It might also be he is going through the motions of a cross-examination knowing the murder one charge was lost a long time ago, with the introduction of the phone sex tape and text messages by the defense.
What I cannot understand is why people can't seem to believe that Jodi Arias was an abused woman. No, most abused women don't kill their abusers, but one of the major reasons women are incarcerated for murder is because of domestic violence situations.
ALL of the evidence in this trial points to domestic abuse. ALL of it.
Does that mean Travis Alexander deserved to die in such a hideous manner? No, but his treatment of Jodi, confirmed through the documentary record, give us an understanding why she felt desperate enough to do what she did.
Travis was so screwed up, so needy, so manipulative. That 16-page text rant, which I believe was a result of Jodi having accidently left a picture Travis gave to her when she went back to Yreka, is one such obvious example the man was a manipulative bastard who engaged in character assassination via text/IM messages to try and guilt her and tear her down. (I had to rewatch the trial testimony by LaViolette to remember which rant it was, for there were several of them that were completely out of line, from rants over a drawing Jodi forgot, to an email sent to another man by mistake to one from May 26, 2008, that was unspecified as to why the rant but I think this had to do with his fear of getting in trouble with the bishop over his sexual conduct as Jodi had told a friend of hers about it.) He was a drama king for sure. It was all about him and how horrible she was, how she was a Hitler, a stalker, a three-hole wonder who regarded him as nothing more than a dildo with a heartbeat.
Travis was a major head case. I don't know what Jodi Arias ever saw in him. It's obvious to me why he wasn't married although he desperately wanted to be married. Word gets around in that tightly-knit Mormon culture. Otherwise, he'd have been married long before.
Marriage is almost a requirement in the LDS church although single people are members. However, older singles (those over 30) are regarded as second-class citizens in that church.
USA Today had a report on the utterly bizarre cross-examination of LaViolette yesterday:
Arias' defense attorneys have been building a case that she was battered and controlled by Alexander. Alyce LaViolette, a psychologist and expert in domestic abuse, has been on the witness stand for more than a week. On Thursday, she parsed the language of a 16-page Instant Message in which Alexander threatens Arias and compares her to Adolph Hitler, the devil, a prostitute and several sexually insulting names. And she went through a list of women with whom Alexander had exchanged flirtatious, suggestive and sexually explicit communications during the time he was carrying on a secret sexual relationship with Arias.
Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott took a verbal poke at Martinez near the very end of her questions.
"I guess I'll get this out of the way now," Willmott said to LaViolette, "Do you have a memory problem?" a question Martinez repeatedly asked of Arias and another witness on the stand.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez came out swinging when it was his turn to begin cross-examination. Minutes into his questioning, as he tried to force LaViolette to answer questions with yes or no answers, a frequent tactic, his voice rose to a high-pitched rant.
"Mr. Martinez, are you angry with me?" LaViolette asked calmly.
Martinez has anger issues, and he is VERY hard on the ears.
5 comments:
Re: Arias Trial Recap.
Thank You for this blog. You are the first person to voice the wildly unpopular opinion that maybe as tragic as this was - the victim was NOT the choir boy that the District Atty and some media would like people to believe. I think this relationship was unhealthy from day one and Arias should have stayed in Calif and never made that fateful road trip in June. I feel bad for the defense experts who are having their reputations and careers trashed by the D A and media for supporting the opinion that an alternate scenario and motive to what the State has proposed may have taken place. Should Arias be punished for this killing - absolutely - but 1st degree murder and the death penalty - No Way. This crime has been over charged and the District Atty is coming across as a man with a vendetta.
That sums it up pretty well. I felt from the first time I heard of this case, and I have followed this case fairly closely since the original "48 Hours" report on it back in 2009, that this was NOT a murder one, death penalty case. Unfortunately, "48 Hours" did a disservice to the public by taking at face value the nonsense Travis's friends were pushing when what was being said about Jodi Arias didn't ring true. They also had no business interviewing her in jail realizing there was something obviously wrong with her. She acted like she was under some kind of brainwashing cult on that show. She was completely different than what she is now, which is likely what she was BEFORE she got into the Mormon religion and dated Travis. We know now she was suffering from PTSD and engaged in some disassociating behaviors. What I think is important for people in this case is to shut off all the media like HLN and simply watch the live stream of the trial. I went from believing this was a murder two or even manslaughter case to believing now she should be acquitted of all charges. The prosecution has simply not proven ANY case for premeditation or motive. Martinez can't disprove domestic violence. There is reasonable doubt in EVERY aspect of the state's case. Now the jury, that's another matter, since it wasn't sequestered. I think it could be a hung jury. If by some chance Arias is convicted of murder one, the verdict will be overturned on appeal. There is just a ton of prosecutorial misconduct.
I should add the prosecution can't disprove this is a self-defense case; it is impossible. The hanky-panky it engaged in pre-trial with the gunshot issue raises a whole ton of questions right there. Arias said the gunshot came first, and this was the original belief of the police and D.A., but then it all got changed. I don't know if the Medical Examiner actually believed the gunshot came last originally, and there's no definitive proof either way. All of it appears suspicious.
I am in total agreement. The whole issue with Jury member #5 is hinky as well in my opinion. Why would this woman release a statement that said all the right stuff and seemed so noble then turn around and show up in court. She knew full well her distinctive look would be spotted by both spectators and the remaining Jury members. She claims that she received phone calls encouraging her to go to court but will not say who the calls were from. WT* is going on here?? Monday should be interesting. Can't wait for more fairy tales...
And now she is identified and is talking.
This is simply more grist for the defense if they need to appeal a conviction.
Monday should definitely be interesting. Unfortunately, Juan Martinez is very hard on the ears.
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