Arias Attorney Argues Against "Covert Plan" To Kill Travis Alexander

Kirk Nurmi's closing argument got under way this morning in the Jodi Arias murder trial. He began picking away at the State's theme that Jodi Arias had a "covert" plan to kill Travis Alexander that began in May of 2008.  "This case is about fear, love, sex, lies and dirty little secrets", Nurmi told the jury. He then told the jury that they didn't have to like Jodi Arias - saying "9 days out of 10 I don't like her", to which Jodi Arias laughed.

Nurmi warned the jurors to not be afraid of the way their verdict may be received, which prompted an objection from Juan Martinez. Nurmi made light of the State's theory of the covert plan, explaining that Jodi Arias did leave a paper trail of her trip through rental car receipts, gas receipts and through telling Darryl Brewer she was going to Mesa. He seems to be taking Jodi Arias' mistakes and trying to use them in her favor. "She's an intelligent person", he keeps saying.

He disputed the notion that Arias stole the gun from her grandparents home. "She could've just taken it", he argued. He named other sources where Jodi could have gotten a gun that would not have produced a police report. Well, Mr. Nurmi - if Arias had simply taken the gun, wouldn't it have been even more suspicious if it was suddenly missing? She couldn't have returned it after using it after all. Borrowing a gun surely would have been more suspicious after Travis ended up being shot. He's trying, but I'm afraid the damage is done.

Nurmi tried to dismiss the entire gas can issue as well, pointing out that Jodi had enough money in her bank accounts to have purchased gas cans with cash instead of borrowing them from Darryl Brewer, if she were on a covert mission. He's taking the "covert mission" theme too far - remember, Arias told most people she was going to Utah, so it's not the trip that was covert - just the stop in Arizona. Doesn't he think the jury will put this together?  He then began displaying photos of Travis in the shower - in particular, the one where his back is to the camera. He pointed out several instances where Jodi could have simply shot or stabbed Travis and been on her way. He has a point there, but I believe it took some time for her to work up the nerve to actually kill him.

Court is in a recess now. More later! This is nerve wracking. Arias has a new hairstyle today, part of her hair is pulled back into a long pony tail while the rest of her hair is down. Both Willmott and Arias are sitting upright and paying close attention today.

**UPDATE**

Kirk Nurmi couldn't resist going back into the allegations that Travis was a pedophile. I thought he may tone this down during his closing argument, but if it's even possible to sink any lower than they previously have - HE DID. He repeated the comment Travis Alexander made during the phone sex tape about Jodi sounding like a 12 year old girl having her first orgasm - and then said "let's hope he doesn't know what that really sounds like". Wow. ALL TIME LOW. This jury isn't privy to the litigation that went on for years around the forged letters Jodi reportedly produced while in jail, supposedly from Travis in which he admitted to being attracted to young boys. At one point, the State wanted those letters IN, to show the extent this woman would go to in order to lie about the facts in this case. In the end, it was all thrown out. But the jury has no idea about the backstory to this. And for Nurmi to keep throwing that out there is just beyond repugnant.

In the afternoon session, he fell back on playing the phone sex tape again, as if the jury hasn't heard ENOUGH of that to last a lifetime. This isn't a case about sex. It's a murder trial. I'm so disgusted right now that it's hard to type. Nurmi was more effective this morning, when he was pointing out the many opportunities Arias had to kill Travis after arriving on June 4, 2008. He should've stuck to those areas instead of going back to the sexual deviant theme.  Shame on him.  Thank God Martinez will get the last word!

Jodi Arias Trial - State's Theory Of Murder Plot Is Chilling

When Arizona prosecutor Juan Martinez began his closing arguments yesterday morning, he laid out a carefully planned and well orchestrated killing for the jurors who will decide Jodi Arias' fate in the coming days. The prosecutor known for his fiery demeanor and aggressive style began the morning with a sarcastic recap of Jodi Arias, the victim. "She likes to play the victim", he told the jury and a packed court room. He then recapped Arias' relationships with men, and reminded everybody of the similarities in the way Arias happened upon the many e-mails and text messages of ex boyfriend Bobbie Juarez and Travis Alexander that she read. He chastised Arias for pointing the finger at Travis Alexander for being "a bad Mormon" and engaging in sexual activity, telling the jury "she's just as Mormon as he was" (I loved that!).  I also loved when he referred to the field of lies that sprouted around Arias as she testified.

His theme throughout the morning session was how Jodi Arias refused to take blame for anything that happened in her failed relationships and her life in general, "this is an individual who hit her mother and called her sister stupid", Martinez said. He then went over the known lies Arias has told the jury on the stand, beginning with the return of the gas can to WalMart. "She looked each and every one of you in the eye and lied to you, under oath". He then began to tell a story of premeditated murder. He believe the plan or thought to kill Alexander began around 5/26/08, after Travis Alexander sent Arias an angry text message in which he told her she was evil, and the worst thing that ever happened to him. Just two days later, a .25 caliber gun was reported as stolen from Arias' grandparents home where she was living. The murder plot was put into motion.

Martinez's description of this trip to Mesa was chilling. Under the State's theory, it's possible that Travis Alexander didn't even know Arias was on her way to his home when he talked to her while she was in Pasadena. Martinez believes Arias just showed up, shortly after 4:00AM and Travis Alexander was awake and on his computer. Having already removed the front license plate from her rental car and dyed her hair dark brown, Arias snuck into the garage and used his security code to gain entry to his house. If it really happened this way, it's even more creepy and heinous than I ever imagined. The only question I have around this theory is that most homes that I've been in that have these types of security systems make some type of "beep" when you enter. Not an alarm, which would go off if you didn't use the code, but a beep. I'm sure there are numerous different systems out there so I may be way off, but I'm surprised that Napoleon didn't begin barking the moment a car pulled up or somebody opened the door?

Martinez's step-by-step description of how he believes Jodi Arias lured Travis Alexander into the shower, posing him in the vulnerable position he was in before she delivered the first stab wound to his chest was spot on. Of the two possible scenarios, the defense's story and the prosecution's story - this is the one that fits. This is the one that makes sense, this is the one that fits the evidence. The way that Jodi Arias followed an injured Travis Alexander from place to place, continuing to attack him as he struggled to get away, and then to live - was just bone chilling. She was relentless. Even though Travis was gravely injured and bleeding from several places, Arias followed him out of the bathroom, down the hall where he collapsed. It was there that she cut his throat. Just cold blooded murder. There was no "provocation", this was not self defense. The prosecutor's closing argument firmly supports premeditated murder.

What will the defense say in their closing argument?  Will they continue to try to portray Jodi Arias as a victim on Travis' deviant sexual behavior and physical and mental abuse?  Continuing down the path of blaming the victim could be very dangerous for them at this point. If they sense the jury doesn't buy the abuse claims, it could further anger them that they are being played by this defense team and by the defendant. I don't know what Nurmi will say, but I'm guessing they have little choice but to play the hand they have been dealing out to this jury. Good luck with that.