Arias defense attorney Jennifer Willmott spent the morning with expert witness Alyce LaViolette discussing her widely used "The Continuum of Aggression and Abuse". This document was projected in the courtroom and had 5 columns that seemed to represent a sliding scale of abusive situations/relationships - beginning with the least abusive to the worst. These were: "Common Couple Aggression", "High Conflict", "Abuse", "Battering" and "Terrorism/Stalking". Hey, this would have been a good witness for the State, because I feel I recognized many Jodi Arias traits in each of these columns!
LaViolette has a much better presence on the stand than Dr. Richard Samuels did, she speaks openly and freely and presents the information in a manner that people can relate to and understand. She clearly knows what she is presenting to the jury and more importantly she knows how to convey the data more effectively than the last witness. Willmott walked her through each of these escalating levels of dysfunctional relationships, and LaViolette gave explanations and examples. I can see where Kirk Nurmi may have flavored his questions to Arias around some of the data on this "Continuum" - the language and some of the examples that were given seemed vaguely familiar.
"Common Couple Aggression" is described as a situation where an unusual act in an otherwise healthy relationship. This may be an isolated incident such as throwing something or yelling, but there are normally no injuries inflicted. This type of aggression could happen in any normal family and there is usually a balance of power within the relationship.
The "High Conflict" relationships are described as unhealthy and mutually disrespectful relationships where anger may be an issue, conflicts are not resolved and there may be emotional abuse, name calling or a balance of power. The Arias defense has tried to show that Travis Alexander had the power and was the driver of their dysfunctional relationship.
"Abuse" - characteristics of this type of relationship are sporadic physical aggression, verbal abuse, name calling, threats of abandonment, and the aggression normally takes place without witnesses.
"Battering" - more frequent physical violence, jealousy, controlling behavior, more public physical aggression, name calling/attacks character, sexual abuse, isolation, change in victim's personality, putting down friends and family, destruction of property, threatens to kill self or others, self-absorbed, generally more violent.
"Terrorism/Stalking" - insidious psychological abuse, well thought out and specific threats to kill, extreme isolation, torturing pets, sexual humiliation and degradation, generally more regular physical abuse (but may occur without any physical abuse).
Can we see where the defense is driving this bus? The defense allocated a lot of their time to the sexual relationship between Arias and Alexander - it's clear why they did so, but will the jury buy that Jodi Arias wasn't an equally enthusiastic partner? LaViolette finished the discussion by describing some of the other factors that could effect a person's ability to handle things in a healthy way: Family of origin issues, previously abusive relationships, substance abuse and psychological issues.
It seems like in addition to blaming Travis Alexander for Jodi Arias's behavior, the defense is going to throw her family under that bus as well. I can see the family of origin issue being used, as Arias has testified to her troubled relationship with her mother (the wooden spoon) and her father who disciplined her by slapping her down.
All in all, there was little interruption during the morning presentation aside from the early objections and three sidebars within the first 15 minutes of court. After that, it was smooth sailing. Martinez is letting LaViolette talk. Earlier this morning, Willmott asked this expert about her previous court experience, how much she is being paid and if she ever turns down cases that are presented to her.
LaViolette disclosed that she is being paid $250.00 an hour for research and $300.00 per hour for court appearances. She has testified in 18 trials. She said that in the cases that she turned down, it was either a case where she didn't feel there was enough evidence to merit her participation, or she simply didn't have enough time in her schedule to commit the amount of time necessary. She was interviewed and retained by the Arias defense team in late September or early October of 2011. She seems genuine, honest and prepared.
It appears that LaViolette provided expert witness testimony for Brenda Clubine, a woman who was convicted of 2nd degree murder for killing her abusive husband, Robert. Clubine served 26 years of a 16 year to life sentence but in 2008, Clubine was released due to a successful "habeus" petition. Her conviction was vacated and she instead was allowed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 7 years - she was released for time served.
At the time of her trial in 1984, the "battered women's syndrome" wasn't legally accepted in self defense arguments in the state of California. Clubine suffered a great deal of physical injuries at the hands of her husband, including a fractured skull,shattered jaw, broken collarbone and cracked ribs. Brenda Clubine filed more than 42 police reports against her husband for battery, and was seeking a divorce at the time of the killing. Clubine wasn't able to introduce her medical records of police reports during her trial, because the abuser wasn't there to defend himself. Any witnesses to the violence were not allowed to testify due to "hearsay" issues.
During her time in prison, Clubine co-founded "Convicted Women Against Abuse", and teamed with Olivia Klaus and filmed a documentary called "Sin by Silence", which tells Clubine's story and the story of countless others who remain behind bars. Clubine continues to be an advocate for abused women.
Clearly that case differs from the Jodi Arias case. I had been searching for information on the other cases where LaViolette contributed and stumbled onto this one, so I hastily put this together while listening to the courtroom testimony. My apologies that the information isn't more detailed - more on this to come!
MY CRIMETIME BY MY FORTE. A DISCUSSION OF MURDERS IN THE NEWS.
A Look At Alyce LaViolette And More Strange Video Footage of Arias Arrest
Yesterday, as Dr. Richard Samuels finished up his testimony the Jodi Arias defense team called their next expert witness to the stand, Alyce LaViolette. LaViolette is a very legitimate expert on the subject of domestic violence, having been one of the early leaders back in the 1970's when this was not a topic that was spoke of often. Jennifer Willmott had LaViolette introduce herself and her educational background, and list her many accomplishments helping battered women and even helping the men who battered them, hoping to return these women to a safer environment. She is likable, and she is a legitimate voice on this topic. The prosecution should not expect this witness to be as sloppy in the trial casework and reporting as Dr. Samuels was.
While it's unknown exactly how far out on a limb LaViolette will go for Jodi Arias, she is expected to testify about some of the characteristics of battered women, why they return to their abusers - and what some of characteristics are of an abuser. LaViolette's credentials and accomplishments are too many to list - her website has a 20 page PDF document listing it all . From her expert witness/trial experience, I picked out what I thought appeared similar in nature - unfortunately, it doesn't have the case names, but I think it's safe to say the 2011-13 Expert Witness & Consultant, Death-Penalty Murder Trial in Phoenix, Arizona is AZ vs. Jodi Arias:
2011-13 Expert Witness and Consultant. Death-Penalty Murder Trial. Phoenix, Arizona 1998 Consultant, Murder Trial. Interviewed defendant, assisted in developing strategy for defense
1997 Expert Witness/Consultant, First Degree Murder Case. Father who killed daughter’s alleged batterer. Dealing with issues of Battered Woman Syndrome; Vicarious (secondary) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Batterers.
1996 Consultant, Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Interviewed defendant to determine whether she suffered from Battered Woman Syndrome. Consulted with attorney, wrote report.
1989 Consultant. Penalty phase, capital punishment case. Consulted with attorneys.
It appears she has done a fair amount of work in this area, as an expert witness or consultant. I'm trying to find out the cases attached to these entries, just because I'm curious of the outcome and circumstances of those cases.
In other Arias news, unseen video footage from the Arias arrest in Northern California was played last night - it's a shame the jury isn't seeing this in it's entirety. In a conversation about anger with Detective Flores, Arias recounts a time when she was a teenager when she kicked the family dog, and the dog ended up running away. She said she felt bad about that, and she wanted to apologize to the dog "because dogs have souls too". Detective Flores said "you need to apologize to Travis, for what you did to him". Arias was still in full denial mode, as her voice shifted to almost a childlike tone as she seemingly flirted with the officer, asking him what type of gun he had. Another example of Arias trying to use the one weapon that has always worked for her in the past.
In another clip, she is talking to the detective about Travis - she tells him that Travis had found the woman he wanted to spend his life with, but she still hadn't found the man she wanted to share her life with. She said "I'm happy for him", and "I want him to be happy" - she mentions the name Mimi Hall, and tells him that she doesn't personally know Mimi Hall, but has talked to her at church events. Right there - that strongly suggests that Jodi Arias believed that Travis Alexander was very serious about pursuing Marie Hall! She knew it, she said those words - it's on video, why isn't the jury seeing this? If she's telling the detective these things, you can only imagine how amplified this thought was in Arias's head as she drove to Mesa, to make one last ditch effort to win Travis back. She only had 6 days before he's be on a plane to Cancun with the other woman, the woman she believed Travis was very serious about! How is this NOT relevant to motive? How can Arias accuse him of being a sexual deviant, with nothing to corroborate her claims yet this video evidence is not being seen by the people who are in charge of deciding her fate?
Each time they release more video of Arias's strange behavior, I am more convinced that she went to Mesa with a plan in mind. She is being given so much latitude in her defense that it feels like the trial has lost sight of who the true victim is, and it's Travis Alexander - not Jodi Arias. While it will be difficult to hear LaViolette refer to Arias as a battered or abused woman, we have to keep the faith that there are going to be 12 reasonable people sitting on that jury, and they are taking their job very seriously. Arias's defense team can't seriously believe Arias will escape justice for this brutal ans senseless murder, but what they are doing is setting up their mitigating factors for the punishment phase of the trial. "Jodi was abused by her mother, Jodi was cheated on and lied to by her boyfriends, Jodi was controlled and manipulated by Travis Alexander", and so on. She needs to take some responsibility for her actions, and if she HAS a soul, she needs to tell the truth about what happened.
Does anybody have any doubt that she remembers exactly what she did to him on June 4, 2008? I'm willing to bet that she WISHES she could forget the details, but this is a woman who wanted to view the crime scene photos out of "a morbid curiosity"?
Judging by the 6 days Dr. Samuels was on the stand, I'd expect no less for this expert witness. This may be the defense's last shot at making some points with the jury towards Arias's claims of self defense and being in mortal fear at the time of the murder. I'd expect they will take as much time as they feel is necessary, since their last expert failed in such an epic fashion. I will patiently wait until Juan Martinez is able to put on the State's rebuttal case, where I believe he will pull out some of the best evidence against Jodi Arias, and her house of cards will fall.
How did Willmott & Nurmi get Alyce LaViolette to testify on behalf of Jodi Arias with little to no real evidence to corroborate her allegations against Travis? This concerns me, because this witness IS actually well respected and she is likable. This will be some interesting testimony.
While it's unknown exactly how far out on a limb LaViolette will go for Jodi Arias, she is expected to testify about some of the characteristics of battered women, why they return to their abusers - and what some of characteristics are of an abuser. LaViolette's credentials and accomplishments are too many to list - her website has a 20 page PDF document listing it all . From her expert witness/trial experience, I picked out what I thought appeared similar in nature - unfortunately, it doesn't have the case names, but I think it's safe to say the 2011-13 Expert Witness & Consultant, Death-Penalty Murder Trial in Phoenix, Arizona is AZ vs. Jodi Arias:
2011-13 Expert Witness and Consultant. Death-Penalty Murder Trial. Phoenix, Arizona 1998 Consultant, Murder Trial. Interviewed defendant, assisted in developing strategy for defense
1997 Expert Witness/Consultant, First Degree Murder Case. Father who killed daughter’s alleged batterer. Dealing with issues of Battered Woman Syndrome; Vicarious (secondary) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Batterers.
1996 Consultant, Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Interviewed defendant to determine whether she suffered from Battered Woman Syndrome. Consulted with attorney, wrote report.
1989 Consultant. Penalty phase, capital punishment case. Consulted with attorneys.
1987-88 Consultant/Expert Witness. First degree murder with special circumstances. Interviewed battered woman who allegedly hired a hit man to kill her husband. Advised attorney of symptoms of battered wife syndrome and testified for defense.
1984-85 Expert Witness. 1st degree murder case (battered woman who allegedly killed her husband). Consulted with defense attorney on jury selection and development of questions to develop battered women syndrome.
In other Arias news, unseen video footage from the Arias arrest in Northern California was played last night - it's a shame the jury isn't seeing this in it's entirety. In a conversation about anger with Detective Flores, Arias recounts a time when she was a teenager when she kicked the family dog, and the dog ended up running away. She said she felt bad about that, and she wanted to apologize to the dog "because dogs have souls too". Detective Flores said "you need to apologize to Travis, for what you did to him". Arias was still in full denial mode, as her voice shifted to almost a childlike tone as she seemingly flirted with the officer, asking him what type of gun he had. Another example of Arias trying to use the one weapon that has always worked for her in the past.
In another clip, she is talking to the detective about Travis - she tells him that Travis had found the woman he wanted to spend his life with, but she still hadn't found the man she wanted to share her life with. She said "I'm happy for him", and "I want him to be happy" - she mentions the name Mimi Hall, and tells him that she doesn't personally know Mimi Hall, but has talked to her at church events. Right there - that strongly suggests that Jodi Arias believed that Travis Alexander was very serious about pursuing Marie Hall! She knew it, she said those words - it's on video, why isn't the jury seeing this? If she's telling the detective these things, you can only imagine how amplified this thought was in Arias's head as she drove to Mesa, to make one last ditch effort to win Travis back. She only had 6 days before he's be on a plane to Cancun with the other woman, the woman she believed Travis was very serious about! How is this NOT relevant to motive? How can Arias accuse him of being a sexual deviant, with nothing to corroborate her claims yet this video evidence is not being seen by the people who are in charge of deciding her fate?
Each time they release more video of Arias's strange behavior, I am more convinced that she went to Mesa with a plan in mind. She is being given so much latitude in her defense that it feels like the trial has lost sight of who the true victim is, and it's Travis Alexander - not Jodi Arias. While it will be difficult to hear LaViolette refer to Arias as a battered or abused woman, we have to keep the faith that there are going to be 12 reasonable people sitting on that jury, and they are taking their job very seriously. Arias's defense team can't seriously believe Arias will escape justice for this brutal ans senseless murder, but what they are doing is setting up their mitigating factors for the punishment phase of the trial. "Jodi was abused by her mother, Jodi was cheated on and lied to by her boyfriends, Jodi was controlled and manipulated by Travis Alexander", and so on. She needs to take some responsibility for her actions, and if she HAS a soul, she needs to tell the truth about what happened.
Does anybody have any doubt that she remembers exactly what she did to him on June 4, 2008? I'm willing to bet that she WISHES she could forget the details, but this is a woman who wanted to view the crime scene photos out of "a morbid curiosity"?
Judging by the 6 days Dr. Samuels was on the stand, I'd expect no less for this expert witness. This may be the defense's last shot at making some points with the jury towards Arias's claims of self defense and being in mortal fear at the time of the murder. I'd expect they will take as much time as they feel is necessary, since their last expert failed in such an epic fashion. I will patiently wait until Juan Martinez is able to put on the State's rebuttal case, where I believe he will pull out some of the best evidence against Jodi Arias, and her house of cards will fall.
How did Willmott & Nurmi get Alyce LaViolette to testify on behalf of Jodi Arias with little to no real evidence to corroborate her allegations against Travis? This concerns me, because this witness IS actually well respected and she is likable. This will be some interesting testimony.
"Alternative Reality" or Cover Up?
Dr. Richard Samuels was back on the stand today, and was aggressively questioned by prosecutor Juan Martinez on his methods and diagnosis of murder defendant Jodi Arias. Dr. Samuels, a defense expert who is being paid $250.00 per hour diagnosed Arias with PTSD, acute stress and dissociative amnesia stemming from the 6/4/08 killing of Travis Alexander.
Juan Martinez battled Samuels and at times seemed to belittle him, as Samuels admitted to making several clerical errors and omissions on the reports he generated relating to Arias. Martinez questioned whether Samuels had lost his ability to be objective in regards to Jodi Arias, which triggered angry objection from Jennifer Willmott and Dr. Samuels.
Martinez was as aggressive as we've seen him. I was surprised to hear a few things today I wasn't aware of. Martinez stated that Jodi Arias sent an 18 page letter to Travis's family at some point, I believe after she was arrested - although they didn't say. The reason I believe it was after the arrest is because she mentioned wanting to send them a letter during the arrest/interrogation video we have seen. It was also stated today that during a visitation with her mother, Jodi Arias kicked her! Juan Martinez was questioning Dr. Samuels about Arias's anger towards her mother, after 6/4/08. Martinez argued that Arias has always had a contentious relationship with her mother, this didn't begin after the murder.
Juan Martinez did seem to be taking his issues with Dr. Samuels to a personal level today, and I have to say that although I don't agree with this doctor's diagnosis of Arias, Jennifer Willmott did a pretty fair job redirecting Samuels near the end of the day. One thing I don't agree at all with, Samuels claiming Jodi Arias created an "alternative reality" as a way to cope with the trauma of killing Travis Alexander. The alternative reality he speaks of were all the lies Arias told and her attempts to cover up her involvement in the crime. He testified that it was because it was too painful for her to admit or cope with what she had done, and if we hadn't heard Arias testify otherwise, I may have bought this line! But Arias has already testified that she lied to cover up her involvement due to her fear of the consequences, and she didn't want everybody to know she was capable of such a crime. So the alternative reality theory doesn't hold water - she lied to evade punishment!
I'm so glad this witness is going to be off the stand because they have been over these same points many times. Wondering how the jury viewed Martinez during his questioning of Dr. Samuels objectivity, and his allegation that Samuels had feelings for the defendant. Would have loved to see how that played out. Now let's move on to the next witness! I believe the domestic violence expert is up next, Alyce Laviolette. Laviolette is usually an expert for the prosecution, so this will be interesting!
Juan Martinez battled Samuels and at times seemed to belittle him, as Samuels admitted to making several clerical errors and omissions on the reports he generated relating to Arias. Martinez questioned whether Samuels had lost his ability to be objective in regards to Jodi Arias, which triggered angry objection from Jennifer Willmott and Dr. Samuels.
Martinez was as aggressive as we've seen him. I was surprised to hear a few things today I wasn't aware of. Martinez stated that Jodi Arias sent an 18 page letter to Travis's family at some point, I believe after she was arrested - although they didn't say. The reason I believe it was after the arrest is because she mentioned wanting to send them a letter during the arrest/interrogation video we have seen. It was also stated today that during a visitation with her mother, Jodi Arias kicked her! Juan Martinez was questioning Dr. Samuels about Arias's anger towards her mother, after 6/4/08. Martinez argued that Arias has always had a contentious relationship with her mother, this didn't begin after the murder.
Juan Martinez did seem to be taking his issues with Dr. Samuels to a personal level today, and I have to say that although I don't agree with this doctor's diagnosis of Arias, Jennifer Willmott did a pretty fair job redirecting Samuels near the end of the day. One thing I don't agree at all with, Samuels claiming Jodi Arias created an "alternative reality" as a way to cope with the trauma of killing Travis Alexander. The alternative reality he speaks of were all the lies Arias told and her attempts to cover up her involvement in the crime. He testified that it was because it was too painful for her to admit or cope with what she had done, and if we hadn't heard Arias testify otherwise, I may have bought this line! But Arias has already testified that she lied to cover up her involvement due to her fear of the consequences, and she didn't want everybody to know she was capable of such a crime. So the alternative reality theory doesn't hold water - she lied to evade punishment!
I'm so glad this witness is going to be off the stand because they have been over these same points many times. Wondering how the jury viewed Martinez during his questioning of Dr. Samuels objectivity, and his allegation that Samuels had feelings for the defendant. Would have loved to see how that played out. Now let's move on to the next witness! I believe the domestic violence expert is up next, Alyce Laviolette. Laviolette is usually an expert for the prosecution, so this will be interesting!
Juan Martinez Gets Another Crack At Dr. Samuels
Dr. Richard Samuels is expected to return to the witness stand today. His testimony last week seemed to leave jurors with more questions than answers. His diagnosis of Arias with PTSD and dissociative amnesia have left many people scratching their heads. He has some serious credibility issues, not only around his diagnosis of Arias but of his methods of testing and his sloppy reporting. Juan Martinez will have another shot at pointing out the shoddy and questionable reporting from this defense expert today. These two have provided some great courtroom drama, with Martinez asking Samuels "do you have problems with your memory"?, and Samuels snapping back "No, do you?". Great stuff!
For $250.00 an hour, Arias seems to have bought the diagnosis she hopes will explain her lapses in memory and her outrageous behavior in the days following the savage murder of ex boyfriend Travis Alexander. I think too much is being made of this "expert" witnesses testimony. Does the defense team believe they can create sympathy for a woman who's own brutal actions caused her to have the PTSD to begin with? Samuels testified that 30% of people convicted of a homicide reported having some type of amnesia following the crime. Seems awfully convenient. I'm not saying that there aren't people that truly do suffer from these syndromes following traumatic events. I just don't believe Jodi Arias is one of them.
Let's look at the circumstances Arias has created around her defense. The evidence that could prove or disprove many of the events she has described in court are gone - disposed of, deleted, or just missing. There are no eyewitnesses to any of the alleged abuse of Jodi at the hands of Travis. There are no family members, friends, counselors, doctors, law enforcement officials, pastors, bishops or clergymen that Arias confided in. Her own personal and private journals do not contain any entries about alleged abuse.
The weapons used in the crime have never been recovered. Had the gun NOT been Arias' grandfather's stolen 22 caliber, why would she take it with her and throw it in the desert, where it would never be recovered? I don't believe there are any records that show Travis Alexander owned a registered handgun or firearm, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have had one. The point is, as long as it wasn't the stolen .22 caliber, that would show that she did not go to Mesa packing a gun. The knife has never been identified or recovered. Arias has a vague recollection of putting a knife in the dishwasher, but police were not able to link one to the crime. If the knife was in fact from Travis's home, and it was used to cut this rope used to tie Arias up, why take the knife? Why not wipe it off and leave it? The knife isn't quite as telling as the gun, but still, you have to wonder if there was a knife in that room prior to him getting into that shower.
I think it's almost poetic justice that Arias, who prides herself as a professional-grade photographer may be undone by a camera, her tools of the trade. She thought she knew how to get rid of the damaging photos that memorialized her presence at the Alexander home on June 4, 2008. She carefully went through the photos on his new digital camera, decided which ones she needed to delete and which ones could remain. She thought she had erased herself from the crime scene by deleting the nude photos, clearly time and date stamped June 4, 2008. She knew enough about evidence and crime scene cleanup to remove the bedding with her DNA on it, and put it in the washing machine. Whether she put the camera in the washing machine on purpose or if it was accidental, that memory card would be the beginning of the end for Jodi Arias. Arias must be kicking herself for leaving that camera behind! She likely would still be on trial for murder, because of the bloody palm print she left behind, but jurors may have had a more difficult time believing a woman of her small stature could be strong enough to bring down a much heavier Travis Alexander.
So what more can Dr. Richard Samuels add to this whole story? He only saw Arias 12 times, and spent maybe 30 hours with her - how can he form an opinion of her state of mind based on this little time? The jury may decide to ignore Samuels testimony altogether. This expert was so sloppy in his work, that he failed to re administer the diagnostic tests after discovering his patient was lying to him about what really happened on June 4, 2008. There is no excuse for that failure, although Samuels believes the outcome of the testing would be no different - basically saying "trauma is trauma". He is not paid to draw those type of conclusions. Why didn't Samuels do more testing on Arias, given the lies she told law enforcement and lies she told him? Wouldn't it have been prudent to do more thorough testing for other possible diagnosis? I don't know what type of testing there is to determine if somebody is a sociopath or a psychopath, but it would have been interesting to know what other personality disorders she may suffer from.
Whatever you believe about Dr. Samuels and his diagnosis, this only really goes to try to explain why Arias cannot remember the crucial points in the murder of Travis Alexander. She remembers everything and anything that is beneficial to her case, but doesn't recall those things that prove she is a cold blooded killer. The facts of the case remain the same, with or without the testimony of Dr. Richard Samuels. The sooner he gets off the stand, the better. He adds nothing either way, in my opinion he was a complete waste of $250.00 an hour!
I'd still be interested to know what those documents and folders that Arias was captured by courtroom cameras sneaking off the defense table last week contained. I'd also be interested to know if a murder defendant is allowed to be passing papers to people in the gallery. The court video cameras have captured an awful lot of interesting and suspicious activity going on with Jodi Arias. Is she passing her doodles or artwork to somebody in the gallery to sell for her on EBay? What was the pill she was seen taking? Is she trying to get another coded note to Matt McCartney? Is she passing along suggestions on who she wants to play her in the Lifetime movie "Dirty Little Secret - The Jodi Arias Story"?
This trial is truly getting more bizarre by the day. Last week, court had to be adjourned for the day after a spectator vomited in the courtroom. I'm surprised that didn't happen more when Jodi Arias was on the stand. Should be another interesting week. What new theories will emerge about this crime? What does Juan Martinez have up his sleeve for his rebuttal case? Stay tuned!
For $250.00 an hour, Arias seems to have bought the diagnosis she hopes will explain her lapses in memory and her outrageous behavior in the days following the savage murder of ex boyfriend Travis Alexander. I think too much is being made of this "expert" witnesses testimony. Does the defense team believe they can create sympathy for a woman who's own brutal actions caused her to have the PTSD to begin with? Samuels testified that 30% of people convicted of a homicide reported having some type of amnesia following the crime. Seems awfully convenient. I'm not saying that there aren't people that truly do suffer from these syndromes following traumatic events. I just don't believe Jodi Arias is one of them.
Let's look at the circumstances Arias has created around her defense. The evidence that could prove or disprove many of the events she has described in court are gone - disposed of, deleted, or just missing. There are no eyewitnesses to any of the alleged abuse of Jodi at the hands of Travis. There are no family members, friends, counselors, doctors, law enforcement officials, pastors, bishops or clergymen that Arias confided in. Her own personal and private journals do not contain any entries about alleged abuse.
The weapons used in the crime have never been recovered. Had the gun NOT been Arias' grandfather's stolen 22 caliber, why would she take it with her and throw it in the desert, where it would never be recovered? I don't believe there are any records that show Travis Alexander owned a registered handgun or firearm, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have had one. The point is, as long as it wasn't the stolen .22 caliber, that would show that she did not go to Mesa packing a gun. The knife has never been identified or recovered. Arias has a vague recollection of putting a knife in the dishwasher, but police were not able to link one to the crime. If the knife was in fact from Travis's home, and it was used to cut this rope used to tie Arias up, why take the knife? Why not wipe it off and leave it? The knife isn't quite as telling as the gun, but still, you have to wonder if there was a knife in that room prior to him getting into that shower.
I think it's almost poetic justice that Arias, who prides herself as a professional-grade photographer may be undone by a camera, her tools of the trade. She thought she knew how to get rid of the damaging photos that memorialized her presence at the Alexander home on June 4, 2008. She carefully went through the photos on his new digital camera, decided which ones she needed to delete and which ones could remain. She thought she had erased herself from the crime scene by deleting the nude photos, clearly time and date stamped June 4, 2008. She knew enough about evidence and crime scene cleanup to remove the bedding with her DNA on it, and put it in the washing machine. Whether she put the camera in the washing machine on purpose or if it was accidental, that memory card would be the beginning of the end for Jodi Arias. Arias must be kicking herself for leaving that camera behind! She likely would still be on trial for murder, because of the bloody palm print she left behind, but jurors may have had a more difficult time believing a woman of her small stature could be strong enough to bring down a much heavier Travis Alexander.
So what more can Dr. Richard Samuels add to this whole story? He only saw Arias 12 times, and spent maybe 30 hours with her - how can he form an opinion of her state of mind based on this little time? The jury may decide to ignore Samuels testimony altogether. This expert was so sloppy in his work, that he failed to re administer the diagnostic tests after discovering his patient was lying to him about what really happened on June 4, 2008. There is no excuse for that failure, although Samuels believes the outcome of the testing would be no different - basically saying "trauma is trauma". He is not paid to draw those type of conclusions. Why didn't Samuels do more testing on Arias, given the lies she told law enforcement and lies she told him? Wouldn't it have been prudent to do more thorough testing for other possible diagnosis? I don't know what type of testing there is to determine if somebody is a sociopath or a psychopath, but it would have been interesting to know what other personality disorders she may suffer from.
Whatever you believe about Dr. Samuels and his diagnosis, this only really goes to try to explain why Arias cannot remember the crucial points in the murder of Travis Alexander. She remembers everything and anything that is beneficial to her case, but doesn't recall those things that prove she is a cold blooded killer. The facts of the case remain the same, with or without the testimony of Dr. Richard Samuels. The sooner he gets off the stand, the better. He adds nothing either way, in my opinion he was a complete waste of $250.00 an hour!
I'd still be interested to know what those documents and folders that Arias was captured by courtroom cameras sneaking off the defense table last week contained. I'd also be interested to know if a murder defendant is allowed to be passing papers to people in the gallery. The court video cameras have captured an awful lot of interesting and suspicious activity going on with Jodi Arias. Is she passing her doodles or artwork to somebody in the gallery to sell for her on EBay? What was the pill she was seen taking? Is she trying to get another coded note to Matt McCartney? Is she passing along suggestions on who she wants to play her in the Lifetime movie "Dirty Little Secret - The Jodi Arias Story"?
This trial is truly getting more bizarre by the day. Last week, court had to be adjourned for the day after a spectator vomited in the courtroom. I'm surprised that didn't happen more when Jodi Arias was on the stand. Should be another interesting week. What new theories will emerge about this crime? What does Juan Martinez have up his sleeve for his rebuttal case? Stay tuned!
New Reports Emerge About Cancun Trip - Was Arias Supposed To Go?
New reports are emerging about the June 10, 2008 Cancun trip that Travis Alexander was going on - the trip that may have been the catalyst for murder. It was reported last night on Jane Valez-Mitchell's show on HLN that "sources" have revealed that Jodi Arias was supposed to accompany Travis Alexander on the company sponsored trip to Cancun, but Alexander changed his mind and invited Marie "Mimi" Hall instead. Arias has maintained throughout the trial that she was not aware that Travis was taking Mimi Hall - instead, she testified that Travis told her he was taking a friend's babysitter.
Here is the link to Jane Valez-Mitchell's HLN report on this from yesterday's show:
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/03/22/was-jodi-booked-cancun-trip-travis
The babysitter story never made sense - she claimed that Travis owed this friend money, and was taking the babysitter to Cancun as a form of repayment for a debt. She couldn't come up with a better story than that after 4 1/2 years? Travis Alexander was savagely and viciously murdered in the evening hours of June 4, 2008, only days before he was due to board a plane for sunny Cancun. The timing of the murder is no coincidence. Why kill Travis on June 4th? Why not kill him on one of the many other opportunities Arias must have had during her time in Mesa?
It's hard to say why, if this is in fact true that it hasn't come up during the trial. Perhaps Juan Martinez wanted to have Arias commit to her babysitter story, and present this information during his rebuttal case? The rebuttal case will be interesting, and I have to believe Martinez has saved some of his best arguments for the rebuttal case. Lock Jodi Arias into her stories, and then methodically knock them down one-by-one, like he did when he told her that Wal Mart showed no record of anybody returning a gas can in Pasadena on the date she claimed she did. If he does this during the rebuttal, I don't believe the Arias defense team will have the opportunity to "rehabilitate" Arias's story. The prosecution will have the last word.
If these airline records do exist, I have to believe Juan Martinez has them. Since Arias testified under oath that it was never discussed that she would accompany Travis to Cancun and she was fine with that, he can present evidence to disprove her statements. This would go a long way towards the premeditation of this murder. His closing statement should be powerful. If he sticks to the facts, the evidence and doesn't get too bogged down with the memory issues or her amnesia, or any of the sexual elements of this case, it's fairly simple to see what happened and why. It's one of the oldest motives in known to mankind - jealousy.
Arias was losing control. She was no longer living in close proximity to Travis, she could no longer drive by his home to see who was there, she could no longer follow him on dates - and his friends could speak more freely about their disapproval of Jodi as a partner and wife for Travis. He had sent her that scathing e-mail or text message after discovering she had been breaking into his social media pages, he more than likely changed his passwords and she was slowly being shut out of his life. I guess there was one thing he still couldn't say no to, and he ended up letting a killer into his home - unaware of the horror that was about to be unleashed.
Up next week: the defense expert on domestic violence, Alyce Laviolette from Long Beach, California. Again, the expert will offer testimony based on her interviews with Jodi Arias. Arias never filed any complaints of domestic violence against Travis, never dialed 911, never wrote about it in her journal, never talked about it with friends or family. It's her words alone that this report will be based on - which makes it flawed from the start.
I'm wondering, did Jodi Arias actually have many female friends? Most of the women that we've heard from or about during this trial have been either friends of Travis Alexander's, or women Arias met through Pre Paid Legal, and a few she met through the LDS church functions. What seems to be missing are genuine, "I've known her since 2nd grade" type relationships that most people have. Arias seems to be more friendly with the males in her life, although ex boyfriends and men that she dated don't seem to have really known her either. She seems to be a follower, with her identity changing depending on her audience or her love interest at that time. She seemed to be lost and looking to become part of someone else's life, instead of forging a life for herself - maybe she lacked the social skills in that sense. Many people have stated their first impression of Jodi Arias was not good - something was off about her. Just goes to show, you should always trust that little voice inside your head or that gut feeling you have about a person. It's usually right, and we get those feelings for a reason!
Enjoy your weekend!
Here is the link to Jane Valez-Mitchell's HLN report on this from yesterday's show:
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/03/22/was-jodi-booked-cancun-trip-travis
The babysitter story never made sense - she claimed that Travis owed this friend money, and was taking the babysitter to Cancun as a form of repayment for a debt. She couldn't come up with a better story than that after 4 1/2 years? Travis Alexander was savagely and viciously murdered in the evening hours of June 4, 2008, only days before he was due to board a plane for sunny Cancun. The timing of the murder is no coincidence. Why kill Travis on June 4th? Why not kill him on one of the many other opportunities Arias must have had during her time in Mesa?
It's hard to say why, if this is in fact true that it hasn't come up during the trial. Perhaps Juan Martinez wanted to have Arias commit to her babysitter story, and present this information during his rebuttal case? The rebuttal case will be interesting, and I have to believe Martinez has saved some of his best arguments for the rebuttal case. Lock Jodi Arias into her stories, and then methodically knock them down one-by-one, like he did when he told her that Wal Mart showed no record of anybody returning a gas can in Pasadena on the date she claimed she did. If he does this during the rebuttal, I don't believe the Arias defense team will have the opportunity to "rehabilitate" Arias's story. The prosecution will have the last word.
If these airline records do exist, I have to believe Juan Martinez has them. Since Arias testified under oath that it was never discussed that she would accompany Travis to Cancun and she was fine with that, he can present evidence to disprove her statements. This would go a long way towards the premeditation of this murder. His closing statement should be powerful. If he sticks to the facts, the evidence and doesn't get too bogged down with the memory issues or her amnesia, or any of the sexual elements of this case, it's fairly simple to see what happened and why. It's one of the oldest motives in known to mankind - jealousy.
Arias was losing control. She was no longer living in close proximity to Travis, she could no longer drive by his home to see who was there, she could no longer follow him on dates - and his friends could speak more freely about their disapproval of Jodi as a partner and wife for Travis. He had sent her that scathing e-mail or text message after discovering she had been breaking into his social media pages, he more than likely changed his passwords and she was slowly being shut out of his life. I guess there was one thing he still couldn't say no to, and he ended up letting a killer into his home - unaware of the horror that was about to be unleashed.
Up next week: the defense expert on domestic violence, Alyce Laviolette from Long Beach, California. Again, the expert will offer testimony based on her interviews with Jodi Arias. Arias never filed any complaints of domestic violence against Travis, never dialed 911, never wrote about it in her journal, never talked about it with friends or family. It's her words alone that this report will be based on - which makes it flawed from the start.
I'm wondering, did Jodi Arias actually have many female friends? Most of the women that we've heard from or about during this trial have been either friends of Travis Alexander's, or women Arias met through Pre Paid Legal, and a few she met through the LDS church functions. What seems to be missing are genuine, "I've known her since 2nd grade" type relationships that most people have. Arias seems to be more friendly with the males in her life, although ex boyfriends and men that she dated don't seem to have really known her either. She seems to be a follower, with her identity changing depending on her audience or her love interest at that time. She seemed to be lost and looking to become part of someone else's life, instead of forging a life for herself - maybe she lacked the social skills in that sense. Many people have stated their first impression of Jodi Arias was not good - something was off about her. Just goes to show, you should always trust that little voice inside your head or that gut feeling you have about a person. It's usually right, and we get those feelings for a reason!
Enjoy your weekend!
Jodi Arias Arrest Clip From Siskiyou County Sherriff's Department
Just a quick post in response to the many requests about the new video footage with Jodi Arias when she is being arrested in Northern California back in July of 2008. During the clip that aired two nights ago, she can be seen wearing handcuffs, and sitting on the floor "indian style", flipping her hair as women do when they want to add a little volume to their hairdo!
After she is informed of her murder indictment, she begins to panic and asks Detective Flores "so this is going to be public now" and she specifically asks if Travis's family has been informed or if they have called the Sheriff's office. Detective Flores tells her that while the Alexander family calls nearly every day, "they don't even know we are talking to you", he tells her. This clip may not include everything I posted about a few days back - in that clip, she asks Flores if the story of her arrest will be on the news that same night.
You can almost feel the panic setting in for her, at one point she begins to sob and tells Detective Flores that although this will show how shallow she really is, can she "clean herself up" before they take her for her mugshots! Shallow is putting it mildly Ms. Arias. I'm sure what they showed on air was longer than the 48 second clip I found and added below, but it does contain much of what I described here:
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/03/21/jodi-arias-murder-arrest-interrogation-bizarre-behavior
If this link doesn't work for you, go to HLN's website, and look for the headline in the link - it's dated March 21, 2013. Now, let's take a step back for a moment and think about this. This woman has just been informed that she is being arrested and charged in the first degree murder of close friend/ex boyfriend Travis Alexander. What are her immediate concerns? Her makeup, her hair and how she will look in her booking photo. Running a close second is her concern that Travis's family will be informed that she is suspect number one in the murder investigation.
She also wants to know if she will make the evening newscast! Does this sound AT ALL like a woman with low self esteem? She should be inconsolable, I would be. But she seems to be baffled that they are actually taking her into custody. The other clip also showed Jodi Arias interacting with a female officer, and they were comparing how she behaved while in the presence of a female officer versus how she acted with Detective Flores. I didn't notice much difference, but then again the clip wasn't terribly long.
For whatever it's worth, this is what I was able to find. I'll keep looking for more, since they have been saying there is hours of video footage, and they always seem to be reviewing more and airing it little by little. They probably want to capitalize on the public's appetite for information on this unusual murderer and the horrible crime she is forever attached to.
Where do we go from here? I don't think they are quite finished with Dr. Samuels yet - we may see more of him on Monday. I believe the defense has another "expert" on domestic violence, will this expert be more believable and/or more professional that Dr. Samuels? The defense better hope so. Considering there is absolutely no evidence that Arias was a victim of domestic violence, once again it comes down to her word and how convincing and effective her lies to this particular expert were. She has been described as a great manipulator, so it's not a stretch to believe she was able to con another "professional" into believing her tales of being mistreated, battered, and emotionally and sexually abused.
It will be hard to sit through for those of us who don't believe she is a legitimate victim of anything other than her own jealous and obsessive behavior. The defense would have the world believe that Travis Alexander was controlling Jodi Arias - I disagree. Arias used the one weapon she had in her arsenal that Travis Alexander couldn't walk away from - sex. She knew he wasn't getting what she was giving him from the other women in his life, but she also had to know that he respected those other women for that very reason. Those women may have represented what he really wanted out of a life partner and wife, and Jodi Arias wasn't the one for him.
My last thought on yesterday's redirect by Jennifer Willmott - while questioning Dr. Samuels, much was made about Jodi Arias moving back to Yreka and away from Mesa and Travis. They allege that it shows that Arias wanted to move on with her life and this was her first step in that direction. I believe Arias moved because she had to. Financially, she could no longer afford to stay in Mesa - she wasn't making it at PPL, she wasn't any closer to becoming Mrs. Travis Alexander and she ran out of choices. She needed to stay somewhere rent-free, so she reluctantly went back to Yreka. I doubt that would've been her first choice, had she had any other option. Once she moved away, she was no longer able to check up on Travis, to drop by his house unannounced - she wouldn't know who he was spending time with anymore and she was losing control over the entire relationship.
He was making plans for his life, many of his immediate plans did not include Jodi Arias. She was well aware that Travis's friends did not like her, didn't feel she was the woman for him. With her living in another state, his friends would have more freedom to speak their minds and try to get him back to dating someone who would be more appropriate for marriage. That had to eat her inside. Jealous is not a strong enough word to describe how she must have felt when she realized he was going on vacation with another woman - somebody she knew he was interested in. The "friends babysitter" story is just another one of Jodi's tales, probably dreamed up while sitting in her jail cell and pondering her future. I believe she will do anything in her power to get out of this murder charge. She is facing the death penalty - she's already proven that she will lie for much lesser reasons.
Enjoy your weekend!
After she is informed of her murder indictment, she begins to panic and asks Detective Flores "so this is going to be public now" and she specifically asks if Travis's family has been informed or if they have called the Sheriff's office. Detective Flores tells her that while the Alexander family calls nearly every day, "they don't even know we are talking to you", he tells her. This clip may not include everything I posted about a few days back - in that clip, she asks Flores if the story of her arrest will be on the news that same night.
You can almost feel the panic setting in for her, at one point she begins to sob and tells Detective Flores that although this will show how shallow she really is, can she "clean herself up" before they take her for her mugshots! Shallow is putting it mildly Ms. Arias. I'm sure what they showed on air was longer than the 48 second clip I found and added below, but it does contain much of what I described here:
http://www.hlntv.com/video/2013/03/21/jodi-arias-murder-arrest-interrogation-bizarre-behavior
If this link doesn't work for you, go to HLN's website, and look for the headline in the link - it's dated March 21, 2013. Now, let's take a step back for a moment and think about this. This woman has just been informed that she is being arrested and charged in the first degree murder of close friend/ex boyfriend Travis Alexander. What are her immediate concerns? Her makeup, her hair and how she will look in her booking photo. Running a close second is her concern that Travis's family will be informed that she is suspect number one in the murder investigation.
She also wants to know if she will make the evening newscast! Does this sound AT ALL like a woman with low self esteem? She should be inconsolable, I would be. But she seems to be baffled that they are actually taking her into custody. The other clip also showed Jodi Arias interacting with a female officer, and they were comparing how she behaved while in the presence of a female officer versus how she acted with Detective Flores. I didn't notice much difference, but then again the clip wasn't terribly long.
For whatever it's worth, this is what I was able to find. I'll keep looking for more, since they have been saying there is hours of video footage, and they always seem to be reviewing more and airing it little by little. They probably want to capitalize on the public's appetite for information on this unusual murderer and the horrible crime she is forever attached to.
Where do we go from here? I don't think they are quite finished with Dr. Samuels yet - we may see more of him on Monday. I believe the defense has another "expert" on domestic violence, will this expert be more believable and/or more professional that Dr. Samuels? The defense better hope so. Considering there is absolutely no evidence that Arias was a victim of domestic violence, once again it comes down to her word and how convincing and effective her lies to this particular expert were. She has been described as a great manipulator, so it's not a stretch to believe she was able to con another "professional" into believing her tales of being mistreated, battered, and emotionally and sexually abused.
It will be hard to sit through for those of us who don't believe she is a legitimate victim of anything other than her own jealous and obsessive behavior. The defense would have the world believe that Travis Alexander was controlling Jodi Arias - I disagree. Arias used the one weapon she had in her arsenal that Travis Alexander couldn't walk away from - sex. She knew he wasn't getting what she was giving him from the other women in his life, but she also had to know that he respected those other women for that very reason. Those women may have represented what he really wanted out of a life partner and wife, and Jodi Arias wasn't the one for him.
My last thought on yesterday's redirect by Jennifer Willmott - while questioning Dr. Samuels, much was made about Jodi Arias moving back to Yreka and away from Mesa and Travis. They allege that it shows that Arias wanted to move on with her life and this was her first step in that direction. I believe Arias moved because she had to. Financially, she could no longer afford to stay in Mesa - she wasn't making it at PPL, she wasn't any closer to becoming Mrs. Travis Alexander and she ran out of choices. She needed to stay somewhere rent-free, so she reluctantly went back to Yreka. I doubt that would've been her first choice, had she had any other option. Once she moved away, she was no longer able to check up on Travis, to drop by his house unannounced - she wouldn't know who he was spending time with anymore and she was losing control over the entire relationship.
He was making plans for his life, many of his immediate plans did not include Jodi Arias. She was well aware that Travis's friends did not like her, didn't feel she was the woman for him. With her living in another state, his friends would have more freedom to speak their minds and try to get him back to dating someone who would be more appropriate for marriage. That had to eat her inside. Jealous is not a strong enough word to describe how she must have felt when she realized he was going on vacation with another woman - somebody she knew he was interested in. The "friends babysitter" story is just another one of Jodi's tales, probably dreamed up while sitting in her jail cell and pondering her future. I believe she will do anything in her power to get out of this murder charge. She is facing the death penalty - she's already proven that she will lie for much lesser reasons.
Enjoy your weekend!
Arias Jury Wary of Dr. Samuel's Assessment
The jury had plenty of questions for the defense's "expert" witness, Dr. Richard Samuels yesterday. I didn't write many of them down, because many of them were long and similar in nature to one another - but there was a common theme. The jury doesn't seem to share Dr. Samuel's opinion that "it's irrelevant" that accused murderer Jodi Arias took the PTSD test while still lying about two armed intruders killing Travis Alexander. Dr. Samuels has repeatedly stated that it wouldn't effect the test results because trauma is trauma - and he still believes her trauma was real and it triggered the PTSD and "dissociative amnesia".
I've heard enough about Jodi Arias's supposed mental and memory problems. I quite frankly don't understand why this even matters - this all started with her "fog", her lack of memory during the time she was stabbing and slashing Travis Alexander's throat. She did these things, what difference does it make why she doesn't remember doing it? I find it awfully convenient that she had the presence of mind after this savage act to attempt to clean up the crime scene, look through the photos on that digital camera and delete only the photos that would implicate her - there was a decision making process involved in those acts. She carefully removed her socks and gathered the bedding and put it in the washing machine in an effort to remove all traces of her DNA. Are those the acts of somebody in an amnesiac state of mind?
She had enough forethought to take the gun, the rope (I still don't believe there ever WAS a rope) and either put the knife in the dishwasher or take it with her - she was clear headed enough to know she needed to call Ryan Burns and come up with an excuse as to why she was running so late. She was thinking clearly enough to pull over and clean the blood off of her hands and change her clothes or ditch her bloody clothes before hitting a security checkpoint near the Hoover Dam. It's awfully convenient that the only thing she doesn't remember is stabbing and slashing his throat - those happen to really be the things that make this murder heinous, cruel and depraved. Very convenient.
Dr. Samuels threw out some statistics that also give me reason to pause. He stated that approximately 30% of people convicted of homicide report having some sort of amnesia - how very convenient for them. The jury questions zeroed in on the errors and omissions on Dr. Samuels reports, his reason for not re administering the PTSD test once Kirk Nurmi informed him that Jodi Arias was now admitting she killed Travis Alexander, but in self defense. If you are being paid $250.00 per hour, and providing testing and reporting to a court of law in a death penalty murder trial, wouldn't you want to be absolutely sure your records and reports were beyond reproach? Wouldn't you want to be certain the test was accurate, there were no "typos" or "omissions" - and if there were, wouldn't you want to amend your report or add another addendum? The errors he made on those reports is completely unacceptable.
Dr. Samuels rambled on for 2-3 minutes at a time during the jury questioning, in my opinion he dodged many of the questions and wasn't providing clear answers, which may explain why they have so many questions. He clearly seems to be a fierce defender of Ms. Arias, he comes across as being biased towards this defendant when he should be impartial. He seems a little bit too invested in the fate of Jodi Arias. He met with her 12 times and talked with her 25-30 hours, during which time he formed these opinions about her and about Travis Alexander. His testimony is flawed because it is based on the words of a proven and well documented liar. His reporting is sloppy, Juan Martinez was quick to point out another error in the doctor's scoring of one of the tests he gave Jodi Arias. He showed two exhibits of the same report, one of which showed one score, and the other showed a higher score. The doctor didn't disclose this "re-scoring" while answering earlier jury questions, and probably wouldn't have brought it up if Martinez hadn't found it.
His explanations for the two different errors in the testing is not believable. He told this jury that while he was preparing for this trial, he wanted to review the test and the test score but didn't have a copy of his own report - so he "re-scored" the same test. Don't most people make COPIES of their work, especially a document that is going to be scrutinized in a court room? During his "re-score" he came up with a different number? This is absolutely mind-boggling that a professional would be so sloppy. He seems to believe that his 35 years of experience should be evidence that his work was complete and accurate. Juan Martinez had an absolute field day with Dr. Samuels. It's clear that these two do not like each other. At one point, Dr. Samuels began to have memory problems of his own, and Martinez asked him "do YOU have memory problems?", and Samuels snapped back "no I don't, do you?". It got pretty heated in the courtroom.
Juan Martinez also questioned Dr. Samuels motives for giving Jodi Arias a gift, the book on self esteem. Dr. Samuels had answered a jury question by saying that he was a compassionate man, and he felt that Arias may benefit from reading the self-help book, which would ultimately make his job easier if she had more self esteem. Does this make sense to anyone? Turns out that Dr. Samuels gave this book to Arias after their first meeting. That tells me he developed this fondness for her very early on. I am convinced that he truly likes or liked Jodi Arias - he either bought into her stories hook-line-and-sinker, or he simply didn't care that she was lying and manipulated the scores to have the most positive outcome for Jodi Arias.
To me, her memory problems are really a non-issue. It's only a very small piece of this puzzle and doesn't effect her culpability in this murder. She pulled the wool over this doctor's eyes, but it doesn't look like she's fooling the jury - they still seem very focused on what Travis Alexander must have went through while he was under attack at the hands of Jodi Arias. What's next? I believe the defense has another expert in the area of domestic violence. Another PAID expert. Naturally, they wouldn't employ an expert that wouldn't bolster their case, so expect to hear that Jodi Arias suffered emotionally and physically at the hands of Travis Alexander. That will be difficult to sit through.
I hope and pray that the jury keeps Travis Alexander in their thoughts and their minds - and they don't buy into Jodi Arias as a victim in any way, shape or form. I see no remorse in the eyes of Arias. I really believe that Arias is glad that she no longer has to worry about Travis dating or marrying another woman. These thoughts were consuming her, she became obsessive and when she moved back to Yreka, she lost the ability to keep close tabs on Travis. The defense has made a big deal out of Arias moving back to Yreka, claiming that it proves she was getting on with her life without Travis Alexander. I think Jodi Arias moved back to Yreka because she HAD to. She could no longer afford to live in Mesa, she wasn't making it there professionally or financially - she had to move in with her grandparents, and in that little room that was shown in the robbery crime scene photos was a stark contrast to the home she had become attached to where Travis lived. Her life was changing alright. I can picture her sitting on that little twin or full sized bed, thinking about how many times she's been wronged by Travis Alexander - he was excited about the direction his life was going in, he had so much to look forward to.
And Jodi, what did she have to look forward to? She was 28 years old, and back in Yreka living with her grandparents and financially strapped. She failed in Arizona, she failed in having a meaningful and real relationship with Travis - all that remained between her and Travis was their sexual relationship. That was the one weapon she had in her arsenal that he wasn't getting with the other women in his life. And she used that weapon to lure him to his own death. I can see it plain as day. They can put 10 more expert witnesses up on the stand to testify about Arias suffering from personality disorders, it doesn't matter. She knew what she was doing when she was killing him. She knew what she did after she killed him. She tried to cover up her involvement, she lied and ultimately she got caught. That is the only source of her remorse. Have a great weekend!!
I've heard enough about Jodi Arias's supposed mental and memory problems. I quite frankly don't understand why this even matters - this all started with her "fog", her lack of memory during the time she was stabbing and slashing Travis Alexander's throat. She did these things, what difference does it make why she doesn't remember doing it? I find it awfully convenient that she had the presence of mind after this savage act to attempt to clean up the crime scene, look through the photos on that digital camera and delete only the photos that would implicate her - there was a decision making process involved in those acts. She carefully removed her socks and gathered the bedding and put it in the washing machine in an effort to remove all traces of her DNA. Are those the acts of somebody in an amnesiac state of mind?
She had enough forethought to take the gun, the rope (I still don't believe there ever WAS a rope) and either put the knife in the dishwasher or take it with her - she was clear headed enough to know she needed to call Ryan Burns and come up with an excuse as to why she was running so late. She was thinking clearly enough to pull over and clean the blood off of her hands and change her clothes or ditch her bloody clothes before hitting a security checkpoint near the Hoover Dam. It's awfully convenient that the only thing she doesn't remember is stabbing and slashing his throat - those happen to really be the things that make this murder heinous, cruel and depraved. Very convenient.
Dr. Samuels threw out some statistics that also give me reason to pause. He stated that approximately 30% of people convicted of homicide report having some sort of amnesia - how very convenient for them. The jury questions zeroed in on the errors and omissions on Dr. Samuels reports, his reason for not re administering the PTSD test once Kirk Nurmi informed him that Jodi Arias was now admitting she killed Travis Alexander, but in self defense. If you are being paid $250.00 per hour, and providing testing and reporting to a court of law in a death penalty murder trial, wouldn't you want to be absolutely sure your records and reports were beyond reproach? Wouldn't you want to be certain the test was accurate, there were no "typos" or "omissions" - and if there were, wouldn't you want to amend your report or add another addendum? The errors he made on those reports is completely unacceptable.
Dr. Samuels rambled on for 2-3 minutes at a time during the jury questioning, in my opinion he dodged many of the questions and wasn't providing clear answers, which may explain why they have so many questions. He clearly seems to be a fierce defender of Ms. Arias, he comes across as being biased towards this defendant when he should be impartial. He seems a little bit too invested in the fate of Jodi Arias. He met with her 12 times and talked with her 25-30 hours, during which time he formed these opinions about her and about Travis Alexander. His testimony is flawed because it is based on the words of a proven and well documented liar. His reporting is sloppy, Juan Martinez was quick to point out another error in the doctor's scoring of one of the tests he gave Jodi Arias. He showed two exhibits of the same report, one of which showed one score, and the other showed a higher score. The doctor didn't disclose this "re-scoring" while answering earlier jury questions, and probably wouldn't have brought it up if Martinez hadn't found it.
His explanations for the two different errors in the testing is not believable. He told this jury that while he was preparing for this trial, he wanted to review the test and the test score but didn't have a copy of his own report - so he "re-scored" the same test. Don't most people make COPIES of their work, especially a document that is going to be scrutinized in a court room? During his "re-score" he came up with a different number? This is absolutely mind-boggling that a professional would be so sloppy. He seems to believe that his 35 years of experience should be evidence that his work was complete and accurate. Juan Martinez had an absolute field day with Dr. Samuels. It's clear that these two do not like each other. At one point, Dr. Samuels began to have memory problems of his own, and Martinez asked him "do YOU have memory problems?", and Samuels snapped back "no I don't, do you?". It got pretty heated in the courtroom.
Juan Martinez also questioned Dr. Samuels motives for giving Jodi Arias a gift, the book on self esteem. Dr. Samuels had answered a jury question by saying that he was a compassionate man, and he felt that Arias may benefit from reading the self-help book, which would ultimately make his job easier if she had more self esteem. Does this make sense to anyone? Turns out that Dr. Samuels gave this book to Arias after their first meeting. That tells me he developed this fondness for her very early on. I am convinced that he truly likes or liked Jodi Arias - he either bought into her stories hook-line-and-sinker, or he simply didn't care that she was lying and manipulated the scores to have the most positive outcome for Jodi Arias.
To me, her memory problems are really a non-issue. It's only a very small piece of this puzzle and doesn't effect her culpability in this murder. She pulled the wool over this doctor's eyes, but it doesn't look like she's fooling the jury - they still seem very focused on what Travis Alexander must have went through while he was under attack at the hands of Jodi Arias. What's next? I believe the defense has another expert in the area of domestic violence. Another PAID expert. Naturally, they wouldn't employ an expert that wouldn't bolster their case, so expect to hear that Jodi Arias suffered emotionally and physically at the hands of Travis Alexander. That will be difficult to sit through.
I hope and pray that the jury keeps Travis Alexander in their thoughts and their minds - and they don't buy into Jodi Arias as a victim in any way, shape or form. I see no remorse in the eyes of Arias. I really believe that Arias is glad that she no longer has to worry about Travis dating or marrying another woman. These thoughts were consuming her, she became obsessive and when she moved back to Yreka, she lost the ability to keep close tabs on Travis. The defense has made a big deal out of Arias moving back to Yreka, claiming that it proves she was getting on with her life without Travis Alexander. I think Jodi Arias moved back to Yreka because she HAD to. She could no longer afford to live in Mesa, she wasn't making it there professionally or financially - she had to move in with her grandparents, and in that little room that was shown in the robbery crime scene photos was a stark contrast to the home she had become attached to where Travis lived. Her life was changing alright. I can picture her sitting on that little twin or full sized bed, thinking about how many times she's been wronged by Travis Alexander - he was excited about the direction his life was going in, he had so much to look forward to.
And Jodi, what did she have to look forward to? She was 28 years old, and back in Yreka living with her grandparents and financially strapped. She failed in Arizona, she failed in having a meaningful and real relationship with Travis - all that remained between her and Travis was their sexual relationship. That was the one weapon she had in her arsenal that he wasn't getting with the other women in his life. And she used that weapon to lure him to his own death. I can see it plain as day. They can put 10 more expert witnesses up on the stand to testify about Arias suffering from personality disorders, it doesn't matter. She knew what she was doing when she was killing him. She knew what she did after she killed him. She tried to cover up her involvement, she lied and ultimately she got caught. That is the only source of her remorse. Have a great weekend!!
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