Arias' Jail Perks - By Representing Herself, Visits & Calls Increase

Kirk Nurmi (LET ME OUT!)

I found this photo of Kirk Nurmi and am wondering how old the photo is.  He is sporting a bit of facial hair, and that looks like a wall clock he's wearing on his wrist.  It appears to me that he's begging Judge Stephens to let him off this case!  I have no clue what he's really saying or when the photo was taken but we haven't seen or heard much from or about Jodi Arias' lead attorney in some time.

It's such an outrage that Arias is flip flopping on who will represent her and how the trial will proceed.  The taxpayers have already shelled out probably close to $2,000,000 to pay for her defense - here's a look back at a letter her mother Sandy wrote to Judge Duncan back when Kirk Nurmi was trying to withdraw as her attorney:

Hon. Sally Duncan,

My name is Sandy Arias, the mother of Jodi Arias. I am writing to you to plea for my daughter's case. I feel for Mr. Nurmi to quit her case at this point would be detrimental to her defense. He has been helping with her case for the past eighteen months and knows everything about her and her circumstances. As you know, Jodi had some issues with Maria [mitigation specialist] and wasn't able to communicate with her.

She has come to trust Kirk. To bring Victoria in as head council and someone new to work with her would not be fair to Jodi. Jodi deserves a fair trial. Kirk has a lifetime to start his own practice where Jodi only has a few months that will determine whether she has a life at all. Where do his legal and moral obligations lie?

Our family circumstances will not allow us ot be able to hire legal council for her. Jodi's father's health is not good. He is a dialysis patient, has been through treatment for lymphoma and just had open heart surgery. I work two jobs to keep up with our bills.

Jodi doesn't deserve to be tried for the death penalty. The evidence against her will prove that. She has been an exemplary inmate for the entire time she has served in jail. She has been able to help other inmates with various things such as her signing for them, writing poems, doing drawings for them and also helping with reading and writing.

I am only hoing that you will step in and make sure that she gets the fair council that she deserves and needs. Also, that you will be willing to work with Kirk to retain him for the remainder of the time that she needs. As her mother, I am begging you to help save my daughter.

Sincerely,

Sandy Arias

What issues was Jodi having with mitigation specialist Maria de la Rosa? I hadn't heard anything about that before.  Interesting how Jodi Arias feels entitled to a defense team of her choosing, and if they don't agree with her ideas on how to keep her off death row she files Motion after Motion after Motion.  Judge Sherry Stephens has made it clear she will not allow this trial to be delayed any further.  If you ask me, the last year has been a gift to Arias and her defense team.  Maybe she should spend less time peddling her goods and raising funds for her appeals and more time on working with the defense team she already has?

Since Arias was granted the right to represent herself, she has been given more time out of her cell and has had more time to make phone calls - the Sheriff's office is aware that Arias may be trying to manipulate the system with this move and they are keeping a close eye on her, according to the Examiner.com.  Arias can now get 6 visits a week, as opposed to 1 prior to her move to act as her own attorney.  5 of those visits need to be court approved, so she doesn't have complete free reign but still....she also will have no limits to the time she spends on phone calls now, but she will have to provide a court approved list of phone contacts. 

An officer for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said:

"She's still a close custody inmate which is the highest we have, and we are going to continue to treat her that way. She's been convicted of a crime, and one of the most serious crimes that you can think of, and we will continue to think and treat her that way."

It also appears that Jodi Arias has been writing to a reporter at the Houston Chronicle about her experiences in jail and her artwork. We all wonder how an inmate in close custody is able to run a business from a jail cell - and where is the money she's making going.  She had the following to say:

The money goes to other causes, including charity. Some goes to my family, who is struggling badly like so many. There is a mistaken believe that me selling my art is somehow unethical or unlawful. That's false. Everything I do with regard to my art is well within the law.

As for ethics, were it unethical for convicted people to lawfully earn money, there would be no employment opportunities within the nation's prisons. I was an artist for decades before I derailed my life. I had a business, Jodi Arias Fine Art & Photography, now defunct. What I do now is the same concept. Marketing my art is completely lawful and not connected with the deeply regrettable things I've done."

Need I say more?  The fact that people are still talking about her is probably her point.  In stark contrast, the family of Travis Alexander recently held a fundraiser in his honor, where all proceeds raised were donated to help the homeless.  "This is exactly what Travis would have wanted", they said.