trial day 36: the defense continues its case in chief #105

[Veritas_Vita]

I'm calling it quits for tonight.

Night everyone, be kind to each other! We all want justice for Travis.:blowkiss:

 

[indicat]

She's accepting money to help free an admitted murderer. It doesn't get much worse than that imo. She's not there to be objective or give a fair assessment...if she were, I'd listen with an open mind.

Im confused, people have been bashing her for weeks and now there is a freak out about it? I think its scary that so many posters now like her because I think the jury will too and that will give her words more weight....and guess what folks, she is for Jodi all the way! She is not going to flip. I hope to eat these words by the way....

Eta: im not talking about her looks, I dont agree with that.

 

[Sedonia Sunset]

He could have given her free books from his office but he chose to buy her one!

Prisoners are not allowed to be given books or certain other gifts directly (for security reasons). The ONLY way he could have given her a book is by having it (a NEW book, not a used one) sent directly from the seller to the prison.

 

[audreyparker]

But, speaking of gender: I have every confidence that if the genders here were reversed, the trial would have lasted less than three weeks and "Joel" Arias would already be on death row for the murder of "Tammy" Alexander.

I believe you are totally correct and have believed that from the beginning of this trial.

But I've seen this double standard in play a lot recently in my area in regards to female teachers having inappropriate relationships with their young male students. I find the reaction to that circumstance very interesting considering that on the multiple occasions where it happened in the reverse, people were ready to all but castrate and hang the man, but when it's a woman sleeping with her male student, somehow it's romantic or okay because they are "in love". I call BS.

And I'm a woman.

 

[Donnareit]

-JM will have to be careful not to seem aggressive with this witness.
-JM will, I think, be able to tie her general remarks and observations about DV perpetrators back to JA, and about DV victims back to TA.
-I am hopeful this witness cares sufficiently about her important line of work to not undermine it on JA's behalf.
-The murderer can simper timidly behind her fake glasses like a wounded woodland creature as much as she likes but the crime scene photos are out, everyone has seen her handiwork.

JM has already been JM with this witness in past hearings on this case. I'm sure the cross will keep everyone's interest.

 

[Observer in AZ]

Also I'd like to say that reason I'm worried about her bias is like this..

Being an ex smoker working in a lung cancer ward = bias to smokers
She works with DV victims in Women's shelters = bias against male abusers (or males tend to be the abuser in DV situations)

JMO (please don't yell at me)

 

[StephanieHartPI]

Any type of partnership can result in violence (even business partners, co-workers)

As to this witness, open minded we go into it, but the fact is a paid witness is only on the stand because she agrees with the side that is paying her, or naturally, she would not be up there.

Let's hope Mr Martinez can put this fire out also, if need be.

 

[BritsKate]

Actually, an advocate for abused women, Murray-Strauss, did a study to confirm some findings and found that there's actually parity in domestic violence, women initiate as often as men (which is often dismissed by the bogus claim women don't do much damage) and where a weapon is used, women do it more. In other words, in trying to confirm some results he found results that made him anathema.

The dynamic of domestic violence is extremely complex and isn't served by the old tropes of sexual politics.

People talk, and rightly so, about how under-reported rape is, and the need to make it less painful and stigmatized for a woman to come forward.

That being the case, it's not hard to imagine how under-reported men as victims of domestic violence is.

And the problem is worsened by the Violence Against Women Act (what's wrong with the "Violence Against People Act?)but all that assumes men = perpetrator and makes it so that should a man report being a victim of domestic violence, he's basically called himself in a reservation at the jail.

I'm not surprised by that statistic. I think there's an inherent bias, even among DV researchers and advocates, that women don't do 'as much' damage. Pure poppycock.

I volunteer at a DV advocacy group. For roughly every 75-100 women we see we may see 1-2 men. The victims look a lot different too. The women are primarily shaken, looking over their shoulder, soft-spoken. The men, well, they're broken altogether. I think any men we do see are absolutely at the very end of their rope. I'm not doing well to explain the difference but there is a visible one.

A few men who have recounted tales of their abuse have also had issues with friends and family teasing, cajoling, or belittling them - especially, it seems, if the abuse has turned physical - so they may have even less resources than females sometimes to turn towards.

I say this too often here because its too true -> It's infuriating and heartbreaking all at the same time.

MOO

 

[spcagrl]

don't kill me, something about this lady I like. I hope I am not disappointed. I have a bit of a good feeling here.

I sort of agree. And I don't care who she sleeps with at night. Maybe it is just that she is easier on the ears than the good doctor Samuels. I am finding her, so far down to earth and fairly easy to listen to.

I also know I probably will hate her by noon tomorrow.

 

[looneymama]

Well, hopefully no matter what she says, the jury remembers when Juan got Jodi to admit that she lied to her...and everyone. He's already shown that everything Doc Dick said was based on lies so...

Really I think at this point after all the jury has heard, if she starts bashing Travis they'll be pissed. Lots of men on this jury right? They probably wont take kindly to abuse claims, especially not if any of them have dated a chick who has claimed it when it wasn't true.

 

[Donnareit]

Whether anyone here likes her or not, she is being paid by team Jodi and she is going to trash Travis and bash men. People wo are that one dimensional get zero respect from me and the male jurors will hate that too.

Yes, both sides pay their professional witnesses. But it just so happens that this time we have a killer who confessed to the crime of stabbing a man 29 times, shooting him in the head nd slicing his throat. This one is easy. She is being paid by the WRONG side.

One dimensional? Hummmmm?
:croc:

 

[BeachGirlFromPA]

Has the jury seen the videos of Jodi standing on her head, going through the trash can, singing about her memory, and telling herself she should have put on make-up?

Judge ruled them inadmissible.

 

[gauntlet]

She is a DEFENSE WITNESS. PERIOD. Always has been in this case. Her job is to prove to the jury that TA was the abuser. And goodness only knows what she will say about the pedo allegations ...:banghead:

I don't think she signed on to free Jodi. Originally she was subpoenaed as a mitigation witness. It took many hours and hearings before she was switched. I wish we could see what went on in those evidentiary hearings that happened between 2008 and 2013.

Edit -sorry my misunderstanding and edited post. So was always on their side but just changed position?

 

[Rosebud1952]

I wonder if, at the start of these experts' interviews, Jodi kind of won them over with her Little Miss Muffett persona, and it was only after they were knee deep in her BS it became clear that JA wasn't what she appeared to be. I don't think either one knew what they were getting into, and since they are not supposed to see any of the trial, they would have no idea what JM was like. I think this witness is going to be very surprised. It sounds like her previous trial experience is fluff compared to this one.

 

[Puzzler]

Has the jury seen the videos of Jodi standing on her head, going through the trash can, singing about her memory, and telling herself she should have put on make-up?

No, they have not.

 

[NotMyselfNEMore]

How many hours do you think Wilmott will keep her on the stand before letting JM take a crack at her? Will Wilmott go all day tomorrow?

I think she will go as long as she possibly can with ALV - she won't want JM to get the last word before a long weekend. I could see her dragging this out until after the weekend.

 

[missy1974]

I am watching HLN now, and actually had to rewind. She does state that she has also worked with men who have been abused. So she doesn't work solely with women that are victims of abuse.

 

[gcharlie]

Thank you for posting this. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

Aaahh I can't wait to hear GUILTY of 1st degree!!!!

Juan may actually be able to flip her to sound like a prosecution witness if he takes it slow methinks, I hope that happens.

I wondered how she was going to testify, given her career.

My first impressions are that she was nervous when she took the stand. Not sure whose decision it was, but her CV explanation is in anecdotal form and she is rambling and vague at times. She still has not hit a comfort zone twenty minutes later and often times will not complete a thought before moving to a new train of thought.

She's tried to inject some humor into some of her answers, without apparent response.

JW's is emphasizing DV in her questions, so this is clearly where they are betting the farm with this witness. She tried to get in a question about whether ALV uses a criteria before accepting an expert witness role in a case , but no answer was allowed after JM objected.

DT walks a very fine line with ALV, who could very well offer testimony that supports the prosecution. Likewise, we may not see JM as aggressive with this witness as we have seen him with others, especially if she is a person of integrity.

MOO

 

[katiewonders]

I just want to say that I respect those here who have been, or are currently in a battered woman situation.

I don't think this jury needs an expert to tell them why a battered woman might stay. I think they can feel it in their hearts/minds that a woman is controlled physically/emotionally when a batterer isolates her from family & friends; controls her money; forbids her to hold a job; threatens her safety and/or that of her children; and inflicts physical or emotional pain.

I am so grateful there are shelters where a woman can feel safe as she prepares to leave a situation like that, although many times, women still don't escape the batterer.

I am sickened that this killer would claim she was battered, by doing so, she minimizes the plight of women who matter.

I think Juan will have an easy time proving that this killer was not a battered woman through this witness's testimony, because I don't think she appears to be very intellectual. She will be no match for Juan.

My thoughts/prayers go to Travis's family as they now - after the grisly details of his murder/crime scene and the assassination of his character - will listen to their brother being described as a batterer. They will persevere as this trial marches toward justice for Travis.

Let's hope this witness is not on the stand for too many days, and we can move on to rebuttal.

:heart: MHO

 

[fifteen89]

Blah blah blah.
Yadda yadda yadda.

Even if I put aside all the premeditation, I don't know how even this expert can get around these three things straight from Jodi's mouth:

1) when Travis said she sounded like a 12 year old girl having her first 'o'....she giggled and said 'you make me feel so dirty'.....

2) when discussing the pigtails, SHE said 'that was hot.....'

3) at the suggestion of tying her to a tree she said "ohhhhh.....that's so debasing.....I like it......"

Can we fast-forward to the cross exam?