It was first and foremost the evidence amassed that led the state to charge Arias with 1st degree murder, and it was the evidence, combined with an explanation of the meaning of premeditation and JM explaining how and why the evidence proved premeditation, which allowed this jury to see it exactly that way.
The jury is free to disregard anything they want in terms of evidence or witness testimony, though they are not free to disregard the law. But there was *so much* evidence here, the thought of 12 jurors ignoring the evidence was unfathomable. Sure, one can speculate that any jury could be rogue and do something way out of the norm and refuse to believe anything they're told by the state. One would hope a person who would not believe any evidence presented to them during a case might be discovered during voir dire. But the jury was not rogue, they did believe the evidence, and they did vote unanimously for first degree murder.
Lots of things could have happened if only factor A, B, C, D etc occurred and if the jury had thought "so what," but only one thing did happen. She was convicted of premeditated murder.
Unfathomable to you, perhaps, because, maybe, as you've said about yourself, you are about the facts, not so much puzzling over subjective thoughts and intentions and the like.
I'm obviously speaking theoretically, because the trial happened the way it did and is over.
But.....BOTH juries believed, going back into deliberations, that Travis had abused the : definitely verbally (you believe that too, iirc), almost certainly emotionally, and perhaps physically (minority POV on 1st jury). None believed the pedo lie, but the pedo lie was only allowed in because it was integral to her lie about self defense.
Even with both hands tied behind his back by the , then, Nurmi convinced both juries of that much. Given the opportunity, he would have told quite the tale of how confused and conflicted was the , how her BPD made her vulnerable to TA and their "toxic " relationship, blah blah, perhaps, even, how she was so off balance that she had indeed considered killing him--that's why she took the gun or whatever, but just seeing him again made her realize she couldn't possibly, until TA rejected her again, and she just.......snapped.
I really think if Foreman #1 had been persented with that defense, he at least wouldn't have voted 1st degree. He seemed to have concluded early on that the was victimized by TA, and to have viewed evidence through that prism.
In fact, Mr. Foreman #1 was so sympathetic to victim that he volunteered his services to the DT while they were prepping for PP2.
The car? So what she if wanted a white car or wanted more choices than what some puny car rental lot in Yreka could offer. So what if she dyed her hair-- maybe she did it for Ryan. The gun theft was a little hinky, but not definitive.