Penalty Phase - Verdict Watch #2

[popsicle]

Not getting where judge is "correct"? Jury sent out note stating they had QUESTION......

QUESTION was...."...what to do IF they couldn't reach a unanimous decision?"

Judge STATED in open court...

"The jury CANNOT reach a unanimous decision...", then proceeded to state she sent back helpful guideline....

Now where did judge correctly get information from jury that they COULD NOT reach unanimous?????

ETA: Judge must be having incredibly bad day...first *forgets* something as important as jury instruction in death penalty case, and now appears to have made major faux paux in interpreting jury question....wonder if jury is shaking heads and saying WTH???!!!

Because she told them what to do if they could reach a unanimous decision. jmo

 

[Gin]

I'm muting Ashley Merchant. She's driving me nuts!

She's quite smug to me, too. I don't know why being certain she's "right" makes her so happy today for JA. JA was convicted M1. JA is nothing to be glad about, JMO.
I keep thinking of a man who was gradually, slowly, skillfully murdered, while glamor shots of his suffering were taken.
I guess we all have our own concerns.

 

[aa9511]

I have a thought - do u guys think there is one holdout which could be the tiger/bear person, and also some of the other "out there" questions. Maybe they got this person to agree with them for the other phases, but now they're holding out on death. I think it is ONE PERSON.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I would be alright with LWOP, but apparently that is not a given in AZ. This might be the sticking point for some jurors who don't necessarily want to impose a death sentence on Arias but want her to spend the rest of her natural life in prison. I would be skeptical about what JSS would do because I feel that she has been pro-defense in this case and would probably not give Jodi LWOP. :moo:

 

[Nali87]

well, i think it can't possibly be a juror or jurors who give so much weight to the mitigators that they think they outweigh aggravation. because that would be absurd!!

so it has to be that intangible 'feeling', that they just can't pull the trigger. hard to argue with that. if someone feels they can't do it, they just can't do it.

Well can't they bring in an alternative in that case?

 

[BritsKate]

Found out WHERE???? My daughter lives in London!!!!!!!!

It was Woolwich and very isolated. Last I'd read it was believed two men attacked a (presumed) soldier with a machete and a meat cleaver, deliberately to encourage armed police to respond. They did, and the two attackers were shot. Citizens reports on the ground state the man was beheaded right in front of them. Barbaric and unbelievable.

Sorry for the O/T. Prayers, of course, to the man's loved ones, whomever they may be.

 

[JSR]

This kills me. Jodi is going to be treated like royalty and a total queen in prison. So upsetting.

 

[elementary]

I thought they weren't allowed to discuss the case before deliberations .. Juror number 8 needs to stop talking NOW if that's true, could this mean a new trial on appeal?

I watched that portion and juror#8 never said any such thing! He has been circumspect. These unfounded rumours are unforgivable.

 

[MEM2010]

Is there ANY possibility her M1 conviction can be overturned because of this?

 

[MandyLeigh]

MOO but hoping or thinking they should hurry up and just come back with LWOP would not be thinking about the family. The family does not want LWOP. They want Jodi on death row. They did not come all this way just to have her live out her life while they worry for what might happen. As Juan said life does NOT mean life. Lest her build a life for herself with the rest of the population while the endless possibilities hang over the family's heads. Or the continued prison interviews. Being on death row is where she belongs. Just look at her this morning, all smiles. Life is what she wants and I refuse to hope she gets it. Moo

Even if it means bring in another Jury, let's do it. I do not care at all how much money has been spent on this trial at this point. That is Jodi's fault for murdering Travis. The family should not have to bare that issue. And should it have been spent just for them to rule guilty for ALL of these things including Extreme Cruelty just to give in and give her life to save some more bucks?

As the friends of the family are tweeting, pray the Jury comes back with the right decision. I will do that.

MOO of course.

 

[Hope4More]

I'm fine with LWOP and I think Travis would be too. Travis was a follower of Christ, despite his human nature and it's flaws, he loved the Lord and for the most part lived his life according to HIS Word. Yes, I think Travis would be just fine with JA getting LWOP.

Please don't speak for Travis. I'm sorry, but I find that incredibly offensive. Will also say that his friends have indicated that he in fact was FOR the death penalty.

 

[ShadyLady]

What really aggravates me most is that "Life" would give Nurmi/Wilmot/JA a "win".

They will be celebrating.

This is so wrong!!!!

Justice for the Alexanders would be JA gone from this world.

Then they can begin to heal.

 

[jennapuppy]

The thing is this is not really finding for death. By saying they are death qualified, Finding premeditation and felony murder, And the death qualifier cruelty. She should get death. They should be deciding today if her mitigating factors outweigh aggravators and show her mercy.

She has already essentially been qualified for death penalty.

This is the way I look at it, also. M1? - check. Extreme cruelty? - check.
Mitigating factors? - none.

 

[MidwestWoman]

The DP is appropriate- BUT if she gets life everyone will forget about her in a week and move on with their lives- I don't think she will last long in the big house with that over inflated ego of hers.

I agree with Curious In Indiana:

"If the jury is deadlocked this does NOT go to the judge. A new jury has to be impaneled for this phase. That is the law in Arizona. This will leave the family hanging forever and Jodi giving interviews for months."

:stormingmad:

 

[kscornfed]

I am thinking that society in general has become way to liberal minded to support the death penalty except for places like Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia. "Her life could be worth saving"..... yeah right.

If this crime, where the jurors all agreed was premeditated and heinous, does not warrant the death penalty, what does???????

i don't know where this notion came from that 'liberal minded' people don't favor the DP. i'm as liberal as it gets----but i have ALWAYS believed in the DP. i think the punishment fits some crimes, and in fact, is far better punishment than they deserve.

it's like being put to sleep for surgery, for pete sake, which is actually very pleasant!

just don't assume all 'liberals' oppose the DP, because i assure you i'm not the only one who does.

 

[kayice]

IMO, many (definitely not all) anti-DP people just say they are anti-DP because they believe it to be the correct thing to say or feel. I'm sure some truly have a deep conviction that every life, even the purely evil and despicable, do not deserve to die. That is something I just cannot comprehend, but that is their opinion and I respect it.

However, in the situation you described above, I can't believe that any person would not defend themselves or loved ones against being killed, and they would choose to pull the trigger and kill the intruder.

In all honesty, I would have answered NO, I am against the death penalty, could not be on the jury...then along came Jodi. Imho, she's beyond BPD...she's a sociopath...she'll use whoever, even a psychiatrist's help only to learn how to manipulate and abuse more. She's dangerous, like a cobra waiting to strike and consume the victim.

 

[Mormon Attorney]

I can tell you this...IF this jury does not give this heinous murderer the Death Penalty. I will become the leader of a movement in this country to implement safeguards in the jury selection process that ENSURES when a juror states they are able to give DP when applicable, that there is VALIDITY and VERACITY to their claims.

We need to be fair. I have posted this several times, but it applies more than ever now. All of us who believe in the death penalty would be death penalty qualified jurors. That is an ENTIRELY different thing than putting someone to death. The difficulty is that you and I (and probably everyone of those jurors) can sit behind our screens and ask for the death penalty, but it is VERY different being one of the twelve in a small room knowing that you are part of taking someone's life. I think we know enough about this jury by now to know they were truthful, that they have weighed the evidence, and that they are strong. They have faced many hard decisions and made the difficult choice presented to them.

I have been jury coordinator on several death penalty trials. I have had one jury deadlocked. It was as painful for the one holding out as the ones who were for the death penalty. There were many tears and heartache. A jury who goes through this type of trauma together is bonded. They likely trust one another. To be a 'hold out' is a difficult thing - it rests on personal conviction about the case.

Keep in mind two things:
1. Being death penalty qualified does NOT mean you have promised to give the death penalty. Please give these jurors credit. They have sacrificed much and have deliberated carefully on all matters. If one or two believe she is too young to be put to death, they have to live with themselves later. It is important to respect the process. As much as we all sit here begging for what we want, please keep in mind that these jurors are in a much different position. They know that their individual votes will cause life or death. It is a weighty matter for ANYONE with a conscience.

2. Just because they asked what will happen does not mean they are deadlocked. They may be asking what to do.

I trust this jury. I trust the process. I am grateful to know that we have 12 strong jurors on this case. This isn't a decision to be made lightly. I promise you that even if all 12 agreed on death, no one goes home rejoicing. It is one thing to say you want the death penalty and completely another to leave the jury room with the weight on your shoulders that you just put someone to death. Entirely different. I have witnessed it.

I have deep compassion for this jury. They have been through much. My prayers are with them. I pray for the Alexanders that this can end without further trial.

 

[STEADFAST]

Is anyone ok with LWOP?

I'm okay with it. For one thing, if she gets death, she'll have automatic appeals and will be a "famous" death-row inmate. If she gets life, she'll just basically fade quickly away from notice by anyone and may not even be able to find grounds for appeal. I'm also okay with death, if it goes that way; mainly because I like to see her not get anything she wants.

 

[JayB12]

I am thinking that society in general has become way to liberal minded to support the death penalty except for places like Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia. "Her life could be worth saving"..... yeah right.

If this crime, where the jurors all agreed was premeditated and heinous, does not warrant the death penalty, what does???????

That's funny you mention some states.

I'm from the Live Free or Die state. Kinda sums up my view on the DP.

If CMJA can't live free, she must die for what she did to Travis.

 

[gauntlet]

I'm not okay with LWOP. Although she'll be locked up in a solitary cell for a few years, from the reports I've read on good behaviour after a good few years she could work her way down to medium level security. Apart from that, Travis's family want the DP. I'm with them all the way