Retrial for Sentencing of Jodi Arias - 11/26 -12/02/14 In recess

[Love Never Fails]

The jury will not favor the Alexander family. The jury probably knows nothing about them. They are not part of this murder trial.

I just couldn't disagree with you more. If I were a juror and saw what she had done to Travis, and then heard the statements from her brother and sister, it would be on my mind every night of how much they must hurt. I had five siblings. I know how much I hurt that two of them are gone and they were not murdered. The knowledge of knowing how they have suffered would absolutely play a role in sentencing her. Yes. Victim's friends and surviving family members are a huge part of this trial. You cannot base your decision without your own emotions coming into play can you? This isn't some civil case. This is about a slaughtered young man. Slaughtered for no reason that I can ascertain.

 

[krkrjx]

Well, I certainly don't know what they are thinking but surely after ruling Jodi's testimony can't be a secret, maybe their ruling will be geared toward making sure JSS knows not to violate the First amendment rights of a free press?

Same here. And once the press is in, secret testimony is a no go since the press is there to report on the proceedings. LOL

Nurmi's way of rolling with the punches seems to be that he changes course. So, one witness needing to be protected might morph into one more... Get ready, JSS, for something to be claimed that will cause delays. And be ready to rule on it because allowing unnecessary delays is not due process and is not fair to the jurors.

 

[Love Never Fails]

The Alexander family is very much part of the trial, legally and otherwise. In the eyes of the law, they are victims, and have certain rights under the Victim's Bill of Rights. This includes the right to be present at, and included in, all parts of the trial where Arias has a right to be present.
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/const/2/2_1.htm

Also, the jury is well aware of who they are, as Stephen and Tanisha have given Victim Impact Statements in this penalty phase retrial. They may have known who they were through media seen before they became jurors - knowledge of the case was not a bar to jury service if they believed it would not affect their ability to judge the case on evidence presented at court.

ETA: Personally I read "favor the Alexander family" as meaning it was hoped that their decision would happen to be a good one for the family, not that their decision would be unduly swayed by the family.

Exactly. I hope they give the family what the family wants.

 

[krkrjx]

Aren't the jurors bound by some law when deliberating what the sentence should be? IOW, are they not required to vote DP if they cannot find mitigators that outweigh the aggravators? They do not get to choose which one they prefer, right? I mean, they have to go with what the evidence dicatates, do they not?

 

[Love Never Fails]

Aren't the jurors bound by some law when deliberating what the sentence should be? IOW, are they not required to vote DP if they cannot find mitigators that outweigh the aggravators? They do not get to choose which one they prefer, right? I mean, they have to go with what the evidence dicatates, do they not?

I am sure that is what the law would want but jurors are human and have emotions and biases. Certainly if you are correct, the jury blew it at the last sentencing trial. There were no mitigators at all.

 

[Love Never Fails]

Exactly. I hope they give the family what the family wants.

ETA: Yes, maybe this is being unduly swayed by the family. But I see them as victims too and for some reason, Jodi is never going to say she is sorry. You know I have always prayed that Juan would read the letter Jodi wrote to Travis's grandma, the woman who raised him. If jurors didn't sentence her to death after that letter, nothing would make them do so.

MOO...I just want her to go away. But sheesh! Think of the horror Travis went through!

 

[krkrjx]

I am sure that is what the law would want but jurors are human and have emotions and biases. Certainly if you are correct, the jury blew it at the last sentencing trial. There were no mitigators at all.

First jury had at least one person who was anti-DP. I hope the current jury is at least death-qualified. If a jury finds mitigators, fine. But if that is not important and it is actually left up to human emotion--it seems a waste of time and money to require a jury to make a sentencing decision. After all, for a judge to impose sentence they must go by what laws say they can impose; sometimes a judge might want to give a greater sentence than the maximum the law allows--sometimes lesser than what the law says is the minimum allowed. But their hands are tied and they have to sentence per guidelines.

Are we to believe that a jury has no guidelines to follow and that a sentence is wholly their choice?

 

[Caylee Advocate]

I found this, and a pic of CMJA, Angela, Carl, his wife and daughter. I don't want to share it on here because it shows a minor, and I am not into dragging any child into this mountain of SLIME. CMJA and Angela have identical body structure. I really don't think they are anything more than siblings... but ya' never know, and we probably never will.



"When Jodi was eleven years old, her sister Angela was born. She was so excited to have a sister and watched Angela come into this world as she helped raise her. Jodi was the first person to hold Angela after she was given permission by the hospital staff. Jodi’s younger brother, Joseph (“Joey&#8221, was born when she was thirteen years old."

 

[Steely Dan]

The possibility of a sibling being her child does, IMO, offer a somewhat reasonable justification for JSS sealing her testimony. That would have consequences for an innocent person that are pretty difficult to imagine. If that is the secret, I for the first time ever, might actually understand JSS's ruling, and even see JA's life prior to the murder in a new light. It would also be something that I'd think the jurors would not be able to dismiss from their minds if her testimony is stricken. No, it doesn't justify murder at all or change the validity of the conviction, I'm not saying that, but it would have an impact on her sentencing, for me. For all those reasons, and especially for what that could mean to the innocent, I really hope this is not the case and JSS simply lost her legal mind for a bit. But I admit it did give me pause, and up to now I've only seen her as a monster that deserves the DP. I hate this trial and all the ugly in it...

:goodpost: Very insightful.

I believe I read yesterday that's he's an expert on living conditions in prisons, on death row etc. He's probably going to get up there and tell them how hard it will be for her on DR, etc.

Aiken works in some capacity (I forget which) with the prison system and if he were to testify it would be, IMO, to the extent of what JA's prison experience might be. IOW, he would tell how awful prison is, hoping to get the jury to see that she would suffer with a Life sentence, so there is really no need for DP to truly punish. Or something like that.

I think he'd probably testify that she is a model prisoner. JMO

Perhaps some PCP thrown in for good measure. That supposedly gives super human strength.

The only two drugs she needed, IMO, are adrenaline and anger.

 

[bznbear]

One does not have to fear being rattled by counsel during cross examination when one has testified truthfully. That the DT witnesses, including the defendant, must resort to defensive and even combative behavior during cross speaks volumes.

Absolutely right! And I would love to see Dr. DeM get up there and testify in her professional opinion JA is completely remorseless!

 

[TartLemon]

There may not be much in what she has testified to so far. Remember how Nurmi D-R-A-W-S out testimony from her? It took him days to get to her high school years last time, I think.

I also remember how noticeably frustrated Nurmi was with Jodi when he was trying to direct her to specific testimony, but she corrected HIM.

 

[Steely Dan]

I also remember how noticeably frustrated Nurmi was with Jodi when he was trying to direct her to specific testimony, but she corrected HIM.

No wonder Nurmi was trying to get out of this trial like his hair was on fire. He did everything he could, it seems, other than give himself a deadly disease to get out of this. He probably wishes he could get in a time machine and injure himself severely enough that he would have to passed over for defending this (Word I got timed out for saying in the last trial)

 

[bsk]

I have a question that has been nagging at me.

Didn't Dr. MF mention something about Travis having a noose and only 3 people knew about that? I think it was when JM was questioning her about Travis' suicidality and alleging that she had diagnosed Travis.

I do not remember anything about Travis having a noose from the first trial . . . anyone else?

Me neither. But maybe he kept it next to his holster on the closet shelf.

 

[Steve44]

Seriously, did JSS seriously allow the defendant to testify in secret? For what reason? The only thing Nurmi mentioned at the Ct App was that witnesses felt threatened. Well, who at Perryville is watching this damn trial? What is he talking about?

ETA: I am just so mad. I will have to refrain from typing everything I'm thinking due to my own opinion of what it means to behave professionally. Hopefully you all will release the steam on my behalf.

I admit her reasoning seams a little foggy, but she probably felt the Constitution was preserved by the eventual release of all testimony to the public at the conclusion of sentencing, and she felt a temporary stay of public access was in the interest of the expediency of the trial and the thoroughness of all desired testimony. In the end the COA probably felt it was too extreme a solution to too small a problem, in that bad precedent would be set. It's exactly these kinds of bad decisions for seemingly good reasons that open the door to those same bad decisions later, but for bad reasons. JSS lost sight of the wider aspects of the law in her focus on its narrower application in this particular trial.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

She's no match for concrete walls. :naughty:

LOL...

I'm just catching up on this thread, and this hit me funny...I'd like her to try and try and try and keep trying some more.... yep, that's my bad side showing through.

Or maybe she does "fisties" like Casey A.

 

[cavvy]

But on a serious note, I've wondered(laughed at) if CMJA is going to dust off the ol power point presentatiduring this allocution? God forbid I ever have to go before a jury who is literally deciding my fate they'd have to peel me from the floor as I tearfully weapt and expressed how sorry I was. My jaw was dropped as she gave a power point presentation on why her life should be spared. Can you get any further removed emotionally or directly than an impersonal power point?

Your post made me want to go back and re-watch Jodi's allocution again.... During her speech, she mentions that she never had wanted to go to trial and reveal all of her and Travis's private e-mails, naughty pictures etc... that it was never her intention to try to hurt Travis's reputation etc.

I now believe that the whole reason that she and her lawyers wanted to oust the media and public from the courtroom was for the sole purpose of Jodi being able to say in her "new and improved" allocution speech that she will give, is that she tried everything possible to not allow Travis' name to be hurt any further but that it was out of her control. She'll probably blame the prosecution and the media.

 

[garthmax]

I had Thanksgiving with my son and wanted him to please explain the computer issue: he just rolled his eyes....I know this is more about the Brady issue but the first thing he asked me was how many people could have access to TA computer since he purchased it. Secondly, the amount of site accessed was "hinky" to him. Thirdly, he said so who cares how many sites he saw. Fourthly, any one touching a computer for forensics purposes better have a degree in computer forensics. Lastly, since there is a big befuddle over this, JSS should have everything sent to the FBI.

 

[Luvrosco]

I apologize because I'm sure this has been discussed, is JA in the General population in jail.

 

[Shadowboy]

I hope it’s okay to link to this forensic computer blog site?
http://whereismydata.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/forensic-encase-verification-md5-and-other-myths/

As a Thanksgiving Scrooge (but I LOVE Christmas!), I spent this afternoon trying to get a “feel” for what goofs COULD have happened when TA’s hard drive was first mirrored using EnCase (as asserted by Bryan Neumeister during the “porngate” evidentiary hearing). The article above is extremely informative.

An excerpt:

“If the hard drive is not working correctly, or the cables are damaged, or the pins are not aligned correctly, or any of a host of other reasons then the hard drive will not image correctly. 99% of the time this error will be a very obvious error, …

Sometimes, very rarely but sometimes, the drive will image, but it will be producing junk data, or “skewed” data. …

In the worst case scenario this means that data will be imaged, Encase will read it, write it, and then verify it. The person conducting the image will then leave the scene and state, without intending to lie, that they have a 100% accurate image of the data. When in actual fact they have junk. This can, and does lead to all sorts of problems.”

If you’re interested, go read the entire post. The author gives an example where accusations were made that a drive had been wiped to hide evidence. Turns out it was a bad “mirror.”

What caught my eye was, “… or the pins are not aligned correctly.” IIRC, BN claimed the pins on TA’s HD were bent and he had to repair them. This article also says the EnCase ‘verification’ process does not verify the mirror against the original hard drive.

Hum. Heck if I know! It’s sad I’d rather research this than eat turkey and watch football, isn’t it?

 

[wenwe4]

JA said that she was pregnant and lost it and Travis did not care! She made up a story IMO. She is a born liar.
I had a neighbor whose grandchild was born and the doctors told them just to pick! They chose female and the surgery was done. I saw the little girl when she was about 11 or 12 and it was obvious they had made the wrong choice.

BBM - Sorry - I do not remember this information at all.

IIRC JA and Travis did not have vaginal sex (according to Jodi) because Travis had convinced her that vaginal sex (out of wedlock) was against the law of chastity but there were other things they could do (hence the KY & oral stuff).

I don't think that Jodi is anything other than a female from birth.

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