A view from the inside: observations from our own court observers

[PASA]

I wonder if they have aspergers. My grandson has silk boxers (took them from his Da (his grandfather, my better half) when he was about eight months old, he's now eighteen) that he rubs them between his fingers, and stuffs them in his jeans pocket if he's going somewhere. He says it calms him.
When he had court order visitation he'd take them, and his mother would throw them away and make fun of him.
Sometimes he paces the house with them in hand when he says he feels "unsettled".

That is heartbreaking. The stress of the comfort silk being taken away doesn't help him in any way.

 

[WhatsupAZ]

Here is my weird connection to this defendant:

I lived in Monterey/Pacific Grove when she did.
I lived in Palm Desert when she did.
I LIVE in tempe, boarders Mesa...moved back here in Jan 2007.

I feel like she is stalking ME!

 

[Anita Richman]

Hi Anita,

It wasn't an attorney, it (he) was a major defense computer witness who testified in the trial (this is the Brad Cooper trial, 2011) then came to Websleuths that same evening and he posted his thoughts and responses to comments that had been made about him. One of the things he wrote in his long post was how he got involved in the case and why and he said he agreed with the judge's decision to not qualify him as a "forensic" expert, though he is a network intrustion expert and has a ton of experience. In his posting he also mentioned he told the defense team attorneys up-front that he wasn't a qualified forensic examiner. (The defense decided to call him anyway (i.e. took a risk) and lost.) Thus the witness was limited to what he could testify about. And then next day the prosecution knew about his WS posting and was able to further impeach and use his own words to argue a motion to the judge. It was fortuitous and pretty interesting when that happened.

I'll bet that was intense and so exciting! (Knowing what Websleuths was and being a poster here at the time.)

 

[Observer in AZ]

Breaking news... they filed a stay... is this news or same ol same ol? Az lawyer, anybody?

Looks like DT knows the JA is Dead Woman walking & trying to make sure she only gets LWOP than long walk to DR..

Which makes you think after just juanday of JM they're trying to get the DP off the table that they know it's lost

JMO

 

[Anita Richman]

Here is my weird connection to this defendant:

I lived in Monterey/Pacific Grove when she did.
I lived in Palm Desert when she did.
I LIVE in tempe, boarders Mesa...moved back here in Jan 2007.

I feel like she is stalking ME!

Whoa...THAT is creepy. I wonder how many times in daily life your paths crossed.

 

[NMurphy02]

Reading this was so entertaining! Thank you!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

You guys are making me want to go sometime next week too...but we can't all go or there won't be enough seats.

I've been wondering about this since the trial began and don't know if "our" Katie has posted about it. How many seats are available to the public and how are observers selected? The courtroom appears small, and I'm sure that family members, media representatives, etc. have a block of seats reserved for them on a daily basis. Do folks just show up and hope to get in to watch some of the trial, or is there a lottery or some other method used to accommodate the public.

Many thanks to Katie and Anita for sharing your notes. You both do a better job of helping us understand what's happening in the courtroom than many of the talking heads. :tyou:

 

[PASA]

Whatsup.. I was thinking same thing that it would be interesting to go down one day & watch in person. I'm a little apprehensive because I don't know anyone feel little awkward etc but I'm glad you asked the questions in case I decided one day next week to just do it.

I didn't know anyone either. I am shy around people I don't know and managed to meet several nice people.

Most are like us, interested in trials and justice for Travis.
The gal I met last week told me her husband doesn't understand her interest (paraphrasing) and she was so happy to find others like her at the courthouse.

Hope you can make it, it's an interesting experience.

 

[Shelby1]

Thanks for each and every bit of information, guys! I'm having trial withdrawal today

 

[Anita Richman]

RBM

I will have to read up tomorrow on lunch break. No way will I be able to stay awake and alert enough to read, comprehend and pose questions. So I will pose my questions for courtroom observers now in hopes of finding answers tomorrow :

What did you note of JA demeanor today and how does it differ, if it did In your opnion from the direct examination by Nurmi? It was the difference between night and day. Like two completely different women on the stand. Even her "sexy librarian, flirty sex talk about how she enjoyed some of the sex with Travis was VERY different than when she was talking to Nurmi about the sex acts.

What did you note from the jury and their body language, behaviors and did it differ from when JA was being questioned by her own attorney? KCL will have to answer that, I've only been in court once.

Do you think the jury was connecting the dots with what JM was trying to illustrate with his cross thus far? They are definitely getting the fact that her credibility is being chipped away. They take lots of notes.

Did you get teh impression that JA was stalling with her constant requests for JM to Define this and define that? YES! I even overheard one of the FOJ (friends/family of Jodi) say to another, "She's stalling on purpose!"

Do you think the jury noted the difference in the long drawn out answers when defense was questioning JA and when JM was making her keep her answers more brief and yes or no? I can only speak to yesterday's testimony; but I observed them watching intently, back and forth during those exchanges.

What did you note about reactions in the courtroom to the introduction and testimony regarding the magazines and the notes in the margins within? Were people visibly shocked, was their any visible change that you noted in JA, her DT, the jury or the people watching the trial? IF so please describe. In my notes I talk about this, but she was flushed on the stand as her team looked over the magazines before they were entered into evidence. There were audible gasps like "Aha!" and "Oh!" and the guy next to me giggled out loud and shook his head when we got the key for the secret magazine code. I couldn't see the DT. Every person I spoke with after (except for Beth Karas) was totally floored and surprised, by the BOMBSHELL magazine evidence. A couple of the jurors had "lightbulbs" going on in their heads too, I didn't put which ones in my notes, but a couple looked over at her when the message was read.

Do you think JM was effective in what he was trying to accomplish today? If so describe why you think so.
I do. I think he is disassembling her accusations regarding the pedophilia. Once he does that, there goes HER excuse for why she claims Travis became violent with her (she knew his dirty little secret). Once that goes away, she had no reason for butchering Travis except for her jealous rage.
Thank you to our inside observers in the courtroom, for sharing your perspective on today's cross examination and your overall impressions of what is happening inside the courtroom.

You are so welcome! Great questions, sorry it took so long for me to get to them. :seeya:

 

[WhatsupAZ]

Whoa...THAT is creepy. I wonder how many times in daily life your paths crossed.

No kidding! Monterey and PD are both small towns, and I do frequent Starbucks. Both towns have only one real mall.

I've been to purple plum, that Mimi's, that CPK, that PFchangs. Puke

 

[Anita Richman]

I've been wondering about this since the trial began and don't know if "our" Katie has posted about it. How many seats are available to the public and how are observers selected? The courtroom appears small, and I'm sure that family members, media representatives, etc. have a block of seats reserved for them on a daily basis. Do folks just show up and hope to get in to watch some of the trial, or is there a lottery or some other method used to accommodate the public.

Many thanks to Katie and Anita for sharing your notes. You both do a better job of helping us understand what's happening in the courtroom than many of the talking heads. :tyou:

The amount of seats available to the public varies every session (according to my new friends, who have been there often.) The courtroom is actually HUGE! It's misleading on tv. Yes, folks show up hoping to get a seat. There are 4 rows of seats in the hall way, 2 each, back to back, 10 seats in each row. The bailiff comes out, chooses an end of the first row (randomly, it seems) and counts out however many seats they have available for public viewing. You don't get a choice which side you get to sit on; there is so much media now, that the entire side behind the prosecution table is the victim's family and media.

Thanks for the flowers and very sweet comment, BDE!

 

[Anita Richman]

Do you think the jury was fully aware of her "smug" and arrogant persona?

Or, did you think they thought she was being bullied by the mean old prosecutor? Did they give any hints in their facial expressions or body language?

Don't recall if I mentioned it, but one of the first things I thought was how her affect seems much more like acting in person, than on tv.

 

[EGirl]

It wouldn't have been new news to the DT because they know of all the evidence that's coming in; it was, however a shock to the entire gallery and some of the journalists.

Exuberance is embraced, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by me! Thank you!! :great:

They would have had the magazine, but Juan wouldn't have had to tell them what he was using from the magazine, right?

 

[Observer in AZ]

Yes, I'm close to downtown. Mostly civil litigation at the trial level; all areas at the appellate level.

Thanks! Appreciate it!

 

[WhatsupAZ]

All of this California talk reminds me... during her testimony I remember thinking "who drives to Salinas to get their nails done... if you want cheap just go to seaside, then catch the 68 over. Why risk driving all the way then not getting an appointment so late in the day.

I can't wait till juan tells us on Monday what happened in Salinas!

 

[Anita Richman]

Are you guys sure it wasn't the Duchess of Cambridge? It said "Kate 95 lbs and pregnant!" on the cover.

I saw the Duchess of Cambridge, too! But in the upper left part of the cover was a goofy picture of CA saying "Ca$hing in!" or something similiar.

P.s. Love your nickname! Reminds me of my German grandmother, whom my dad always called "Mutti". (She was his mil.)

 

[Anita Richman]

They would have had the magazine, but Juan wouldn't have had to tell them what he was using from the magazine, right?

I don't know! AZ ATTY, Gitana? Will one of you answer?

 

[AZWatcher]

Thank you so much Anita and Katie! :seeya:

 

[Anita Richman]

What I wish I would have shared on Dr. Drew is that I am a person who has had compassion for Jodi throughout the trial. Not so much that I would excuse what she did; but in that I have had friends who have dated cads who cheated on/with them, I know a woman who was an abuse victim who went back (moved states) to be with her abuser. The honeymoon was always worth it to her.

Anyway, there were things that Jodi said that rang true to me, which allowed me to feel for her. Those feelings of compassion were consistently and methodically whittled away by the defense team, however, and by her last day of cross by Kirk Nurmi, it was all gone. When she stated that at his memorial service she was sad but she "knew he was in a better place", I was so engraged. Yes, I believe in Heaven, but who gave YOU the right to send him there, Jodi?! And her self-serving claim of feeling forgiveness from his spirit; just wow. The final straw for me though, was when she talked about her "failed attempt at suicide" and how when she knicked herself and it was like a papercut and it stung really bad so she couldn't continue, that's when it finally clicked for me.

She is NOTHING like me or my friends. She is nothing like my friend who moved states, for her abuser. She is a psychopath, an alien. An abberation.