Is Alyce LaViolette Cashing In On Murder Trial?

As the defense finishes questioning their star witness, domestic abuse expert Alyce LaViolette, many are disillusioned by her choice to take the stand to portray murder defendant Jodi Arias as a battered and abused woman.  Maybe I'm the one who's crazy, but wasn't Travis Alexander the one who had the life stabbed, slashed and shot out of him at the hands of Jodi Arias? Who battered whom here?  Are Travis Alexander's not-so-kind text messages to Jodi Arias PROOF that he was a womanizing batterer and bully who held all the power in the relationship between Arias and Alexander?

Alyce LaViolette seems to think so. Does she have any idea the feelings of outrage she is bringing out in the hearts and minds of the real victims of domestic abuse all over the country? Before LaViolette began testifying, I kept asking myself "why would a woman who is so well respected in her field choose THIS case, defend THIS woman?"  Could it be the money? I suppose $250-$300 an hour could be very tempting. If LaViolette spent 45 hours interviewing Arias at $250 an hour, that alone brought her a fat paycheck of $11,250.00.  She makes $300 an hour for court testimony, and she has spent 6 days on the stand already - let's call it 30 hours, since she was sick on Wednesday, there's another $9,000.00 - and she's still testifying.

Who knows how many hours she spent on "research", and I believe she testified that she is paid $250 an hour for that. Let's be conservative and say she spent another 100 hours "researching" this case, listening to interrogation tapes, 48 Hours and other media interviews and reading the 600+ Arias journal entries. Add on another $25,000.00. That's $45,250.00 so far. What's harder to put a price on is the national exposure LaViolette has received for her role in this trial.  That's free advertising for her private practice, that's free publicity for her book "It Could Happen To Anyone: Why Battered Women Stay" - which by the way, the 3rd edition reprint is coming out on April 23, 2013. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.

Alyce LaViolette is also scheduled to speak at a handful of upcoming events in April, where with other guest speakers the registration fees range from $80-$495! She is scheduled to speak on April 26, April 27, and 5/4 in Manhattan California and San Diego California. The topic of one such conference is "Is It Anger Or Abuse: Assessing For Intimate Partner Violence". Do you think she will use the Jodi Arias trial as a case study in any of her future speaking engagements?http://www.alycelaviolette.com/Speaking-Schedule.htm

Whatever her motives were for choosing to get on the witness stand and defend a woman who borrowed 2 gas cans and bought another, staged a robbery at her grandparents home and stole a handgun, rented an inconspicuous white car and flipped the license plate, told everyone she was going to Utah and told nobody she was going to Mesa - why she chose to give any credibility to THIS woman's tales, I'll never know and never understand.  This wasn't the "fight for her life" that Arias sold to her defense attorney Jennifer Willmott. This was a carefully planned out and calculated murder. She lured Travis Alexander into a false sense of security by engaging in sex with him, talked him into posing for pictures in the shower- carefully posing him to get him in a vulnerable position before HER ATTACK began. Travis Alexander likely never saw it coming. And when she was finished, Arias had the presence of mind to try and clean up the scene and remove all traces of her visit from the home. THANK GOD FOR THE MEMORY CARD! Arias had the forethought to leave voicemails and send text messages to Travis. She knew she had to remove the battery from her cellphone while she was in the state of Arizona. This was planned, down to the smallest detail. She carried on as if nothing ever happened. It's so clear to me.

Had he seen this coming, he surely would've been better able to fight her off and inflict injury on Arias in the struggle. Evidence in that bathroom and at the crime scene shows the only struggle that was going on was Travis struggling to get out of the shower and away from his attacker. She followed him, she continued to attack and attack until he was no longer able to even protect himself. He had deep stab wounds on his hands, defensive wounds - he had a cluster of stab wounds on HIS BACK, again - not indicative of Arias's self defense claims. He was shot in the head, just for good measure. Make no mistake, Arias was in a blind rage and all of her anger was released onto Travis Alexander in that bathroom on June 4, 2008. All of her anger, jealousy and personal frustrations spilled out and Travis Alexander was executed.

So how could LaViolette attempt to justify this kind of brutal killing? This wasn't a woman who endured beatings on a regular basis, she was a woman who didn't get what she wanted or thought she deserved. Travis Alexander was happy, he was getting ready to leave on a trip he was very much looking forward to with a woman he was very interested in. Arias believed Travis wanted to spend the rest of his LIFE with Mimi Hall! She told Detective Flores as much during one of their interrogation videos. So as Arias sat in the small bedroom she now called "home" in Yreka, the thoughts of Travis and Mimi most likely were haunting her. Knowing how charming Travis Alexander could be, I'm sure Arias worked herself into a frenzy imagining the two of them in romantic Cancun Mexico, a location listed in the "1000 Places To See Before You Die" book we've heard so much about. That was supposed to be HER trip.

Relying on Arias's journal entries and the text messages between the pair, along with her 45 hours spent with Arias at Sherriff Joe's place provided LaViolette with a limited view of what really went on in this dysfunctional relationship. Yet she was able to form a fairly solid opinion on Travis: he was controlling, he had all the power, he was jealous and said cruel things to her, he was a womanizer. As for Arias, she came out smelling like roses. Something is definitely rotten in Denmark. Did LaViolette interview Jodi Arias's parents? They may have given her a better insight on her "family of origin" theories. Instead, she formed an opinion on Travis Alexander's family of origin - using his own words about his difficult childhood against him as a precursor for having difficulties forming relationships as an adult. Shame on you, attacking the character of a dead man. The very least you she could have done is say "while I never had the opportunity to talk to Travis Alexander......" She seemingly ignored all of the positive things that Travis Alexander did DESPITE his "family of origin" issues. Again, shame on you!

I personally don't know what Alyce LaViolette's reasons were for taking on this case, we like to think there are still some people out there who are beyond reproach and that cannot be tempted with money or fame. But I just cannot understand her decision to stand up for a woman who brutally and viciously attacked a defenseless man. Regardless of what she thinks of the way Travis treated Jodi, does she truly feel Arias was justified as a battered woman? Come on Alyce. You made a big mistake.

Juan Martinez Gets His Shot At Alyce LaViolette

As Jodi Arias's defense attorney Jennifer Willmott finished her direct examination of expert witness Alyce LaViolette yesterday afternoon, prosecutor Juan Martinez couldn't get up fast enough to start firing away questions at the domestic abuse expert from Long Beach.

Yesterday afternoon, Willmott and LaViolette discussed the text messages between murder defendant Jodi Arias and her ex boyfriend Travis Alexander, and LaViolette concluded that Travis Alexander had been in fact abusive to Arias.  Other facts came to light yesterday, through discussion of Travis Alexander's text messages with other women, as the defense rattled off a half dozen women that Alexander was in contact with in the months leading up to his death. Some of the text messages were sexual in nature, and the defense described him as somebody who preyed on "vulnerable women", and somebody who pushed these women's sexual boundaries to see how far they would go. Talk about character assassination? Wow. They are shooting dirty pool.

What did the defense really prove through this testimony? To me, they proved little more than Travis Alexander was a 30 year old man who was interested in women.  Is it that highly unusual for a man of his age, who may have been shy growing up but now more confident to seek out the company of multiple women? Friends have referred to Travis as "the biggest flirt west of the Mississippi". Did he deserve to die for being a womanizer? I think not. I'd be interested to know if Jodi Arias knew about all of these other women Travis was in communication with. The defense tactics of trashing a man who was brutally slain may backfire on them, Travis's other women could be seen as further motive for Jodi Arias to have wanted him dead!

Whatever was going on in that relationship, again - if you follow the law, has nothing to do with whether or not Jodi Arias needed to respond in such a vicious manner IF you believe Travis lunged at Jodi. When Arias chose "self defense" as her reason for killing Travis Alexander, those were the parameters she set around her defense. Would any "reasonable person" have felt the need to react in such a manner to a lunging gesture?  This is all going to come down to who the jury believes. IF they believe Arias and think a dropped camera would provoke an angry Travis to threaten to kill Arias, they still need to decide whether or not Arias needed to continue her assault on Travis Alexander once it became clear he was no longer a threat to her. I don't believe any "reasonable" person would think so - IF Jodi Arias showed up in Utah battered and bruised, I might have a slightly different opinion but her complete lack of any serious injuries calls her entire story into question.

Did Arias know Travis Alexander was sending these suggestive text messages to other women?  I think she was happy when she believed that she was the only woman who was willing to be intimate with him. Discovering these text messages likely would've sent her into a rage - we now know from her own parents that even at a young age, Arias was capable of being sweet one minute and rageful and mean the next. That says EVERYTHING when your own parents are afraid of you. By the time Jennifer Willmott was finished with LaViolette I was completely disgusted with this entire defense team.  Kirk Nurmi with his mistrial and sequestration demands, Willmott's pleas with the Judge to allow her to ask certain inappropriate questions and the general shifty tactics of the defense to portray Travis Alexander as a womanizing opportunistic man is as low as it gets.

By the time Juan Martinez stood to begin his questioning of Alyce LaViolette, he was so fired up that he seemed to have trouble asking the questions! He was angry, and it certainly showed. I can't say I blame him - he's had to endure weeks of testimony from this expert, listening to them rip apart the victim while casting an almost saintly light on a murderer.  Before Willmott handed LaViolette over to Martinez, she sarcastically asked her "have you given any books to Jodi Arias"?, LaViolette answered "yes, I have - I gave her 4 books and a magazine subscription". Willmott then asked "is that because you have FEELINGS for the defendant?" LaViolette chuckled and answered "no". Arias supporters must have gotten a kick out of that.

Martinez didn't have much time to question LaViolette yesterday since the defense took most of the court day, but their exchanges were heated - even more heated than Martinez and Dr. Samuels. At one point, LaViolette asked the prosecutor "are you angry with me Mr. Martinez?" Arias supporters laughed loudly, and were scolded by the judge who asked them to cease with the outbursts. Martinez began by questioning LaViolette's credentials, pointing out that she is not qualified to administer certain psychological tests - he also pointed out that "battered women's syndrome" is not listed in any diagnostic book. He referred to a speaking engagement LaViolette had in which she concluded that Snow White was a battered woman.  He seemed to ridicule her for finding the symptoms of a battered woman in a fairy tale character. Good one Juan! I was thinking the same thing, that by Alyce's standards, most men and many women could be called batterers - including Jodi Arias. Does LaViolette find it conclusive evidence that Arias was not jealous or obsessive with Travis because she didn't READ anything in her journals or text messages to indicate she was?

I'm happy that the defense will have to sit down and shut up for the next few days. They have had the "stage" for 3 months now, and it's time to bring the focus of this trial back to the real victim here - Travis Alexander. No amount of womanizing, insults, rude text messages or even the mild "abuse" justifies what happened to him on June 4, 2008. If that were the case, I'd expect to see thousands of murdered men all over the country because Travis Alexander's behavior doesn't seem to be that different than any other young man.  Did the defense expert convince those jurors that Arias had cause to be in "mortal fear" of Travis Alexander that night? Only if the jury believes those incidents of escalating violence, most importantly the alleged choking incident - if not, her fear was not reasonable.

Or the jury may completely disregard the fear factor altogether.  Remember, none of the alleged incidents of violence were ever reported to law enforcement, never discussed with a close friend, a bishop, a priest, her family, and although she may not have been close to her mom, didn't she call on good old mom for help moving? She was reportedly fairly close with her sister Angela, yet nobody ever saw any signs of physical abuse whatsoever.  I don't want to sound disrespectful to abused women - I understand that the bruises can be hidden and covered, and often times the attacks go unreported. I guess I just don't believe Jodi Arias. I don't believe Travis broke her finger, I don't believe he choked her and I'm not sure he slapped her in the face. Her stories just don't ring true to me, and for somebody who faithfully wrote in that journal, she wrote nothing about abuse. She thought that through with this "Law of Attraction" excuse, but I don't buy it. She had no reason to fear Travis would read her journal - she wasn't even living in the same state for much of their relationship, and I don't see him driving to Yreka and sneaking into her house to read the journals. It's just more BS. I don't think anybody who's watching this trial believes her allegation about the January 21 incident where Arias catches Alexander with a photo of a little boy. Most pedophiles are not also womanizers, so they can't have it both ways. Seems they are trying to cover too many bases and none of it is realistic.

It's been reported that there aren't any questions from the jury for Alyce LaViolette. Does this mean they believe her, or they understand her testimony? Or could it be the jury is feeling the fatigue from a lengthy trial and they are eager to move forward? I can't say I blame them. If they have questions, I have a feeling they will ask. They are taking their jobs very seriously by all accounts. I believe LaViolette is the final defense witness, which the State will finally get their rebuttal case in front of this jury. I, for one cannot wait. It's been excruciating to listen to the defense methodically trashing Travis Alexander, and watching Jodi Arias sit at that defense table and draw her sketches, or whatever she's doing - does she think she has succeeded in pulling the wool over everybody's eyes? You can see her scanning the courtroom and she seems to be trying to gage whether people are believing what her expert witness is saying.

I also noticed yesterday that Arias seemed to be staring at Jennifer Willmott, almost in a loving manner.  Is she going to go into law now, like Casey Anthony wanted to do during her incarceration and trial?  Difference between Jodi Arias and Casey Anthony is this:  I seriously doubt Jodi Arias is going anywhere for a very long time. There's little to no chance of her walking away from what she has done, the only question is whether she lives or dies. Will she spend 20 years to life in prison, or will she join the other women on Arizona's Death Row?  We'll know soon enough.

Arias Expert Alyce LaViolette On Text Messages & "4th Incident Of Violence"

The Jodi Arias murder trial continued today with defense expert Alyce LaViolette interpreting text messages and other communications between Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander.  Jennifer Willmott has been walking LaViolette through the many text messages between the pair and they have gotten to the time frame of May, 2008. Testimony has been frequently interrupted with objections, some of which are overruled and some are sustained. I don't understand how Judge Stephens is making these rulings, because it feels to me like attorney Jennifer Willmott may as well be answering her own questions.

What I mean by that is, Alyce LaViolette is only allowed respond in a certain way, and she cannot quote Travis Alexander. Juan Martinez objects based on "hearsay", and the judge sustains the objection but then Willmott turns around and basically makes a statement posed as a question.  For example, Willmott was talking about an argument Arias and Alexander had - they began to review a text message from Travis Alexander to Jodi Arias in which Travis told Jodi he hadn't been able to reach her and her voicemail was full. Willmott says "did Travis ask her to empty it or does he order her to?" Juan Martinez objects, then Willmott just asks the question another way, asking what her observations were of the text message. Willmott wanted to elicit that Travis ordered Jodi to empty her voicemail, not out of concern, but because he was controlling.

Willmott started the day asking LaViolette if she saw any evidence of Jodi Arias stalking Travis Alexander. LaViolette firmly stated "no". LaViolette's answer seems to be based solely on a single text message Travis sent to Jodi in which he told her to "make herself at home". This text message was an isolated incident, and I'm sure that when Travis wrote that, he didn't mean that Arias should feel free to scale the back fence and look into his back window when he has company, or crawl through his doggy door, or feel free to fall asleep outside of my bedroom while I'm out on a date with another woman!

My opinion about Alyce LaViolette is rapidly declining, the more she testifies the more I am losing respect for her.  She seems to have formed strong opinions about both Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander, and I don't think it's fair since she didn't have the benefit of spending 40-45 hours with Travis because Jodi murdered him.  But she is now testifying about his controlling behavior, his unkind words to Arias, while describing Jodi Arias in a much more flattering light. What is also disturbing to me is that when the discussion today turned to the alleged "4th incident of violence", where Travis allegedly got on top of Arias and choked her til she lost consciousness.  Notice in that incident, there WERE NO text message, e-mails or journal entries on EITHER side to corroborate these claims. Instead, she relied on the statements of Jodi Arias who is fighting to avoid becoming a resident of Arizona's "Death Row". Is it fair of LaViolette to take Arias word as the gospel? Is she being impartial? 

This is problematic, and I'm quite frankly surprised that such an "expert" would form an opinion based on Arias's tales. With all of the electronic communications from the pair, don't you think these violent encounters would have been followed by some sort of apology by Travis to Jodi? He seems to apologize when they argue, why are there no references to these events or any apologies? There is NO MENTION of any of them - did they really happen?

How can any "expert" form such strong opinions based on Arias's self-serving statements alone? I'm fairly certain those closest to Jodi Arias don't believe her stories about the physical abuse or the origin on the broken finger. If I were Juan Martinez, the first thing I'd ask LaViolette on cross is "how important is the credibility of your source when you are interviewing a defendant or a patient for that matter"?  Then I'd follow that question up with "would it have been helpful for you to interview Travis Alexander before forming an opinion about the relationship between the victim and the defendant"? This is just frustrating beyond words.  

Why is LaViolette able to testify that she saw no signs of jealousy or stalking behavior on Arias's part, without taking into consideration the many things that we know about her behavior? Has LaViolette interviewed people who worked with Arias when she lived in Palm Desert, who have stated that Jodi Arias "would go absolutely nuts" if she couldn't reach Travis by phone? They said she would sit there at work and call him repeatedly, and each time that she couldn't reach him she would grow more and more despondent, going as far as calling her "completely obsessed"? Can you honestly tell us, Ms. LaViolette that a woman who drops everything and drives from Palm Desert to Mesa after work because she can't reach her boyfriend ISN'T jealous or obsessed?

Willmott, in reviewing text messages sent to Jodi from Travis characterized many of Travis's text messages as "tirades" and "rants" - why didn't Martinez object to those characterizations? She did it repeatedly. In one such text message where Travis is asking Jodi who the woman is that told her that he was having a "significant relationship" with Lisa Andrews at the same time he was seeing Jodi Arias. Travis was upset, and he wanted Jodi to tell him who that person was who gave her that information. He threatens to "tell your family and friends about all the crazy stuff you have done" - when asked about that "tirade" and the threats against Jodi, LaViolette says "I don't know what crazy things he is talking about Jodi doing..." and Willmott cuts her off, saying "but what's important to you is.....". She totally glossed over the "crazy things" part, probably because she doesn't want the jury to know that Arias did some crazy things during their relationship.

LaViolette has referred to Travis Alexander in a very negative light. She refers to Travis making "veiled threats that are attached to reality", referring to the previous acts of violence against Jodi Arias. I noticed on one of Travis Alexander's text messages to Arias from 4/8/08, he says "PS you better start paying me back so you better start looking for a job". Didn't we hear testimony yesterday about all the money Jodi Arias loaned Travis? I think Arias probably owed Travis Alexander more money than he owed her.  LaViolette has also testified how Arias was taking steps to "distance herself" from Travis, by moving back to Yreka and also by beginning to set boundaries with Travis. Does anybody believe Arias moved back to Yreka because she wanted to move back, or do you believe she HAD to move back because she wasn't making it financially or professionally?

They discussed another text message that Jodi Arias "accidentally" sent to Travis Alexander that was meant for another man.  I don't believe she sent the text to Travis accidentally, rather she sent it purposely in an attempt to make him jealous or to elicit some sort of response from him and it worked. LaViolette naturally turned that around and again called Travis controlling and angry because he didn't appreciate receiving a message meant for another man. He may have been jealous, but does that make him a bad person? No, it makes him HUMAN. Arias can't even admit she was jealous. The testimony coming from LaViolette seems highly unfair, and I don't believe she should be forming such a biased opinion of Travis Alexander when she never met him, never had a chance to talk to him and hear what HE had to say about this relationship, and she based much of her opinions on the words of a manipulative liar. Alyce LaViolette is just Jodi's latest victim of her manipulation.

Court is out for the lunchtime break. They seem to be reviewing these text messages in chronological order, so they are nearing the date of the murder. What will LaViolette say about the actions of Jodi Arias on that fateful day? Will she testify that Arias was justified in defending herself based on this pattern of "escalating violence" and controlling behavior she described Travis as having? Juan Martinez, we are all praying for you to make this the mother of all cross examinations!

(Updated)Defense Requests Jury Be Sequestered - Juror #5 Releases Statement

(*Thanks to Sue for letting me know about the problem with the text color!)
Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi filed a motion in court this morning to have the jury sequestered for the remainder of the trial. He cited the release of the videotaped interviews with Jodi Arias's parents, and the release of Jodi Arias's 600 page journal as reasons for the request.  I think sequestering the jury is a great idea. Nobody wants a mistrial here. What's the harm? This is an added expense, but I think it would be a good move at this point. Nurmi is also talking now about how it appears that jurors may have been photographed by HLN cameramen. 

Prosecutor Juan Martinez sniped back at Kirk Nurmi for assuming the jurors ARE seeing some of the things that have been covered in the media. Judge Stephens reiterated that she has continually asked the jurors if they have seen any media coverage, and she has spoken to each of them individually prior to excusing juror #5. Judge Stephens just denied the motion to sequester the jury, she cited case law backing her decision. It appears defense expert LaViolette is back in the courtroom today and has just taken the stand.

The woman known as "Juror #5" released a statement to the press on Wednesday, regarding her dismissal from the Jodi Arias murder trial (taken verbatim, Phoenix News at KTAR.com):


"In the past few days I have been a part of discussion and interest in the murder trial case of Jodi Arias. For the past three months I have been fulfilling my duty as one of the jurors in the case of Jodi Arias. Jodi Arias' attorneys have filed a motion asking for a mistrial or that Juror 5 is removed from the jury, which led to my removal.

As a juror that has been removed from the jury, I would like to remind everyone that the murder trial case of Jodi Arias is still going on and that the time and money being invested in this trial are more relevant and important than my removal from the jury.

Until the verdict in murder trial case of Jodi Arias is reached I will not make any statements or give any interviews regarding my removal from the jury. I believe that the attention should be focused on the actual trial. I would ask from everyone to please respect my privacy and the privacy of my family."

Removed Juror #5 in the murder case of Jodi Arias

It has become standard practice for the media to seek out jurors on these high profile criminal trials for insight and interviews once a verdict has been reached. I'm sure everyone remembers how the Casey Anthony jurors skipped out without talking to the press. Many of them reported receiving death threats, they were "banned" from restaurants and endured a generally hostile tone from the public for acquitting Casey Anthony of murdering her 2 year old daughter Caylee.

Court is in session, update to follow.

"It Was A Domestically Abusive Relationship", Says Alyce LaViolette

Defense expert witness Alyce LaViolette is back on the stand today to continue her direct examination in the Jodi Arias murder trial.  It's hard to listen to. LaViolette has bought Jodi Arias's schpeel, hook line and sinker. She has now gone on the record as calling the relationship between murder victim Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias "domestically abusive".  Following the recent dismissal of "Juror #5", who was thought to be a pro-prosecution juror, how powerful will LaViolette's opinions be to the remaining jurors?

Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott continues to walk LaViolette through Jodi Arias's journal entries and they are picking Travis Alexander apart.  LaViolette described some of the interactions between Arias and Alexander as "mild acts of aggression" that escalated over a period of time.  She talked about the alleged incident in which Arias claims Alexander kicked her, and calls it an escalation from mild aggression to more severe acts of aggression.  LaViolette testified that "fear makes people dangerous", and "fear of loss makes people especially dangerous". Willmott seems to be trying to elicit some specific testimony from LaViolette and I'm not sure why Juan Martinez isn't objecting more because she is totally leading this witness.  LaViolette also testified that based on some of the e-mail and text messages she reviewed, a pattern emerged in regards to Travis Alexander's behavior.  She didn't come out and call him controlling, but clearly she believes he was.

LaViolette also seems to believe that Jodi Arias was trying to pull away from Travis Alexander (and not vice versa, like many of us believe) and that he may have been fearful of her leaving him ("fear makes people dangerous")!  She also testified that Jodi Arias was beginning to "have a backbone" with Travis Alexander.  LaViolette discussed Arias's journal entries relating to Marie "Mimi" Hall - she testified that she did not see any signs of jealousy in her journal entries, her IM's or text messages relating to Travis Alexander's interest in having a relationship with Mimi Hall. They are trying hard to shoot down the prosecution's theory that Arias was jealous and this was part of the motive for murder. LaViolette believes Arias wanted Travis Alexander to be happy, even if it was another woman.  

They then went on to discuss what they are referring to as "the third violent incident" that allegedly occurred in Travis Alexander's car following an argument about Arias moving back to Yreka.  This is the incident where Arias says Travis slapped her in the face and she called her mother to ask for help moving home. Wow, LaViolette has really bought into every single thing Jodi Arias has told her and she is no longer speaking in general terms, this is specific to Arias and Alexander.  It will be very interesting to see how Juan Martinez handles the cross examination of this witness.  Has this witness given Arias stories more credibility? Will her status in the field of domestic violence sway this jury? It certainly hasn't hurt. 

But what has it changed? Will the jury believe that Travis Alexander owned a gun? Because if he didn't, that means Arias brought it. Regardless of where the gun came from - will the jury believe Arias HAD TO use it?  Regardless of which injury Travis received first, regardless of which weapon Arias used first - was it necessary for her to stab him 29 times, slit his throat from ear to ear and shoot him in the face for her own personal safety? Urrgh!!!!!  Well, the defense can try to keep this witness on the stand to reiterate Jodi Arias as the "victim", but sooner or later it will be the State's turn and I expect Juan Martinez to be ready.  I'm literally feeling sick after hearing this testimony.  Court is in a 5 minute recess now......

Arias Judge Needs To Gain Control Of Trial

I went out of town for a few days and had no computer access, but have been watching the news about "Juror #5" and the Arias defense team's motion for a mistrial.  Wisely, Judge Stephens chose only to excuse Juror #5 and deny the defense's motion for a mistrial - but it's becoming clear what can happen when a trial lasts for an extended period of time with an unsequestered jury and a ton of media coverage!

This is one of the reasons they have alternate jurors.  The Jodi Arias murder trial will more than likely exceed the million dollar mark by the time the defense rests its case.  The state's case is strong, but the defense has managed to shift the focus away from the violent overkill that Travis Alexander suffered at the hands of Arias and put Alexander's character on trial. Alyce LaViolette has been a strong witness for the defense. She is knowledgeable, friendly and unlike Dr. Richard Samuels she was prepared.  However, LaViolette's opinions about whether or not Arias was in fact abused by Travis Alexander will ultimately end up being a mitigating factor rather than a get-out-of-jail-free card.  I don't believe anything she says will speak to "self defense" and whether or not this jury believes Arias honestly feared for her life on June 4, 2008.

The jury will have to follow the law, regardless of whether they feel Travis Alexander treated Arias poorly or not. And IF the jury believes Jodi Arias drove to Mesa Arizona with that gun and possibly a knife - they should throw out the entire notion of self defense. Jodi Arias's own father told Detective Flores of his daughter's "rage" issues, even going as far as describing her as "strange" and confirming that Arias treated her own mother very poorly. Unfortunately, there is so much the jury will never hear or find out about Arias before they are finally instructed to deliberate.

 I watched a little of yesterday's trial footage and prosecutor Juan Martinez looks very frustrated, and for good reason. The defense has had witnesses on the stand for more than two months now - and Juan Martinez has got to be eager to get back to the facts of this crime.  Judge Stephens needs to rein in the attorneys on both sides and keep the testimony moving along.  There is a great risk that comes with these heavily covered trials, and the defense is just looking for a reason - ANY reason for a mistrial. It's in everybody's best interest to stop the delays, have full trial days and maybe even think about having 5-day trial weeks! The longer you have a jury that's not sequestered and out there mingling with the public, the greater chance that something may happen to derail the trial.  LaViolette is talking today about journal entries from mid-2007, so she could be on the stand for another few weeks by the time the defense finishes questioning her, the state completes their cross examination and then we have jury questions, followed by another redirect. It's becoming very clear that Alyce LaViolette has completely bought in what Arias has told her. Does she really believe that the alleged abuse Jodi Arias describes justifies a brutal and vicious homicide? Did LaViolette take the time to speak with the Alexander family or any of Travis's friends?  Would she recommend that other potential victims of abuse deal with their problems in this manner? 

Will this ever end?  Should Judge Stephens be limiting these witnesses testimony a little more than she has? She seems to be extending a great deal of latitude towards the defense, a little too much in my opinion. The prosecution has had their hands tied with what they can present, but with the defense it seems to be a free for all. This is literally painful to watch - and I didn't even know Travis Alexander. I can only imagine how painful it is for Travis's family and friends, day after day hearing their brother and friend being put down, portrayed as a womanizing sexual deviant.  He never had his day in court, and we will never hear Travis's side of any of these stories that the public has become so familiar with.  

All of this discussion about emotional and physical abuse is little more than white noise.  If the jury believes Jodi Arias stole her grandfather's gun and brought it to Mesa with her, it's over. The prosecution needs to focus on that, and bring home to this jury just how brutal this murder really was. They need to enlarge those autopsy and crime scene photos and display them on the big screen. Perhaps the jury is curious to know if Jodi Arias's version of events is even possible given the time frame those photos leave us with.  This was a messy relationship, but was it abusive?

Arias Defense Complains About "Rock Star" Conduct of Juan Martinez!

HLN correspondent Jean Casarez was called to the stand this morning in a hastily called hearing on prosecutor Juan Martinez's "Rock Star" conduct! Arias defense attorney Kirk Nurmi had Casarez called into the courtroom and sworn in and he questioned her about something she said on air yesterday when she was reporting on the Jodi Arias Murder trial.

I was floored when instead of seeing Alyce LaViolette take the stand this morning, the defense is claiming that Casarez reported seeing a juror witnessing Juan Martinez taking photographs with the public yesterday in front of the courthouse. When on the stand, Casarez corrected Nurmi and told the court that she reported that she hadn't witnessed this, rather - she was shown a clip with Martinez and some supporters outside the courtroom and she commented that she would be concerned if a juror saw this happening.

This is outrageous, and what are the odds the defense will try to get a mistrial out of this comment?  Why don't they concentrate on getting their case done and quit racking up billable hours on this nonsense. Meanwhile, Arias has sold at least 8 sketches, and has a supporter website where donations are taken to fund her commissary needs while she sits in jail! Where is the justice?

Outraged and it's not even 10:30AM.