CMja, for all her roundtheworld sex and bravado, has this naïveté that CA lacked. CA was smart but she knew she wasn't smarter than the prosecutor and that her story wouldn't hang together for 5 minutes.
But everything CMja knows about life has come from a tv show or movie.
Clearly, before that statement to the jury, she'd just watched some feel good prison movie on Lifetime with the plucky heroine sent to prison who soon wins the hearts of the hardened inmates by drafting their motions, teaching them to read and occasionally taking the blame for something stupid one of the inmates did which leads to an instant bond that lasts forever.
InAlandFarFarAway, you are so right. Since the hung jury, I have been trying to analyze things. I think we have to admit, that CMJA obviously has some mental problems. I mean, I think everyone in some sense agrees on that.
If Juan wanted to get the death penalty with this jury, he had to address that in mitigation. B/c I think this jury was so familiar with CMJA and her out-of-touch-with-reality-ness, that there is almost no explanation for it other than mental problem.
With the next jury, I have much better feeling b/c that jury will not have been used to CMJA, they will see her mostly from afar and for a shorter time period. I think the chances are much higher with the next jury.
She is SO out-of-touch with reality. Everything is a movie to her, even the planning of the murder looks like it's taken from a fiction movie. I mean, listening to her post-verdict interviews, it's obvious she is "not all there."
I have not followed a lot of cases like most of you all have. I'm interested to know how her mannerisms and psyche compare with other murderers and other murderers of extremely cruel and horrific crimes.
It's like, she knows what she's doing, but at the same time she doesn't. There are so many examples of this...for example, she thought everyone would believe her stories on the stand, and she DID NOT GET how obvious it was she was lying. When she's lying, like in her interrogation tapes, they are so stupid that it's like she doen't even realize how silly they come across. She says them like she believes people will actually seriously believe them. There are just sooooo many examples of this. Childlike and immature, just like DeMarte said. Also, the obvious lack of remorse and seeming lack of understanding of the gravity of what she's done.
I am not saying this excuses anything she has said or done. I loathe her and feel that she deserves the death penalty. BUT, in trying to think of how the jurors are going to think, we have to discuss this, because obvsiously it affected a few jurors. And some of them might feel that because seemingly she doesn't even undertsand the gravity of what she's done, that she's not all there, and thus how can they put someone to death who doesn't even realize the full effect of what she's done? And how does Juan go about addressing this?
I am sure Juan is putting together his strategy for next time. IMO, he needs to address this issue.