Jury Selection Begins March 17 - Jodi Arias Penalty Phase Re Trial

Jodi Arias' defense team lobbied for a delay before beginning her sentencing phase re trial and it looks like they what they wanted. It's hard to believe the re trial was originally supposed to begin in July of 2013!  After months of near silence out of the Maricopa County courtroom where attorneys and Judge Stephens have been meeting in closed door sessions, a date has finally been announced to begin jury selection and get this trial going again.

It looks like March 17th is the date folks, but this trial will be a lot different than trial #1 where we could watch it in real time as the testimony unfolded. There will be no live television coverage in the rematch, and it remains unclear how the media will handle covering the conclusion of one of the most sensational trials Arizona has seen.  I've got to believe that Jodi Arias herself will miss the cameras in the courtroom watching her every move.  As hard as Nurmi & Willmott pushed to ban live coverage, Jodi Arias remains in the public eye through her social media shout outs and the many websites she runs from the Estrella jail complex. How will she handle being just another criminal defendant in a courtroom?

You know this has to be a blow to her ego. She has become quite accustomed to the attention she has received, the good the bad and the ugly.  She seems oblivious to the fact that she is facing life in prison or a death sentence as she continues to peddle her wares and fund raise for her expected appeals.  It will be interesting to see Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott's demeanor when they get back to the courtroom.  Arias has publicly slammed attorney Kirk Nurmi and his treatment of her and his insensitivity towards her feelings.  We can already see the writing on the wall in that Arias will argue ineffective assistance of council, perhaps she forgot how hard she lobbied to keep Nurmi on her case when he went into private practice before the trial began?  I personally am looking forward to the resolution of this case once and for all.  

It's 2014 for God's sake - Travis Alexander would be 36 years old if he were still alive.  He might have been married with children by 2014 had he been given the opportunity to break away from Jodi Arias. There's no telling the things he may have accomplished in the past 6 years.  When I hear former Arias juror Diane Swartz talking about how certain jurors believed Jodi Arias had a difficult childhood and a not-so-great family life as a mitigating factor in favor of giving her life, it really makes me wonder why those same jurors don't feel for Travis' truly appalling and tragic childhood.  He didn't use his upbringing as a crutch or an excuse, instead he used it for motivation.  Why is that so hard to see?  How does Jodi's upbringing as a mitigating factor outweigh the aggravating circumstance of how absolutely brutal this murder was? How terrifying it must have been for Travis Alexander, who fought for his life and tried to escape Jodi on his hands and knees down that hallway - only to have his neck slashed and a gunshot to the face? I don't understand how anything about Jodi Arias' upbringing or how Travis may have treated her comes close to mitigating the method in which she butchered this man.

Add to the non-mitigation of the case the perjured testimony and the lies Arias told to law enforcement during the course of the investigation and I don't see how this isn't a death verdict unless you are just an anti death penalty juror. Judgement day for Ms. Arias is coming, and it will get a lot closer when March 17th rolls around.  So what does Juan Martinez have to do differently to get through to this jury?  He has to hammer home how absolutely brutal of a murder this was. He has to demonstrate that Travis was completely ambushed in that shower stall.  He has to drive home the fact that Jodi sentenced Travis to death and carried out his execution without the benefit of any type of trial. She knew what she was doing, and she brought the murder weapon with her. The idea that Travis would be enraged by the dropping of his camera is ridiculous - she destroyed his BMW and didn't body slam her for that. Travis needs to be humanized in that court room. He was trashed so badly during the first trial and if you recall the prosecution wrapped up their case fairly quick. The remaining months became the Jodi Show. Do not give her the same opportunity to let jurors develop a bond with her.

No doubt, Jodi Arias has been sitting in her jail cell fine tuning her story. Thanks to all of the books and magazines people are sending her she has probably studied her Psychology Today for information that could help her. She is cunning, and I believe she will do or say anything to keep herself off of Death Row - I think she actually can see herself walking out of that prison some day. The State of Arizona has the death penalty, to be used for the worst of the worst murders. For murders committed in a cruel, depraved or heinous manner. Whether or not you agree with the death penalty, those jurors have to follow the law. Is this a death penalty worthy murder? If not, what does a death penalty murder look like?