Jodi Arias Trial: Cross Examination Continues

Prosecutor Juan Martinez continued his cross examination of Jodi Arias Thursday afternoon, with the testimony kind of all over the place. He asked the defendant about text messages between her and Travis Alexander, sent on the day she claims she discovered him pleasuring himself to pictures of young boys. There seems to be no mention of said event in the messages, as well as nothing seemingly indicating there was any animosity between the two on that day. When asked again about her memory problems, she told the prosecutor it occurred frequently, "Usually when men like you are grilling me and screaming at me or men like Travis." Well played.

Mr. Martinez then changed focus to a journal kept by Ms. Arias. It was pointed out that some of the dates she had given, key moments of her relationship with Travis that she has testified to, were inconsistent with her journal entries. That may be a heads up to the jury. People generally don't lie in their journal, so if something important had happened, wouldn't she have made mention of it? Yet, there was no mention of the day Travis caused injury to her left ring finger, though she claims she is sure of the day. The prosecutor then pointed out that this was another series of lies about what had caused the supposed injury to this finger, including telling Ryan Burns she had injured it at work, and telling Detective Flores that she had escaped Travis' same fate when the masked intruders who broke into his home cut her finger. Of course that was after she said she wasn't there and the pictures weren't her, but before she changed her story to include abuse by Travis, leading to self defense. Seriously, she has said all of that.

New evidence was introduced, in the form of two magazines, in which there were messages that seem to point in the direction that Jodi Arias may have attempted to tamper with a witness from the jail. A series of notes written in pencil in the margins of Star and a photography magazine spelled out her try at coaching a witness. That doesn't look so good... He even asked her about a stop in Salinas, on her way to Mesa, Arizona, on June 4th, 2008, where she had gotten her nails done, wanting to know if the place also did hair. This will likely eventually answer the "When did she dye her hair?" question.

It is kind of odd that Jodi's attorney didn't try to stretch her direct examination out one more day. Wouldn't it be better for the jury to go home for the weekend, with the image of this poor girl in terror in their head than what she is putting out now, this cockiness she's showing? Until court resumes on Monday, the jury will be left thinking of her smugness as Juan Martinez exposed one possible lie after another. And how about this jury? Do you really think they go home and look at nothing about the trial? It seems they are on somewhat of an honor system where that is concerned, rather than sequestering the jurors.