What Jodi Arias Doesn't Want The Jury To Know......

As her re-trial of the penalty phase approaches, Jodi Arias has filed a slew of Motions aimed at ensuring the new jury doesn't know what she's been up to during her incarceration.  I'm sure there are MANY things she doesn't want the jury to know - and I suspect this is why Arias has proclaimed herself as going "radio-silent" in a recent tweet to supporters.

Two Motions filed recently asked Judge Sherry Stephens prevent her new jury from hearing about her many attempts to fire attorney Kirk Nurmi and she doesn't want them to hear about a statement from a former cellmate that she wanted to kill prosecutor Juan Martinez. One of the Motions states that one or both of her attorneys will need to withdraw from her case if the jury hears how she really feels about Kirk Nurmi's trial performance.  If you recall, shortly after her guilty verdict Arias delivered a 15 page hand written letter to Judge Stephens requesting Nurmi be fired as her attorney, citing his "utter poverty of people skills" and because she didn't feel he liked her.  The Motion claims this information would unfairly prejudice the jury against her.

In this Motion, "Ms. Arias draws the Court's attention to this rule because if she claims and/or assertions contained in Ms. Arias' Change of Counsel are somehow deemed relevant and in turn admissible, both of Ms. Arias' attorneys would then become witness as they would then have relevant perspective on the claims and/or assertions Ms. Arias' made in this Motion", the Motion states. "Thus, both of Ms. Arias' attorneys would be ethically bound to withdraw.  This withdrawal would then interfere with rights due to Ms. Arias"....The Motion then points out that Judge Stephens previously agreed to suppress information back in 2011 when Arias asked the Court to RETAIN Kirk Nurmi, and references a letter sent to the Court from Sandy Arias which supported her daughter's contentions.  Make up your mind would you?  It seems to me that Arias has argued both sides of this coin, keep Kirk Nurmi on my case or you are violating my rights to a fair trial - then, remove Kirk Nurmi from my case or you are violating my rights to a fair trial.  What's really going on here?

I personally feel that Nurmi, at some point became so disgusted with his client's outrageous diva-like behavior that he could barely contain himself.  Couple that with losing at trial, at times battling Juan Martinez as if it were personal - add that with a client who refused to keep her trap shut and stay off the 6 o'clock news, and I'd say he probably has just had it with Arias.  Does Nurmi really believe that Arias killed Travis Alexander in self defense? Does he really believe Travis did half of the things Jodi Arias said he did?  I get the sense that he didn't, but he did what defense attorneys do. He tried to defend someone who really had no legitimate defense. Someone who lied, and lied and lied. Someone who gave interviews against her attorneys advice and was communicating with the potential jury pool and the world through her outrageous tweets from jail.  Someone who didn't appear remorseful. How do defense attorneys deal with clients like Jodi Arias?

I can't say I liked Kirk Nurmi's trial strategy.  How do you defend a woman who stabbed a man 30 times, slit his throat and shot him in the face? Self defense was really a stretch to begin with, and given the fact that Arias seemed to have staged a burglary to obtain the handgun police believe was used to shoot Travis, and given the fact that Jodi Arias just kept on driving to Utah after committing such a heinous act and had no real injuries to her person, people who are forced to kill in self defense just don't behave in the way she behaved.  This would have been a near impossible case for anybody to defend, but the way they went after the victim was truly one of the most despicable defenses ever launched in a courtroom.  Just disgusting, desperate and outright despicable.

How will Judge Stephens rule on these newest Motions?  It will be interesting to see but I'd expect her to be ultra conservative at this point.  The new jury will likely never get to hear about the behind bars antics of this convicted murderer.  The things Arias wants them to hear, maybe.  I'd expect Judge Stephens to disallow the statements from Arias' former cellmate from ever being heard by this jury.  Maybe we'll be surprised and Arias' own tweets will be used against her.  That would be poetic justice.

**Update**

I was just reading that the re-trial has been delayed again! Apparently there is a scheduling conflict involving prosecutor Juan Martinez that is more aged that Jodi Arias' retrial! The Arizona Republic reported that Martinez is scheduled to begin another potential death penalty trial on May 12, 2014 - and that case will go first.  The trial is for a man charged with killing a police officer in 2007.  This is starting to feel like the Twilight Zone.  Will the Alexander family ever see Jodi Arias face justice for killing their brother? It's unbelievable how long it takes for a murder case to even GET to the trial stage, but in the case of Jodi Arias what really struck me is the delays AFTER the verdict.  Seems to me that Judge Stephens originally set a date in July of 2013 to begin the penalty phase re-trial. Had they even come close to staying on schedule, she'd be tucked away in prison already. 

Tragedy In Napa - 3 Year Old Kayleigh Slusher Beaten To Death By Mother & Boyfriend

Kayleigh Slusher (Facebook)

 Look at this angelic little girl, 3 year old Kayleigh Slusher. Police in Napa California are reporting that Kayleigh's 23 year old mother and her boyfriend confessed to killing the toddler.  According to reports, Sara Krueger and her 26 year old boyfriend Ryan Scott Warner beat the child to death, crammed her body into a suitcase and stuffed it in a freezer last Thursday - one day after Napa police went to the home to do a welfare check on Kayleigh.

Both Krueger and Warner were charged with first degree murder and assault on a child resulting in death. According to published reports, Kayleigh's body was discovered on Saturday - she had been sexually abused and beaten to death.  Neither Krueger or Warner has been charged with sexual abuse yet. Napa police were tipped off to the suspected abuse of Kayleigh by an anonymous caller who feared the little girl was being mistreated and not being fed. There was also a concern that drugs were being sold or consumed at the home and strangers were frequently seen staying at the second floor apartment.

Police had been there twice in the week before her body was found, and FOURTEEN times since 2012, according to KPIX-TV, yet Child Protective Services had never been called!  Kayleigh's grandfather John Krueger has spoken out publicly about how his daughter Sara's life changed for the worse after Warner came into the picture. He told a local reporter that Sara loved Kayleigh more than anything in the world. Neighbors reported that things at the apartment changed immediately after Warner moved in. Ryan Warner's Facebook page reportedly listed his occupation as "Trappin", which apparently suggests he was dealing meth. Police and neighbors believe this would account for all of the foot traffic in and out of the apartment.  Sara Krueger had received a letter from the apartment's management just weeks ago that warned she was in danger of losing her housing because of the frequent foot traffic. 

Neighbors also reported that once Warner moved in with Krueger, they were rarely seen outside and little Kayleigh was seen less frequently outside. The drapes were always drawn, and neighbors became more and more concerned about the safety and well being of 3 year old Kayleigh. It appears their fears were well founded. They appeared to have done everything right - they contacted the police numerous times about the suspicious activity at the apartment. They got involved - so how did this happen? How can the police go to the same apartment 14 times in less than 2 years time and not contact Child Protective Services since a young child was living there? Even if the police didn't find drugs during their visit, they had reason to suspect illegal activity was occurring there. Wasn't that enough to open a case with CPS?

How did Sara Krueger get to a point where she becomes a co-defendant instead of a mother - facing charges of murdering her precious little girl? Did drugs take over, or did Warner? What happened to get to this point? There are so many unanswered questions, but it would seem a mother would protect her child and definitely would not go on the run with the man who beat her to death.  Police believe Kayleigh was beaten to death on or around January 31, 2014.  Her body was put into a suitcase and then a freezer for 2 days! Police were at the apartment on January 29, just two days before Kayleigh was believed to be killed. This story is unsettling.  Sara's father says that she was a devoted and loving mother who loved her daughter with all of her heart.  Could Ryan Warner really have had that much of an effect on her motherly instinct to protect her daughter? Or did Sara simply choose a life of drugs with Ryan over the life of a single mother with Kayleigh? I'll never understand the choices people make.

Sara Krueger and Ryan Warner went on the run - neighbors reported seeing them leaving their apartment carrying suitcases on Saturday. They were eventually spotted in a (BART) commuter train station in El Cerrito and detained by police. According to investigators, Sara Krueger and Scott Warner had been living together for around a year before the murder and they had been in trouble with the law before.  Kayleigh's biological father is reportedly an inmate at San Quentin State Prison.  Did this beautiful little girl stand a chance?  The Napa community is outraged and deeply saddened by the fate of this little girl.

Sara Krueger & Scott Warner

Krueger and Warner are both being held without bail pending their formal arraignment. They are scheduled to go to court on February 25, 2014. Just look at the photos of this gorgeous little girl, killed at the hands of the adults who were supposed to be loving and protecting her.  What a very sad story.

Kayleigh Slusher - Facebook

Sara and Kayleigh

Jodi Arias Still Facing Death Penalty - Judge Stephens Rules on Motion

Judge Sherry Stephens handed down a ruling on a motion filed by Jodi Arias attorneys Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott regarding her eligibility for the death penalty at her sentencing retrial. In a minute entry dated February 5, 2014, Judge Stephens ruling stated:

...the fact that the first jury was unable to unanimously agree on the sentence to be imposed is inapposite to the Eight Amendment's narrowing requirement.  The class of first degree murderers eligible for the death penalty is not broadened by a jury's inability to determine the appropriate sentence at the penalty phase.  Defendant has not been "acquitted" of the death sentence by the jury's failure to reach a verdict, and thus there is no constitutional bar to retrying the penalty phase.  See Medina 232 Ariz at 17-28 (holding ARS 13-752K's) provision for retrial after a hung jury phase does not result in cruel or unusual punishment or violate the Double Jeopardy clause. 

IT IS ORDERED denying the defendants Motion to Dismiss Death: Cruel and Unusual Punishment filed January 17, 2014.

In Arias' Motion, she had argued that it was unconstitutional to allow a second jury to sentence her to death - citing it was cruel and unusual punishment and amounted to double jeopardy.  Want to know what we think was cruel and unusual punishment? Stabbing your ex boyfriend in excess of 25 times before slitting his throat and shooting him in the face. THAT was cruel and unusual punishment.  Judge Stephens also wrote in her ruling "Defendant misconstrues the Eight Amendment's narrowing requirement....the Eight Amendment requires that aggravating factors in capital cases must "genuinely narrow the classes of persons eligible for the death penalty and must reasonable justify the imposition of a more severe sentence on the defendant compared to others found guilty of murder".

There was also another minute entry dated February 4, 2014 that refers to an exhibit.  The entry says "Court has been advised by the Exhibits Department that exhibit #243 which is in a sealed plastic bag containing a handbag was not inventoried of the items contained inside".  The ruling was to unseal and inventory the contents of exhibit #243 and update the exhibit worksheet.  Wonder what's in the handbag?  Wouldn't it be something if there was a handgun in there? It appears by the Superior Court minute entries that arguments have been ongoing, motions have been ruled on and this re trial has been chugging along - albeit out of the eye of the media and the public. As for the Estrella Jail's most infamous inmate, has she really gone "radio-silent" as promised in a recent tweet? So far she's kept to her word, we'll see how long she can remain silent!

Take The MyCrimeTime Quiz!

Ready to test your MyCrimeTime knowledge?  Even if you don't regularly stop by this blog site, take the quiz and see how well you do! I'd rate these as beginner level questions, so give it a shot.  Answers are below. Good luck!

1. What was the name of the club where Casey Anthony participated in the "hot body" contest?
2. What is the name of Jodi Arias' first real boyfriend?
3. What was the name of Christopher Coleman's mistress?
4. How many times did Susan Wright stab husband Jeff Wright?
5. How many times has Drew Peterson been married?
6. What was the name of the Judge who presided over the OJ Simpson trial?
7. What was the name of the restaurant Nicole Brown Simpson had dinner with her family at the night she was murdered?
8. What actor played the role of prosecutor Jeff Ashton in Lifetime's movie based on the Casey Anthony trial?
9. What drug did Michelle Michael use to kill husband Jim with?
10. What was the name of Casey Anthony's boyfriend?
11. What was the name of the street the Anthony's lived on?
12. What are the names of Jodi Arias' parents and siblings?

I know, I know - that was too easy. We'll call that the beginner's quiz.  I'll think of some questions to stump you next time! How'd you do?

Answers:

1. Fusion
2. Bobby Juarez
3. Tara Linz
4. 193 times
5. 4
6. Lance Ito
7. Mezzaluna
8. Rob Lowe
9. Rocuronium
10. Anthony Lazzaro
11. Hopespring
12. Bill & Sandi (parents) Carl & Angela (siblings)

Hoping I got these correct!  

Can Cold Justice Get Indictment in 1997 Murders of Marisol & Andrew Gonzalez?

 Another great episode of TNT's Cold Justice played out last night, as this is rapidly becoming my favorite crime-themed show. In episode #4, the Cold Justice team of Kelly Siegler, Yolanda McClary, Alan Brown & Armando Perez headed to Cottonwood, Arizona to investigate the unsolved murder of 17 year old Marisol Gonzalez.  Siegler, a veteran former prosecutor with a ton of murder prosecutions under her belt was visibly touched by the cruelty of this unsolved murder.  Not only was Marisol a teenager, she was carrying a full term baby when she was shot in the face on March 25, 1997 in an alleyway just a block from her house.

According to Marisol's family and friends, she was scheduled to give birth to her first son who already had a name - Andrew.  She was 9 months and 1 week pregnant.  Who could kill a young woman who was carrying a full term baby? What kind of monster would be capable of that kind of cruelty?  Rumors around Cottonwood during the original investigation centered around the father of Marisol's unborn son, 17 year old Cecilio Cruz. It seems that Marisol wasn't the only woman in Cecilio's life at the time of her murder. Cruz had a new girlfriend who was also pregnant at the time of this murder.  In fact, during an appointment with her OB/GYN, Marisol had actually run into the other woman sitting in the waiting room.  Two pregnant teen aged girls, and one thing in common - Cecilio Cruz.

Cottonwood police and the Cold Justice team paired up and investigated over 90 leads around this case.  Where Marisol's body was found was seemingly one of the most telling leads police had.  Marisol's body was discovered in a dirt alley in a spot where she and Cecilio were known to have met during their relationship - sort of a halfway spot between their families houses.  Her body was discovered around 6AM by a man who lived across the street from the alley, who had a clear and unobstructed view of the area.  English was his second language, so he had his son call the police on that fateful morning to report the woman in the alley.  She was quickly identified as being 17 year old Marisol Gonzalez.  She was found wearing sweatpants, a shirt and her slippers. Ear witness accounts reported hearing gunshots at around midnight the night before.  What was Marisol doing in that alley in her slippers? Who was she meeting? It sounds as if she was lured to the spot.  

Police investigating the crime back in 1997 had difficulty getting statements from friends of Cecilio Cruz and other potential witnesses. There were rumors that Cecilio was a gang member and that he may be involved in illegal drug activity. Investigators felt that witnesses back in 1997 may have been or felt intimidated by Cruz or his tie to a gang, another rumor that was floating around during the initial investigation was that Marisol was killed by a rival gang as some kind of retribution to Cecilio.  This was a rumor that Cecilio reportedly perpetuated. If this were true and Marisol was killed to get back at Cruz, how did they get Marisol out of her house and to that exact spot wearing only her slippers? Had she been planning on going out for the night, surely she would have gotten dressed and put her shoes on.  It doesn't seem likely that the night before she was scheduled to go into the hospital to have her baby that she would leave the house and walk down that alley way for just anyone.  It seems she would throw on her slippers and walk there to meet Cecilio. There seems to be no other viable reason. Yet when questioned by the police, Cecilio repeatedly denied having spoken to Marisol the entire day.

Enter the Cold Justice team. They interviewed a witness who during the original investigation provided a timeline of sorts for when Marisol may have been killed. She also happened to live across the street from that alley way, with an unobstructed view of the spot where Marisol's body was found and she reportedly heard the gunshot at around midnight. She walked out to her balcony to take a look around, and she didn't see anything. She didn't see a car speeding off or driving away and she initially didn't see Marisol's body because it was so dark. The fact that she is certain there were no cars seen in the area after the shot seems to dispel the notion that Marisol was killed by a rival gang member seeking retribution. 

There was virtually no physical evidence connected to this case for police to work with. Marisol's sister reported that around 10PM on the night of March 25, 1997 she was on the telephone and Marisol told her she was expecting a phone call.  While talking on the phone, Marisol's sister saw an incoming call from Cecilio coming through, which she ignored since she was talking long distance. When she got off the phone, she gave it to Marisol.  Marisol was talking to a friend when another call was coming through - Marisol told her friend she'd talk to her later because Cecilio was calling and she needed to take the call.  That was the only first hand (non-hearsay) statement police had uncovered that proved Cecilio had lied about having talked to Marisol the day or evening she was killed. He HAD called her that night.  Marisol then put on her slippers and left her home, never to be seen alive again.

Police have always believed that Cecilio Cruz was involved in this murder.  At 17 years old and expecting two children with two different women, maybe the prospect of financially supporting two families was more than Cruz was ready or able to deal with and he decided to take the easy way out.  I can't think of many things that are more senseless or cruel than this - to lure her out to a spot that had been meaningful to them both in the past and either kill her or have someone else kill her.  There's a special place in hell for people like this, and if Cecilio is involved in this double homicide he'll surely be in that special place when his time on Earth is up.  When detectives showed up at Cecilio's place of employment to talk to him about facts they had uncovered during their new investigation, he refused to answer questions without an attorney present.  They approached him in a calculated manner; they told him they had new information in the investigation into the murder of his son Andrew.  They wanted to gauge his reaction - and it was telling.  If your baby was murdered and you had no culpability in the killing, you'd want answers not an attorney.

At the conclusion of the show, the Cottonwood police presented their findings to the District Attorney's office who decided to take this case to a grand jury to seek a murder indictment against Cecilio Cruz.  When the Cold Justice crew and the Cottonwood detectives went to the Gonzalez family's home to update them on the progress on the case, Kelly Siegler had to fight back tears as she pondered the murder of this 17 year old girl and her full term baby boy.  It clearly touched them all - and that's what makes this show so good. Sure, ratings are good in television, but that's not what it's all about for Siegler, McClary and their detectives and crew. It's truly about justice.  

Josh Powell Takes His Secrets & Sins To The Grave

Susan Powell

It's been several years since 28 year old Susan Powell vanished from her Valley City Utah home in the middle of the night.  Susan was the mother of 2 year old Braden and 4 year old Charlie, the sons that by all accounts she absolutely adored. It's tragic that she didn't know she was married to a monster named Josh Powell until it was too late.  The police have long assumed Susan Powell was dead, and the only real viable suspect was her husband.  From that first newscast when Josh Powell told the media about the late night camping trip he took his two young sons on in the middle of a snowstorm, suspicion was that he killed his wife and removed her body.  

The police were alerted to Susan's disappearance after she failed to show up work and attempts to reach her at home were unsuccessful.  When authorities entered the Powell's modest home, they discovered a large fan drying what appeared to be a still-damp area of carpeting in the living room. It appeared that someone was trying to wash away evidence, and that fact with Josh's impromptu Sunday night camping trip put him directly in investigator's cross hairs.  Where was Susan Powell?  Josh didn't seem overly concerned, suggesting she may have simply walked away from her life or ran off with another man, leaving her entire family behind.  That theory was never really plausible.  We all know how this heartbreaking story ended.  With a veil of suspicion cast over him, on February 15, 2012 Josh Powell attacked his two young sons with a hatchet before setting the house on fire - killing all three of them.  What you may not be aware of is that police had a theory that Josh may have had an accomplice in disposing of Susan Powell's body and other evidence.  It was his brother Michael. That theory gained steam after investigators discovered Michael had left his car at a junkyard in the weeks following Susan's disappearance.

There are also theories about the possibility of Josh and Michael's father Steven having a lot more knowledge about Susan's fate than he has previously disclosed. People close to both families have revealed that Steven Powell had an unnatural attraction to his daughter in law Susan. Susan and Josh stayed with Steven Powell for some period of time earlier in their marriage, and Steven made Susan feel so uncomfortable that they eventually had to move out of the house. Steven took countless photos of Susan, wrote and recorded love songs about her. Creepy stuff. Steven Powell was arrested in September of 2011 on charges of voyeurism and child pornography - it doesn't get much creepier than that.  Did Steven's obsession with Susan drive Josh to kill her? Did Steven and/or Michael Powell assist Josh in hiding Susan's remains? Steven isn't talking for now.  And Michael Powell isn't talking, ever. On February 11, 2013 he committed suicide by jumping to his death from a parking garage in Minnesota, taking any secrets he had to the grave.

This story couldn't get more tragic. How could Josh Powell kill the mother of his two children, and why?  And how could any father murder their own children, the most innocent of all victims? Police and Susan's parents have a theory.  Braden and Charlie, both very young at the time of their mother's disappearance were beginning to talk about what happened on the night their mother disappeared.  They drew pictures and began describing their mom as being in the trunk on the night of the infamous camping trip in the snow. They were the silent witnesses that weren't so silent anymore.  Until Josh Powell silenced them forever with his cowardly and cruel act of murdering them. The body count from the Susan Powell disappearance stands at five.  Susan, Josh, Charlie, Braden and Michael Powell are all dead because of the acts of one man - Josh Powell.  It's difficult to imagine how any father could attack his two young boys, who he claimed during a fierce custody battle with Susan's parents to have loved so much that he couldn't live without them.

He put a lot of thought into murdering those kids. In the days before his last 
c

Fire ravaged home of Powell

owardly act on this Earth, he methodically donated his son's toys and belongings to various charity drop off spots. He called and sent e-mail messages to family members saying he was sorry and goodbye. Then he waited for the social worker to bring Charlie and Braden over for a supervised visitation.  He rushed the children into the house and slammed the door in the face of the social worker. She banged on the door, she called 911 after noticing the distinct smell of gasoline - then she watched in horror as the house went up in flames.  Sounds like a scene straight out of hell.  So many lives were senselessly lost because of Josh Powell's demons.

Police have learned that Josh Powell seemed to have a secret life.  It was discovered that Powell had been having sex with a woman he met through a dating service and he had paid her approximately $800 for 5-6 encounters or dates. Sounds an awful lot like she was a prostitute, although her identity is unknown (to my knowledge it hasn't been made public).  The "dates" occurred 6-7 months BEFORE Susan went missing. The woman knew Powell as "John Staley" and claims she didn't know Josh was married until after she saw a newscast about the disappearance of Susan Powell. She called police within days of seeing the story, but at the time she declined to provide proof of the relationship with Josh.  Police have also confirmed they found a small amount of Susan Powell's blood on the floor near the recently cleaned sofa and carpet.
Josh was also found to be in possession of Susan's cellphone the night he went on the camping trip, but the SIM card had been removed. He never could explain why he had her phone.

My sense is that Josh Powell was a monster who knew the authorities were getting close to arresting him for the murder of his wife. He couldn't stand the thought of being exposed as the killer, nor could he ever give up custody of his two sons to Susan's parents or the Cox family. With his last cruel and heinous act, he ensured that would never happen by killing his own children.

Jodi Arias - "I'm Going Radio-Silent Soon".....

Is convicted murderer and Maricopa County jail's most infamous inmate finally getting serious about her upcoming sentencing re trial? Known for her outrageous Tweets throughout her murder trial, on January 30th she sent out a message that she is going "radio-silent" soon.  Jury selection is set to (finally) begin on March 17, 2014 as the justice system will finally decide Arias' punishment for the heinous and brutal murder of 30 year old Travis Alexander nearly 6 years ago.

Facing the possibility of landing on Arizona's Death Row, it appears that perhaps the overtly vocal Arias may be trying to tone it down in the final months before her trial begins.  There have been countless Motions filed by her attorneys regarding potential jurors use of social media resources - while their client may be the most habitual user of these avenues while behind bars and seemingly oblivious to the life or death penalty she faces going into the trial's final phase. Arias took to Twitter at the end of January with a series of bizarre statements about the dangers of eating brown rice, poisoning the ocean and fish and her announcement about the upcoming radio silence:

Jan 29:  I'm going radio-silent soon...but first a few things.
Jan 29:  Stop eating brown rice. It has toxic levels of arsenic. Ditto 4 brown rice syrups & brown rice powder. Check cereal, energy bars...baby food.
Jan 29: We poison the oceans and the fish, then harvest the fish that poison us.
Jan 30:  I recently read that drinking coffee or tea while eating seafood reduces the body's absorption of mercury by 50-60%.
Jan 30:  After today, I'm not going to tweet for a while. It's temporary but probably long term. This account will remain active.
Jan 30:  I'm thinking of giving control 2 someone else.  Hopefully they'll tweet updates and continue the quote trend, but that will be at their discretion. Whoever takes over this account for the time being will NOT be representing my views, opinions, philosophies, beliefs or creeds - but their own.
Jan 30:  Last thing for now: I'm crushed with mail. If you wrote and it made it past the red tape, please know that I hear u and feel your love. I'm humbled. 
Jan 30:  Signing off......

This woman is truly out of touch with reality. Why would anybody take advice from Jodi Arias about the potential dangers of consuming brown rice? Clearly she's had a whole lot of time to read magazine articles while passing time in lockup. She may be backing off Twitter for the time being, but who knows the real reason behind the self imposed radio silence.  Arias continues to solicit financial support to hire an attorney to represent her in the expected appeal following sentencing. Hey, this is the United States of America and everybody is entitled to legal representation in our country. If you happen to be able to afford a good attorney, good for you. I have no issues with that. What I find appalling about Jodi Arias is the way in which she has conducted herself since she was thrust into the spotlight back in 2008. Instead of being truly sorrowful about the crime she committed, she used her infamy as a springboard to launch herself further into the public spotlight - she truly seems to see herself as a brand, a celebrity of sorts. 

No remorse for taking a young man with a promising future out of this world forever. No apology to his family, his friends. What kind of person even has it in them to STAB another person that many times? But Arias didn't stop at stabbing, she chased her victim down and slashed his throat. And the evidence presented at trial showed that even after all that carnage was inflicted on Travis Alexander - she shot him in the face. In the FACE.  Then after a rushed clean up job and some snooping in his home, she slithered off to Utah and jumped into the arms of yet another man. That's just cold. It was calculated. I make no apologies for the person I see Jodi Arias to be.  I see her as a cold and calculated murderer. She told the jury that killing Travis was the biggest mistake she has made in her life.  But I got the feeling that she only meant that getting caught made it the biggest mistake. I don't think she's sorry she killed him. She's only sorry the police nailed her.

I'm thankful for the radio-silence. There are some crimes that are so cruel you never forget about them and what the victim must have gone through during those last terrifying moments of their lives. This is one of those crimes.  I recently read a blog article written about how people (women in particular) seem to like to unfairly trash attractive female defendants like Casey Anthony, Amanda Knox and Jodi Arias.  That's an overtly simplistic view. These young women may share a quality in that some see them as attractive, but each became household names because horrible crimes were committed. Casey Anthony was believed to have driven around in her car with her daughter's body in the trunk. She failed to report her own 2 year old missing for 31 days. 31 days!  I'm more inclined to think that Casey's own personal downfall was the lack of reporting, her fantasy life where she went to a job every day that did not exist and the fictional nanny. We may never know what really happened to little Caylee, but we certainly have a very good idea of what happened to Travis Alexander. He died a painful and terrifying death.

Jodi Arias' looks have nothing to do with the case or why the media has not particularly gone her way. Jodi did that all on her own.