It was another crazy day in court where Jodi Arias is desperately grasping at straws, including asking for a mistrial to avoid the death sentence she is sure to receive at the end of this trial. Arias is accused of brutally murdering her "friend," Travis Alexander, in his Mesa, Arizona home on June 4th, 2008. His body was discovered stabbed 29 times, his throat slit from ear to ear, and shot once in the head, crumpled into his shower stall 5 days later when friends were unable to reach him. The picture below is the last known taken of the man while still alive, time stamped just 3 minutes before another of him being dragged across the floor. What could be going through this man's mind right now? Does he know he's about to die? What was Jodi Arias doing at this moment?
Though Jodi had originally stated that she hadn't seen Travis for quite some time before his death, photographic and forensic evidence would quickly lead police to her as the only suspect. Factoring in that Travis's friends had immediately named Jodi as someone who would want to harm him, things weren't looking good for her. She then changed her story to include two masked intruders who broke into the home and murdered the 30-year-old entrepreneur right in front of her, after which she fled the scene, driving to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit a new love interest, Ryan Burns. Mr. Burns testified yesterday that, though she had shown up a full day after he had expected her, her demeanor seemed normal and she made no mention of visiting Travis or of his being murdered. Her current defense is that he attacked her and she was forced to kill him, though with the circumstances surrounding the case, it would seem that her method was complete overkill for a spontaneous act of defending one's own life.
A great deal of the testimony on Day 5 was a forensic analyst from the Mesa Police Department. She was primarily trained to determine how a crime occurred based on the blood pattern. She made suggestions as to the possible positioning of Travis as the wounds were inflicted, essentially making a path through the crime. Also testifying today was Detective Nathaniel Mendes of the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office in California. Much of his testimony centered around receipts collected from Jodi's trip, essentially tracing her path to Mesa, and then the erratic trip to get back. It was a 15-hour drive from Jodi's house to Travis's. She had a long time in the car to think about the two ways this could go.
Things are not looking good for her as Jodi Arias's life hangs in the balance. Every image shown is more and more shocking than the last. The prosecution is doing an excellent job of putting the viewers (and the jury) right in the crime scene. That's how they will get her. The jury will be asked to imagine the expressions on Travis Alexander's face, the fatal injuries to his body, and to imagine the terror this man felt with a person he trusted as a friend (yes, sex friend, but it's clear by the many photos of the two that they spent a great deal of time together and were close) coming after him with a knife. What was he thinking when she stabbed him the first or second, or fifth time? Or when she ran the knife across his throat? Did he beg for his life as he tried to escape? Detective Flores also took the stand again to discuss the conversation he had with Jodi shortly after Travis was found. He was also asked to explain statements he had made at an earlier proceeding in this case, regarding the sequence that the injuries took place. This testimony led the defense to ask for a mistrial, on the grounds that the detective's mistake has deprived the defendant of a fair trial. Ridiculous. They really do seem to just be grabbing for whatever defense there is.
Court resumes on Monday, January 14, at 10:30 a.m. The million dollar question remains: Will Jodi Arias take the stand? Even though everything she's said up until this point has been completely fictional, maybe Martinez can get her to crack and spill the details. Will she be sentenced to die for the brutal murder of Travis Alexander? The trial may actually last until April, with all the late starts, breaks, and off days. What evidence is the defense going to present? Jodi told In Session, in a televised interview, that no jury would convict her, because she is innocent. Was she right or will she be found guilty?
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