long weekend break: discuss the latest here #101

[PrincessSezMe]

The post mentioning the questions Flores asked Arias reminds me that although Juan is doing the work now, it is because of Flores that Juan has much of the material he is using.
I can't imagine how Flores was able to be so patient with Arias - just watching made me want to slap her. His style seems almost opposite if Juan, and they make a great duo. Kudos to Flores and his excellent interview skills.

Yeah, they kind of remind me of The Green Hornet and Kato. :great:

 

[TigerBalm]

One of the juror's questions had to do with the "new evidence" about JA being held up with a knife when she was 13. Can't remember the question the juror asked, but Big Gus's answer was "it was told by her brother, to one of her previous attorney's. Does that now open the door for JM to question him about the previous attorney's? I was so HOPING that the jurors would ask a follow up question about Why did she have a PREVIOUS attorney, and why did they withdraw? My mouth was watering just waiting!!

They could ask but the judge would never allow the question.
How many attorneys the defendant has had or why they left has nothing to do with the matter before the jury.
They're job is to decide if the defendant killed Travis Alexander and if so was it 1st degree premeditated or felony murder.

 

[G&AMom]

I think there were a few things going on with the jury questions. There was some definite borderline "mocking" IMO, but there were also questions designed to give the witness another chance to answer some of the more absurd answers he gave during cross. If I were a juror and I heard him, for example, agree with JM that he based his tests on lies, I would be thinking, "Wow, that can't be right, maybe he is getting flustered by JM and didn't understand what he just said...he's definitely got to explain that one...let's just drop a follow-up in the question basket."

However, there's probably also something else going on too, unfortunately. There may one or two jurors that are leaning towards 2nd degree or life, and they are looking for the DT to give them an excuse to do it. That, I think, was reflected in a couple of the "softball" questions we heard yesterday. But, I have confidence that the majority isn't buying ANY of the charlatanism, and they will be able to move any "wobblers" in the end.

That's a good summation. I think it is possible there are some "wobblers" but I'm not jumping to any conclusions.

 

[mobius99]

Juan hammered the Dr again. If a jury can't see this by now, they never will!

1. Juan argued pretty successfully that the Dr has feelings for the defendant, regardless of his denial. This makes his testimony completely biased. He wants to help her not hurt her so his evaluation cannot be trusted.
2. The Dr changed the scores on the tests. He filled the bubbles himself and then scored them himself. The tests are worthless.
3. On a more subtle note, I noticed how Juan structured several questions, as in "Do you recall the question from the jury...". Then the doctor would try to backtrack and qualify his answer. Juan was basically saying "see he's not telling you the truth, you can't trust him!"



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USg__UaHLs

 

[JusticeJunkie]

May be wrong place for this question, if so, I apologize in advance. The Defense filed a Motion for Protective Order earlier today. Any attorney out there that can tell me what this may mean? TIA

That must be about the fourth time - it probably came about this time because of the person in court saying she wished Arias were dead.

 

[sebarney]

Makes sense to me. She probably heard somewhere that the cameras can't read your plates if they're upside down. The front one was also missing. I know she must have been aware of cameras because she brings them up incessantly, telling him to check the cameras, check the cameras, in an effort to prove she wasn't there that day. He finally tells her, unless you ran a red light there's no point really. So no, we haven't checked the cameras. She planned ahead, and I am sure the plates fooling the cameras were part of her plan.

Front license plates are not required in Arizona.

 

[PrincessSezMe]

Hi everyone! It's my first time posting. I have been a huge fan of all you seasoned posters for quite some time. Hope I'm doing this right. I just wanted to say, has anyone noticed JA's hands?? Fugly!

Welcome chijojo! :Welcome1:

Her hands have been discussed here, and how creepy they are. I agree with others that it's the thought of what those hands have done that gives a person the "willies".

 

[Venom]

Thanks, swedie. The sharp angles and poor composition of her nude shots indicate to me that she was using a tripod/timer. A tripod that would produce the same angle from the nightstand. Since we can reasonably assume she packed a "murder kit," even a pseudo-photographer would always have tripods. I think she planned to plant incriminating evidence on his camera to blackmail him. He would already be bound by then.

I agree with you that she showed up unannounced and held him at gunpoint in order to tie him up using the duct tape and/or soft rope. (She created her detailed story based on the forensic evidence). She had to wash the bedding to eliminate the blood evidence there.

Some of her behavior indicates she may have a phobia about blood. When she "attempted suicide" she went to lengths to describe her packing around herself in her bunk in the jail to "handle the blood" but couldn't go through with it because it hurt so much to scratch her wrist. What a horrendous display of sociopathy! She doesn't even realize how completely inappropriate--no, horrifying--that statement is in view of the wounds she inflicted on the man she claimed to love.

A blood phobia explains her desire to murder him in the shower, so that the blood would just go down the drain and she wouldn't have to see it. His refusal to die in the shower did not fit the mental plan she had gone over and over and over and over in her mind as she drove through the night. If you have ever seen a phobic person forced to experience their phobia, it produces a frantic rage, indeed, I can easily see Arias going into a frenzy of hate because he spoiled the perfect future she planned with him and now, NOW he was spoiling her perfect crime.

WHen the blackmail plot did not work, she had to delete the photos because now they constituted evidence documenting that she was there for the murder. What I don't get is why wash the camera at all? Why not just take it with her like the gun and (possibly non-existent) rope and dump it all at Hoover Dam?

I've wondered too about her taking her own pictures. But where was Travis as she's doing this? And I can't see how with using a tripod she got the pictures right the first time. I think it may have taken a few shots to get a good one, the bad shots would have shown up as deleted.

 

[MeeBee]

Front license plates are not required in Arizona.

Ok...but that has nothing to do with Arias trying to trick cameras by removing it...

 

[G&AMom]

I think that has more to do with people not liking the way that "feel sorry for" sounds. It sounds like you are pitying someone. But, the fact is that "compassion for" and "sorry for" is synonymous. Pity, sorry for, compassion for, all means the same thing.

I got in a short snark-fest early Wednesday morning (reminder to self: if you can't sleep stay off WS, read a book) about this whole issue. I said something to the effect that having compassion, however slight, for Jodi or "Dr." S was the sign of a decent human being and that people shouldn't be criticized for it. Then some people assumed that if they DIDN'T feel compassion that I was saying they weren't decent human beings, which wasn't my intention at all. Sigh. It's a difficult issue. I can understand the fury people feel towards JA. I'm not criticizing either attitude.

 

[Sherazhad]

I bet after this trial ends Jodi retires the skinny ugly Betty look she's been rockin through the trial. Even in prison I'm sure she'll go back to the old look

 

[MeeBee]

I've wondered too about her taking her own pictures. But where was Travis as she's doing this? And I can't see how with using a tripod she got the pictures right the first time. I think it may have taken a few shots to get a good one, the bad shots would have shown up as deleted.

Exactly.

 

[MistyM]

I agree.....check this out

Jodi Arias - Original Drawing - Colored Pencil on Cardboard - L@@K

Price:US $1,899.00


You are bidding on a beautiful hand-drawn horse portrait by artist Jodi Arias. See scans. Artwork is done with colored-pencil on cardboard. This item was obtained via an Arias family member. The cardboard is actually from the back of a yellow-legal pad. Item is approximately 8 1/2" X 11". Has artist signature "Arias 2010" on front. Artwork is in excellent shape. Drawing is entitled "Equine". Also on back of artwork - written in artists hand are the words "Equine" and "By Jodi Ann Arias October 2010". This is a "Buy It Now" auction. Shipping, handling and insurance is a flat $20.00. I accept paypal only. I ship to the USA only.

when i first heard of those on ebay they were going for under 200 dollars a piece, should have bought them, resold them and donated the money to travis's family.

she's really pumping them out during the trial. i think that's the things she's hiding and sitting on, and the mitigator is getting a hold of them and giving them to her mother.

 

[Schuby]

That must be about the fourth time - it probably came about this time because of the person in court saying she wished Arias were dead.

I think a protective order has to do with protecting sensitive information, not a person.

 

[JusticeJunkie]

Hi everyone! It's my first time posting. I have been a huge fan of all you seasoned posters for quite some time. Hope I'm doing this right. I just wanted to say, has anyone noticed JA's hands?? Fugly!

LOL chigogo - you'll fit right in here. Welcome.

 

[G&AMom]

I would dearly love if one of our attorneys (or law students) could explain the purpose of Wilmott repeating almost every single question the jurors had asked. I could understand if she had elicited more information, but except at the very end, she didn't. He just repeated his answers. I found myself actually yelling at the screen for her to JUSt SHUT UP. Not my usual style (I'm more snarky LOL). As a juror I would have felt somewhat insulted. Why did she do that?

 

[JRS_JD2L]

Thank you!

I watched it. It looks to me like the Defense was aware of the shenanigans with the raw data that the Dr was trying to cover up.

If that's the case, can the Defense get in trouble?

Sure, if JM successfully busts the Dr. on fudging, hiding, or otherwise purposely messing with the evidence and can show that the defense knew about it, then that would result in serious sanctions for the defense--up to and including a mistrial. The problem is that the defense would probably really enjoy a mistrial at this point, so JM might not want to push it too far.

 

[Karmady]

I think a protective order has to do with protecting sensitive information, not a person.

I just went and looked at the court docket for y'all cause that's just the kinda girl I am It's a motion preventing the disclosure of the detailed defense billing records that they have to submit to be compensated by the State.

 

[Nezumi]

I think a protective order has to do with protecting sensitive information, not a person.

I think it can be either? I wandered over to the court website to see if there was any more specific information (there wasn't) but this jumped out at me:

STATE’S RESPONSE TO DEFENSE MOTION TO PRECLUDE EVIDENCE OF GUN THEFT

It's a docket entry from December 2012. So, doesn't this indicate that there IS evidence that she stole Grandpas gun but that the jury and the public aren't going to get to see it?

 

[Gypsy Road]

I'm not feeling well so I watched today's testimony archived on Youtube. Here are some observations I made:

Some of the juror questions make me believe that there are jurors who are buying the BS Gus Jr. is selling, and it aint a prepaid legal card.

Some of the juror questions make me believe that there are jurors who have Jodi nailed as exactly what she is.

Those two thoughts lead me to believe that it will be a lengthy deliberation.

I think some jurors believe that he deliberately changed the numbers on Jodi's tests and others don't. One thing that bothers me is that JM never mentioned whether it made the score better or worse for Jodi.

I think the defense did a much better job of rehabilitating Gus Jr. with the jury questions and Wilmotts recross. JM did his usual good job of cross, but I don't think he did much new damage. He does however have three days to prepare some more questions.

I've heard that Gus Jr. sent Jodi greeting cards, but I don't recall that ever being said. I think it would have come up in jury questions. Does anyone have a link to it?

Personally, I think that Gus Jr. fell under the spell that JA seems to have over men for a little while. I think he tailored some of her tests in order to make her look better.

All JMO

Steely, I'm right there with you! You took the words right out of my mouth! I got the feeling as well that some of the jurors bought Gus Jr's testimony and that others did not. One thing is for certain - at least one juror has Jodi's number. I know I shouldn't laugh, but the sarcastic tone of some of those questions had me on the floor giggling. I almost fell out when the "bad hair cut" question rolled off the judges tongue! I'm glad they are asking so many questioins. I, too, think the jurors will take their time with deliberations.

Samuels does seem a little smitten with Ms. Arias, doesn't he? He definitely has crossed some boundaries that's for sure. I'm glad someone on the jury picked up on that and asked him if always thought as fondly of his patients.