Jury Chosen in Jodi Arias Trial

"In Session" reported this morning that a jury has finally been chosen in the murder trial of The State of AZ vs. Jodi Arias.  There will be 12 jurors and 6 alternates. The jury pool is reportedly 11 men and 7 women, which the defense must be pleased with.  Arias doesn't look like your typical killer or inmate for that matter, and men may have a more difficult time believing the petite and demure looking Arias is physically capable of carrying out such a brutal attack.

Arias' defense team has been fighting to have footage from jailhouse interviews Jodi Arias gave to TV shows "48 Hours" and "Inside Edition" excluded from evidence.  The judge ruled against the defense's request.  In Session reported this morning that trial coverage will begin on January 7, 2013.  Travis Alexander's family and friends are anxious for their day in court, and it appears they will finally get it!

For a trial that has been referred to as "the biggest trial since the State of Florida vs. Casey Anthony, news coverage has been scarce on this case, most likely due to 4 years worth of delays.  Arias wore glasses in court and appeared calm in the face of a death penalty case.  But looks can be deceiving.

In the end, I believe Jodi Arias herself will end up being her own worse enemy.  She has given law enforcement officials 3 very different accounts of the events leading up to the June, 2008 murder and initially denied being anywhere near Mesa AZ.  It was only in the face of physical evidence left at the scene of the crime that she admitted being there.  Bloody palm prints and time/date stamped photographs don't lie -people do.

During one of Arias' interviews held while she was in the custody in Sheriff Joe's Maricopa County jail, she predicted that "no jury in the world would convict me".  I hope she brings a fork to court because I have a feeling she's going to have to eat those words!  For those of you that aren't familiar with the case, Jodi Arias stands accused of murdering ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in his home back in June of 2008.

By all accounts, Alexander was a great guy who was well liked by all who came into contact with him.  He worked for Pre-Paid Legal, where he met Jodi Arias during a convention.  They dated for several months, but Arias' increasingly possessive and erratic behavior eventually caused them to break up.  Travis was moving on and reportedly had began seeing another woman.

Alexander's severely battered body was found in the bathroom of his home by friends who entered to conduct a welfare check after several days of not being able to reach him.  He had been shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and had his throat slit - he had been deceased for several days before being discovered by friends.  I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for the friends who entered the house and found their friend in that condition.

Arias is now conceding that she killed him, but it was in self defense. Is blaming the victim the best defense they could come up with?  Hypothetically - let's give her the benefit of the doubt and say she and Travis had a fight that got physical that night.  Why not dial 911 or run to a neighbor's house for help? How does a gun and knife come into play when there are pictures of a smiling Travis in the shower, just minutes before a photo of a dead or dying Travis on the floor of the shower?  The self defense story logistically doesn't hold water.

When you have love, obsession, jealousy and then rejection it's sure to be a trial full of drama.  It's not often that prosecutors have the type of photo evidence they reportedly have in this trial.  The day of reckoning is closing in on Jodi Arias.