Jodi Arias TAKES THE STAND #38 *may contain graphic and adult content*

[GobBluth]

I was just reading the ME report (new thread), not the testimony but the initial report, and the bullet entered the skull in the temple, and then reentered the skull where it remained in the opposite cheek.

That means that in between, it traveled through the cranial cavity, which, in that area, is where the brain is located. Had it passed through the sinuses, it would have damaged those bones.

I have a really hard time believing that TA could have sustained this type of brain injury first, and then had the ability to fight his attacker to the sink and down the hallway, sustaining defensive stab wounds and other stab wounds along the way. IMO.

Side note: Gunshot first or last, the defensive wounds show the cruelty either way. IMO.

 

[katydid23]

I was anticipating what kind of poppycock explanation they would have for the murder that places all of the blame on Travis---and I do believe she would say Travis "forced" her to steal the gun and report it stolen.

One thing we can all bet on--The lies will be even more outrageous than the one's we've heard and EVERYTHING will be blamed on Travis.

I HOPE she tries to blame the gun on Travis. I don't think the jury will believe that. They have already heard her say that he called her 'psycho' and they have heard his friends say on the 911 call that she was stalking him. NO WAY would the jury believe that he wanted her to come over and be armed when she visited.

 

[Frigga]

ITA. But what troubles me further is how far behind the US is with legislation dealing with psychological abuse - on any level.
Several countries have laws regarding this, (Canada and France are two I think).

I was astounded that everything that was done to my children and myself... was fully LEGAL, even though the only thing I can compare it to is torture. Ongoing, cumulative torture.

JA is trying to use so-called physical AND emotional abuse... which some people do in order to get revenge during divorce - making it just that much harder for true victims to receive adequate, meaningful recourse. If falsely reporting abuse and/or falsifying evidence about imaginary abuse - isn't illegal and subject to jail time - then it needs to be. Needless to say I believe JA is doing this exactly, undermining every man and woman who is being or has been abused. I'm livid.

All forms of real abuse are horrific - and there should be legislation and a national acknowledgment at the very least that is a very serious, destructive, real issue - it destroys lives in an instant or over time, little by little. Stress, PTSD, etc. cause health issues and can cut one's life short. A bullet, knife or fist is simply quicker, but in my view the length of time it takes to injure (or worse) someone is irrelevant. The law disagrees, apparently.

Crimes of abuse are far worse (imv) than drug taking, car theft, property crimes, bar brawls, tax evasion - you name it. Yet these monsters get away scott free. It's wrong. Yet as a nation, we're somewhat cavalier about it, it seems... unless the abuse is very graphic and very dramatic.

Sadly - and I really hate to say this - since it's predominately thought of as affecting only women, it's just not that much of a pressing issue, apparently. After all, women still make a fraction of what men make for the same work... know what that adds up to in a career? VAWA? Eh, not going to deal with the sovereign nations within our borders, so rapists, make sure you rape within rez borders... (hope they've changed that by now).

And despite (to my shock and disgust) some seem to lay some or even equal blame with victims who (to their personal standards) do not do enough or work hard enough to stop, get out, move on, heal, get "back to normal."

It is NeverNeverNeverEver!! - the victim's fault. If they commit crimes or abuse themselves, then they own that, obviously. But the victim is not to blame for what the abuser does or has done to them - which can alter and change them - for life. It doesn't help that some may care to impose a subjective timeline on when it's supposed to be "over" without understanding how few tools and real-life support systems there are. Things that could actually help some rather than simply manage the brokenness... Different people have different reactions, coping abilities, etc. Do we blame people allergic to bees or peanuts for not bucking up, just act like everyone else? Do we blame people for returning home after war and not being able to cope? Yeah, that one we actually do. Inexcusable. This mentality is like a cancer borne of ignorance and hubris.

Some get their lives back, though, thank Dog, and that is a miraculous, glorious thing. Some don't. Some sort of get their lives back, but it's not the same. It's a different world. The invisible scars are as permanent as the visible ones.

Sorry this is long and rambling... it is very painful to hear/see JA do what she's doing. Of course I have no empirical proof of this, but I think those who have been/are being abused - physically or psychologically or any way - are far more attuned to 'smelling a rat' than maybe someone who has not personally experienced this - either themselves or through a loved one. Pure speculation on my part, but my radar went up instantly (not to say that people who haven't been abused didn't have theirs go up too!) It's just visceral on some level.

I'm sorry. It's one of those days - because my daughter is coming Monday, a lot of stuff is surfacing in managing her trip. It never ends with him.

Excellent post Paperwing, it should be printed as an OP-ED piece in the Washington Post!

And please, no need to apologize, we are all friends here. Even if we disagree on some issues we all want the same thing- justice for all missing, abuse, or murder victims.

My heart goes out to you in this difficult time, you will be in my thoughts all weekend~ Frigga

 

[oceanblueeyes]

What is surprising, however, is the way she still appears to cling to Travis even after murdering him, I would expect the knife would be some sort of treasured memento of the crime. I do believe she brought the knife with her, it was the same one she slashed his tires with, and it was NOT discarded in the desert with the gun, floor mats and/or her clothing.

MOO

I believe all of this information they collected when she was arrested will come out during the sentencing phase. It is going to be interesting if the knives they found could have had a 6 in blade. At least we know she is into knives and buying a gun also shows she knows how to shoot a gun too.

 

[FrayedKnot]

I really dont think this has a thing to do with anger, emotions and certainly not love. Sociopaths dont love ..........they do however believe they are entitled to have ownership of the ones they want.

That is why she sits there emotionless....she still feels she was entitled to kill him because he dared to tell her it was over even though she kept coming back like a bad penny.

If she couldnt own him she would see to it that no one would. No one ignores a sociopath and gets away with it. If anyone is discarded the socio is the one who decides who stays and goes and when that entitlement is ripped away from them there will be hell to pay for the victim wanting out.

IMO

I disagree about the anger. I think what she did to Travis' body shows violent rage that ran amok.

I think Jodi stored away and catalogued every one of her "hurts", real or perceived and exacted her "revenge", stab for stab.

 

[peedoffinny]

Jodi's mum confuses me, it seems she at times has acted in assisting Jodi to escape charges and has been disruptive during the trial, and yet she has also given information to the police against Jodi .. Is she really swapping sides continuously or is she 100% team Jodi yet intimidated by the police when it comes down to it?

Perhaps she thought Jodi would get the gun and kill hereself??? I don't see the mother as someone willing to assist in convicting her daughter. Actually, after reading about JA's mother telling the judge about Travis's family talking to the jurors, I think she would obstruct justice and do whatever it takes to save her daughter. The apple didn't fall far from that tree.

 

[snowshuze]

I think everything entered from the witness stand is evidence including circumstantial evidence. I think the roommates would know if a large 6in bladed knife was missing. That would narrow down a lot of knives he had in the home. It couldnt be a kitchen knife either imo since it took chunks out of his skull when she stabbed him in the top of the head. It had to have a thick substantial blade and kitchen knives are thin and would flex and the tip would break when using such force.

The tire slashing has been entered into the trial. It was in the 911 call and entered into evidence. I think the jury will take that CE and believe the tire slasher was Jodi and that would mean Jodi had a knife prior to the murder.

IMO

OBE, in some distant long ago day in court, didn't the jury ask a question about knives missing from the house, and Det Flores <I think> said they had all been accounted for?

 

[makayla]

On "In Session" on Friday they replayed the 9/11/08 jailhouse interview with Jodi - does anyone know if this is available anywhere to watch online as I haven't been able to find it?

I've seen this before, but it really hit home even more now that I've seen Jodi on the stand - her "demeanor" in the jailhouse interview makes my skin crawl - it is riddled with lies and articial sweetness - I can only assume that she falsely believed she could con the interviewers with her story. Unbelievable! I was hoping to find it online to pass it along to a friend.

Thanks to anyone who can help me find it!

 

[bobloblaw]

I thought maybe left over from her waitressing days

I just pictured a folding hunting knife. One that could be accessed from her purse without slicing her fingers. Also good for tire slashing.

 

[paperwing]

I am eager to hear her explanation of such deadly weapons that trip. Even when she has given us more detail than we care to hear about her life, and the "abuse" she has never described the abuse as "bad" or that she was ever really injured.

She really seemed to indicate her mom's wooden spoon was bad. Travis, not so bad.

I don't see any statement that she was in fear of her life ever. So now, you are officially broken up, he has someone, you have someone and you surprise him with a trip to AZ, but before leaving your house you bring a gun and a knife?

Why now? He back handed you, but not really and didn't hurt. He shoved you, but not as hard as your dad.

None of these incidents rise to the level any person would suddenly be in fear for their life.

Oh wait, he bent her finger.

So now they are officially not a couple.. why bring the weapons now?

Really...just to kill him. There is no other earthly reason you would bring them if you did not plan his murder.

Re the deadly weapons, I heard some TH the other day say he expected the defense to say she brought them because she finally realized how 'dangerous' he was, so she brought them just in case. But in her pretend-abused little mind, she drove to his house in stealth mode because - she still 'wuvved him! (groan), even though she felt completely controlled by him. She thought she'd try one last time to see if she could 'change' him into being sweet and selfless - (you know, like her). Gag me with a stick... I don't even like writing stuff like that! Grrr...

As we all know, this DT has no boundaries and will do/say/allow JA to say any and everything. I'm actually sick of watching her testify, but I won't stop . It's simultaneously boring and shockingly insulting at the same time, imv. Quite a feat.

Actually the only part I heard on tv was the first part - about her being afraid of him. The rest just sort of came spilling out of my head.

Even so, I'm not worried. JM is going to turn this thing around - this point in a trial is always the DT's moment in the sun, and I think they're prolonging it in an attempt to get jurors to sympathize with JA - not through her mind-numbing monotone drone of nonsense - but by osmosis. Have her close to them for so long in hopes that they'll feel like they know her - you know, like sitting next to a person on a flight that's stuck on the tarmac for a few hours. followed by a 12 hour flight... through proximity, discomfort, feeling stranded and being side by side for so many hours - a connection is made, however fleeting or superficial or made simply to fend off boredom...

DT doesn't care why or how long a juror might connect w/the defendant on some level, but they are making her familiar to them, which I'm not overjoyed about, but my confidence in JM is pretty unshakable thus far.

 

[Callisto]

There was a red rental car she was to use to leave her grandparents house at the time of her arrest.

LE obtained a search warrant and recovered boxes of books and two knives. They did not find another gun at that time. Later, they traced the rental car and located, ostensibly on information from her mother, a 9mm handgun which was hidden in the rental car but which LE did not find upon executing the initial, warranted search. I do not know what she was going to do with them.

They were probably intended as lines of defense from the make-believe ninjas.

Very interesting! Do you have any links to these reports?

Also, in regards to the threatening email received by Lisa, is there any more information about that? Like the email address it was sent by? I thought IP addresses could be traced through emails? The email is very creepy and the tire slashing, then knocking on the door and fleeing is beyond scary.

My own story of a sociopath, obsessive ex (I'm sure many have had them?) Feel free to disregard!
I was threatened and harassed incessantly via email/phone for a year and a couple instances of stalking by an ex-boyfriend after he found out I had a new boyfriend. I didn't tell the new boyfriend for a few months about what was going on because I didn't want the drama to drive him away or reflect poorly on me as a girlfriend. The ex eventually did stop after about a year of it, but a few months after he stopped he sent an email saying he wanted me to know he thought about how much he hated me every single day (along with many expletives).
He was manipulative, and I was very emotionally weak. I didn't have the courage or drive to break up with him, so when he broke up with me via text after 4 years of dating over a minor disagreement (about plans for New Years Eve..), I saw my moment to get out. I went along with it, BUT, that wasn't his plan. He thought I'd be begging for him to keep me (sadly, in the past it had happened that way).
Somedays he would email me 20 times, consecutively, in the course of a few hours. I kept blocking his email addresses and he kept making new ones. I changed my phone number 3 times in addition to blocking his number. He kept getting my new numbers from his mother who I would contact regarding this. He would snoop through her phone. She had to hide it from him. He hacked into his sisters Facebook account and messaged me, posing as his sister, and we communicated back and forth a few long emails with "her" regarding him. He got a different cell phone and an out-of-state number to continue the harassment. He knew me so well, he tailored every cruel thing he said to try to tear me apart (he used my past battle with bulimia, self-esteem issues and other bodily issues) An example, he told me every time I stick my hand down my throat he hopes I picture him laughing at me. Then he would do a 180 and tell me how much he loved me and that my new boyfriend was just using me and once he found out I couldn't have sex (I had "vaginismus") he wouldn't want me and all I'd have left was [my ex]. This was all without me responding to him, he would just completely flip and argue with himself. He blamed me for everything going wrong in his life. He told me he considers it that I broke up with him because I went along with what he said. He told me one of these days he was going to shoot himself in my car, for me to find, and he would leave drugs in his pocket for me so I can take them and try to numb myself to all the pain I caused him. He lived about a 7 minute drive away from me, and I was scared always. He told me to "watch my back." I eventually printed and highlighted everything I had, and called the police and they said they could report it and talk to him but there was no way to definitively prove it was him doing it and not another member of his household. The police intervention didn't help; the very large, hulking officer went over immediately to talk to him at his house (~9pm) and within an hour I got a call on my house number (I'm a college student/live at home) from my ex, where he alluded to being in his garage, killing himself. I was in hysterics, and I called 911 to report that and the police went back to my ex's and took him to the hospital psychiatric ward. I got a call around 1am from the hospital to my cell phone that I didn't answer, but I knew it was him. When he returned, he still harassed me. I do not believe he was truly suicidal, I think he used that as a way to try and hurt me. His mother even said, if "something" were to happen to me, he would instantly be the #1 suspect. It was about 3 years ago, and I feel very lucky to not have ended up like TA. I think that is, in part, what draws me so much to this case. I really believe he was the victim and that he was just an object to be had to JA. She never truly loved him, because she is incapable of seeing people as anything more than tools to use for her own wants. TA did not seem to realize how truly ruthless and dangerous she is.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Ok just a dumb question. Regarding her "spideys". She testified that she couldn't fit her legs through the small "boys" leg holes but it fit in the butt area. A. How could she even pull them up to her "butt" if she couldn't get the legs pulled up.

B. How was she fitting in these under the "schoolgirl" outfit she testified about if her legs didn't fit through the holes?

Did she address this lie?

She believes her own lies even though they dont make sense. I think she got upset when the entire sex tape was going to be played. Why? Because many things in it contradicted her own testimony. Travis did NOT like Spiderman so why would he want her in those shorts.

IMO

 

[Truth Detector]

Who did the 9mm belong to? Is that the one she bought legally? Or do I have this all wrong. Also, why was it hidden? I am hazy on this part. TIA

The ammo for the gun was found with the books and knives. The gun itself escaped detection (I fault LE here) at that time. They later found it after tracing it to San Francisco, I believe, in the red rental Chevrolet Cobalt in San Francisco.

According to CNN/NG, when LE executed the search warrant they located, in her bedroom at her grandparents` house, evidence that she had purchased a 9-millimeter gun.

Why hidden?

She didn't want anyone knowing she had it?

 

[bobloblaw]

Just far, far too speculative to me to say that she definitely brought a knife with her. jmo

Do you think the murder was premeditated? If so then not so much...

 

[katiecoolady]

Re the deadly weapons, I heard some TH the other day say he expected the defense to say she brought them because she finally realized how 'dangerous' he was, so she brought them just in case. But in her pretend-abused little mind, she drove to his house in stealth mode because - she still 'wuvved him! (groan), even though she felt completely controlled by him. She thought she'd try one last time to see if she could 'change' him into being sweet and selfless - (you know, like her). Gag me with a stick... I don't even like writing stuff like that! Grrr...

As we all know, this DT has no boundaries and will do/say/allow JA to say any and everything. I'm actually sick of watching her testify, but I won't stop . It's simultaneously boring and shockingly insulting at the same time, imv. Quite a feat.

Actually the only part I heard on tv was the first part - about her being afraid of him. The rest just sort of came spilling out of my head.

Even so, I'm not worried. JM is going to turn this thing around - this point in a trial is always the DT's moment in the sun, and I think they're prolonging it in an attempt to get jurors to sympathize with JA - not through her mind-numbing monotone drone of nonsense - but by osmosis. Have her close to them for so long in hopes that they'll feel like they know her - you know, like sitting next to a person on a flight that's stuck on the tarmac for a few hours. followed by a 12 hour flight... through proximity, discomfort, feeling stranded and being side by side for so many hours - a connection is made, however fleeting or superficial or made simply to fend off boredom...

DT doesn't care why or how long a juror might connect w/the defendant on some level, but they are making her familiar to them, which I'm not overjoyed about, but my confidence in JM is pretty unshakable thus far.

Excellent post.

I do think they've got at least some of these jurors (if not most) to a point of crying UNCLE. I think they will be so relieved once she actually starts talking about something of relevance (June 4, 2008) and then Juan will be even more relief.

I've said it since Day One--this case will be tried in the cross examination AND the rebuttal case. We haven't even gotten started yet in terms of what this jury will use to convict her. imo.

 

[paperwing]

:floorlaugh:

Could you pick us up a Toblerone or some Pop Rocks while you're there?

Ha! I happened to miss JA's explanation of the Pop Rocks.

Before I go back and watch the video, I keep wondering if what they did is more - or less - devious than what my mind has come up with. hehehe

It's the little things that amuse me...

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I disagree about the anger. I think what she did to Travis' body shows violent rage that ran amok.

I think Jodi stored away and catalogued every one of her "hurts", real or perceived and exacted her "revenge", stab for stab.

I dont think it is rage.........it is vengence for daring to rebuke her.

She fits the profile of a sociopath to a tee and she also fits the profile of an obsessive female stalker.

IMO

 

[oceanblueeyes]

OBE, in some distant long ago day in court, didn't the jury ask a question about knives missing from the house, and Det Flores <I think> said they had all been accounted for?

Yes, you are correct snowshuze and they did ask that question. All knife had been accounted for.

:seeya:

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I just pictured a folding hunting knife. One that could be accessed from her purse without slicing her fingers. Also good for tire slashing.

That or a switchblade. Whatever kind it was it was sturdy as heck to take chunks out of Travis' skull and the tip didnt break.

IMO

 

[minor4th]

What I find very interesting is Dr. Horn already had the opinion the gunshot came last but in court he was shown the photo of Travis for the very first time down with his throat cut with Jodi's shoe and pant leg showing. It supported his long held opinion that the gunshot came last. He even said it was a possibilty that the victim could have even been dead when shot.

The defense tried to talk him into saying the blood was coming from the head wound but it was clear to him and (me) that it was coming from his slashed throat.

IMO

I noticed that also -- that Horn was really not familiar with the crime scene or the circumstances of the murder.