Retrial for Sentencing of Jodi Arias - Day 38

[Love Never Fails]

Dear Mr. Ziggy,

This is not a threat, but do you even realize the hell your life will become IF Mrs. Ziggy has to stay away from closing arguments tomorrow, not to mention the wrath from all of us here at WS? It will be far more pain than your tooth. Seriously, do what you need to do Ziggy... we will miss you, but hubby needs you more.

Laughed so hard! Read this to my DH. Ziggy, go with him and thanks for all you did for us by being there when you could.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

And why has not one single family member or friend got on the stand to say anything positive about her.

That is very rare. Even serial killers have someone that saw some good in them at some time in their life and will testify in their behalf.

And it would be a factor for me that JA has no children either.

Sometimes they will not put a woman to death if she has children and if the children plead to the jury to please let her live.

That is what saved Marissa DeValt? from the DP but did not save Wendy Andriano from death even though she did have children. On that case Juan was so good it didn't matter if she did have children.

But here not one family member cares enough to testify and she has no child (thank goodness).

So its different this time than in most DP where the defendant is a female.

 

[daisydomino]

Seriously, what is JA's real reason for refusing to allocute? I can't wrap my head around this.

The best I can come up with is that she was hoping that her argument about allocution not being testimony would cause another delay for JSS to try to figure out whether it is subject to the CoA and Supreme Court rulings (and the 1st Amendment.)

I wonder if the DT/JAII people reading here have reported to her that JSS is a total pushover for her. LOL.

 

[Nali87]

COURTROOM OBSERVATION PART 2

A few more notes from my friend’s courtroom visits. Some of these tidbits are mixed up date wise, but come from Willmott questioning Geffner, Nurmi questioning DeMarte, and some of Juan’s redirect of DeMarte.

Huge toss up whose voice/courtroom demeanor is more unpleasant: (he actually used the words “repellant” and “brain searing” as well)
1. Willmott: condescending tone; too much “we’re just two friends having a funsy little conversation” with Geffner
2. Willmott: contemptuous little smirks when Martinez was redirecting
3. Willmott: so incredibly repetitious with her questioning! Began so many sentences the exact same way, used inflection in her voice in a strangely ineffectual way, could not have led Geffner more effectively had she given him her word for word script!
4. Willmott: was reminded of his 5 year old niece who objects and argues anytime she is being disciplined…..that Willmott had a hard time taking no from the judge and that it really scrambled up her thinking as she tried to get back into the questioning; going off script really seemed to throw her
5. Willmott: lots of what he called “quiet stomping” up to the bench, body language through her walking showing major ticked off, didn’t seem to try to hide it
6. Nurmi: if his lumbering movements with his head down like in charging mode was meant to intimidate, epic fail!
7. Nurmi: as repetitive as Willmott was with her speaking patterns, Nurmi was downright predictable: “well let me ask you this” “Let’s back up” and using 100 words and redirects in a straightforward question. “T” said he’s seen this before with attorneys and it’s used to confuse and keep the witness off balance, but in his opinion was a convoluted attempt at best and was so overused it added to the monotony and extremely slow pace.
8. Nurmi: Was a “brutish Neanderthal” attacking DeMarte, and in his opinion less than zero effectiveness. Seemed he had coined some phrases he wanted to throw at her and got them in as often as possible: Dr. Death; concocting stories with Martinez; etc. He said it was like a 12 year old boy trying to be the to impress the girls.
9. Nurmi: preoccupation with his phone never ending and comical in his blasting of the media while scrolling so fast on his phone he probably got “carpal forefinger”
10. Nurmi: when not up speaking, he could not retain an upright position in his chair. Slumped, collapsed like in his chair, flopping hard into it,
11. Nurmi: watching over his shoulder a lot at the gallery which T found interesting. Not as much jury watching as he would have thought, but any noise from behind him got his immediate attention.
12. Nurmi: even when at sidebar, Nurmi really trying to snag looks into the gallery
13. Nurmi: no recognizable manners noticed, except for bad ones.
14. MDLR: Uncomfortably cozy with Arias. Lots of “hair whispers”, a few back rubbing/touches which grossed him out and again made him wonder where security was
15. MDLR: Phone addiction like Nurmi, but with Nurmi he saw more scrolling and scrolling, whereas MDLR was either playing “angry birds” on her phone or doing a lot of texting as well. Found this especially distracting when such serious testimony was ongoing.
16. MDLR: She and Arias liked “sharing”
17. JM: Wasn’t in the best position to see him unless he was standing. But said he never “walked angry” like W and N
18: JM: Almost always looking straight ahead, no phone games, no note sharing, no “hair whispers” no gallery staring
19: JM: loved the way he ambled up to the every 20 second sidebar, and appeared so composed at the bench (most of the time) while Willmott had her hands flailing and Nurmi just “stood and hulked mad” (which means looked angry just standing there)
20: JM: counted several times at sidebar called for by defense when it was over and he would start to walk back but W or N often had just one more thing to add and they had to go back!!
21. JM: loved his style of even keeled questioning whether his own witness or defense witness. Said it was for all, ‘just answer my question w/out all the extraneous BS’
22. JM: thought he was insanely quick with facts and could recover even when there was an objection after every question
23. JM: saw what appeared to be him affectionately/reassuringly looking back at Alexander family often when returning from sidebars.

Interesting: The first day Tony was there he was dressed in a suit, just coming from a meeting or on his way to one. (He’s a nice looking guy……..she coyly says!) He met Nurmi and Willmott(who he wasn’t sure were Nurmi and Willmott at this point) as he was going in the door to the courtroom and they were going out. Willmott smiled like she recognized him (which she couldn’t have), said hello, and Nurmi held the door open and said some kind of greeting. Later that day, possibly because he was sitting on the public side behind Arias’ family, Willmott caught his attention again and asked if he could hear alright from where he was sitting!?!?! HUH?!?! The next time he was in court he was dressed more in going to the airport for a long flight attire, still nice but not a suit, and was talking very briefly to who I think from his description might have been Paul Sanders. Willmott saw him in the queue waiting for the elevator and this time didn’t return the smile Tony gave just to test his theory. Make of it what you will!

All for now……this is so much of what you folks have already noticed either during the guilt phase televised or through others’ tweets. But from those of you who have either been in the courtroom or had conversations with court watchers know, it’s so much cooler to get the first hand impressions!!

:silenced::silenced:
Thank you!

 

[lonetraveler]

I think JSS should call her bluff by saying, "Okay, Jurors, you're dismissed until after Jodi gives herself a private allocution. Clear the court." Jodi remains with only her stun belt and shackle manager for company.

:clap: I really liked that one.

 

[pinkandgreenmom]

I would love to know exactly when (a) the defense decided not to call the remaining witnesses and (b) JA decided not to allocute. I am still trying to figure out why exactly her sister was there today, of all days.

 

[daisydomino]

Per BK....exact words of JA when JSS asked her one last time if she'd allocute:

" not at this time."

She thinks she's getting another trial?

 

[Wagara]

well, it was a SC decision & ja knew it! NO closed courtroom. Why did she try it anyway? She thought 'testimony' & 'allocution' meant different rules?

I don't think JA thinks that but I think JA thinks the judge can be intimidated into taking the safer route.

 

[Nali87]

I'll never understand people that "bond" with killers.

 

[G&AMom]

Seriously, what is JA's real reason for refusing to allocute? I can't wrap my head around this.

Jodi spent two years, two long years, in jail before she admitted that she killed Travis and not some ninjas. This is a woman who sticks to her guns (so to speak) long after it's obvious she's making a losing argument and nobody believes her. Now that she's come up with the "I can't speak in public because of X and Y" there's no way she's going to give up on that. Not for years to come.

 

[angelainwi]

Oh no! My husband just texted me that he has to have oral surgery on his infected tooth tomorrow at 11:00 AM there goes my early day to get into court. Would it be rude to tell him to take a taxi?

Do one better and download Uber and order him Uber Select or Uber black.

 

[ZsaZsa]

Yep, let's not forget Susan Smith who actually had a baby fathered by a guard. GAG

Two prison officers were fired for having sex with her, but I don't believe she was ever pregnant... can you provide a link to that info? Thanks

 

[RickshawFan]

Good for JSS for calling Jodi's "Im afraid for my life" BS by having the "two big guys" come to the bench with dramatic swagger. They clearly are in charge and have everything under control: the whole court, in fact! Jodi's not going to be able to come back in appeal and justifiably say she was too afraid to allocute. BOOM!

 

[TexMex]

Surely at least one juror is aware and will inform the others that no woman has been executed in AZ in over 80 yrs, i.e. "death penalty" for JA will mean she will be segregated from the general population and spend her days alone or in the company of a select few (3 iirc) of her fellow murderesses. Given that, the harder decision for me would be whether giving JA LWOP might result in the death of an innocent inmate/employee at Perryville who she "devalued" enough to kill in the future. I wouldn't be willing to be responsible for that, when isolating her on death row is both appropriate and available.

Georgia executes it's first woman in 70 years this Wednesday

Georgia authorities have set an execution date for a woman convicted in her husband's murder in what would be the state's first execution of a female since 1945.

Kelly Renee Gissendaner is scheduled to be put to death Feb. 25 after exhausting her legal appeals, CL Atlanta reported. A Gwinnett County judge signed the order Monday.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/cri...ate-female-death-row-inmate-article-1.2109665

 

[bettybaby00]

So, let me see if I followed correctly today.

2 jurors got kicked off. One is a guy who says serial killers should get DP, the other is a lady who's daughter has a record. Both sound imo defense friendly jurors. Wilmott comes in with a big folder. Jodi Arias argues that she should be able to allocute in private, but is not allowed to. The jurors get instructions. Tomorrow we get closing arguments. It's Nurmi/Juan/Nurmi. Because seriously why would they let Wilmott up for a speech now? But Jodi Arias isn't even going to try to say anything? The Innocence Project isn't coming for you, girl. Say something.

:floorlaugh:

 

[CarolinaMoon]

Quote Originally Posted by ziggy View Post

Oh no! My husband just texted me that he has to have oral surgery on his infected tooth tomorrow at 11:00 AM there goes my early day to get into court. Would it be rude to tell him to take a taxi?

Yikes! I drove 58 miles each way last year to have a tooth extracted and a bone marrow transplant all by myself. IIRC, the "transplant" was equivalent to having a cavity filled, only it was the hole in my jaw. No bleeding to deal with on the way home!

 

[Love Never Fails]

AZLawyer already explained it. Apparently Jodi or someone else on her side like Fibber McGee tried too late to submit some more BS, and at this point, the judge isn't even going to look at it. She just put it under seal.

It was tweeted differently. That there were two letters going into the jury room with the jurors for deliberation. One is from Mark McGee's mother.

 

[geevee]

I think it's time to revisit the dates we all picked for the trial end date. I don't even remember what date I picked. Where do we find this?

I remember I picked St. Patrick's Day (Mar. 17th), in honor of that unattractive green shirt she wore during the first trial. Happy to be wrong about that date.

 

[mugwump*]

I would love to know exactly when (a) the defense decided not to call the remaining witnesses and (b) JA decided not to allocute. I am still trying to figure out why exactly her sister was there today, of all days.

She came to see Othello. Out of season in Ashland right now, so the closest thing is he sisters acting.

 

[katydid23]

Ziggy,

I am really thankful that you go to court and report back to us. You do such a fantastic job. But if your hubby feels he needs you to support him tomorrow, then do it. We will all understand. His needs take precedence. :candle: JMO