I hate to say, but I think it has everything to do with the victim. Because TA wasn't a child or some small indefensible person, it allowed some of the juror's minds to go there on the 'abuse'. I'm not saying I agree with that mentality, but I think it's something to consider.
I hate that I have to agree with you, but I do, totally.
Even my husband, who is extremely law and order, has doubts about Jodi ever being sentenced to death, because her victim is not "sympathetic" enough. Travis derived a great deal of sexual pleasure from her, and used her for those purposes (although JA claims it was mutual, I don't believe she used him for sex, I think she was obsessed and would have loved to have married him). She was sexual kryptonite to him, and that is completely understandable given his age and his religious background. I don't fault Travis at all. Jodi took advantage of TA's vulnerability in this regard, and used it to ingratiate herself with him.
For some reason, for hubby, this taints Travis, and gives Jodi an "understandable" but not quite acceptable motivation for her act(s) of murder, and diminishes her culpability only to the extent where she should not be given the death penalty, but instead life in prison without parole.
Please don't hate on me, because I fiercely disagree with him. Just as Caylee could have been my own daughter, and didn't do anything to deserve her fate, I believe Travis could have been my son, and did nothing to deserve his fate. Nothing he did or didn't do makes me feel any better about what Jodi did to him. Nothing. No sex tape, no angry text exchanges, no bitter words to her, no trying to extricate himself from her grip.
I can't identify with the feeling that some victims are more worthy of the highest (or most severe) form of justice by having their perpetrator be given the ultimate punishment. People are entitled to their own opinions on the DP (and anything else), but I can't get with the reasoning that because Travis might have treated Jodi poorly in some far-fetched scenario (more likely because she was manipulating him, he recognized it and reacted angrily to her manipulation, stalking, obsession, scamming, etc.), that JA is less worthy of receiving the DP than any other convicted PM murderer who is eligible, under the facts of the crime, for the DP.
JMO:twocents: