trial day 41: the defense continues its case in chief #122

[Zuri]

I have never bared my soul to any significant extent here, as I find that kind of thing inappropriate as a rule. However, many of these posts have touched me personally.

I realize that I am often flippant and like to have a good time here. But I was very badly abused as a child, and witnessed the same and worse to my mother into my teens. I feel exactly as you do, BritsKate. I know what abuse is really like, and I know how people talk about it (or don't) when it as really happened to them. I know what it's like to be terrified to go home and to live in fear every time you hear the door open because you don't know what's coming next.

To say that this noxious display of obvious falsity has been deeply and personally insulting is an understatement. After all of these years (I am now 55), I am still ashamed to admit that I was beaten as a child. It leaves permanent scars which have held me back in many ways. When I look at the smug expression on that person's face I cannot help but feel resentment, the moreso because I know full well she cannot begin to comprehend what genuine abuse is really about.

I appreciate your courage in speaking out. You have given me the courage to do the same, as I want to lend my voice to yours in indignation.

:cow:

What an incredibly thoughtful and well written post. Sometimes these posts give us courage, or enrage. You obviously went thru incredible trauma. I just want to wrap my arms around you and tell you how sorry I am. :hug:

 

[SuperTmo]

At the end of the day, while the rest of the courtroom observers left, the brunette and the blonde talked to the mitigation specialist while Nurmi talked to LaViolette.
Then they walked out of the courtroom arm and arm with LaViolette.

This is soooo shocking. Why is this allowed? The mitigation specialist should not be interacting with onlookers and neither should witnesses!!! The laughers weren't even trying to hide it while Juan was talking about the parallels to "Snow White." It's hilarious how reluctant ALV is to answer questions about her own lecture in comparison to JA...because she knows what Juan is getting at.

If someone informed someone over Judge Stephens about these photos, I wonder what would happen. Is there anyone over her? Why does the Judge allow this!

 

[Hatfield]

I couldn't have said it better myself... he wrote a mean text to vent, she decapitated him...

Exactly.

There is only 1 photo I needed to see to know she was guilty.

The one of her with the flashlight and looks like she is devil worshipping. :what:

 

[Beaglemania]

And he was a GROWN man who could have ended it, sex is not an excuse to continue with someone, especially one you think is crazy. He was raised in a horrible environment (in his younger years) per what has been said and most people raised in that type of environment tend to became hypervigilant to their surroundings and the people in their live. So based on his past live, per what has been said, I feel he would have been more in tune to crazy individuals. Not a good idea to use sex as an excuse when dealing with unsafe individuals...JMO

Geez..now it is all Travis' fault?? Wow, just freaking WOW.

 

[StephanieHartPI]

There's another case of long-distance domestic violence that culminated in murder too. Venus Stewart was doing everything 'right'. She'd left her abuser, moved home to her parents, filed for divorce, got a restraining order, had the police reports, and was insistent to be careful with contact.

Her husband traveled across several states after she'd left to murder her. Her body still has yet to be located and her daughters are being raised by her parents. He, however, was convicted of her murder.

It kind of puts into perspective the 'norm' for abusers to escalate violence when their victims leave, even when there's a great geographical distance.

yes, and that long distance carries so much more weight. They were married or otherwise a couple. That is so much deeper... divorce and restraining orders.

Yes, leaving or taking that step to get permanent separation is the most dangerous time.

A case here in my own small city...a "domestic" situation, comes to a head, mom stabs the family dog to death in front of the husband and kids. She is removed from the home, next day restraining order granted. Dad has the kids. They are at school, he comes home and she is hiding behind the front door and stabs him to death.

Mom is in jail, kids with a relative.

 

[gloomy]

ALV testified today, while being questioned by Mr. Martinez: She did not have any conversations with others....she only talked to Jodi Arias.

Wait a minute... didn't she say she talked to Matt C?? The killer's ally...LOL :floorlaugh:

Cannot wait for Monday! The DT better not pull any funny carp! They're not fooling anyone with their antics. Justice for Travis will come and Arias will be on death row. :twocents:

 

[Karmady]

ALV: I'm not evaluating whether or not Ms. Defendant is a battered child Mr. Martinez.

Oh but I did evaluate Travis as a battered child tho.

I think that was based on Travis' own account. I've asked many times whether that account is known to be truthful since I've never heard his family speak about it - not that I'd expect them to. But since he identified himself rather clearly as having been a battered and abused child in a pretty extreme situation, I think she's probably okay in that department. I doubt anyone's going to get up and say he wasn't since that would make his blog/book a lie.

 

[manzana]

I don't hate her, I just worry about her sabotaging this trial by talking about things that don't need to be talked about. If you read the story she said she needed to consult with her legal advisers before she gave an interview. Yesterday she wasn't going to give any interviews until the trial was over, which is the right thing to do.
She can do whatever she wants, I just hope she doesn't jeopardize the hard work of many people, not to mention the large amount of money that has been spent, just so she can have her 15 minutes.

She obviously has issues IMO, showing up like a groupie now that she has been removed. Yeah she could have taken money already but if she holds out, the dollars only get bigger. Mark my words, she will sell out before any other juror does.

 

[wasnt_me]

For some strange reason, I think JM is being aggressive with ALV to prove that a man doing so does not mean he's "Battering" or abusing the woman.

Does this make sense to anyone else or am I off my rocker? Because he's being more aggressive with her that than PPL idiot or Dr. Sam.

Or that ALV has a problem with men and think they all are abusive.

 

[BritsKate]

He also convinced Ricky Spencer that Venus was abusing the kids and he had to protect them.
So Ricky posed as Doug Stewart in VA, while Doug went off on his murder drive to Michigan.
Not once but twice b/c the first trip Doug got a speeding ticket and had to try again later.

He is one disgusting individual, just like this defendant.

ITA but KISS and all that, ya know. :biggrin: It's one case I had to bow out of early on but followed elsewhere. I still check for updates, hoping they've found her. I don't get why some victims are more victims than others when they've all been killed by their intimate partner. And Michelle Young had 'issues' with relationships stemming from a sexual assault in college. Nancy Cooper spent too much money. Travis was mean. And on and on again. :banghead:

 

[Sleuth5]

:hug:

I'm so sorry for what you endured, Sleuth, and pray you'll know peace from the shame. You were a baby - you did nothing wrong - and it was up to the adults to protect you, not hurt you. They failed you. It can be horribly painful to relive old wounds - your bravery is amazing! :clap: Thank you so much for sharing what you have - it really means a lot to me personally. :blowkiss:

You're quite welcome, but it is I who owe you in this instance, dear lady. This charade has opened old wounds for many of us, I am sure. Thankfully, we can share in a safe and welcoming environment.

One of the most thoroughly infuriating elements in all of this from my perspective is recognizing that when you endure abuse as a child, part of you never really grows up. There will always remain a part of me that is frightened and insecure. It has made relationships with other men difficult at times. Overcompensating results in overly brave stances, seeking out particularly dangerous or challenging occupations in an attempt to overcome the perceived inadequacy, only to hear that little voice remind me that I am still a frightened, vulnerable child.

The reason that annoys me so here is that it is so patently clear that our dear defendant suffers from no such demons. Instead, she appears to be blissfully fearless, indifferent to her own shortcomings, and utterly and completely in love with herself. Normally, I would not begrudge someone that kind of inner peace -- if we could call it that. But as she has decided to wave the flag of abuse, it has ignited an anger which I find difficult to quench.

Thank you again. One never knows when something one writes will help someone else to make some small progress toward greater self-awareness.

 

[MeeBee]

If I had a nickel for every time ive said this I would be rich LOl To me his unprofessional combative stance and attack mode approach of crossing has only risks and no benefit other than to impress his fans. I would much rather have a normal civil servant like the rest of the prosecutors ive seen in the past. There simply is no reason to act this way and it may come back to bite him with a 2nd degree instead of a 1st. If this happens you will have him to thank.

Personally I think it is terribly disrespectable and frankly un heard of and that is why we have never seen such nonsense in court before. I would venture to say he rubs jurors the wrong way and like I said it is not worth the risk in a death penalty case. I agree with you fully

That's not what I've heard at all. I've heard juries love him. The other day there was a former juror in a case he tried like 20 years ago in court. Said he was the same back then.

 

[TigerBalm]

Wait a minute... didn't she say she talked to Matt C?? The killer's ally...LOL :floorlaugh:

Cannot wait for Monday! The DT better not pull any funny carp! They're not fooling anyone with their antics. Justice for Travis will come and Arias will be on death row. :twocents:

She testified about what he had stated, as well as others but the only person she actually spoke with was the defendant.

She takes a person's writing and twists it all around.

Look what she said about Lisa compared to Lisa's actual trial testimony.
Jurors won't forget the questions they asked Lisa and her answers.

 

[AuburnSchnauzer]

LOVED LOVED LOVED when JM walks up to cross and grabs the evidence out of Wilma's hands.

LOLOLOL

It was fantastic - I agree.....:great:

 

[SuperTmo]

I thought the laughter was completely rude and disrespectful to the FACT there is a dead victim. This is not a Broadway play for entertainment. It is a trial seeking justice for a VICTIM who was stabbed, butchered and shot.

Those who laughed should be banned from the courtroom.

The stuff they laughed at wasn't even FUNNY!

JW's comment was a poorly executed joke that would have gotten JW boo'ed of stage if she was actually doing stand up. And the stupid "are you angry" comment? She's acting like an idiot and not doing herself any favors professionally, but it wasn't funny when she asked it. Those people laughed like buffoons because they will take any chance they can to drive home the fact that they think Juan Martinez is more ignorant than they are. JA lit up like a kid on Christmas after that comment until she realized only her group found it funny and that nobody else was laughing.

Whatever. Let them laugh... the point that Juan will make about Snow White's abuse is that JA's is as made up as Snow White's. I wonder if they'll be laughing then. Jerks.

 

[WithMyLittleEye]

JM is a genius. In 45 minutes accomplished the following:

1. Set up that her clinical qualifications to be lacking as academic or as clinical in comparison to the upcoming rebuttal expert.
2. Admit that she sees TA as the perpetrator rather than the victim of ruthless murder.
3. Reveal her contempt for JM within the first few minutes of cross. Shows her to be an non impartial expert.
4. By his manner of questioning, ie...paraphrasing 'is it the way the prosecutor is asking the question?'...parallel to what he asked Jodi when she testified. As he discredited JA, IMO, it's a subtle way (or perhaps, not so subtle) to discredit ALV and their bias towards men.
5. Using ALVs own ridiculous Snow White hypothesis using her own continuum as a guide (did she say "guide when she was testifying for the defense?") with the real life murder of TA. Using this as a parallel, IMO, makes ALV appear to be unprofessional as a expert within a first degree murder charge.
6. She was unable to recount facts when asked, regarding the journals without them being in front of her. Looking into the air to come up with JAs negative feelings and then agreed that none of negatives were that important.
7. Unsure glancing at the DT and sarcastically smiling at the jury after JMs questions. The victims were not smiling, nor was I.
8. Not answering questions as asked on cross, but continually asking JM...what he was trying to find out. I was imagining her brain scrambling trying to outsmart and figure out where JM was going. Didn't work.

And, ALVs testimony regarding June 4th on direct sounded so overly rehearsed it came off as disingenuous.

IMO, ALV had an personnel agenda when volunteering to be a DT expert. She knew this would be a huge case, it already was all of the media when she volunteered her services. For her, this was to be a platform to conduct an internationally televised 2 day workshop on domestic violence against women. Looking at her CV, she's much more of an activist on gender and how that relates to DV.

As far as I'm concerned, ALV really wanted to be on the stand, so lets see how engaging and expert she is on cross, now that her 6 day personnel platform is over. :bricks:

For 45minutes on cross...I say Wow!!!!!!

Apologies to all for bad typing..on iPad...grrrrr. :blushing:

 

[AuburnSchnauzer]

According to HLN's website, the wedding was in July, 2004.

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/04/04/exclusive-video-jodi-arias-bridesmaid?clusterId=1303

I've always said she is double-jointed and can manipulate her finger knuckles anyway she wishes...

 

[Rocco]

For some strange reason, I think JM is being aggressive with ALV to prove that a man doing so does not mean he's "Battering" or abusing the woman.

Does this make sense to anyone else or am I off my rocker? Because he's being more aggressive with her that than PPL idiot or Dr. Sam.

Or that ALV has a problem with men and think they all are abusive.

I thought he started out being very patient with her. It was only when she started getting under his skin by dancing around simple yes/no questions that he stepped it up. Just my interpretation.

 

[TigerBalm]

I think that was based on Travis' own account. I've asked many times whether that account is known to be truthful since I've never heard his family speak about it - not that I'd expect them to. But since he identified himself rather clearly as having been a battered and abused child in a pretty extreme situation, I think she's probably okay in that department. I doubt anyone's going to get up and say he wasn't since that would make his blog/book a lie.

Sorry, that wasn't my point.

My point was she is telling Juan that she wasn't there to evaluate the defendant's childhood but she did with Travis' childhood.
If she does it for one, then she should be able to do it for both.

 

[pollybear]

Just my personal opinion regarding our expert witness, Miss ALV and her IMO ever growing more and more desperate need for signs of confirmation from some, any, all, or even one of the jurors that she is maintaining a connection with them..<--this need from ALV has been noticed by me for quite some time.. IMO without doubt I can see the desperation growing and increasing with the need to have something to make her feel soothed that she's "still got it"(ie.this connection with at the very least ONE OF THESE JURORS).. ALV IMO is becoming more and more uncertain and troubled at her losing this connection(whether real or merely deluding herself to believe) that she feels the need to maintain..

jmo, again but even in her most wishful and hopeful mind she absolutely knows that if there were ever a connection forged btwn herself and any/all/some/or even one of these jurors that it is rapidly fast fading in its existence..

if this [unusual paid person] were of even the most minute amount of care I would at this point in time be genuinely feeling sorry for her and the desperation that I am seeing ever present and only rapidly increasing throughout her testimony..but IMO I am strongly of the opinion that true victims are not at all this woman's priority therefor I am left feeling zero, nil, none, not even a tiny iota of sorrow, pain, or even embarrassment for her and her ever growing desperation that is only becoming more glaringly obvious.. in fact I am thoroughly happy that this is what IMO is happening right before my eyes, but much more importantly right before the eyes of each and every one of those 17 jurors that are left in place holding the ever important job of deciding this defendants fate..

Miss ALV while I personally have zero pity for that ever increasing uncomfortable position that I am watching you squirm in, I do however want to thank you for being so easily read, like say, a child's fairytale book for instance..It is your priceless look of desperation that is telling me all I need to know WRT the status of your much wanted connection that you so greatly desire and need to maintain..jmo, but that connection, if ever existing to begin with, is long since lost, broken, and NOT at all intact with nary a single one of those jurors..

this is jmo, tho and my personal view of the ever increasing desperation that exudes from our "expert" witness, Miss ALV..

Well put, and awesome post—thanks