trial day 33: the defense continues its case in chief #96

[mck16]

I wonder if Ms. LaViolette just jumped on the abuse bandwagon without getting all the facts. I can think of many cases where people do that. Remember Elizabeth Morgan, the doctor who spent several years in jail hiding her daughter from her ex? She'd accused the ex-husband of sexually abusing the daughter. Millions of people leaped to her support although it rapidly became apparent that the woman was a nut (and so was the ex).

I am wondering if she has been following the trial and has seen all the exposing of Dr. S.? She will have to change all her prepared facts and testimony I would think. jmo

 

[DebinGA]

On the subject of PTSD, I can fully understand the diagnosis. It started on the day JA was arrested, July 15, 2008, and continues to this day. She is living in her own private hell with no one to blame but herself. When she had the audacity to complain that Travis's closet was smaller than her cell, I wanted to slap her! Hope she has nightmares from now until eternity!

I'd like to believe she's currently living in her own private hell, but that's how a normal person would feel, so idk.

 

[rose222]

Don't mean to be a "downer" but I still worry about there being 1 out of 12 who could believe or sympathize with JA. And that's ALL it takes...1 out of 12!

Question: how are the final 12 selected? By judge? Attorneys? Randomly? Pull numbers from hat?

Random Draw. It is always a concern for sure BUT in this case I'm positive the jury will do right by Travis. "We the jury in the above entitled clause find the defendant Jodi Ann Arias guilty of first degree murder" :great:

 

[dbranam]

I agree with you. I didn't know at first where Juan was going with this. But then it dawned on me during cross w/Samuels. If JA said she went into the FOG after shooting Travis, then how could she possibly even give the knife any thought. There would be no knife because all memory would be gone.

She may have just seen the knife in the bathroom while struggling to get away from Travis after she shot him but how would she have any memory of a knife clanging on the tile? According to the PTSD expert she could not have any memory of that (if she truly had PTSD) since according to him she did not come out of that fog until she stopped in the desert.

 

[Veritas_Vita]

I am no expert either but I have been diagnosed. From what I understand (from my own journey) the intrusions (flashbacks, memories, "dreams", visions) manifest themselves at different times in my life usually for different reasons. For example the event that caused my trauma occured in Michigan. I had moved to NY after that and lived there for many years. I moved BACK to Michigan and began to have the "dreams" of what happened to me again. I think the triggers are different for everyone.

Maybe someone who is a trained professional can state it better than I can...

I have been diagnosed with PTSD, BPD, and anxiety. Not just by one therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist either. I was very unhappy to be labelled and I wanted other opinions as to why things were happening to me. I was told re: the BPD diagnosis that to be careful letting people know that because it is completely misunderstood by a lot of people.

With my PTSD, I have intrusive images (like youtube clips of my trauma) that sometimes appear out of nowhere. Sometimes they are triggered by movie scenes, smells, certain objects. I have undergone EMDR and DBT for treatment. It has helped a lot, it also was a lot of work.

When my PTSD is triggered (and I cannot get it under control by changing my thoughts, etc.) I go into fight or flight mode. Yes that is a real thing - Parasympathetic nervous system. When I am in flight or flight mode (even though I'm just sitting in my car or at home, etc.) that is when I have full blown panic attacks (anxiety) I either use the DBT to calm myself or in severe anxiety attacks I have a medication I can put under my tongue which will make my physical body fight or flight mode calm down.

I have never once forgotten anything and I remember every single detail. For years prior to therapy, I had no idea what was happening to me, I didn't understand why I would have a zillion thoughts or images going through my mind. I tried with all my might pre-therapy to block out the images, sounds, etc., no I could not.

Even in my dreams I could not escape because I would have night terrors.

I think this Doc Samuels is an absolute quack.

 

[The Farm]

I am wondering if she has been following the trial and has seen all the exposing of Dr. S.? She will have to change all her prepared facts and testimony I would think. jmo

mck16, that dog in your avatar is gorgeous. Sorry to get off topic but everytime I see it I smile. And we need it in this thread.

 

[Teresa]

Jodi Arias is evil personified. Notice how Martinez doesn't even refer to her by her name and addresses her as Ma'am! So Martinez knows this and in case anyone forgets he is the ONLY one that speaks for the victim.

Travis Alexanders name had been dragged through the mud and been subjected to scandalous unfounded accusations of being a pedophile, a rapist and a violent bully.... NONE of which has been substantiated by ANY other means other than this killers' testimony.

Martinez speaks for the victim when he attacks her lies and vile scenarios that have absolutely no foundation in fact. O
e can only hope the jury has seen through the multiple-changed story and ridiculous progression of lies and deception she's spewing.

Awesome!

Awesome!:rocker:

 

[Snoopy1]

Random Draw. It is always a concern for sure BUT in this case I'm positive the jury will do right by Travis. "We the jury in the above entitled clause find the defendant Jodi Ann Arias guilty of first degree murder" :great:

..... and sentance her to DEATH!"

 

[Avalon85]

Hell I had all the same markers for PTSD that she did!

I have trouble sleeping (I have two kids and a dog. They keep me up, just like she's in JAIL! I'm sure she has trouble sleeping!)

I get easily irritated. (Again, I have two kids. Sometimes irritation happens.)

Dr. Samuels testimony is a joke. I'm sure real PTSD victims are livid about this, as they should be.

 

[JayB12]

Don't mean to be a "downer" but I still worry about there being 1 out of 12 who could believe or sympathize with JA. And that's ALL it takes...1 out of 12!

Question: how are the final 12 selected? By judge? Attorneys? Randomly? Pull numbers from hat?

I think Samuels administers a test of some sort, transcribes their answers from his yellow notepad paper onto the actual scoring sheets, scores them by hand and provides his expert findings to both sides and the judge. After that, the side which laughs the loudest AND longest gets to pick first. Alternates between sides until it comes down to the final spot on the jury.

The mitigation specialist is called in to unbutton her blouse starting from the top - last person to remain calm with no facial expressions or movements at all wins the final spot.

At least, that's how I think they should do it.

 

[Colt46]

I agree with what you are saying.

But for the record, she said the closet WASNT small, she said "its bigger than the cell I live in"

Thanks, Snoopy1. Just corrected it.

 

[LambChop]

There was a suggestion that Samuels has fallen into some sort of "love" with JA. Surely, not romantic love but perhaps a sexual attraction and this led him to be willing to manipulate his findings and send her books, etc. I'm wondering if, having been privy to those explecit nude photots, he has been fantasizing about her and is now firmly in her trap.

I think the closer truth would be that he is attached to her in a fatherly type of connection. Feels empathy for her because she lacked the type of father he would have been to her. (not necessarily true because we have seen dad). Love, yes. Maybe not in a sexual nature for him. Her stories have him captivated to make him believe she is a victim of a pedophile who tried to keep her from revealing his secret by abusing and controlling her. He can't separate his feeling for her from his ability to truly evaluate her objectively. He often glances over to her for approval of a recovery he has just made to her benefit. There is clearly an emotion connection to her. You can see it in his eyes.

He needs serious treatment himself because even though he signed that agreement with the State of NJ to keep his license and he "read a book" about ethics, he just does not get it!!! He still continues to allow himself to become personally involved with people he is suppose to interview and test in an objective way, not treat. The sending of the book shows he was very much involved in a personal way. Apparently he is unable to function in any capacity which allows him to be objective when it involves a particular client. This is what we all can see and what JM was pointing out. jmo

 

[Isabelle]

She may have just seen the knife in the bathroom while struggling to get away from Travis after she shot him but how would she have any memory of a knife clanging on the tile? According to the PTSD expert she could not have any memory of that (if she truly had PTSD) since according to him she did not come out of that fog until she stopped in the desert.

Didn't Jodi complain of cuts/scratches to her ankle/s? She could have had the knife in her sock!

 

[Ammonitida]

I really dont understand why all this time wasted with PTSD. Has nothing to do with shooting and stabbing TA. They need to spend more time trying to debunk premeditation.Who cares about her stress level after the fact.

It's VERY important for the defense. It's an attempt to explain her "black out" ploy as well as argue for temporary insanity regarding the overkill. If the jury believes it, she will be acquitted. It's that simple.

Further, judging from the juror questions to Jodi, the jury doesn't believe premeditation IMO. Thanks to Juan, this whole case is going down the drain. Sounds harsh?

Let me explain;

Juan and his experts have presented an illogical theory of the crime. Chiefly, that a stabbing came first in the shower. There's almost no blood splatter in the shower to support the assertion that a flurry of stabs took place there (indeed one jury asked a question about this, saying, "could the shower have been cleaned of blood?"). It is simply more logical that the gunshot came first for a number of reasons. Being far less risky is one. Another reason is that it's utterly foolish and unnecessary to leave behind gun evidence that could link her to the May 28th "burglary" of her residence. And this notion about how she wanted to make him suffer isn't going to cut it when you're talking about a female perpetrator and a predominately male jury. They won't buy it. What does this mean? That Jodi's sequence of events is far more plausible and this could tremendously help her credibility with the jury.

Not even one attempt to explain the ceiling photo and dropped camera photos that Jodi is using to support her version of events. He has not stressed that the camera was on the ground at the end of the hallway, inconsistent with the camera falling to the mat and rolling by the bathtub. The explanation that it got kicked over there is also inconsistent with the crime scene, as no evidence of a commotion occurred in that area, and based on the layout of the bathroom it would require two or three "kicks" to have the camera end up to where the dragging picture was taken (stretches credulity). Or one very hard kick that would cause it to bounce off the walls but then we'd expect to find external damage on the camera and there was none. He has left this wide open but Jodi has not and that could be a very big problem. He has provided no explanation for this and she HAS!

Juan BUNGLED twice now with the issue involving the shower ruse. First, during cross, he badgered Jodi -- incorrectly stating that her repeated attempts to convince Travis to take a photo of him shaving happened on the same day as the murder. She clearly was talking about an incident from a previous date. The sad thing is, Juan didn't need to do this because during the same taped interview she admits to convincing him a second time too -- this time on June 4th for a "Calvin Klein shoot", to which Travis initially responded "I feel so gay". That the issue of who suggested the shower shoot might have been lost on the jury thanks to Juan's bungling could spell disaster for the case!

Why? Because it is germane to the whole issue of premeditation. If the jury believes that Travis suggested the photo shoot, premeditation falls apart. And that's exactly what she told Samuels -- that he suggested the pictures. Jodi lied to Samuels about it because she knew that it had to do with her premeditation of the murder. Juan had an opportunity to expose this lie, but his previous bungle with Jodi on cross allowed both Willmot and Samuels to challenge him about this "inconsistency", referring to his prior incorrect statements concerning that taped interrogation, effectively burying the issue -- possibly implanting in the minds of the jurors that it was Travis who convinced Jodi. And Juan buried it further because he still refused to admit that he was WRONG. It was not an "interpretation", Juan. It is fact that she was talking about a prior incident. This bungle is MAJOR! And here's the funny (sad) thing, Jodi herself acknowledged on the stand that YES she did convince him to take the photos on June 4th, not once but twice. Once under direct, once during cross. Juan could have used those statements to challenge Samuels, but no, he had to be stubborn!

No effort to explain why she had sex with him on the day she planned to kill him. This alone argues against premeditation. It is often brought up by Jodiphiles to support their side. Juan has let the defense characterize the state's case as one involving a contract killing. This was no such case. Jodi had an emotional attachment and likely had second thoughts about going through with her plan to kill him (but was later re-triggered and had to clean up her sex mistakes with a shower ruse).

Failure to establish a credible motive. The Cancun crap is ridiculous when we have the May 26th exchange and the May 28th burglary. She was motivated by RAGE over him trashing her verbally, not jealously. Jodi would frequently shake over these verbal arguments by her own admission and on May 26th, she snapped and had enough. That's the motive! Not Cancun. Juries need motives -- credible ones.

Unless Juan can work a miracle in rebuttal, Jodi has a very good chance of being acquitted of all charges!

 

[laniefi]

I have been diagnosed with PTSD, BPD, and anxiety. Not just by one therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist either. I was very unhappy to be labelled and I wanted other opinions as to why things were happening to me. I was told re: the BPD diagnosis that to be careful letting people know that because it is completely misunderstood by a lot of people.

With my PTSD, I have intrusive images (like youtube clips of my trauma) that sometimes appear out of nowhere. Sometimes they are triggered by movie scenes, smells, certain objects. I have undergone EMDR and DBT for treatment. It has helped a lot, it also was a lot of work.

When my PTSD is triggered (and I cannot get it under control by changing my thoughts, etc.) I go into fight or flight mode. Yes that is a real thing - Parasympathetic nervous system. When I am in flight or flight mode (even though I'm just sitting in my car or at home, etc.) that is when I have full blown panic attacks (anxiety) I either use the DBT to calm myself or in severe anxiety attacks I have a medication I can put under my tongue which will make my physical body fight or flight mode calm down.

I have never once forgotten anything and I remember every single detail. For years prior to therapy, I had no idea what was happening to me, I didn't understand why I would have a zillion thoughts or images going through my mind. I tried with all my might pre-therapy to block out the images, sounds, etc., no I could not.

Even in my dreams I could not escape because I would have night terrors.

I think this Doc Samuels is an absolute quack.

Wow, thank you for sharing that. I too tried to block it out too but i just could not. I DID NOT want to remember, but my brain had different plans. It was almost like my brain blocked out the trauma and then later "replayed" it for me in pieces so I could slowly understand what had occurred.

:hugs:

 

[indicat]

Same here. One look at the crime scene photos and hearing the details of his death told me there was no way anyone could claim self defense. None. Self-defense isn't overkill. I am glad there are more fair-minded people out there who wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes what is so clear-cut to one isn't to another.

I remember watching her when she was trying to sell her ninja story in her sing song cutsey little voice. After she claimed she hadnt even been there. Then to jump to self defense when the evidence was stacked against her, ya right! The defense can throw whatever quacks they want up there, Jodi can claim the most vilest of claims against Travis, its good to see people are seeing through it!

It will be interesting to hear the jury questions today, they seem to be so telling to me.

 

[DebinGA]

Don't mean to be a "downer" but I still worry about there being 1 out of 12 who could believe or sympathize with JA. And that's ALL it takes...1 out of 12!

Question: how are the final 12 selected? By judge? Attorneys? Randomly? Pull numbers from hat?

I think the final 12 is a numbers from hat type deal. I hope CEO makes it.

I think any holdouting will be over DP vs. LWOP. And I hope that when JM reminds the jury that there's zero pedophilia evidence beyond the lying liar's lies that the vileness of that lie will convince any LWOP fence-sitters to jump off and put her on Death Row where she belongs.

 

[Lulu67]

When victims of domestic violence FINALLY leave their attacker, they are most at risk of being murdered in the first 6-9 months after they fled. I believe if the prosecution during the OJ Simpson trial would have stuck to this aspect, the outcome may have been different. IMO

 

[scorpio24]

I'd like to believe she's currently living in her own private hell, but that's how a normal person would feel, so idk.

If JA doesn't get the death penalty, I think she should serve out her LWOP locked in that closet. :moo:

 

[Ricki]

On the subject of PTSD, I can fully understand the diagnosis. Dr. Samuels was half-right. It started on the day JA was arrested, July 15, 2008, and continues to this day. She is living in her own private hell with no one to blame but herself. When she had the audacity to complain that Travis's closet was bigger than her cell, I wanted to slap her! Hope she has nightmares from now until eternity!

Juan made her repeat that. I bet he did that to make sure the Jury heard her and maybe for them to take a look at her expression at the time, which reeked of bitterness,