Jodi Arias; the sequence of events

[molly333]

His right ear is at the very top of the picture. His arm and top of his head meet and a gap of light in the shape of a triangle is between them. At the top of that triangle is his right ear. The big black circle is the top/back of his head (hair).

Yeah, I'm trying to look at it differently where what you are calling the back of the head is really her other shoe lifted in the air and his face [ear, nose, eye] is between the two with the back of his head on the floor.

 

[molly333]

I guess we are confused, or at least I am confused, because I don't know what part of the law dictates that a prosecutor has to explain why a murderer chooses the weapon they use.

It has nothing to do with the law. It has to do with the circumstantial case he is presenting.

But, don't worry about it. Let's see what he does on rebuttal.

 

[DeAnnaMisrahi]

It has nothing to do with the law. It has to do with the circumstantial case he is presenting.

But, don't worry about it. Let's see what he does on rebuttal.

Okie dokie. I fell asleep on the convo yesterday, so I got behind on it. lol. I know you've rehashed this a few times by now. Still confused because, based on the way I am thinking, she could have decided on the weapon based on the circumstances.

Wasn't there two knives and a gun discovered in a rental car she was using? Not the weapons used in the murder, of course, but the gun she bought along with two other knives? That shows me how she could have been traveling with both a knife and a gun that day. I don't know if the jury has heard about that though.

 

[SMK]

It almost looks like her heel is off the ground, and her toes are splayed for balance and it is her little toe rather than her big toe. If she is pulling his arm up from behind, I can see how she may have her heel off the ground and the front of her foot dug in for counter balance and more strength.

Good observation.

 

[SMK]

Well, pretend what you are calling the back of his head [the dark hair] is not his head but her other dark shoe.

Then look between the two shoes.

In this case, he would not be holding his head up. It would be flat on the floor.

In the pic I saw, she is definitely not in shoes but in dark socks - you can see her big toe sticking out and the outline of her other toes. Or maybe you are referring to another pic.....

 

[SMK]

It almost looks like her heel is off the ground, and her toes are splayed for balance and it is her little toe rather than her big toe. If she is pulling his arm up from behind, I can see how she may have her heel off the ground and the front of her foot dug in for counter balance and more strength.

Just one question : That is an excellent observation that she is off her heel, but that to me simply has to be her big toe, because it is just so clear to me, even that the smaller toes are to her left--

so if you are she, Travis is to the left of you. Do you see what I mean?

If it was her pinky toes he would be to her right, and she would be facing the other direction (our left) -but I just can't see it that way. Anyone else see the sock and toes?

 

[ilovewings]

I think Jodi was wearing the camera around her neck by the strap when it started. It's possible it moved around to her back when she was bent over stabbing Travis (ceiling shot) I think during the stabbing, it fell from her neck and landed on the floor.

I think Jodi took pictures of Travis in the shower, then went to go snoop while Travis was in the shower. When she went in the bedroom, she either accessed Travis' voicemail or read his text. She seen or heard something. It finally sealed a plan that she had thought about during her whole drive to Travis' house, but when he went to bed with her, she probably thought they worked it all out.

I think she got the knife, walked in there and just stabbed him. I think she stabbed him by the ear first. (that deep stab by his ear in the photos)

I think he came out of the shower and went to the sink. Jodi probably thought one stab would do it...but she realized he was still up. I think they started struggling and she was stabbing and he was trying to defend himself. She was blindly stabbing him. He probably dropped to the floor and was crawling up the hallway. I think that's when the back stabs happened. He made it to the end, and she cut his throat then dragged him back to the shower. He was probably still making noise and she was scared she didn't kill him. She went and got the gun.

I think the shower was on the whole time. I think the curtain or whatever was opened and water got everywhere. I know my shower does the same thing if I leave the curtain open.

Jodi then stayed in the house long enough to run at least one load of clothes through a cycle to put them in the dryer. I don't think she accidentally threw the camera in the washer. I think she thought deleting those pictures would work. She didn't want to take any of Travis' stuff with her (and get caught with his stuff). She threw it in there to wash her DNA off of it.

JMO.

Am i right in thinking that if jodi had taken the camera with her, she might well have gotten away with this crime?

 

[SMK]

Am i right in thinking that if jodi had taken the camera with her, she might well have gotten away with this crime?

If she had taken the camera with her, and not left a bloody print and hair, she would have gotten away with it.

I believe she planned to shoot him in the shower, perhaps grab some things to make it appear a robbery; scurry out, go back to CA, and gasp in disbelief at poor Travis being the victim of a home invasion. (She would be free to begin anew, feeling that at least she now had him "in eternity" and would not have to see him move on and marry someone else.)

When the gun jammed and the knifing began, it went bad.

Just my own purview; many will disagree.....

 

[ilovewings]

If she had taken the camera with her, and not left a bloody print and hair, she would have gotten away with it.

I believe she planned to shoot him in the shower, perhaps grab some things to make it appear a robbery; scurry out, go back to CA, and gasp in disbelief at poor Travis being the victim of a home invasion. (She would be free to begin anew, feeling that at least she now had him "in eternity" and would not have to see him move on and marry someone else.)

When the gun jammed and the knifing began, it went bad.

Just my own purview; many will disagree.....

so why was there little to no blood from the head wound? i think that is why the ME said the shot was last.

 

[DeAnnaMisrahi]

Am i right in thinking that if jodi had taken the camera with her, she might well have gotten away with this crime?

Her DNA was still in the bloody palm print left on the wall, as well as touches of other forensic evidence. Everyone pointed their finger at her, literally from the start. The 911 call had her name in it. So, they would have been looking to compare her DNA to the evidence left there and then looked to her paper trail, and alibi, etc.

The picture puts her with her bloodied victim, and that's powerful because you almost NEVER get that in a murder case, but they also have a lot of other evidence, too. Most murders don't have any pictures to go along with them, and our prisons are filled with murderers, so I do think she still would have been charged.

What would be interesting is how her story would have changed based upon them only having the DNA evidence there. Her story is tailored to fit the evidence she knows they have. Like, for instance, the rope fibers they found in the bathroom probably gave her the idea to say that he wanted to tie her up and cut the rope in the bathroom. Of course, those rope fibers came from a decorative throw pillow on a chair in TA's bedroom. I wonder if she knew that at the time she came up with the story?

 

[DeAnnaMisrahi]

If she had taken the camera with her, and not left a bloody print and hair, she would have gotten away with it.

I believe she planned to shoot him in the shower, perhaps grab some things to make it appear a robbery; scurry out, go back to CA, and gasp in disbelief at poor Travis being the victim of a home invasion. (She would be free to begin anew, feeling that at least she now had him "in eternity" and would not have to see him move on and marry someone else.)

When the gun jammed and the knifing began, it went bad.

Just my own purview; many will disagree.....

Did you ever say how you think she got the knife after the gun jammed? Do you think she ran downstairs to get the knife and ran back up to stab him? Do you think there was enough time to do that? Or, do you think that he really was cutting rope in the bathroom?

 

[SMK]

so why was there little to no blood from the head wound? i think that is why the ME said the shot was last.

Because it was hard to determine with precision, due to the 5 days of decomposition. Just an idea....we've had a long discussion about this before....

 

[SMK]

Did you ever say how you think she got the knife after the gun jammed? Do you think she ran downstairs to get the knife and ran back up to stab him? Do you think there was enough time to do that? Or, do you think that he really was cutting rope in the bathroom?

Well, of course the whole thing is only my theory - but I can imagine that she ran for a kitchen knife (although the police don't think one was used) or that there may have been one there, or in her backpack (maybe she carried one for self protection?)...

 

[McNEverest]

Just one question : That is an excellent observation that she is off her heel, but that to me simply has to be her big toe, because it is just so clear to me, even that the smaller toes are to her left--

so if you are she, Travis is to the left of you. Do you see what I mean?

If it was her pinky toes he would be to her right, and she would be facing the other direction (our left) -but I just can't see it that way. Anyone else see the sock and toes?

All good observations.. however, I really can't see any shape of toes in that photo But if you see a big toe where the arrow is... wouldn't that mean this is her left foot/leg?
if so, then how could she be lifting Travis' arm if standing in that position?
if not and is her right foot/leg, it would be her baby toe with arch of foot facing Travis neck area... right?

Sorry if already talked about but have a few questions...

What is the white circle referring to in the foot/leg photo?
Was there a camera strap shown in any of the crime scene photos? inside camera bag, washer?

(wish we could see evidence in the form of a list

 

[MeeBee]

Yes, it does look like that marbling in the crime scene photo is the same marbling shown in the first bleeding photo.

The location of JA's foot, whether right or left, is off just a little bit in the sketch on the crime scene photo because the bleeding photo shows her foot is on the other side of the grout between the tiles.

To me, it still makes the most sense that the big foot in the foreground is JA's left foot. Her right foot would be in the other side of the camera. If the camera is on the ground, it would be her right foot kicking it to activate the camera button. Or, under my theory, that positioning of her feet shows how JA could still be holding the camera in her right hand.

Any chance you could create a sketch depicting the feet the way I have imagined?

It should be possible to identify the brand of jeans JA was wearing and determine whether the stripe is on the inside or outside of the leg. If the stripe is on the inside, then that's JA's left foot.

Thanks for the great insight as usual, Dave!

Pants stripes, like on the ones in the photo, are always on the outside. They're sporty type pants. I think there's even a MySpace picture of Jodi wearing them. This is likely her right foot based on the stripe on the pant leg.

 

[wilsodh]

Yes, it does look like that marbling in the crime scene photo is the same marbling shown in the first bleeding photo.

The location of JA's foot, whether right or left, is off just a little bit in the sketch on the crime scene photo because the bleeding photo shows her foot is on the other side of the grout between the tiles.

To me, it still makes the most sense that the big foot in the foreground is JA's left foot. Her right foot would be in the other side of the camera. If the camera is on the ground, it would be her right foot kicking it to activate the camera button. Or, under my theory, that positioning of her feet shows how JA could still be holding the camera in her right hand.

Any chance you could create a sketch depicting the feet the way I have imagined?

It should be possible to identify the brand of jeans JA was wearing and determine whether the stripe is on the inside or outside of the leg. If the stripe is on the inside, then that's JA's left foot.

Thanks for the great insight as usual, Dave!

Here you go!

For these reconstructions of the murder photo, I adjusted the position of Jodi's foot to match the tile grout lines and added an image of Travis' on his back. I added your scenario (scenario 1) to compare with the state's scenario that the big foot in the foreground is Jodi's right foot.

I like your scenario (big foot in foreground is Jodi's left foot), in that it give us something to trigger the camera: either by her right foot kicking it, or her right hand snapping it. When I was drawing this reconstruction, I had a brief chill up my spine that Jodi may have actually deliberately snapped the photo. But if she wanted to take a photo of the murder in progress, it seems she could have had a more direct angle than this rather awkward angle. She may have accidentally snapped the photo with her right hand, but I'm still not there yet that she would be hanging onto that camera while committing a brutal, very physical, unplanned knife murder.

On the other hand, with the state's scenario (big foot in foreground is Jodi's right foot), there is nothing to trigger the camera. It does appear odd that the camera is just sitting back by itself, watching the murder, and then decides to click off a very damning photo on its own. I do, however, like the positioning of Jodi's feet around Travis' body while she inflicts her mayhem upon him. Reenacting the feet positioning, it looks like a very natural placement for balance and leverage to execute a stabbing upon someone struggling on his back.

What do others think????

Dave

 

[DeAnnaMisrahi]

Well, of course the whole thing is only my theory - but I can imagine that she ran for a kitchen knife (although the police don't think one was used) or that there may have been one there, or in her backpack (maybe she carried one for self protection?)...

I don't think she had enough time to go running off to get a knife, personally. I think she brought it with her.

I guess I am just taking into the account how much rage she had to be feeling at the time to do what she did. That's a big part of the reason I have no problem imagining her stabbing him first. I have no problem imagining her thinking that she could confine it to the shower if she caught him off guard and stabbed him fast enough. I think she wanted him to suffer and shooting him in the head wouldn't inflict upon him the kind of pain SHE THOUGHT he deserved. Most people think of being shot in the head as an almost instant death and I think that a sociopath like Jodi would have thought that that was too kind for him.

I also wonder if she has any fascination with blood. Remember the pictures of her fingers with those bloody cuts? She called that photo a trophy. The chick is buckbanoodles.

 

[SMK]

All good observations.. however, I really can't see any shape of toes in that photo But if you see a big toe where the arrow is... wouldn't that mean this is her left foot/leg?
if so, then how could she be lifting Travis' arm if standing in that position?
if not and is her right foot/leg, it would be her baby toe with arch of foot facing Travis neck area... right?

Sorry if already talked about but have a few questions...

What is the white circle referring to in the foot/leg photo?
Was there a camera strap shown in any of the crime scene photos? inside camera bag, washer?

(wish we could see evidence in the form of a list

Well, as stated I tend to be nearly dyslexic when it comes to diagrams and spatial things, so it seems like a miracle that I can finally, finally see her foot: I thought I was going crazy before!

But to me - if i try to imagine being IN the picture, as JA - yes, it is her LFT leg and foot, and Travis is to HER left, and she if facing RT (if you are IN the picture) and her right leg must be splayed out to the right, and she must be balancing and bracing - obviously, the cam took the pic by accident, whether she is dragging him or not, you can't really see. )

Not sure about the circle (I believe it was trying to show the marble tiles or something????) but as to the camera strap, that is a good question...

 

[MeeBee]

In the pic I saw, she is definitely not in shoes but in dark socks - you can see her big toe sticking out and the outline of her other toes. Or maybe you are referring to another pic.....

That is her little toe because that is her right foot.

 

[SMK]

I don't think she had enough time to go running off to get a knife, personally. I think she brought it with her.

I guess I am just taking into the account how much rage she had to be feeling at the time to do what she did. That's a big part of the reason I have no problem imagining her stabbing him first. I have no problem imagining her thinking that she could confine it to the shower if she caught him off guard and stabbed him fast enough. I think she wanted him to suffer and shooting him in the head wouldn't inflict upon him the kind of pain SHE THOUGHT he deserved. Most people think of being shot in the head as an almost instant death and I think that a sociopath like Jodi would have thought that that was too kind for him.

I also wonder if she has any fascination with blood. Remember the pictures of her fingers with those bloody cuts? She called that photo a trophy. The chick is buckbanoodles.

Yes, although to tell you the truth: I don't necessarily believe she had to be feeling the rage at the point of the murder

(and in my theory, she would be stabbing NOT from rage, but from panic: e.g., OMG, shooting him didn't work! He is free and I must finish him off before he runs to the neighbors, omg!) -

I believe she felt very INTENSE rage prior to her plan to kill him (realizing he had used her and was moving on to Mimi and Lisa and other girls who were "wife material")---

I think planning to kill him calmed her. I dont feel she was in rage when she killed him . First calm, then panic.... MOO as they say