Dr. Janeen DeMarte is a licensed clinical psychologist who has a private practice in the Phoenix area. She holds a master's degree and PhD in clinical psychology. with a concentration on forensics - and graduated from Michigan State University and fulfilled her doctoral residency at Arizona State Hospital. Her clinical training was done at outpatient clinics, correctional facilities and inpatient unit settings. She has served as the Clinical Director of a large outpatient behavior health clinic in Phoenix and "oversaw the practice of numerous multidisciplinary treatment providers", according to "sentiencepsych.com". Dr. Demarte has developed a highly regarded program for practicum students of Arizona State University, Argosy University, and several other academic institutions.
She has also instructed bachelor students at the university level and provided training for master's and doctoral students in the field of clinical psychology. I found information on DeMarte on sentiencepsych.com, which is the website for "Sentience Psychological Services LLC", this is DeMarte's practice. Some of the services provided through Sentience are listed as:
- Therapy
- Psychological Evaluations, including:
- Personality Assessment
- Intelligence & Cognitive Testing
- Capacity Evaluations
- Forensic Evaluations
- Lectures
- Expert Testimony
- Consultation & Supervision
Psychology Today lists some of the issues DeMarte deals with:
- Anger Management
- Behavioral Issues
- Depression
- Domestic Violence
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Sexual Addiction
- Teen Violence
- Antisocial Personality
- Borderline Personality
- Narcissistic Personality
- Domestic Abuse
- Sexual Abuse
- Oppositional Defiance
- Suicidal Ideation
- Bipolar Disorder
- Psychosis
I'd expect Juan Martinez to quickly point out that DeMarte is qualified to conduct the testing on Jodi Arias that LaViolette wasn't. Both Samuels and LaViolette have more years in their fields than DeMarte does, but the jury may find this fact refreshing.
LaViolette does not have the licensing or education required to conduct testing, she can only read other people's tests and apply her own interpretations. I'm not saying LaViolette is not qualified in the area of domestic abuse, I'm simply stating that Dr. DeMarte holds higher educational degrees. Of the "issues" list above, I'd be interested to hear if DeMarte looked at the areas of sexual addiction, antisocial, borderline AND narcissistic personality disorders, teen violence, suicidal ideation and behavioral issues in her assessment of this case. Actually, many of these areas have been touched on during the four month trial, in looking at both Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander's behavior.
If you recall, back on February 6 of this year DeMarte's Phoenix home was broken into and among the items that were stolen was her laptop computer that contained her psychological report on Jodi Arias. Detectives called the break-in "suspicious", given that DeMarte has been identified as the State's expert witness in publicly filed documents for more than two years, although they stopped short of saying it was Arias-related. Mighty suspicious, or is it just another coincidence? It would seem that the State would have had to provide a copy of DeMarte's report to the defense ahead of time, although I'm not familiar enough with procedures around discovery items to say when they would have received it.
What will Dr. DeMarte have to say about murder defendant Jodi Arias? How much will her report differ from Dr. Richard Samuels or Alyce LaViolette's? Among DeMarte's listed specialties are trauma and PTSD (these are the areas Dr. Samuels testified about), but she may be able to effectively challenge both defense experts opinions. I believe the State would have chosen the best expert they could retain and I don't expect Martinez to disappoint! It must have been extremely painful for the Alexander siblings to sit in that court room for the last two weeks and hear Alyce LaViolette and Jennifer Willmott deconstruct their brother's character and his morals. Given that neither of them ever met Travis Alexander, it has angered and outraged many court watchers to hear the levels to which the defense team has gone to paint Travis as a bad guy.
Blaming the victim has been a defense tool and tactic that has been used in trials all across the country. It's nothing new. But the LEVEL that it has been used in this trial seems excessive and people are finding it offensive. Isn't it possible that Jodi Arias will say anything she has to in order to avoid Death Row? Why is that so hard for Alyce LaViolette to believe? Given what Arias stands to lose if found guilty of first degree murder as charged, wouldn't common sense tell you it was possible she was not being truthful about these alleged incidents? The Alexander family has shown great strength and restraint in the courtroom. Hearing lies being told about their murdered brother for the last three months, and not being able to show any reaction or grief must be extremely difficult and frustrating. All I can say to them is stay strong, the State's rebuttal case is coming. And know that many many people who are viewing this trial do not believe Jodi Arias's description of your brother. We all are so sorry about the death of your brother Travis.
What will next week bring? The trial lost another juror last week, goodbye Juror #11. Alyce LaViolette was reportedly taken to the ER for anxiety and palpitations last weekend and was photographed sharing a meal with Jennifer Willmott & the death penalty mitigation attorney. Despite my opinion about LaViolette's testimony I don't wish her any ill health. I'd never buy anything written by her after this trial, nor would I seek her out as a therapist if I needed one, but I certainly don't want bad things to happen to her. I'll just be happy to see her heading for Sky Harbor Airport and heading back to Long Beach. Will Jodi Arias's tweets spark a war with Nancy Grace and the HLN team? Will Matt McCartney betray Arias by telling the truth about the alleged abuse, the gun and the secret magazine codes? Will Kirk Nurmi get a blazer that better fits the length of his arms? Will Arias sketch a portrait of Judge Stephens and auction it off on her website? Anything is possible in this trial! Have a fantastic weekend everyone.
