Retrial for Sentencing of Jodi Arias #2

[MeeBee]

From ^, someone 'close to the defense' is saying several witnesses have refused to testify, and ALV is quoted as saying her family doesn't want her to appear again. Then we have the wonderful foreman giving the defense advice and saying "time has only made him more comfortable with his decision":

:banghead:

Ok, if he doesn't think it was premeditated why did he vote for premeditated murder???

 

[Nali87]

From ^, someone 'close to the defense' is saying several witnesses have refused to testify, and ALV is quoted as saying her family doesn't want her to appear again. Then we have the wonderful foreman giving the defense advice and saying "time has only made him more comfortable with his decision":

:banghead:

He's an annoying idiot. Giving a killer advice AND commenting on it to the media. Low.

 

[MeeBee]

So what that really comes down to, to me, is "she lies too much on the witness stand and made it hard for me to argue in her favor. So just shut her up and let her breasts do the talking."

Of course he didn't buy the premeditated part because he didn't want to. He didn't want to see what was right in front of him. The premeditation was the easiest to prove but we know from his questions tha every time Juan proved something he was still looking for excuses. It was all right there. When Juan proved she lied about returning the gas can, he was asking about dummy skus. What about that gun? I think it's funny he's more comfortable with his decision now. He should have a lot of refrets. In the end, I think he just didn't like Juan and he fell in love with Jodi. She seems to have a way with older men and she seems to know this.

I think at the time he voted for premeditated he had it in his head going in that it wasn't and he was gonna argue it but the other jurors were just making too much sense and he had no choice. With time and away from them and with the comfort of her supporters, he's moved back into his original way of thinking: it wasn't premeditated, she snapped, "the dam burst" as he likes to say.

 

[Bernina]

Im pretty sure he left the Mormon church. His grandfather was President and Prophet of the chuch and it caused quite a stir when his grandson disavowed Mormanism.

I don't know if Steve actually "resigned", asked for excommunication, or is just a "Jack-Mormon". He did a very moving tribute (yep, a cartoon) to an old friend years back who died in an auto accident (Kay LeSueur). I've been out of the "loop" since I asked and received excommunication back in 1982.

 

[Nali87]

So what that really comes down to, to me, is "she lies too much on the witness stand and made it hard for me to argue in her favor. So just shut her up and let her breasts do the talking."

Of course he didn't buy the premeditated part because he didn't want. He didn't want to see what was right in front of him. The premeditation was the easiest to prove but we know from his questions tha every time Juan proved something he was still looking for excuses. It was all right there. When Juan proved she lied about returning the gas can, he was asking about dummy skus. What about that gun? I think it's funny he's more comfortable with his decision now. He should have a lot of refrets. In the end, I think he just didn't like Juan and he fell in love with Jodi. She seems to have a way with older men and she seems to know this.

I guess the defense will try to get as much people that fit the foreman's personality on that jury. If they do, I pray all of them are alternates! :gaah:

 

[atthelake]

From CNN today:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/27/justice/arizona-jodi-arias-trial/

Tough road lies ahead in jury selection for Jodi Arias sentencing
By Grace Wong, CNN
updated 5:05 PM EDT, Sat September 27, 2014

While some of Arias' witnesses have abandoned the case, the defense has cobbled together a "handful of witnesses," their names kept secret and their testimony spared the pressure of live TV coverage by a court order, said the source close to the defense.

Judge Sherry Stephens ruled that while TV cameras will be permitted in the retrial, no video can be aired until a verdict has been rendered. Her decision came after the defense argued that live TV coverage would keep their witnesses from testifying.

"There will be people testifying that now feel safe where they didn't before," said Bering, Arias' friend. "I think there will be a lot of surprises."

 

[Ricki]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/27/justic...i-arias-trial/

"The strategy this time is to keep Jodi off the stand," said a source close to the defense. "However, Jodi has a mind of her own."

Yea, all I can say is good luck with this one. She won't stay off that stand unless they gag her and super glue her to her chair.

 

[kimi_SFC]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/27/justic...i-arias-trial/

"The strategy this time is to keep Jodi off the stand," said a source close to the defense. "However, Jodi has a mind of her own."

Yea, all I can say is good luck with this one. She won't stay off that stand unless they gag her and super glue her to her chair.

ITA, Ricki. Interestingly, the linked article is no longer available at CNN.com. Thanks for snipping what you could though. :seeya:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ricki]

Go to post 486. The link is still working there.

 

[T-4-2]

Not Benson's, but still one of my all-time favorites

Thanks, and ew. Just goes to show the amount of work it must have been for her to create and maintain the "look" she felt she needed to infiltrate Travis' life, his circle of friends, colleagues, and fellow Mormons. On the other hand, maybe it wan't hard for her, given that she's had decades to perfect her impersonation of an attractive, caring human being. Clearly, she set her bar too high.

This is the face she tries to cover with her "pretty girl" mask -- too bad the damn thing keeps falling off. We've all had the privilege of seeing her "decent human being" charade. Too bad it's only a charade, and too bad she's really stinks at charades.

Do people think she will ever see this cartoon? Has she already? No doubt there's a lot about it that would piss her off. For one thing, the cartoonist failed (miserably) to accurately render her "pretty girl" mask. It's like he never even saw it at all. She may be convicted murderer, but she still wants to feel pretty.

During the break in her interrogation, when she burst into flame oops I mean song, she should have chosen this charming little ditty from West Side Story. It would have been far more suitable than the Dido song.

Oh my God, I'm totally cracking up over here. Is there a limit to how long a post can be? Guess I'll find out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye7PIyIcCro

MARIA
I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty and witty and bright!
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me tonight.

I feel charming,
Oh, so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel!
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real.

See the pretty girl in that mirror there:
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!

GIRLS
Have you met my good friend Maria,
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her,
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock.

She thinks she's in love.
She thinks she's in Spain.
She isn't in love,
She's merely insane.

It must be the heat
Or some rare disease,
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas.

Keep away from her,
Send for Chino!
This is not the
Maria we know!

Modest and pure,
Polite and refined,
Well-bred and mature
And out of her mind!

MARIA
I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty
That the city should give me its key.
A committee
Should be organized to honor me.

GIRLS
La la la la . . .

MARIA
I feel dizzy,
I feel sunny,
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,
And so pretty,
Miss America can just resign!

GIRLS
La la la la . . .

MARIA
See the pretty girl in that mirror there:

GIRLS
What mirror where?

MARIA
Who can that attractive girl be?

GIRLS
Which? What? Where? Whom?

MARIA
Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!

GIRLS
Such a pretty me!

ALL
I feel stunning
And entrancing,
Feel like running and dancing for joy,
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy!

 

[krkrjx]

I think the foreman did buy the premeditated part. He voted her guilty of first degree murder and if he didn't buy premeditation he would have been a hold-out there as well, IMO.

I interpret how he is being quoted differently, I guess. To me, he is not saying he did not believe her guilty of premeditation, just that the premeditation was not a big enough deal for him to think it warranted the death penalty. But even interpreting it this way does not make him sound any less clueless because the DP was for the cruel nature of the crime; premeditation only made it first degree.

 

[T-4-2]

I don't think casey was a better liar as such...more about the jury for me. They had their verdict pretty quick no?

Another difference between Casey's trial and Jodi's was that Jodi's jury had 18 glorious days in which to bask in the warm glow of Jodi's charm, wit, and intelligence. Oh, and her martyrdom. And her meekness, misfortunes, and "memory problems."

I wonder if Casey would have been convicted had she spent any amount of time on the witness stand.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a despicable murderer than to open it and remove all doubt.

(quasi-quoting Mark Twain)

 

[Steely Dan]

Another difference between Casey's trial and Jodi's was that Jodi's jury had 18 glorious days in which to bask in the warm glow of Jodi's charm, wit, and intelligence. Oh, and her martyrdom. And her meekness, misfortunes, and "memory problems."

I wonder if Casey would have been convicted had she spent any amount of time on the witness stand.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a despicable murderer than to open it and remove all doubt.

(quasi-quoting Mark Twain)

At the very least it would have been entertaining. If Casey wants to make money she should take the witness stand against JM in a pay per view event. I'D pay A LOT of money for that!!

 

[Tainted Angel]

I don't understand why not televising the retrial live makes the defense witnesses feel safer. If it is going to be taped and aired after the verdict, the public will still see it. They will still be tweeting during the trial. The record will still become public and the witnesses' names and testimony will be part of the record. If they are afraid the Jodi haters will threaten them during the trial what will stop them when the footage is finally aired? If there is a possibility that witnesses will be threatened what is the difference between now and later? I can understand after how the last trial was conducted that they might not want the media circus again, but saying how the media restrictions makes the witnesses feel safer doesn't make sense to me.

 

[janx]

I don't understand why not televising the retrial live makes the defense witnesses feel safer. If it is going to be taped and aired after the verdict, the public will still see it. They will still be tweeting during the trial. The record will still become public and the witnesses' names and testimony will be part of the record. If they are afraid the Jodi haters will threaten them during the trial what will stop them when the footage is finally aired? If there is a possibility that witnesses will be threatened what is the difference between now and later? I can understand after how the last trial was conducted that they might not want the media circus again, but saying how the media restrictions makes the witnesses feel safer doesn't make sense to me.

People don't want to testify because people have integrity, not because they feel threatened. ALV should never have testified. She's probably a very good counselor for victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, JA was not one of those, so ALV was in an untenable situation. It was absurd for the defense to put ALV on the stand.

 

[janx]

While some of Arias' witnesses have abandoned the case, the defense has cobbled together a "handful of witnesses," their names kept secret and their testimony spared the pressure of live TV coverage by a court order, said the source close to the defense.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/27/justice/arizona-jodi-arias-trial/

Interesting. A handful. Who on earth is left?

 

[Truth Detector]

I guess the defense will try to get as much people that fit the foreman's personality on that jury. If they do, I pray all of them are alternates! :gaah:

That's the template they're looking for:

 

[Truth Detector]

People don't want to testify because people have integrity, not because they feel threatened. ALV should never have testified. She's probably a very good counselor for victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, JA was not one of those, so ALV was in an untenable situation. It was absurd for the defense to put ALV on the stand.

For ALV and Samuels, the money's not bad if you're between gigs.

 

[gcharlie]

After a year and a half after the guilty verdict, the retrial of the sentencing phase will finally get underway tomorrow with the start of jury selection. This whole mess, with one young man's death at the heart of it, has been unprecedented in so many ways. I am more than ready for this sorry excuse of a human being to be sentenced, put away and hopefully fade into obscurity.

I remember reading posts on a forum dating back to 2008, where people were really interested to see this go to trial, learn more about the crime and Arias. People expected it to be crazy, but I don't think anyone could have predicted exactly how bizarre it would turn out. Unfortunately, I think there is yet more to come in the "trials of the weird" department. After all, CMJA has worked hard to build a cult following and she sure does not want to disappoint them.

YesorNo, you've been doing a great job with posting tweets and this will be the main way to follow the trial. For you, and anyone else who plans on following the trial real time via Twitter, consider building a Twitter list just for this purpose. You can add specific accounts of people who will be in the courtroom tweeting, and hopefully the combined tweets of different observers will give a fuller picture of what is happening.

I've built a list and right now, these are the people on that list:

Wild About Trial @WildAboutTrial
Follow your favorite criminal trials and get breaking news right in the palm of your hand. Our criminal justice app is available for iPhone and Android

Michael KieferVerified account @michaelbkiefer
Courts and legal writer for The Arizona Republic, novelist and travel writer. Journalism instructor at ASU. Retweets do not constitute endorsements.

Troy HaydenVerified account @troyhaydenfox10
News Anchor Fox 10. Husband. Dad. Golfer. Hiker. Scuba diver. Love getting questions, comments, story ideas.

Jen's Trial Diaries @TrialDiariesJ
Trial reporter on high profile criminal cases. Bringing you all the inside details, interviews, and latest news on what you want to see!

Elizabeth ErwinVerified account @elizabetherwin
ABC15 reporter, animal lover and shoe addict loving life in Arizona! Do you have a story idea? Email me at [email protected]

David LohrVerified account @David_Lohr
Senior Crime Reporter at The Huffington Post. Views are my own.

MaryEllen ResendezVerified account @maryellenabc15
Associated Press & Emmy-award winning news reporter for ABC15 and http://ABC15.com. Retweets on this page do not imply endorsements.

 

[Tuba]

If you wanted to start a fund for victims of drunk driving, you would not denominate donations in the name of a drunk driver. Arias collected contributions for St. Jude's charity so as to donate them in Travis's name, all the while maintaining he was a pedophile and a violent abuser. This is only one instance of the two conflicting streams coming out of opposite sides of her mouth. On the one side she protests emotionally that there was no reason, no reason, none, to harm or kill him. In another outburst, that all he ever did was to help her, give her money, and food when she was down & out. There is simply no motive, from her own perspective. She has written a stack of glowing tributes to Travis.

On the other side, she claims he is a bruiser (literally) who flew into rages, kicking her and choking the life out of her. And of course, there is the finger. There is no evidence of any of that harm, but still. No evidence of pedophilia, either. Where is the axiom which will help reconcile the contradictions? The way I look at it, something's got to give.