Verdict Watch - The Jodi Arias Murder Trial

Closing arguments concluded yesterday in the 5 month murder trial of Jodi Ann Arias. The attorneys on both sides can do nothing else at this point but wait...with the rest of the country and the world that has been following this tragic story and the sensational trial that followed.  The court room was packed for closing arguments, yet other than an awkward moment where somebody in the gallery's cellphone rang - you could hear a pin drop as the closing arguments were delivered.

Murder defendant Jodi Arias appeared a little different yesterday, as her attorney Kirk Nurmi delivered his closing arguments to the jury. Her hair was slightly different and she appeared to have a little makeup on. Both Arias and Willmott removed their glasses for much of Nurmi's summation. The Alexander and Arias families were both present, and well known legal pundits such as Jane Valez Mitchell, Jean Casarez and Nancy Grace were seen in the gallery.  These were emotional moments, the finality of it all seemed to sink in as Travis' sisters were visible shaken and crying.

The alternate jurors were then chosen at random by a court staffer near the Judge's seat. Jurors #10, #15 and #17 were drawn as the alternates. They will be returning on Monday when the deliberating jurors continue, but they will be segregated in a separate room and watched by the bailiffs sworn in after the proceedings to guard the integrity of the jury deliberations. 

It's hard to gauge what Jodi Arias was thinking when it was over. It had to be tough to hear Juan Martinez describe why he believes she should be found guilty of first degree premeditated murder AND first degree felony murder. It fits. Kirk Nurmi, on the other hand - in his final statement told the jury "if Jodi Arias is guilty of anything - it's manslaughter, by heat of the moment passion". I've never seen a trial where self defense is argued throughout, yet in closing the defense attorney is allowed to push for heat of the moment manslaughter: the "she snapped" defense. This would have sat better with me if that's what the claimed all along, but Arias was going for broke - a justifiable homicide. That may be her ultimate undoing.

So how long can we expect the jury to deliberate Arias' fate? There's no way to tell. But I did some research on the last woman to face Juan Martinez in a death penalty case. The trial against Wendi Andriano lasted four months, yet it took them only 15 minutes to decide she was guilty of first degree murder. Like Jodi Arias, Wendi Andriano took the stand and testified for 9 days. Jurors who were later interviewed said they just didn't believe her testimony.

Deciding life or death took much longer. The Andriano case was similar to this case in that Andriano claimed self-defense, but the evidence that her terminally ill husband would have lacked the strength to harm her - coupled with a suspicious life insurance policy and previous poisoning attempts were too much for Andriano to overcome. After the guilt phase of that trial, the jury heard a week of testimony on the aggravating factors and why Andriano should be executed. It took them four hours to decide that the killing was especially cruel and eligible for the death penalty. They heard six days around the mitigating factors, and why her life should be spared. It took them four days to come back with their decision. As you know, Andriano sits on Arizona's death row.

Since Arizona juries have the benefit of being allowed to ask questions throughout the trial, their deliberations may go faster than if they were not allowed to. This may eliminate some of the back and forth questions to the Judge that is seen during deliberations. What do you think? The State has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that first degree murder is the only charge that fits - did Juan Martinez meet that burden? I think he did. If you don't believe she planned to kill him when she got in that rental car and drove to Mesa, under the law she had time to reflect in between the mortal wounds she inflicted on Travis Alexander. I don't see any other verdict being suitable for this. I wonder how close the sentencing phase will end up being to the 5-year anniversary of the tragic murder. I know this isn't an anniversary in the sense of the celebratory kind. 

So now the verdict watch begins. Juries can be unpredictable, but let's pray they get this one right!

Arias Attorney Argues Against "Covert Plan" To Kill Travis Alexander

Kirk Nurmi's closing argument got under way this morning in the Jodi Arias murder trial. He began picking away at the State's theme that Jodi Arias had a "covert" plan to kill Travis Alexander that began in May of 2008.  "This case is about fear, love, sex, lies and dirty little secrets", Nurmi told the jury. He then told the jury that they didn't have to like Jodi Arias - saying "9 days out of 10 I don't like her", to which Jodi Arias laughed.

Nurmi warned the jurors to not be afraid of the way their verdict may be received, which prompted an objection from Juan Martinez. Nurmi made light of the State's theory of the covert plan, explaining that Jodi Arias did leave a paper trail of her trip through rental car receipts, gas receipts and through telling Darryl Brewer she was going to Mesa. He seems to be taking Jodi Arias' mistakes and trying to use them in her favor. "She's an intelligent person", he keeps saying.

He disputed the notion that Arias stole the gun from her grandparents home. "She could've just taken it", he argued. He named other sources where Jodi could have gotten a gun that would not have produced a police report. Well, Mr. Nurmi - if Arias had simply taken the gun, wouldn't it have been even more suspicious if it was suddenly missing? She couldn't have returned it after using it after all. Borrowing a gun surely would have been more suspicious after Travis ended up being shot. He's trying, but I'm afraid the damage is done.

Nurmi tried to dismiss the entire gas can issue as well, pointing out that Jodi had enough money in her bank accounts to have purchased gas cans with cash instead of borrowing them from Darryl Brewer, if she were on a covert mission. He's taking the "covert mission" theme too far - remember, Arias told most people she was going to Utah, so it's not the trip that was covert - just the stop in Arizona. Doesn't he think the jury will put this together?  He then began displaying photos of Travis in the shower - in particular, the one where his back is to the camera. He pointed out several instances where Jodi could have simply shot or stabbed Travis and been on her way. He has a point there, but I believe it took some time for her to work up the nerve to actually kill him.

Court is in a recess now. More later! This is nerve wracking. Arias has a new hairstyle today, part of her hair is pulled back into a long pony tail while the rest of her hair is down. Both Willmott and Arias are sitting upright and paying close attention today.

**UPDATE**

Kirk Nurmi couldn't resist going back into the allegations that Travis was a pedophile. I thought he may tone this down during his closing argument, but if it's even possible to sink any lower than they previously have - HE DID. He repeated the comment Travis Alexander made during the phone sex tape about Jodi sounding like a 12 year old girl having her first orgasm - and then said "let's hope he doesn't know what that really sounds like". Wow. ALL TIME LOW. This jury isn't privy to the litigation that went on for years around the forged letters Jodi reportedly produced while in jail, supposedly from Travis in which he admitted to being attracted to young boys. At one point, the State wanted those letters IN, to show the extent this woman would go to in order to lie about the facts in this case. In the end, it was all thrown out. But the jury has no idea about the backstory to this. And for Nurmi to keep throwing that out there is just beyond repugnant.

In the afternoon session, he fell back on playing the phone sex tape again, as if the jury hasn't heard ENOUGH of that to last a lifetime. This isn't a case about sex. It's a murder trial. I'm so disgusted right now that it's hard to type. Nurmi was more effective this morning, when he was pointing out the many opportunities Arias had to kill Travis after arriving on June 4, 2008. He should've stuck to those areas instead of going back to the sexual deviant theme.  Shame on him.  Thank God Martinez will get the last word!

Jodi Arias Trial - State's Theory Of Murder Plot Is Chilling

When Arizona prosecutor Juan Martinez began his closing arguments yesterday morning, he laid out a carefully planned and well orchestrated killing for the jurors who will decide Jodi Arias' fate in the coming days. The prosecutor known for his fiery demeanor and aggressive style began the morning with a sarcastic recap of Jodi Arias, the victim. "She likes to play the victim", he told the jury and a packed court room. He then recapped Arias' relationships with men, and reminded everybody of the similarities in the way Arias happened upon the many e-mails and text messages of ex boyfriend Bobbie Juarez and Travis Alexander that she read. He chastised Arias for pointing the finger at Travis Alexander for being "a bad Mormon" and engaging in sexual activity, telling the jury "she's just as Mormon as he was" (I loved that!).  I also loved when he referred to the field of lies that sprouted around Arias as she testified.

His theme throughout the morning session was how Jodi Arias refused to take blame for anything that happened in her failed relationships and her life in general, "this is an individual who hit her mother and called her sister stupid", Martinez said. He then went over the known lies Arias has told the jury on the stand, beginning with the return of the gas can to WalMart. "She looked each and every one of you in the eye and lied to you, under oath". He then began to tell a story of premeditated murder. He believe the plan or thought to kill Alexander began around 5/26/08, after Travis Alexander sent Arias an angry text message in which he told her she was evil, and the worst thing that ever happened to him. Just two days later, a .25 caliber gun was reported as stolen from Arias' grandparents home where she was living. The murder plot was put into motion.

Martinez's description of this trip to Mesa was chilling. Under the State's theory, it's possible that Travis Alexander didn't even know Arias was on her way to his home when he talked to her while she was in Pasadena. Martinez believes Arias just showed up, shortly after 4:00AM and Travis Alexander was awake and on his computer. Having already removed the front license plate from her rental car and dyed her hair dark brown, Arias snuck into the garage and used his security code to gain entry to his house. If it really happened this way, it's even more creepy and heinous than I ever imagined. The only question I have around this theory is that most homes that I've been in that have these types of security systems make some type of "beep" when you enter. Not an alarm, which would go off if you didn't use the code, but a beep. I'm sure there are numerous different systems out there so I may be way off, but I'm surprised that Napoleon didn't begin barking the moment a car pulled up or somebody opened the door?

Martinez's step-by-step description of how he believes Jodi Arias lured Travis Alexander into the shower, posing him in the vulnerable position he was in before she delivered the first stab wound to his chest was spot on. Of the two possible scenarios, the defense's story and the prosecution's story - this is the one that fits. This is the one that makes sense, this is the one that fits the evidence. The way that Jodi Arias followed an injured Travis Alexander from place to place, continuing to attack him as he struggled to get away, and then to live - was just bone chilling. She was relentless. Even though Travis was gravely injured and bleeding from several places, Arias followed him out of the bathroom, down the hall where he collapsed. It was there that she cut his throat. Just cold blooded murder. There was no "provocation", this was not self defense. The prosecutor's closing argument firmly supports premeditated murder.

What will the defense say in their closing argument?  Will they continue to try to portray Jodi Arias as a victim on Travis' deviant sexual behavior and physical and mental abuse?  Continuing down the path of blaming the victim could be very dangerous for them at this point. If they sense the jury doesn't buy the abuse claims, it could further anger them that they are being played by this defense team and by the defendant. I don't know what Nurmi will say, but I'm guessing they have little choice but to play the hand they have been dealing out to this jury. Good luck with that.

Juan Martinez Delivers Powerful Closing Argument

Arizona prosecutor Juan Martinez began his closing arguments today to a packed court room in the Jodi Arias murder trial. Court is in their noon lunch break now. The morning began with Judge Sherry Stephens setting forth each count against the defendant and how the law applies to each. The jury instructions were extensive, I'm sure the jurors will refer back to those instructions many times during their deliberations.

Then it was time for Juan Martinez to begin. During the morning session, he began by describing Arias as a lying and manipulative woman, "she has lied to each and every one of you", he told the jury, "and she is trying to manipulate you too". That has been the theme, as Martinez mocks Jodi Arias' claims of not writing about the alleged abuse in her journals because of "The Secret" and the Law of Attraction. He is weaving the story, not necessarily going in chronological order but methodically putting together pieces of the puzzle with premeditation. Martinez has said "with the truth you don't have to remember nothing", as he pointed out where Arias lies tripped her up.

He put all of the known lies of Jodi Arias out on display, lies she told to law enforcement, family and friends, her own expert witnesses and most importantly the jury. But when he started the afternoon session, he really began to focus in on the killing and how premeditated it was. He said that the trip to Mesa was not impromptu, as she would have the jury believe. She planned to go to Arizona to kill Travis Alexander and that plan was hatched as early as May 26, 2008 following that angry text message Travis sent to her in which he called her "the worst thing that ever happened to him". There was so much said during his closing I cannot possibly cover it all - but the afternoon session in particular was outstanding ad powerful.

The court room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop as Martinez explained that when Jodi Arias arrived at Travis' house around 4:00AM on June 4, she did not knock on the door - she knew his garage door code and she let herself in. She stood in the doorway, Travis happened to be awake and on his computer. Jodi watched him for a good 35 seconds before Travis' dog Napoleon began to bark as he noticed someone was in the house. I hadn't heard that before. It was a powerful moment, and he suggested that Travis may not have been at all aware Jodi Arias was coming to Mesa despite the phone call between the two. Rather, Arias called Travis to get information on what he was doing, if he was alone and who else may have been at the home.

Wow. A silent courtroom seemed to hang on his every word as Martinez then described how he believes the killing of Travis Alexander unfolded. There was a shower photo that Martinez displayed that I had never seen before, but it's the last photo of Travis alive. You can't see his face, he is seated in that shower stall with his legs slightly bent and his arms over his knees. Martinez described how vulnerable he was, no weapons, no clothes - with Arias standing over him fully clothed and potentially with a knife on her person. It's then when the State believes Arias stabbed him in the chest. The first stab wound would have been fatal, but not immediately. Travis gets out of the shower and is standing in front of the mirror, more than likely he can see the reflection of Jodi standing behind him as she begins to stab him in the back.

Martinez describes Travis' attempts to get away from Jodi Arias. The photos of the sink were displayed, followed by the photo of the bloody hallway where Martinez believes Travis struggled to get away from his attacker before he collapsed on the floor outside of the closet. The photo of the bloody carpet was then displayed, Martinez says this is where Jodi Arias cut his throat. The attack was relentless and it took time. Calling it "a well orchestrated killing", it was not a heat of the moment type of killing - those tend to be more disorganized and this was very targeted. Travis Alexander was likely dead when Jodi Arias shot him in the head, based on the lack of blood on the bullet, Martinez said. The photo of the bloody carpet was particularly chilling, as Martinez pointed out all of the footsteps around where Travis Alexander's body would have been. Martinez focused in on everything Arias did after the killing, while she says she was in a "fog" - she didn't wash Travis' body off because she cared about him, she did it to get rid of any DNA evidence that may have implicated her. She removed her bloody socks and was careful not to track blood out of that master suite. All of these things would not have been done by someone with dissociative amnesia.

Very powerful story. I'm riveted, I can see this all happening. It makes sense with the photos and the evidence. Martinez showed Jodi's consciousness of guilt around this killing. All the planning before and after were discussed, such as how Arias took such steps to be sure she wouldn't be discovered in the state of Arizona, turning her phone off and having adequate gas to not have to stop. She arrived at Ryan Burns house and acted as if everything was normal, she talked to Leslie Udy about her children playing with Travis' children at some point in the future. Who does that when you know the person is dead? 

Martinez told the jury that Jodi Arias lied about all of the abuse. "She went too far with her lies", Martinez said. He also pointed out that Jodi Arias loves the media attention she was getting. Her lies about Travis Alexander were an attempt to take away the only thing he had left, his reputation. The allegation of pedophilia was as low and as vile as she could get. "She chose a hot-button issue", Martinez told the jury.

Juan Martinez is talking about the charges for first degree murder, premeditated murder and felony murder. It seems that Jodi Arias tripped herself up here. IF the jury believes she took her grandfather's gun to Arizona, that goes to premeditation. IF the jury believes the gun she used was Travis Alexander's gun, Arias in essence stole the gun after during the commission of a felony, and that equals felony murder! Juan Martinez has pointed out how the State has more than met their burden of proof for both premeditated and felony murder counts. I've got to catch the rest of this closing argument but wanted to post this in case you can't watch it online or on TV.

Jodi Arias Trial - Judgement Day Looms

Today is expected to be a monumental day in the Jodi Arias murder trial. Nearly five months after the trial began, prosecutor Juan Martinez is expected to deliver his closing arguments to jurors who will ultimately decide the fate of Jodi Ann Arias.  Judge Sherry Stephens is expected to instruct the jury in matters of the law this morning before handing the stage over to the State of Arizona and Juan Martinez.

Yesterday in court the defense called their surrebuttal witness Dr. Robert Geffner to the stand to challenge the diagnosis of state expert witness Dr. Janeen DeMarte. DeMarte spent 12 hours interviewing Jodi Arias, studied the collateral evidence and reports before doing her own psychological tests on the 32 year old murder defendant. Through her battery of tests, she told jurors that she believed Arias had borderline personality disorder - not PTSD as the defense experts believed. Her testimony was clear-cut and easy to understand, and most importantly it was backed up by specific examples of patterns of behavior displayed by Arias. Speaking of Jodi Arias, perhaps her attorneys suggested that she try to feign interest in the proceedings? For the last several days, she has appeared somewhat disconnected to what's happening around her - she appears almost bored. I noticed yesterday she looked up at the screen more and seemed to be paying a little more attention to the testimony. 

Dr. Geffner challenged the tests that DeMarte used to diagnose Arias, telling the jury that they were not appropriate for use in diagnosing borderline personality disorder. Much of the day was spent describing his experience and credentials. OK, he has 35 years in the business. But how well does he know Jodi Arias? Turns out he has never met her, rather - he was called by the defense and asked to review her findings in the days after DeMarte testified. He believes Arias' tests reveal more of an anxiety disorder, and agreed with the diagnosis of PTSD.  I guess KILLING somebody would cause quite a bit of anxiety.

Jennifer Willmott did her best to get this witness to convince the jury that DeMarte's testing was flawed in some way and cannot be trusted. She then made the mistake of delving into the area of the testimony of medical examiner Kevin Horn.  Dr. Geffner may have a PhD, but he is not a medical doctor. Did Willmott make a mistake in trying to have a shrink challenge a medical examiner's opinion on the effects of a gunshot wound to the head? I think she did. I also believe the jurors are getting frustrated with the repetitive nature of the expert witness testimony, all of which hinges on the honesty or dishonesty of Jodi Arias. Willmott elicited some interesting testimony about the potential effects of the gunshot wound to Travis Alexander's face.

Geffner, who has never performed or even attended one single autopsy told the jury that based on his interpretation of Dr. Horn's autopsy report - he believes it's quite possible that Travis Alexander was not incapacitated after being shot in the head. This is crucial for Jodi Arias, because if the jury doesn't believe Travis had the ability to attack Jodi and threaten to kill her AFTER being shot, as Arias has testified - they likely won't believe any of her story about what happened during the killing. As expected, Willmott used as much of the court time as possible during her direct examination of the witness, leaving Martinez with as little time as possible to discredit Dr. Geffner.

When Juan Martinez began his cross examination, he wasted no time in tearing into Geffner's past testimony in other states - bringing to light the fact that a trial judge in Tennessee said he was "nothing more than a hired gun" and "his testimony had no merit" after he testified in a trial there.  Martinez asked him about Hawaii vs. French, another trial Geffner testified in where his testimony was actually excluded. The jury also discovered that Dr. Geffner is the editor of one of Alyce LaViolette's publications, need I say more?  Juan Martinez was aggressive and challenged Geffner at every opportunity. Dr. Geffner appeared nervous as Martinez grilled him, so much that he spilled water twice during questioning, and there were some awkward pauses as he cleaned up the mess.  Martinez asked him how many autopsies he had performed, "none" Geffner said. "How many autopsies have you witnessed"? Martinez asked, "none" Geffner responded. Dr. Geffner may have knowledge of how the brain functions, but clearly he lacked the expertise to be speaking as an expert - I'm not sure why Judge Stephens even allowed them to go into this area.

I only viewed the trial up to the point where Willmott began to redirect Dr. Robert Geffner, so I'm not sure how this all ended or if Juan Martinez ever got to introduce his surrebuttal witness, Dr. Jill Hayes. I do know this much, the testimony has concluded and judgement day is coming for Jodi Ann Arias. Did she manage to sway one or more jurors into believing her stories of emotional and physical abuse?  Do the jurors believe her depiction of the events leading up to the killing of Travis Alexander? Does her story make sense to them?  Has the defense managed to put Arias in front of them for long enough to humanize her and garner some sympathy? We will soon find out, as the jury is expected to get the case for deliberation as early as Friday. Since there is no security at the Superior Court where deliberations will be held, they are not expected to deliberate over the weekend.

This is it folks. The final days, the closing arguments.  I hope Juan Martinez got a good night's sleep and delivers his best closing argument ever.  I'd expect nothing less from him. He is the voice for Travis Alexander, and he wants justice.  Have a great day!

(Some of you have asked about getting notifications when the verdict comes down. I found a source for text alerts for Jodi Arias news, I HAVE NOT TESTED it yet! You may want to test it to see if you get news before the weekend, from cbs5az.com:
Text BREAKING to 23765:

**UPDATE**
Thank you to NancyB for posting a comment from Tanisha Sorenson from the Justice4Travis Facebook page. Her message can be seen on one of NancyB's comments from yesterday's post. 

Jodi Arias Trial - Dr. Robert Geffner Reviewed & Re-Scored Psychological Tests

**Updated info below**

Just when you thought the Jodi Arias murder trial couldn't get much stranger, abcnews.com is reporting that the prosecution has requested their own expert in rebuttal to the defense's surrebuttal witness Dr. Robert Geffner.  abcnews.com reported this morning that the prosecution will call Dr. Jill Hayes, a forensic psychologist licensed in Arizona and Louisiana to testify.

Dr. Hayes is quite accomplished. Among other things, she has been featured on A & E's American Justice and Court TV's Forensic Files. This has become the battle of the experts. In a highly unusual move, Judge Sherry Stephens is allowing Dr. Robert Geffner to testify has a surrebuttal witness to the prosecution's expert Dr. Janeen DeMarte. I'm beginning to lose track of the experts here. Will this all be a mute point in the end? If these jurors don't believe Jodi Arias' allegations of abuse, the expert testimony won't go far. Is the defense trying to prove that it would be unlikely that Jodi Arias could fool three seasoned professionals? That seems to be the case. Good for Juan Martinez, asking for his own expert to dispute the surrebuttal witness testimony. Did we really expect Mr. Martinez to take this sitting down?
I noticed that Deanna Reid and Jodi Arias's grandmother are in the gallery today.

**Update** Dr. Robert Geffner has been on the stand for the last 90 minutes.  Dr. Geffner has never met with Jodi Arias. 

Geffner just testified that he has never met with Jodi Arias, so his testimony is limited to the review and re-scoring of tests that were given to Arias by Dr. DeMarte. 

They have discussed the MMPI2, MCMI/Milan test, PTSD/PDS test and TSI1/trauma inventory test. Jennifer Willmott is handling the direct examination. The testimony is dry - we've heard this all before, ad nauseum. If I heard Geffner correctly, he confirmed one of the tests that Dr. DeMarte performed was valid. He also stated that in the Milan test, Arias answered in "socially elevated ways" - trying to make herself look more "normal", perhaps? He testified the MMPI test DeMarte gave Arias, scored by the proprietary computer program of the maker showed "numerous symptoms". He said this can be a sign to use caution, that there may be symptoms and issues that need to be further explored.

Jennifer Willmott seemed to be trying to discredit DeMarte by discussing the copyright issues around one of the tests she gave Arias. If you recall during her cross examination of DeMarte, she insinuated that DeMarte gave the prosecutor information that was copyrighted and should only be given or shared with other psychology professionals. However, Dr. Geffner testified that the profile can be shared, just not the questions or answers which are proprietary in nature. The tests can only be scored by Pearson, the test maker.

Court was in recess, but is now back in session!

With the trial in the final day of testimony, Judge Stephens told the jurors they would stay today as long as was required to complete the testimony. Closing arguments are slated for tomorrow and Friday. This trial seems to be one for the record books, in length and irregular motions granted by this judge. I don't have much time to write about Dr. Hayes, but I can offer you this: like Geffner, she has a PhD, she received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a minor in behavioral neuroscience. She began her career at the LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry in New Orleans where she completed a forensic psychology and neuropsychology fellowship. She also completed the Citizen's FBI Academy. Dr. Hayes forensic private practice focuses on criminal and civil legal consulting and evaluations. 

In other related news, Travis' friend Brint Hiatt and his family spoke out in an interview with abc15.com recently to talk about the friend who became part of his "Arizona family". Brint said that during one of the last conversations he had with Travis, he told his friend he was through with Jodi Arias, "I have to stop seeing her", he said. Travis had brought Jodi to Sunday dinner at the Hiatt's, and the Hiatt's were not impressed with Jodi. They didn't believe the introverted Arias was right for their outgoing friend. Travis also relayed his fears about Arias - and his suspicions that she had slashed his tires and broken into his cellphone to send herself text messages. Could Arias have created some of these text messages we've seen displayed in court?

Court is in session, got to run! Have a great day!

Jodi Arias Murder Trial Nearing A Conclusion

On Wednesday the Jodi Arias death penalty murder trial will resume in the same court room it began in on January 2, 2013. It's been nearly 5 years since 30 year old Travis Victor Alexander was savagely attacked in the master suite of his Mesa Arizona home. As the dramatic trial is entering into it's final day of testimony, closing arguments are slated to begin on Thursday, May 1st and conclude on Friday May 2nd. The jury is expected to begin deliberating as early as Friday.

It's been a long and difficult road for the loved ones of Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias as well. Family members have been seated in the first rows of each perspective side throughout the trial. They have been asked to not display emotion as graphic crime scene and autopsy photos revealed just how brutal this murder really was. What Travis must have endured during the last moments of his life is unthinkable. Most people cannot imagine inflicting so much pain to ANY person, repeatedly thrusting a knife into another persons flesh - let alone can we imagine doing this to somebody we know and love.

At the center of the storm is now 32-year old Jodi Arias, who took the stand in her own defense and testified for 18 days about her tumultuous relationship with ex boyfriend Travis Alexander. Having initially lied to detectives investigating the murder, giving two very different accounts of her whereabouts at the time of the killing Arias was decidedly behind the 8-ball when she took the stand. Her credibility was destroyed by her own lies and her defense team attempted to rehabilitate her as a witness and a human being. With family members and friends watching and listening, they never got the truth out of Jodi Arias, rather they heard a distorted portrayal of Travis Alexander as a controlling, self centered sexual deviant - somebody who preyed not only on Arias but on other "young and vulnerable" women.

Their case was largely built on the foundation of a few written exchanges between the pair that were written during times when the couple argued and one audio recording of Arias and Alexander that turned sexual - and began to build a battered woman's defense around their client. Those written exchanges offered the only evidence that the two had at least verbally fought with one another. There would be allegations of physical abuse against Travis Alexander, based solely on the words of Jodi Arias. Arias told the jury that during the alleged altercations, Alexander broke her finger, slapped her, body slammed her to the ground and the most serious of all allegations was that he choked her to the point of unconsciousness.  Arias told no one of the alleged abuse, she made no attempt to document the abuse via photographs or medical visits. In fact, her self-defense claims didn't come to light until she had spent nearly 2 years in jail. Did her attorneys succeed in building a case around self-defense? Will the jury believe Arias was physically abused, or will they find her testimony less than credible?

Number one - the whole notion of this murder being the result of self defense is ludicrous at face value. Based on the sheer number of wounds Travis Alexander suffered and the absolute brutality of stabbing a person so many times before slicing their throat and shooting them in the face, it seems crystal clear this was NOT self defense - this was absolute rage. To imply that the victim provoked and threatened to kill her after being shot in the head is outright unbelievable. The medical examiner has testified he would have been unable to attack or speak after being shot in the head. Arias claims the shot came first, she doesn't remember stabbing or slashing his throat. So much focus has been put on what came first, but does it really matter? If she did shoot him first, then stabbing him 29 times (including numerous stabs to his back) would seem even more heinous because he would have already been incapacitated. So if you believe Arias' account, she attacked a man who was already down and unable to attack her - that should have been the end of her efforts at self defense. Yet it wasn't. Conveniently, she claims to not remember the details beyond the gun "going off". 

The other scenario has Arias luring Alexander to the shower to pose for photos. Trapped in a confined space and unaware of what was about to happen, Arias takes several shower photos before plunging a knife deeply into his chest. The ME testified the deep stab wound wouldn't have been immediately fatal, but it was deep enough to cause major damage to a vital artery. He was likely confused and in shock, but blood evidence seems to point to him getting out of the shower, standing over the sink where he aspirated blood onto the mirror and sink below him. Did Arias continue her attack, stabbing him numerous times in the back while he stood bleeding over the sink? The defensive wounds to his hands and the blood trail leading to the bedroom and hallway show Arias likely followed him as he tried to get away from his attacker. At some point she cut his throat, causing him to lose massive amounts of blood - yet the attack continued. Prosecutor's believe Arias shot him in the head last. Does it matter? Arias seemed to have ample opportunities to escape any perceived danger during many points throughout the attack. Yet she continued to attack him. Is this self defense? Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Juries can be a crap shoot. You never know if one or more of these jurors has bought into some part of Arias' stories. Even if they do, if they follow the law they should find that this was not a case of self defense. Self defense does not allow for a person to slaughter another. Even if the defense is successful in getting manslaughter added as a lesser included charge, I don't see how a jury hearing this trial could come back with a guilty verdict on manslaughter. We have one more day of testimony to hear, as the defense has succeeded in getting Judge Stephens to allow in another expert witness for the defense. Dr. Robert Geffner is expected to take the stand tomorrow to testify on behalf of the defense. Geffner is known to be a colleague of Alyce LaViolette - the defense's "star witness" who many believe failed to convince the jury Jodi Arias was an abused woman. Geffner will be the third expert witness to testify in this case for the defense, but how much weight will jurors give to another expert? It seems to me that the jury is focused on the testimony of the defendant more than that of the experts. Has Jodi Arias managed to fool three experts and convince them she was a victim of domestic violence? Will it make any difference in the ultimate verdict?

Unfortunately there is much the jury will never know during the guilt or innocence phase of this trial. They haven't heard the interviews with Arias' mother or father. They haven't seen the 2/2/08 police report Travis Alexander filed after his tires were slashed. They are not aware that Jodi Arias bought a gun and was planning on hitting the road in the days leading up to her arrest. There is so much they don't know. Do they have enough facts and tangible evidence to convict her of murder in the first degree? I believe they do. I don't see any other possible verdict for this case. Travis Alexander was viciously murdered in his own home. He was left to decompose for 5 days before being found. It doesn't get any more heinous than that. Arias' life went on as if nothing happened, according to her parents who revealed she was just fine when she returned from Utah. Pray the jury remembers Travis was the victim and that his family receives the justice they all deserve.

The home where Travis Alexander was murdered was purchased in 2009 by a family who was unaware of the crime that took place there the year before. They reportedly believed the missing faucets, carpeting and other damage to the home was due to vandalism. The house is no longer the scene of a gruesome crime, it's now their home. Although they wished to remain anonymous during a recent media interview the home owner said "it's a very loving home" and "this home has a very sweet spirit in it". That sweet spirit must be the spirit of Travis Alexander. The new owners have long since replaced the carpeting, floorboards and repainted the rooms. They reported that people still come by the home and get out of their cars to take photos in front of the home. 

The trial resumes Wednesday, May 1 2013.