Jodi Arias Makes More Outrageous Claims

Wow.  Jodi Arias took to the witness stand for the 4th day yesterday, and made more outrageous and serious claims about murder victim, 30 year old Travis Alexander.  IMHO, this gets more unbelievable every single day.  To summarize the allegations Arias has made thus far:

• He had an affair with a married woman
• He was attracted to young boys
• He initiated sexual intercourse with her while she was asleep
• He broke her finger and kicked her in the ribs
• He subjected her to humiliating sexual acts (his "antics") for the fulfillment of his own fantasies

She is still expected to testify about a phone sex recording she made, in which Travis tells her she sounds like a 12 year old girl - or something to that effect.  How many different deviance themes are they going to come up with here?  How believable is it to think that a 30 year old man with ALL OF THESE behaviors would not be discovered by anybody other than Jodi Arias in his life?

This is simply outrageous - and I can't wait for her be cross examined about these allegations. My sense is that MAYBE she is mixing 5%-10% of truth in with 90% fabrications - maybe he did have some fantasies he asked her to participate in, but in my opinion she was a willing participant.  What are the chances that this man was attracted to YOUNG boys (5-6 years old), teenage girls, married women - and also had a fairly normal sexual appetite for Jodi Arias?

Remember, the police did a thorough search of Alexanders' home, computer(s) and phone - they never recovered anything related to children on any of his computers or found any such evidence in the home.  They are all over the map, and I hope Martinez nails her on every inconsistent allegation she has made.  Hey, guess I could be wrong and she could be telling the truth.  Highly doubtful that she would be the only person in the world who knew all of these things about Travis. Every act she accuses him in are considered highly immoral in the Mormon faith - and in most religious faiths.  

All the while she is painting herself as the submissive, "I went along with it", coy little girl who was just controlled by this overbearing deviant man.  This is hard to watch folks!  Can't wait to see what she alleges today.  They are running out of things to slander him with and when the prosecution gets their shot, watch out!  What do you think of her testimony?  The jury will be instructed that Arias's testimony is NOT evidence, so hoping they see through to the truth.

My last question - why did Arias feel the need to record the so called phone sex tape?  Had to be one of two reasons.  She either wanted to relive the moment, or use it AGAINST him.  Also, what happened to the Spider Man underwear we've heard so much about? She seems to have photos of everything else that could help her.  Where are these?

Arias Makes More Shocking Allegations....

Jodi Arias was back on the witness stand today for more graphic and controversial testimony about her relationship with murder victim Travis Alexander. She described a package she received from Alexander around Valentines Day, 2007 which contained the now infamous T-Shirt that had "Travis Alexander's" printed on it, the shorts with "Travis'" on the rear - and now we are hearing about the Spider Man underwear in the same package. 

In a bizarre twist, Arias claims Travis was insistent that she wore the "little boy sized" Spider Man underwear, even though they didn't really fit her.  Perhaps the most outrageous thing said in court this morning was when Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi questioned Arias about the first time she had sexual intercourse with Alexander.  She described a visit to his Mesa home in which she went to sleep clothed, and woke up "with him inside of her".  Nurmi stopped short at 

calling it rape, but it wasn't hard to tell where he was going with his questions. She described in detail going to sleep next to Travis, then waking up with him on top of, and inside of her. She said she rolled away from him, and then he pushed her head down beneath the covers for oral sex. She said this encounter made her uncomfortable, yet "they never talked about it" after that night. If this really happened, why did this woman keep going back time and time again?

The photos in this page were also entered into evidence as Arias described a trip she took with Travis Alexander to Niagara Falls and The Sacred Grove in June of 2007.  She told the jury that prior to the NY trip, she had become suspicious of Travis during a trip to Utah - she took his phone while he was asleep, and went through his text messages and found messages from other women. Among her allegations - he was messing around with a married woman.  She says never asked him about the text messages, and took the trip to NY with him because the trip was already planned and paid for.  She claims she was miserable during that trip - you be the judge - does she look miserable in these photos to you?  If you were upset about your significant other being unfaithful - wouldn't you cancel this trip, regardless of the non-refundable status of the tickets? This woman has an answer for everything. Too bad none of them are reasonable.

Nurmi asked her why she continued to see him after discovering he had been cheating on her, and she stated "I didn't have a lot of self esteem at that time, I was a doormat". She explained that Travis had a book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die", and Travis talked about visiting these places. Niagara Falls was one of those places (I believe Cancun was on the list too). Sadly, he wouldn't visit many more of these places before being killed. Creepy in itself, Jodi Arias's MySpace page has a photo album dedicated to her "1,000 Places to See"....  The pair returned from the East Coast and went on a trip Arias won through Pre Paid Legal to Huntington Beach, CA.  From there, they visited Disneyland.

She told the jury that she wanted to break up with him before, during and after this trip - but she couldn't work up the nerve to do so. She said she was "planning to drop the bomb" on him in Riverside, CA where she dropped him off at his grandmother's house, but lost her nerve.  She returned to Big Sur in CA and on June 29, 2007 she confronted him on the phone about the text messages she viewed on his phone in Utah.  They decided to break up during the phone call, but Travis called her the next day and apologized and said he would change - but yet she said the call became sexual in nature?  I don't understand this woman's testimony. 

Her own attorney asked her why she even took his call the day after they broke up, and why she didn't hang up when the call turned sexual - she said the things he was saying made her feel "sexy and attractive". She liked the attention she was getting from him at this point.  Throughout this graphic testimony, the photos above were on a monitor in front of her.  She showed no emotion as she described the incident in Mesa where he supposedly initiated sex with her while she was asleep.  Wouldn't that have upset most people?  Apparently it didn't upset Jodi Arias.  Is that because of the kind of person she is, or because it didn't happen that way?  Again, you be the judge!

More of Jodi Arias's family is in the courtroom today. Her father and one of her brothers were seen on camera today, along with her mother and her mom's identical twin sister.  Travis Alexander's family is there as well.  His younger sister looks so much like Travis. This has to be torture for them to listen to!  All of this before the lunch break.  Wow.  I can only imagine what's coming next.

Arias Defense Rips into Travis Alexander's Character

As the defense case continues Monday with murder defendant Jodi Arias on the stand, reports are emerging about the closed door meeting between the attorneys on both sides and Judge Sherry Stephens that occurred last Thursday.  Not much was known about the topic of the meeting, however it's now being reported that Arias will be allowed to give testimony about victim Travis Alexander's alleged "lewd acts" involving the use of pictures of children!

An earlier note that Arias produced, allegedly from Travis Alexander was ruled "inconclusive" by a handwriting analyst - so what exactly will be admitted into evidence aside from the words of Jodi Arias?  This seems outrageous to me - number one, even if you believe Alexander was into children (I DO NOT), what would this information have to do with the self defense claim anyway?  Number two - why would the word of a proven liar be taken as fact in a trial with so much at stake?

Perhaps we'll understand why this type of testimony is being allowed once we hear and/or see the "evidence", but at this point it seems to me the defense is scraping the bottom of the barrel with the smear campaign on Travis Alexander's character! This is pretty low in my book. The "phone sex" audio has not yet been introduced - Arias recorded some phone calls between herself and Travis Alexander, and I believe those calls will be played next week.  I hope the defense realizes the jury may not react in the way they are hoping with the direction they are leading and what they are alleging about the actual murder victim in this case.

This has to be excrutiating for the friends and family of Travis Alexander, who have to listen to the distasteful portrait Arias is painting of their loved one.  To the defense team, my question is this:  why was it necessary for Jodi Arias to stab a naked and weaponless man 27 times?  Did he continue to "lunge" at her after the 10th stab wound, or after she slit his throat?  Was he still a threat when she shot him in the face?  This next week should prove crucial and I cannot wait to hear Arias face the tough questions from Mr. Juan Martinez - who is patiently waiting his turn, while furiously taking notes.  His day will come, soon!

The Transformation of Jodi Arias

30 year old Travis Alexander was a successful employee of Pre Paid Legal and a Mormon. A murder victim's religious beliefs rarely makes headlines or into the court minutes - however, much has been made about Alexander's affiliation with the Mormon church in what has become a salacious, made-for-TV trial.  I wouldn't be surprised to see this one play out on Lifetime Movie Network soon.  

Back to this trial. The prosecution rested their case several weeks ago, after calling several witnesses to the stand and presenting a mountain of physical and circumstantial evidence pointing at one person and one person alone - Jodi Arias. The defense admitting Arias killed Alexander during their opening statement, but alleged she did so in self defense - claiming Jodi Arias had to make a decision to either kill or be killed.  If you've been following the case, you know most of the evidence that's been presented.

The defense stunned the courtroom last week by calling defendant Jodi Arias to the stand - following an afternoon lunch break, the jurors returned to the courtroom to see Arias already on the witness stand.  I'm amazed at the transformation of Jodi Arias and how she now appears on the witness stand.  In stark contrast to the long platinum blond hair she sports in several photos on her MySpace page, Arias now has dark brown hair - with bangs neatly brushed to one side and wearing eye glasses. She is dressed very conservatively in loose fitting clothes and either a high necked shirt, or blouses buttoned neatly and showing little skin.  She has little or no makeup on, and although she smiles at jurors at times, I haven't seen the wide toothy grins seen in the personal (pre-arrest) photos we've been shown.

Arias has had nearly 5 years to prepare herself for her day in court.  Although defense attorney Jennifer Willmott wasn't the original attorney assigned to the Arias case, I can't help but think she's had a lot to do with Arias's new "courtroom look".  They are making their case by painting the true victim as a womanizer, a cad, somebody who used Jodi Arias for his own sexual gratification while keeping his "virginal" Mormon facade in tact.  They would have us believe Alexander was the aggressor in the relationship from the moment he walked up and introduced himself to her at the Rainforest Cafe.  

Arias has had complete control of the courtroom since she took the stand last Monday.  We've heard about her childhood and how her mother kept a wooden kitchen spoon in her purse, used to hit Jodi when she became too hard to handle. We've heard about every previous relationship Arias has had, and how those men wronged her.  Apparently, since those men are still breathing, we are supposed to believe Travis Alexander must've done something to deserve being stabbed 27+ times, having his throat slit and being shot in the face.  After all, the defense has brought forth testimony about how Arias was able to end previous relationships in a non-lethal way.  

We haven't yet heard about the fatal encounter on June 4, 2008.  This is what this trial is all about, not about the people who "abused" Arias in the past or how she ended those relationships.  It comes down to that moment in time. All I can say is "thank God" for the recovery of those deleted photos, and thank Jodi Arias for being a media hound and for giving those jailhouse interviews!  Thanks to the photos, law enforcement knew when Alexander was killed (his body was not discovered for nearly 5 days) and we had photographic evidence that Arias was there on June 4, 2008.

Thanks to her media interviews, the jury has seen Jodi Arias lie and lie and then lie some more.  They have heard her story change, they've witnessed how easily the lies come to her and how her soft spoken demeanor rarely changed, except when corned during interrogations with Detective Esteban Flores.  They've seen and heard it.  If not for these things, the jury may have a hard time believing that the Jodi Arias we are seeing on the witness stand would have it in her to brutally kill another person in the manner in which he was killed.  She may have gotten away with all together if she hadn't left the bloody palm print, and if she had simply taken the camera or the memory card with her.

Alexander's friends had no qualms that Arias had it in her to do this.  A jury may have had doubts, if not for the above mentioned evidence. Next week the defense should approach the June 4, 2008 encounter.  While I try to keep an open mind, I don't know if anything could convince me that Arias was in any real danger when she stabbed Travis Alexander that first time.  Short of him pointing a gun at her, I don't see how it could've been necessary to stab him so many times to neutralize this perceived threat.  And then there's the matter of the gun.  Although the weapons were never recovered, Arias has admitted to killing Travis - will she concede that she took the "stolen" gun from her grandparents house?  Will they allege that Arias was so frightened of Travis Alexander she felt she needed protection?  They can't have it both ways.  She either a) brought the gun for protection on her 2834 mile road trip or b) brought the gun for protection against Travis Alexander.  Which brings me back to my point - if she was so scared of him, why did she stop in Mesa? 
She didn't have to - she had plans to meet up with Ryan Burns in Utah on that trip.  I'll bet Burns is glad he didn't have the chance to get cozy with this woman!

In any event, Arias may be drawing a little sympathy for the way she has portrayed the way Travis Alexander treated her.  However, she has yet to answer any of the tough questions.  Those will come when Prosecutor Juan Martinez cross examines her.  I'm waiting to hear her story - she'll have to do a little better than the "he lunged at me" story.  A fully dressed woman, with access to the exit doors could've easily retreated to safety without doing what she did.  The fact that she had these weapons with her to begin with is highly suspect and points to some premeditation.  Or did she always pack a gun and knife in her purse on road trips?  So for now, Jodi Arias is having her say but how will she hold up when pressed on the difficult questions?  How much weight will the jury give to the tales from a woman who they have seen lie on tape over and over again?

Even if you believe Jodi Arias was used for sex by Travis Alexander and you feel he treated her poorly - he did not deserve to die for those actions. She had the choice to stop in Mesa, or not to stop in Mesa.  All we have is her word about who initiated the sexual acts between these two.  Not to sound cold or uncaring, but I just don't believe Arias needed much convincing to engage in these acts.  After all - she had previous experience with men, and those men described engaging in similar acts with Jodi Arias.  So why were her encounters with Travis Alexander so different then those?  If the defense is trying to garner sympathy for Jodi Arias and show Travis Alexander mistreated her, they may have missed their mark altogether.

After listening to her testimony last week, I'm even more convinced she killed Travis because she was angry with him.  She was hurt and angry that he gave her the attention she craved when they were engaging in sexual acts, but ignored her when they were in public or with large groups of friends. He downplayed their relationship and didn't want her hanging on him in front of his Mormon friends.  Is that really such a shocking thing?  In any event - the demure, soft spoken, conservative Jodi Arias we see today on that witness stand is certainly not the Jodi Arias that Travis Alexander's friends saw.  They were right to be leery of their friend seeing this woman.  Sometimes you have to trust your gut feelings, and I believe although he was still engaging in sex with Arias, he was trying to end their relationship.  She knew it was nearly over, and she killed him before he could take a trip to Cancun with Marie "Mimi" Hall, a Mormon woman he had gone on several dates with and was interested in.  She was unaware that Hall was not romantically interested in him.

I think we've yet to see the real Jodi Arias in the courtroom.

Jodi Arias Testifies: "I Felt Like a Prostitute"

There is no testimony today or Friday in the Jodi Arias murder trial.  Today, attorneys on both sides are meeting with the judge, presumably to hash out more evidence to be presented in the defense case. I thought evidenciary hearings were held before the trial begins, but it seems this trial has had so many interruptions and delays - people are not sure what today's meeting is all about.  It could be about the much anticipated audio "phone sex" recordings the defense is expected to submit into evidence any day now.  I'd still like to know WHY Jodi Arias recorded these phone calls - especially in light of how she has been testifying that some of her encounters with Travis Alexander left her feeling "like a prostitute"!

Also making news today, a key prosecution rebuttal witness has reported a break in at her Phoenix home. Dr. Janeen Demarte is a clinical psychologist who evaluated Jodi Arias and is considered to be a "key witness" in the State's rebuttal case.  She reported that her laptop computer was stolen.  Is this just a strange coincidence? The timing of the break in and the item that was stolen seems suspect - although it's unclear what, if anything else was taken from the home.  The defense is expected to call several expert witnesses in the area of sexual and domestic abuse and the prosecution has their expert(s) for rebuttal.  This trial is starting to take on a life of it's own.

Murder defendant Jodi Arias has been on the witness stand for the last 3 days, and has provided background on her life since childhood and has discussed previous relationships, and how those relationships ended. Are they attempting to show that Arias is capable of ending relationships in a non-violent manner? In one of her interviews with Detective Flores, I recall her telling him that all of her previous boyfriends "were still alive"!  Wow - that's good to know.  In yesterday's testimony, the topic of the day seemed to center around Arias and Alexander's sex life - with graphic descriptions of their encounters.  Arias told jurors that some of these encounters left her feeling "like a prostitute", but she explained that she really liked Travis and that's why she kept returning to Mesa and other places as the encounters continued.

Arias described how Travis gave her a nickname:  "Pollyanna", because she had platinum blond hair at the time and simplistic/optimistic views on life. She said he also called her "skank" and "porn star".  They are doing their best to shine a bad light on Travis Alexander and allege he had this control over her. She's been on the stand for 3 days, yet other than admitting she killed him in order to protect herself, no violence has been mentioned and they are still a bit away in the timeline leading up to June of 2008, when Travis was viciously murdered in his own home.  Prosecutor Juan Martinez could be seen taking many many notes during Arias's testimony - objecting whenever Ms. Arias tried to veer away from the question or got off topic. Arias often apologized after the objection held up.

An ironic moment occurred when Arias described a former girlfriend of Travis Alexander named Deanna Reed (spelling?). She was referring to a time when a group of people gathered at Travis's home and Ms. Reed was expected to attend. Arias claims Travis asked her to be cautious when Deanna Reed was around, because she was "emotionally unstable" and would "freak out" if she saw Travis with another woman.  Whether or not that was really said, I don't know.  Talking about another woman being emotionally unstable seemed odd coming out of her mouth! It appears Arias will be on the stand for at least another few days judging by where they are now in the timeline - she will be cross examined by Martinez, which judging by his note taking should take some time. Arias should be followed by the expert defense witnesses and then the States rebuttal.  We are nowhere near the end!

Testimony continues on Monday!

Jodi Arias On The Stand - Travis Had a "Bill Clinton" View About Sex!

Murder defendant Jodi Arias took the stand for the 3rd day and provided more insight into her relationship with victim Travis Alexander. During her testimony, she told jurors that her relationship with Travis developed into a physical relationship within days of meeting.  She testified that Travis had a "Bill Clinton view" about sex - implying that he felt oral sex wasn't really sex. Arias claims she had different views, feeling it was all considered sex. 

As she described how they met at a Pre Paid Legal conference and how Alexander introduced himself to her, she spoke quite easily and seemed relaxed at times but said the testimony about their sex life was "embarrassing" for her. She stated that within 2 days of meeting, Travis made it clear he was interested in being more than friends. Arias went on to describe an incident where she and Travis were staying with friends (the Hughes), and although Jodi was assigned her own bedroom to sleep in, Travis made his way into her room that night. She claims they began to kiss, and Travis began removing her clothes - then they had oral sex. This would become a recurring theme, and Arias claimed it made her feel "used and dirty", but she never complained to Travis because she really liked him!

She went on to describe other encounters, and said some of those left her feeling like a prostitute!  My question is this:  if the guy made you feel so ashamed, so used, so cheap - why did you continue to call, e-mail, text and see him? I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but Jodi Arias herself has described ending other relationships she's had, and she had the opportunity to end this one too. By all accounts, Travis Alexander was a normal, 30 year old man and like any other 30 year old red blooded man - he thought about sex.  Being raised in the Mormon faith didn't allow him to act on these feelings, presumably until he met Jodi Arias, who was not raised as a Mormon and had previous sexual relationships with other men before she met Travis.

I believe this must have been a very powerful tool that Jodi possessed after the very first encounter with Travis. I believe she knew exactly what she was doing - providing him with something he couldn't ask of the other (Mormon) women in his life. We are only hearing her side of the story right now, and Kirk Nurmi is doing his best to paint Arias as someone who was used and hidden from family and friends. Unfortunately, Travis Alexander isn't here to tell his side of the story. Arias has been a calm and composed witness, but she's had nearly 5 years to prepare for this moment.  Travis Alexander is NOT on trial for violation of the Mormon vows of chastity here!  Yet the defense is trying to paint a picture of a demure, soft spoken woman who was controlled by this big powerful man.

We've yet to hear the infamous "phone sex tapes" that Arias recorded of calls between her and Travis Alexander. My question is this:  why did she feel the need to tape these calls?  Was she planning on blackmailing him, or exposing his secrets to his bishop or friends and family? Or was it so she could re live the moment over and over?  Who knows - but there had to be a reason she recorded them. Could come in handy if one was on trial for murder, right?

The defense has still failed to provide any testimony from any person that Travis Alexander was physically abusive to anybody in his life. Had he been killed by a single gunshot wound, or a single stab to the chest  - self defense may have been a viable defense. There is NO defense for what she did to him. In order to believe this brutal murder was an act of self defense, Jodi Arias should have had broken bones, cuts and bruises or other injuries consistent with a struggle with Travis Alexander. She simply did not have injuries, other than the cuts caused by the bloody knife she used to stab him sliding down her hand and cutting herself. This wasn't a fair fight folks.  There has been no evidence pointing to this "life and death" struggle Jennifer Willmott described in her opening statement.  Where's the beef defense team?

Jodi Arias Takes The Stand - Will It Keep Her Off Death Row?

Wow, another surprising day today in the Phoenix, Arizona courtroom where murder defendant Jodi Arias was called to the stand.  Many court watchers expected she would have to testify since thus far the defense hasn't been able to bring forth any testimony of violence or violent tendencies from murder victim Travis Alexander.

Arias was called to the stand late in the afternoon, following testimony from a defense expert who examined a hard drive, camera and phone for the defense earlier this year. They submitted into evidence a photo taken with a camera owned by Arias which displayed a pair of woman's underwear with the words "Travis'" on them, along with the T-Shirt many of us have already seen photos of Arias wearing that had the words "Travis Alexander's" printed on it.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez was able to show that the photo of the underwear and T-Shirt were taken on July 11, 2008 - just 4 days before Jodi Arias was arrested and charged with 1st degree murder of Travis Alexander, and curiously they were taken more than a month after the murder! So why did Arias feel the need to take a photo of these items? Did she take them in anticipation of her impending arrest?  I can't think of any other reason.

When she got on the stand, she looked at the jury and told them that she had killed Travis Alexander.  When asked why she killed him, she told the jury that he attacked her and she "protected herself".  Very cold, very unmoving testimony. Arias showed no emotion, in stark contrast to the sobbing we saw during the prosecution case where pictures of the aftermath of this murder were being shown in court.  Was she acting then, and/or is she acting now? Her performance thus far is flat. Disingenuous and rehearsed.

The defense has only begun their direct questioning of Arias. Martinez is just listening, not objecting excessively as we've seen through many of the defense witness testimony.  He's watching and waiting for his turn.  THAT will be something to see. Arias attempted to explain away her comments during a television interview in which she boldly predicted that "no jury will convict me, and you can mark my words on that", "because I'm innocent". Remember, this woman has had almost 5 years to try to fine tune her story.  She now states the reason she said that is because she "planned to kill herself" and therefore wouldn't be in court facing these charges.

This brings an interesting possibility to my mind.  Could this have been a murder-suicide plot from the start? Did she go to Mesa to kill Travis and herself, to bond them forever in death?  I doubt it, seems like another self serving comment to me.  Why didn't she kill herself?  If she contemplated suicide, how did she end up in Utah hours after the murder,acting completely normal and initiating intimate contact with a new man, Ryan Burns?  Seems to me she still can't get her story straight. 

The defense is going way back to Jodi's childhood to discuss the "abuse" she suffered at the hands of her mother, and her father. She told the jury that her mother hit her with a wooden spoon and her father was also abusive, but not as much as her mother.  She discussed how prior boyfriends cheated on her. What does this have to do with self defense?  Nothing.  They are going to have to dig a whole lot deeper and tell the jurors more about the incident that does matter - and that's June 4, 2008. 

In the state of Arizona, self defense means using an amount of force necessary to neutralize the immediate threat.  Even if you believe Alexander lunged or threatened Jodi Arias, ONE stab wound should've been enough to render him helpless or at least unable for the "attack" on her to continue - leaving her plenty of time to flee the scene and call for help.  If not the first stab wound, certainly the second stab wound would've stopped him. She wants a jury of her peers to believe defending herself REQUIRED 29 stab wounds, a slit throat - and a gunshot to his face?  It took ALL of that to stop him from coming at her ("lunging")? And all of this allegedly over a dropped camera??  Come on!

Tomorrow should be one of the most interesting days in that courtroom when her testimony continues.  I cannot wait to see the prosecution's cross examination of Jodi Arias. She will some explaining to do - we've seen Martinez's approach to witnesses, and he's not going to let Arias off the hook. More tomorrow, stay tuned!