of the recap have some information taken out. I didn't realize that till i started watching the feeds online and found it interesting how much i was missing. It didn't seem like much at the time but some of the time when they go to commercial it's at crucial times and they don't always put it back in. I agree that she tries to use words that aren't ordinary or above what you would expect for someone who got out of school but i hope she knows doesn't try to use a word she doesn't know the meaning at some point and really give herself away. I found it funny and funny isn't the word (it's my bad habit of choice of words)that she just keeps talking and talking about things and at one point she said i wasn't use to saying "no" when talking about why she didn't tell Travis no when she was feeling uncomfortable with what was going on.

Trial is about to start today and there is no court tomorrow, Thursday and of course on Friday.

[username]

She's fucking psycho. I've watched bits and pieces and she smiles here and there. Other than that, she comes across as emotionless. Nut job.

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks very much for the info, heartbreaker.

Jodi's testimony is really dragging on and I'm bored with the volume of irrelevant details in her stories; bet the jury is too.

I hope when trial resumes next week that they wrap her up quickly and get on with the jury questions, expert witnesses and cross-examination. I understand that the defense will call an abuse expert and a psychological expert.

Personally, I don't think that Jodi was abused by anyone. Even if she were, it doesn't justify what she did to Travis Alexander in any way, nor does it explain all of her lies afterwards. It will be interesting to hear the experts spin; I expect to be doing a lot of eye-rolling.

[Duchess]

I wonder how long before this is a movie of the week. A salacious story, a beautiful woman & murder. It won't be long.

[BlueTiki]

I'm amazed they put her up there!

I sure hope the jury doesn't buy her bullshit.

A twist on prosecuting a Self-Defense claim in my Grand Canyon State (beginning in 2006):

"The 2006 law shifted the burden of proof in cases where people charged with a crime are claiming self-defense.

The new law says prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a self-defense claim was unfounded.

The old law made defendants prove that they acted to protect themselves."

She's got nothing to lose by taking the stand.

Betcha Zimmerman wishes he popped that AZ Iced Tea drinkin' colored-boy in Arizona.