Verdict Watch 05/03/2013

[KarmicLaw]

I wouldn't worry too much about the older jurors. As someone pointed out not to long ago: today's seventy year old was 20 at Woodstock. ;-)

Hahaha, good point!! :seeya: i hate verdict watch when we have a weekend gap. I'm gonna get dressed and get out of this house so I can get my mind off of it.

 

[minazoe]

I just couldn't deal yesterday, i was listening to Nurmi sanding the edges off of every bit of evidence...i sort of went in to a fog....a hypnotic state where everything is groovy and nobody kills anyone on purpose, and like it's cool because jodi didn't plan well so that means it was like accidental , right?

omigod, i was in a coma by the time Juan came back...

 

[geevee]

Were you surprised when Nurmi asked the jury to return a verdict for manslaughter? i thought they were trying for an acquittal?

I believe he prefaced it with 'If she's guilty of anything...'

 

[kaRN]

Regarding Geffner. Generally speaking, a neuropsychologist has a lot of knowledge about the working brain on a living human being. More so than a forensic pathologist as they deal with deceased human beings and determine cause of death. Two totally different specialities. Using Dr. Geffner to refute an ME was a stretch and was not effective IMO.

Dr Horn is first and foremost a medical doctor so his knowledge of the living body still trumps that of Dr G IMO. He has years more education spent obtaining a specialty than Dr G does.
Psychology is a very soft and flowing science as illustrated by the 4 experts brought on to contradict each other. Pathology is not. I was a little disgusted he even agreed to critique the autopsy report. When you don't understand where your scope of practice ends, then it's time to retire before you harm someone. :twocents:

 

[Boodles]

I tend to think there is something big, such as your description, that is missing with respect to testimony presented during trial. I heard no testimony about what was found on Jodi's computer or her so called messed up hard drive. Something, or several things are missing in this overall picture. JMO - it appears to me the judge has bent over backwards for the DT with regards to what is probative and what is prejudicial. One has to wonder how much actual evidence of misconduct, perhaps felonious conduct, there is related to Ms. Arias. (i.e. no tire slashing could be directly questioned by JM, no questioning the stolen ring, Travis's journals being taken and so on, the list is long). I also think somewhere there is some kind of evidence that ties Gus Searcy to Jodi with regards to the 10 May tape recording, I do believe the two of them were up to something with that. I also think there is something tied to MM other than the forged letters that was not on the up and up so to speak, but again no testimony.

Sad to me, but it appears that just about anything that would give a honest look at Jodi's manipulation or wrong doing other than killing Travis was pretty much left out of this trial. As such, her motive(s) for murdering Travis could not be presented. I realize motive is not a required aspect, however if one exists, I fail to see why a judge should ever allow the facts of that to be excluded. Seems to me evidence of motive is very probative even if it shows the defendent to be a fraud, a thief, or some other delinquent. Especially when the defendent's choice of defense is total character annihilation of the victim.

Great post. Something huge is missing, and I think you're right that it's because it was deemed too prejudicial. And they didn't allow financial data in...

I don't think we can ever find out what it was. Even if the defendant ends up talking someday, we know she lies. And she kept secrets, so who else would know?

 

[kscornfed]

I believe he prefaced it with 'If she's guilty of anything...'

that's still pretty weak. at no time did he tell them 'you should find her not guilty because she was clearly defending her own life.' that's what they tried to prove, after all. they just know they didn't prove it.

 

[garthmax]

Juan started to bring up those magazines that she had written on to one of the show's producers, as soon as he did Nurmi sz facts not in evidence, and I remembered right away oh yes those magazines WERE in evidence but Juan's questioning even left us scratching our heads, it was so quick and then it was over. So he objected I think three times loudly then side bar and then Juan pulled those Magazines out and went over it again on the Elmo. heeh. *(where JA had written on the side and it was all bullet points on the Elmo lol!)*

Juan Martinez, Art in the Courtroom! *not the mags either*

I didn't quite get that. Why did he object and than have JM show the jury the actual magazine. Another example on how he tried to help the pros. Did anyone catch JW give Nurmi the elbow to object several times and he didn't. Good thing or they would be at the judges bench for JM entire rebuttal closing.

 

[SwampMama]

About Jodi's tweets.

Her tweet about praying? LOL, there ain't enough prayer in the world to keep her from getting what she deserves. You have to repent to be forgiven and she has done the opposite of repent. She has reveled in her sins and continued to lie.

Her tweet about not getting her commissary order? Oh LOL. Ironic that Travis family is doing a day of prayer and fasting and now Jodi didn't get her snacks for the weekend. God has a funny sense of humor sometimes! And for her to mention Santa Claus? LOL, Santa doesn't deliver to naught little nasty murderers, she might as well get used to that.

Her tweets will soon come to an end. Donovan is just in it for the publicity and it will soon fade away.

 

[Zuri]

Honestly, I don't think anyone knows- except Jodi. Otherwise it would have been documented somewhere.

Speaking of documenting, ye who never sleeps has over 2000 posts. :seeya:

 

[kaRN]

Just wondering why JA wasn't charged with the heinous nature of the murder. It seems like Travis was murdered very cruelty and experienced much suffering at the hands of JA. Could this have been part of the 1st degree murder instructions? Isn't extreme cruelty also used when making charges in murder?

The heinous nature of the murder and the cruelty shown are what makes this a capital case. Once found guilty, the jury will hear arguments about just that and decide if they agree before they recommend a sentence. Then the DT gets to tell us all about why JA's a victim worth sparing and the Judge makes the final call IIRC.

 

[kscornfed]

Ah, but remember with age comes wisdom. And all "older people" were once younger people and have been around the block a time (or two). Even though none of us can imagine our parents ever having "done it," of course we were wrong! Older folks know a thing or two about a thing or two...

(And it's not like this is taking place in a rural Bible Belt county in the southeast!)

this is so true. hell, i'm 64 so i'm OLD. but i was no angel in my youth and most people i know weren't. we're all human----even us old people. we get it.

as my mother used to say 'you young people think you invented all this, but believe me, there really is nothing new under the sun.'

 

[verbonica]

That is interesting, isn't it?

And the elephant in the room....what was Travis so angry about that he referred to in the May 26 message? What did JA do? Why didn't they explain?

Apparently they do not have evidence to support any claims regarding this. I'm not sure that we will *ever* know. I'll bet there will be lots of stories and guesses though.

 

[JustMeDeb]

Just throwing this out because I cannot wrap my head around the things Nurmi said in his closing. Could it be that he really does hate JA and wants the jury to vote for the DP? I want to think he made all the errors and threw out all the known lies to give them that chance.

 

[aa9511]

I know this came up yesterday, but I am nervous because Jean C on HLN said some of the male jurors seemed to be connecting with Nurmi, very attentive and taking notes in the part talking about why premidation didn't make sense. Also I think Wildaboutrial also tweeted the same thing. I know I"m prob reading too much into this, but it just got me very worried. Nurmi did have a good way of talking during the closing, but hopefully that won't affect the jurors' thinking.

 

[ElleElle]

Posted in KCL's court thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrRcH2B7884&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Our very own! :heartluv:

 

[geevee]

Speaking of MattM, what did he testify to that contradicted what JA had been saying and he should "fix" it asap? (I mean in the magazine messages that were possibly meant for MM). I never could figure out what she was talking about. And why did she give him the media guy's phone number? For MM to do an interview supporting the pedo story?

He was going to testify in the evidentiary hearing about the pedo letters and spoke to one of her attorneys before and apparently her attny told her what MM said and planned to say at the hearing, hence her cryptic message that he wasn't saying what she had been telling her attnys for over a year and they needed to get their stories straight.

 

[gauntlet]

One of my favourite quotes on May 02 of JM

"It's like a field of lies that has sprouted around her as she sat on that witness stand. Everytime she spat something out, another weed, another lie would grow around her."

---

How great to be in a job where you get the chance to say exactly what you think of someone!

 

[GaMom13]

Oh, I so agree with with you, I really have contempt for most def attys. please somebody tell these fools how stupid they sound. I've also had enough of why didn't she kill him right away? Maybe because his roommates were there idiots. She waited until they left for work, she probably had the car parked down the street. No one would know that was her car, that's why she snuck in his house. Also I don't think she really wanted any noise from the gunshot.

I have to say I also agree. I can not stand to listen to Holly H. on HLN, and most of the other attorneys. Some of them are very young, very little experience, and evidently few clients of their own with the availability they have to sound off for HLN, yet they are on there post grading Juan Martinez with a C! Mr. Martinez is the one who handled this case since 2008, showed up every day, represented the case without a cohart, and yet they are sitting in a studio passing judgement. Why are they all (prior) attorneys or prosecutors at their age?

I also agree she did not kill Travis right away because she had to wait until they were alone and she wanted him in the shower in order to limit his ability to fight back. She did not stabf him when his back was turned as he could have whirled around at that time and possibly have stopped her. She waited until he was sitting and not able to move as quickly. The gunshot, imo,was to silence Travis's death sounds as the room mate was returning. She did not want anyone to know she was there.

 

[JustMeDeb]

There are so many things that have frustrated me during the trial. But the most is the fact nobody will ever really know what happened on June 4th. We can assume or speculate but JA will take it to the gurney with her.

 

[bznbear]

Or, she is incredibly pizzed off. Me thinks... she is really, really, really angry. Which, makes me so happy!

Yes, very very angry! I won't be surprised to hear about her getting into trouble while in prison.

One thing I fear, and believe she's totally capable of, is attempting to harm those she hates, from prison. There've been many cases of prisoners trying to hire a hit person to take someone out.