What did you think of the State's cross examination of Arias?

[InTheGarden]

The only thing I could add to JA's cross-examination was to ask, "Instead of turning right into the closet, why didn't you turn left and go down the stairs and run outside? After all, you had a naked man chasing you."

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

sorry wrong thread.

 

[Teresa]

I believe JA did a great job! I do wish he had focused on the crime pictures more.They wont let you "forget" what she DID to Travis.

 

[krkrjx]

I thought it was Magnificent! IMO the only way it could have gone better would be if the judge had made Nurmi phrase his objections properly. I do feel he was allowed to "lead" his client at times.

 

[Madeleine74]

I thought he was very good. He did get into some rat holes of verbal sparring and it did get tedious at times. I too was waiting for him to count out the wounds and show the pictures of each one that last day, but he got some 'gotchas' in there and that was excellent.

I still rate TX ex-prosecutor Kelly Siegler slightly higher overall on cross-exam, having seen both prosecutors in their element, but they're on par; both are the best of the best. His attention to detail and memory is second to none, that's for sure.

 

[graceholl]

I think it could have been a lot better, he - at least at first - came across as aggressive and impatient and focused on a lot of mundane things. Really the best part was on the last day of cross, but all in all with the facts against Jodi I don't think he did the best he could have done. JMO

 

[Linda7NJ]

Oh my goodness I guess I'm in the minority here. I voted that he did a good job but sure could have left out things. At points he got into those verbal battles with Jodi and his ego got in the way. It was nonsense and had no part in the case. He had to win those arguments. He took a very long time to get to a very short distance round and round he went.

I do look forward to his summation. That should be a direct line with no wandering around to her guilt. Just moo.

IMO he proved she was no shrinking violet or battered woman. There was no shaking, Controlled, weak or meek woman up there.... Startling difference from her performance during direct,


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[Tiger09]

I'm surprised JA didn't snarl at him or carve something in her forehead, but she does have her vanity and the delusion that she's getting off- or she did. I think he did great with what he had- meaning JA. I did want more focus of where was the gun from, but I get it, he had bigger fish to fry, so to speak, and it may be easier to prove to the jury when Travis's friend with the tape says that he did not have a gun. I also hope the "if I killed Travis I would beg for the death penalty" video played.

 

[Irving]

I thought he was masterful. In hindsight, it is easy to say that he might have left some things out, or gone on too long on certain points, but looking at the overall performance, it was fantastic.

He had to leave many things out because there were just too many lies to cover them all. And he had to go out into the weeds because she constantly tried to pull him off track. But he eventually learned how to control her, partly by just wearing her down.

I think it was great strategy that he didn't let her get away with any verbal gymnastics in the beginning. Lots of people said he was letting her control things by him engaging her in those silly exchanges. But I think it was the opposite. He let her know that he wasn't going to let her get away with that. He was going to stay with her, no matter what little games she tried to play to deflect or deny things. And even though it was annoying and confusing for everyone else, it was effective strategy in the end.

I loved his final mini-closing. It was great the way he gave the summary of his cross, and reminded the jury of the damage he had done to the defense. And the clip where she says the jury will never convict her- HA, CLASSIC. :giggle:

Couldn't agree more!

 

[katydid23]

The only thing I could add to JA's cross-examination was to ask, "Instead of turning right into the closet, why didn't you turn left and go down the stairs and run outside? After all, you had a naked man chasing you."

That is a really good question. The problem is that it is not a good strategy to ask a lying sociopath open-ended questions like that. She surely has a bogus explanation all ready for him. And that just leads him down another wormhole.

He did ask her a similar question earlier, about why she went right instead of left, and she blurted out that BS story of being grabbed and choked out the previous August.

Remember when he asked her where the ammo was for travis's gun? He asked if she had seen him use it previously and she was eager to answer YES, and take him down that road. But he learned his lesson and moved away from the subject quickly. I think it bothered her that he wouldnt let he ruse her ready made explanation in front of the jury.

 

[sleuth21]

I was a critic at the beginning. I thought a lot was lost through his yelling. There are plenty of people who shut down when exposed to loud confrontation and I feared that someone on the jury might feel that way. However, it certainly brought out a whole new side the defendant. I think that made a huge difference in how she was viewed.

By the last 2 days Mr. Martinez was knocking my socks off. Prosecutors do not do a lot of cross examination and super rarely of the defendant in a complex murder case. His command of the evidence was truly astounding to me. I wish people knew just how tough that can be. It was a seamless presentation. I would have had to have practiced those last 2 days about 5 times all the way through to get it that smooth. And all the while he is dealing with an unpredictable defendant who likes to take trips down rabbit holes.

His ability to adjust his demeanor those last couple of days was perfect. He kept the heat on her, seemed to get more out of her and, at the same time, wasn't nice to her either.

When he played the 48 hours video where she talks about the Cinnabons I noticed that he played more of that than he needed to to make his immediate point. I thought he did an outstanding and masterful job of rehabilitating the victim through the words of the same woman who has been tearing his good reputation apart for weeks on end. He did more to humanize the victim in this case than any other prosecutor I've seen.

He will be able to wrap up a lot of details in closing and I know we will all be left with the chilling horror of every wound to that poor man's body and that nasty witch will be done playing victim.

 

[Deebest49]

I believe JA did a great job! I do wish he had focused on the crime pictures more.They wont let you "forget" what she DID to Travis.

I was thinking the same thing, but the few pictures he did show at the end of his cross actually brought back all of the crime scene photos in my mind. Those pictures I am sure are embedded in the Jurors minds, just as they are in mine. I don't need to ever see them again to know what she did to him. Hoping the jury doesn't either.

 

[gitana1]

I thought he was masterful. In hindsight, it is easy to say that he might have left some things out, or gone on too long on certain points, but looking at the overall performance, it was fantastic.

He had to leave many things out because there were just too many lies to cover them all. And he had to go out into the weeds because she constantly tried to pull him off track. But he eventually learned how to control her, partly by just wearing her down.

I think it was great strategy that he didn't let her get away with any verbal gymnastics in the beginning. Lots of people said he was letting her control things by him engaging her in those silly exchanges. But I think it was the opposite. He let her know that he wasn't going to let her get away with that. He was going to stay with her, no matter what little games she tried to play to deflect or deny things. And even though it was annoying and confusing for everyone else, it was effective strategy in the end.

I loved his final mini-closing. It was great the way he gave the summary of his cross, and reminded the jury of the damage he had done to the defense. And the clip where she says the jury will never convict her- HA, CLASSIC. :giggle:

Excellent summation!

I don't think so at all. I think he was leading her into her mania. Making her fight back. Showing what happens when she is cornered. She does not cower and back down she comes out swinging.

Every time he pushed her, she pushed back. Even when she is crying she does not look small and scared, She has no trouble answering.

He did it right. If he pushed her and she had cowered, I bet he would have backed off, But he knew that she likes to add details and make things interesting so she may add something new and something more incriminating.

Juan, is the wizard

I agree. It was a great psychological strategy.

That part burns me the most. The man is dead, You killed him. You sliced him up and killed him brutally. You need to slander him? To make people hate him? It just shows how evil she is. More than I have ever seen. Her and Manson. It is all I got. Her and Manson.

I can not wait to see how Juan handles the rest of his prosecution.

Me too. That's what really caused hatred in me. Watching his relatives have to sit quietly and hear that about their precious, murdered brother.

I believe JA did a great job! I do wish he had focused on the crime pictures more.They wont let you "forget" what she DID to Travis.

That would have just given her more opportunity to demonstrate her theatrics and grand standing.

This guy has been in the business a long, long time. He knows what he's doing.

I thought it was Magnificent! IMO the only way it could have gone better would be if the judge had made Nurmi phrase his objections properly. I do feel he was allowed to "lead" his client at times.

That's because Juan Martinez did not object. The judge won't generally step in absent an objection and Juan clearly felt it wasn't worth the effort, which told me he was super confident.

I found him to be a master. But I know how hard this is. It's not tv and I think he has been holding the jury in the palm of his hands.

 

[Ladylub]

Thought he did a great job from the very beginning. Even though he covered things that were not important he showed she lies for no reason. He showed that she confronts when she feels she was wronged. When he was yelling at her he showed that even though he was being an evil man she did not back down not matter how repetitive and annoying it was. She gave as much as he gave. He gave her just enough rope in his questions and allowing her to go off track to hang herself at times. I did kind of want to see him grill her more on the murder but honest the only thing that would do is hurt Travis' family and friends. The jury saw enough of the crime scene to know what happened and I think what JM covered showed she was lying. The main reason I wanted him to cover the murder was more an evil part of my brain wanting to see JA squirm. He did a good job giving Travis back his name and identity that was being smeared by JA.

 

[Deebest49]

I was a critic at the beginning. I thought a lot was lost through his yelling. There are plenty of people who shut down when exposed to loud confrontation and I feared that someone on the jury might feel that way. However, it certainly brought out a whole new side the defendant. I think that made a huge difference in how she was viewed.

By the last 2 days Mr. Martinez was knocking my socks off. Prosecutors do not do a lot of cross examination and super rarely of the defendant in a complex murder case. His command of the evidence was truly astounding to me. I wish people knew just how tough that can be. It was a seamless presentation. I would have had to have practiced those last 2 days about 5 times all the way through to get it that smooth. And all the while he is dealing with an unpredictable defendant who likes to take trips down rabbit holes.

His ability to adjust his demeanor those last couple of days was perfect. He kept the heat on her, seemed to get more out of her and, at the same time, wasn't nice to her either.

When he played the 48 hours video where she talks about the Cinnabons I noticed that he played more of that than he needed to to make his immediate point. I thought he did an outstanding and masterful job of rehabilitating the victim through the words of the same woman who has been tearing his good reputation apart for weeks on end. He did more to humanize the victim in this case than any other prosecutor I've seen.

He will be able to wrap up a lot of details in closing and I know we will all be left with the chilling horror of every wound to that poor man's body and that nasty witch will be done playing victim.

EXCELLENT Summation. I totally agree with you. The only thing I'd like to add is this: All those Rabbit holes he "ALLOWED" her to lead him down, I believe he did for a very specific reason. Each one showed just how conniving and Manipulative she is, as well as how disagreeable she is when her word is not taken for law. He forced her to strip the mask off that she wore while on Direct, and show her natural desire to RUN THE SHOW so to speak. JM showed me, exactly how frightening and dangerous this woman really is.

 

[katydid23]

I agree with zoomama that Juan Martinez wasted too much time and energy in verbal sparring with Jodi.
The facts are overwhelmingly on his side and he should have stuck to them rather than nitpicking Jodi over the words she was using. Martinez kept trying to twist her words to mean things she didn't intend instead of just letting her own words condemn her. There were points in his cross examination where he lost credibility with me.
I disagree with those who think Jodi was agressive or fought back. I know if I was in her seat I would have been screaming at Martinez. I think she sat back and took it pretty well. Far better than I would have in her shoes.
I believe Jodi is 100% guilty of first degree murder but I do think Martinez was way too agressive, manipulative, and controlling.

Great first post, and :welcome: to WS.

I disagree that he was nitpicking though. He needed to get her on the record admitting to certain things. He NEEDS those facts for his closing statement. So if she tries to wiggle out by saying " I think so" or " Yes and No" or " I wouldn't put it that way, exactly' , then he has no choice but to stay on her and get the YES answer out of her. It might seem like he is being nitpicky, but her answers are useless to him if they are worded nebulously. And she KNOWS that.

I think she was very passive-aggressive. Her statements like " Men like you and Travis scramble my brain when you yell like that." [paraphrasing] are some examples. imo

Also, I don't understand why people are surprised that a prosecutor would be controlling and aggressive. That is his job, in fact, to control her and to prosecute her. To find the truth HIDDEN beneath her lies.

What if someone was arrested for molesting your child? And that person lied and asserted their innocence even though you knew they were guilty. Would you want a prosecutor that was kind and polite and did not challenge the suspect? Or would you want a prosecutor that confronted the suspect with their own lying words and pressed them mercilessly?

 

[DairyGirl]

Considering how difficult JA was being he did wonderful. I loved how he was able to use her own words to impeach her. He rarely let her get away with anything. And for those of us who have been following this case it was apparent that treating her with kid gloves was not going to work. She needed someone who could take her down a notch or two, which he did perfectly. By the end of the cross I really thought he managed to break her, at least as much as she could be broken. She may have been going for the pathetic, remorseful look but she appeared to me to have lost her fight. Her word games were gone. When she was asked if she was the one who slit TA's throat I don't think her plan was ever to answer that directly. I fully expected a "I don't remember" but he worded things in such a way that she didn't have to remember, she had to admit it wasn't possible for anyone else to have done it so therefore it must have been her.
I was almost surprised that she didn't admit to making up the lies about TA but that is where I saw her defiance come back. She was hanging on to the one thread of fight she had left. She would not back down on that even though it was obvious she lied.
If he missed things it was because she was doing her best to distract him. That won't happen in the closing argument. It will be all him and he won't miss a beat.

 

[Dewey2Me1MoThyme]

Awesome, and then some. I was amazed at how Juan systematically dismantled most of Jodi's incessant lies and exposed the many faces of Jodi Arias.

The demonstration of the "linebacker" charge that Jodi attributed to Travis came off looking more like a graceful dance move with no trace of anger or hostility in the man she accused of "coming after her". For someone who believes herself to be artistic and creative, Jodi's lame attempt at acting was a major fail. :moo:

BBM: JA showed no anger, no memory of fear or any emotion during her re-enactment. When she said it would be easier to show him than to describe it, and Juan Martinez said "ok, do it" I jumped right off the sofa and hollared "YES!" while giving my best JA smirk immitation. :rocker:

 

[pip]

I was disappointed that JA seemed to have the upper hand and control so much of the time. His frustration showed quite often. She is a hard NUT to crack. (and I really didn't see her crack...as i'd hoped). Hopefully that will actually work against her and bite her in the tookus with the jurors. They will see how domineering and controlling she really is. No wilting flower. No victim. In my fantasy, I hoped he would drive her so hard about Mimi and Cancun and her jealousy and feelings of rejection that she would have a brilliant blow out full circuit meltdown. Not to be had. Much of the time was spent chasing tails around and around in circles. He did make great advances on her in exposing her inconsistencies and nonsense. I just hope it is enough to drive home her 1st degree guilt to the jurors. I think he had to be hostile towards her. That was his only hope of making any headway with the monster.

 

[Dewey2Me1MoThyme]

What JM did to JA is a stroll in comparison to what she did to Travis Alexander. Big deal, he was mean to her, he wouldn't enable her lies, or have her own way to tell her fantasy tale. Now compare that to over 2 dozen stab wounds, a slit throat and a gun shot to the head. The latter alone gives me the willies when I think of the noise Travis experienced inside his head as that bullet forced it's way through him. She got off easy when you look at it through Travis' eyes.