trial day 33: the defense continues its case in chief #96

[gcharlie]

Neither have I. He acts like he's never been on a witness stand before. He kept whacking the microphone with papers making that horrible sound and never realized it was him or that there even was a microphone there at all. One thing that really stuck out to me is he never once so much as acknowledged the jury. Experts are selling their personality more than anything else and always turn and talk directly to the jury whenever they speak. Even Jodi remembered to do that but not this nincompoop.

IIRC, the doc did face the jury when he was doing his "teaching" about the brain and memory.

The doc got more than testy, he got downright defensive and disrespectful when being questioned by JM. I found this entertaining on one level and very telling on another...if he has experience as an expert witness, shouldn't he expect to be aggressively challenged by the opposing side? I'm sure his demeanor was not missed by the jury.

I'm hoping the the DV expert, Alyce Laviolette shows integrity on the stand and actually benefits the prosecution, not the defense. She does have a career at stake.

Does anyone have insight into ALV and how she might testify?

 

[Schuby]

For anyone looking for a drinking game to go with today's testimony: Everyone takes a shot each time Samuels says "telephonically."

 

[zoozoo]

I just hope the jury can see the expert witness lacks a lot of smarts. Who can impeach him as a witness?

She probably apologized and whined and then stroked his ego about how wonderful he was and how much she missed him and the good times together and then went on to give examples such as when they <insert any sexual situation here> which got his juices flowing and he was hooked once again.

He sure had her pegged didn't he?

What in the heck did JA say/do after that text that she was able to squirm her way back into his life....

Here is a theory for what it's worth: JA promised to prove to TA that she had deleted the phone sex tape. She "lost" (hid) the helio phone that had the recording on it, got a replacement "through the insurance" and brought the new phone to AZ to show TA that there was no recording on it. Then TA felt relieved and subcumbed to temptation.

 

[Nosey Parker]

My wife said Jodi has lost so much weight her bony butt may be sore from sitting and she put the folder under her for a cushion. (?)

As someone with plenty of cushion myself I hadn't thought of that

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:


Hey guys, this is my 1000th post. Do I get a prize, or just told to STHU?

 

[Linda From New York]

The tentative schedule is as follows:

1:00 EST- Planned start time

1:15 EST - Actual start time (Seal)

1:20 EST - Establishing shots, spectators, camera neck rolls

1:25 EST - Actual talking. Court reporter profile shots.

1:26 EST - Pre-evidenciary approach and sidebar

1:28 EST - Pre-emptive defense objections decided by best of three "rock-paper-scissors"

1:30 EST - Jury dismissed. Prosecutor, Defense and Judge retire to chambers for ruling on the admissibility of "rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock"

1:45 EST - Jury returns

1:46 EST - Jury asked to leave again

1:47 EST - Jury back

1:50 EST - Defense objects "because they can"

1:55 EST - First genuine approach and sidebar ends

1:56 EST - Talking blobfish on witness stand

2:00 EST - Early lunch.

HA! You got that right!

 

[Sweetiemom]

Gus Searcy on Judge Judy - YouTube

Just as slimy as ever. I wonder when that was taped? Love his comb-over. :floorlaugh:

 

[Linda From New York]

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:


Hey guys, this is my 1000th post. Do I get a prize, or just told to STHU?

CONGRATS!


I got 110 more to go. And at the rate this trial is going you/we could get up to a few thousand.

 

[zoozoo]

IIRC, the doc did face the jury when he was doing his "teaching" about the brain and memory.

The doc got more than testy, he got downright defensive and disrespectful when being questioned by JM. I found this entertaining on one level and very telling on another...if he has experience as an expert witness, shouldn't he expect to be aggressively challenged by the opposing side? I'm sure his demeanor was not missed by the jury.

I'm hoping the the DV expert, Alyce Laviolette shows integrity on the stand and actually benefits the prosecution, not the defense. She does have a career at stake.

Does anyone have insight into ALV and how she might testify?

I watched a video of her a while back. I think she has a good reputation and I am betting she will testify to generalities re: DV and try to stay away from too much of the "foggy" details of JA's stories. My guess is that she will be infinitely more professional on cross than Samuels was. She will give pros some points on cross - just my bet. Someone said she has testified as an expert in many cases; it would be interesting to see how many we're for def vs for pros.

 

[Boodles]

Bits and pieces of the defendant's story that repeat verbatim, without change, over and over and over and over again ==> rehearsed, lies, and this is essentially all she has said about the murder.


I was kneeling beside the tub and we were looking at the pictures and deleting them.
I dropped the camera and it rolled.
He said:"a 5 year old can handle a camera better than you can"
He body slammed me.
I rolled to the left.
He came at me, like a linebacker.
He said: "F'in kill you bi*ch"...
I heard the sound of the knife hit the tile.
Everything was a fog after that.
I have a vague recollection of putting the knife in the dishwasher, but it may have been a memory from a different time.

 

[Steely Dan]

See, I am not sure that she did get back in his good graces. I am not 100% on board with the fact that he even knew she was there until 1 pm that day. He took a call iirc around noon with one of the PPL people. She says they didn't wake up till after 1. So, there are some inconsistencies still that make me think her arrival was not something he knew was going to happen. And when it did, like another posted, he went with it to avoid the scene and just get her out of there. But she came back when she realized it didn't work, he still was going to Cancun without her. He was still moving on. So, what else was there to do for her but to use violence to fix it.

Kelly

I think TA was too nice and too trusting. IIRC, some of his friends said that he wasn't afraid of Jodi. He thought he could handle her.

 

[weather_lady]

I agree! I wrote a series of articles on DV for a local newspaper. What strikes me here is that the power and control rested with JA, not TA. She exhibits all the signs of an abuser. HE was the one in fear. He sent that text because she was 1000 miles away. I seriously doubt he would have said those words to her in person. He would have been too frightened.

I don't think he had sex and took those photos with JA that day bc he was weak and needed "it." He did it because he was SCARED not to. He just wanted to get away from her, but, essentially, he was a prisoner in his own home. Did she hold him hostage with a gun to his head? No. But she wouldn't leave and he thought he could handle her the way he always had and deal with the fallout later. Only, there was no later.

I also don't think JA was happy when she picked up that camera and saw TA had deleted all of their "tryst" photos. She thought he would keep them. For her, THAT was significant. He didn't want her or any record of her being in Mesa, either. She'd gone to a lot of trouble and pulled out all the stops, down to the braids. And it wasn't enough. He was ACTUALLY leaving her-physically AND emotionally. HE was ending it. No other boyfriend had done that.

There is a good case of emotional and sexual abuse here, but it wasn't TA doing the abusing. It was JA. The defense expert will talk a lot about the cycle of violence and escalation, etc. But she will NOT convince me that the victim of DV was anybody but TA. He finally worked up the courage to end it. And she killed him. :twocents:

Interesting thought -- it never occurred to me before that TA had actually deleted the tryst pictures, but you're right, it would just add to her rage. I, too, feel that she drove to that house with the intention to win TA back, and kill him if she couldn't.

I'm not sure that TA was afraid of her, physically -- I see him more as simply a red-blooded young guy who was struggling with trying to adhere to the dictates of his faith, and was at a weak moment, having just been rebuffed by the woman he'd thought might be "the one," who was now just going to Cancun with him "as a friend." (While I'm not Mormon, I come from a similarly-conservative Christian background, and am well aware of the cycle of guilt that young Christians feel when engaging in various sexual activities, as well as the rationalizations, e.g., "oral sex isn't real sex, so it's OK," or "anal sex isn't real sex, so it's OK" they often use to convince themselves that they're "still a virgin." Much of what JA said about Travis's communications to her in that regard is very familiar to me -- I don't see TA as trying to fool JA into impermissible sexual activity by telling her that certain activities were OK; rather, I see him trying to protect both of them from guilt, as well as to find a way to rationalize their sexual antics so they can keep on doing them, for their mutual pleasure.)

While he had recently re-committed to being chaste, Jodi caught him at a moment when his defenses were down, and was able to talk him into one last sexual romp, which I am sure he had come to regret even before those final shower photos were taken. To me, the discomfort he shows in the photos is caused by guilt at what he is doing, rather than fear. I think that at some point between the sexual activity and the shower, they had a long talk, and he tried to make her understand that pigtails and Brazilians weren't going to change his mind about the fact that their relationship was over.

I wonder -- did the photo expert say anything, or have any information, about WHEN the photos were deleted? Is it possible to know whether TA could have deleted one batch before the shower pics, with JA deleting the rest after the murder? Interesting stuff.

 

[Avalon85]

I'm hoping the jury is just like us and unable to tell if anything is a lie so you assume everything is a lie.

How sad is it that we have to debate whether she was wearing a sweater or shirt because even something that mundane and insignificant could be a lie? She lies about things that don't even matter!

 

[The Farm]

Really? He scheduled something else on a date he knew he may have a court obligation? I'm shocked, he seemed so professional. :facepalm:

He's probably at Denny's right now reading a romance novel while scarfing his grand slam.

Hehehehehehehehe

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

 

[Nosey Parker]

I really dont understand why all this time wasted with PTSD. Has nothing to do with shooting and stabbing TA. They need to spend more time trying to debunk premeditation.Who cares about her stress level after the fact.

It appears to be an essential set up for the DV expert. How it plays into her testimony we shall just have to wait and see.

I still think the Shrinking Violette will prove a disgrace to genuine DV victims and survivors.

 

[Nali87]

Interesting thought -- it never occurred to me before that TA had actually deleted the tryst pictures, but you're right, it would just add to her rage. I, too, feel that she drove to that house with the intention to win TA back, and kill him if she couldn't.

I'm not sure that TA was afraid of her, physically -- I see him more as simply a red-blooded young guy who was struggling with trying to adhere to the dictates of his faith, and was at a weak moment, having just been rebuffed by the woman he'd thought might be "the one," who was now just going to Cancun with him "as a friend." (While I'm not Mormon, I come from a similarly-conservative Christian background, and am well aware of the cycle of guilt that young Christians feel when engaging in various sexual activities, as well as the rationalizations, e.g., "oral sex isn't real sex, so it's OK," or "anal sex isn't real sex, so it's OK" they often use to convince themselves that they're "still a virgin." Much of what JA said about Travis's communications to her in that regard is very familiar to me -- I don't see TA as trying to fool JA into impermissible sexual activity by telling her that certain activities were OK; rather, I see him trying to protect both of them from guilt.)

While he had recently re-committed to being chaste, Jodi caught him at a moment when his defenses were down, and was able to talk him into one last sexual romp, which I am sure he had come to regret even before those final shower photos were taken. To me, the discomfort he shows in the photos is caused by guilt at what he is doing, rather than fear. I think that at some point between the sexual activity and the shower, they had a long talk, and he tried to make her understand that pigtails and Brazilians weren't going to change his mind about the fact that their relationship was over.

I wonder -- did the photo expert say anything, or have any information, about WHEN the photos were deleted? Is it possible to know whether TA could have deleted one batch before the shower pics, with JA deleting the rest after the murder? Interesting stuff.

I agree.

 

[Steely Dan]

Deadbeat dad, huh ? But that ring makes him a "big" man lol ...

I love how he complains about his wife constantly calling him. Well Gus, do you think it might have something to do with you owing her a lot of money and you weren't giving her any? I thought you were a millionaire. JMO

 

[Steely Dan]

Naptime, so I'm ready at 4pm. fftobed:

 

[Wake_me]

Bits and pieces of the defendant's story that repeat verbatim, without change, over and over and over and over again ==> rehearsed, lies, and this is essentially all she has said about the murder.


I was kneeling beside the tub and we were looking at the pictures and deleting them.
I dropped the camera and it rolled.
He said:"a 5 year old can handle a camera better than you can"
He body slammed me.
I rolled to the left.
He came at me, like a linebacker.
He said: "F'in kill you bi*ch"...
I heard the sound of the knife hit the tile.
Everything was a fog after that.
I have a vague recollection of putting the knife in the dishwasher, but it may have been a memory from a different time.

There's so many that can be added. It comes across as so transparent and lacking the emotion one would expect. Here's one that stands out for me that you didn't mention.

"I just know that if someone pointed a gun at me I would stop"

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Just getting caught up on overnight/morning posts. JeanC was filling in for NG, so I didn't watch that hour of commentary, but DH and I watched Dr. Drew. It was a good program, and I'm learning to appreciate and respect Dr. Drew more than I used to.

Now that Jodi's DT table shenanigans have been exposed on national TV, I hope that Judge Stephens will become more aware of what is taking place right under her nose in her courtroom. As she does with practically everyone that she meets, Jodi seems to have charmed JSS who is afraid to say anything to the defendant about her courtroom decorum. :moo:

 

[audreyparker]

Assertiveness bordering on aggressive depending on her emotional state.

What her motive determines if it is aggressive? Her plan to kill him I think classifies aggressive.

Passive would be never driving down to see her or initiate calling her etc..

ITA. I'm not a professional, but I would classify many of her actions as not only assertive, but aggressive. Even in her own testimony, almost every time there was a visit, it was JA going to Travis, NOT the other way around.

It seems obvious to me that this poor pitiful me act is just that - an act. Even watching her interviews before and after she was arrested, she never once comes off as not assertive, ever! She definintely projects confidence and sometimes downright arrogance and aggressiveness.

Even when JM confronted her on the stand, she had no problem calling him out when she believed that he was treating her in a way she had an issue with. And I'm sure she was the same way with Travis. I have no doubt she was always the aggressor in their relationship.