Jodi Arias Trial – Day 4

44 Comments

1. Interesting proceedings this morning! I think by putting Jodi’s behavior on trial, the prosecution also puts Travis’s behaviour on trial. Jodi was sexual shortly after the death of Travis and didn’t display and signs of grief but the texts exchanged between Jodi and the witness put Travis’s behavior on trial. Travis cheated on Jodi and lied to her.

   I don’t know why the defense didn’t ask the witness why he said that he and Travis were fundamentally different in a text message to Jodi. What was he referring to?

   I also find it interesting how big the witness is. Was Jodi seeking protection from this guy?

   • Yeah i thought it was stupid. This guy can tell if a woman is strong? does he have a degree in phys ed? was he her fitness coach? I think her defense sucks.

2. And this guy looked like he was annoyed with the defense from the start. Def a pros witness. He couldn’t remember if he drove her in his car??? Finished a movie? Really??? I wouldnt trust him if I were the jury.

   • I don’t know. He didn’t seem like the coldest beer in the fridge, but I thought he seemed honest and credible, for the most part. Although her behavior with him – making out just a day after killing someone – looks pretty monstrous, his statements about their plans make it seem unlikely that the killing was premeditated.

     I can’t help but wonder how he must feel, knowing that he almost had sex with a woman the day after she stabbed someone 27 times, cut their throat, and put a bullet in their head….

3. The prosecutor really gets on my nerves; he’s so nasty when he doesn’t get an answer that he’s looking for. Some of the posters on the pro-pros boards are even saying that they don’t like him.

   • So what was the defense trying to show with the suggestive messages with this new witness? Are they trying to impeach him?

   • I have to agree. His “If you have something to say, say it to my face” comment was completely uncalled-for. Nurmi, on the other hand, has a fantastic demeanor. Patient, methodical, polite. I would want him as my attorney.

   • I cant believe he just yelled out in court ” If you have something to say to me say it to my face” to the defense atty. What is this, kindergarten? What will he do next, stick out his tongue and stomp his feet? So unprofessional

     • I missed that the prosecutor said “Say it to my face”? I can’t believe that. I bet you won’t hear about that in the media or they will try to make it look like he was right.

       Oh by the way Jason and Foxfire have been banned.

       • I missed it too, Jon. But hearing about it reminds me of a different prosecutor and the tactics he pulled in the courtroom most certainly backfired on him.

         • Yes. That’s right.

         • Yep. This guy should keep in mind that juries tend to not like arrogant, unprofessional attorneys much. Just ask Casey’s jury what they thought of Jeff Ashton.

4. Okay what is going on? The judge wants councils in her chambers at 10:15 tomorrow and also Ms Arias? Any speculation?

   • Maybe, it’s about what went on today with the prosecutor yelling at the Defense Attorney or a Mistrial if it continues. I’m just guessing. I hope it’s not a plea bargain.

     • I doubt the judge would declare a mistrial over the prosecutor’s behavior towards the defense lawyers. He’d be more likely to fine/impose sanctions on the prosecutor, which of course would make him look bad in the eyes of the jury.
       Judges avoid mistrials unless they absolutely have to declare one. And I thoroughly doubt Jodi would accept any kind of plea bargain. She’s going for all or nothing, as far as I can see.

5. Please give us a short description on what the defense accomplished or lost today…

   • Eli, I missed the end of the testimony of the guy Jodi was romantically involved with after Travis’s death but I can try to summarize the rest for you. I hope someone will correct me if I get anything wrong:

     The prosecution called several witnesses, ending with Detective Flores who recorded his conversations with Jodi.

     There were two fingerprint experts called. Both testified to Jodi’s fingerprints/handprint being at the scene. The prosecution called back one investigator and had her hold up blood-stained carpet. On cross exam, the defense asked her to go through the stuff found in the washing machine. There was a towel stained in blood with what looked like a bleach stain, socks, a shirt. I think the defense was trying to point out that it might not have been beach.

     The jury asked several questions of this witness (such as, why didn’t they test the towel in the washer for bleach? – answer was no test exists, and did they dust everywhere for fingerprints? answer – no and did they find the knife used to stab Travis at the house? answer – knives were taken but couldn’t conclude if any of them were the knife used to stab him). I thought the jurors questions were insightful and worked in favor of the defense.

     I think the most powerful witness for the prosecution today was Detective Flores. Bits of his interview with Jodi were played in the courtroom. She sounded calm and not the least bit stressed in the conversations.

   • Ryan Burns’s testimony was pretty powerful, in my opinion. Jodi was planning to see him, then detoured to see Travis first, then went to see Ryan after killing Travis. He testified that she showed no signs of distress, and that they even made out a bit and came pretty close to having sex. I have no idea who the winners or losers are from his testimony.

     • Yes, I think this shows Jodi in an extremely negative light.

     • It’s interesting to me that Jodi seemed to be able to “compartmentalize” her life, similarly to how Casey did as the result of her childhood abuse. I am curious about Jodi’s early childhood/teen years and if there is any abuse in her history.

       • Me too Kira. I did think of Casey in that regard. She compartmentalized her trauma too ( although she was innocent totally.)

         Jodi said her childhood years were ideal but that’s not uncommon with someone who compartmentalizes… ( LOL)

         Yes it does paint her in a negative light… The abuse expert is crucial now. I would even go so far as to say that she testifies later on. What about you?

6. Can someone please enlighten me as to if there is a list of witnesses somewhere for this case? I would be interested to know if at some point TA’s room mates will take the stand.

   • Nothing. I cant find anything anywhere.

7. Why were people banned?

   • Because they were bullying people here. They were also saying bad stuff about Jodi. This is a support site for Jodi. Jason and Foxfire were banned

   • Its not so much that they were saying bad stuff about jodi. It was just at EVERY turn they seemed to put on the prosecution’s case ( which we already know). A lot of us are here because we saw what the state did in Casey’s case so some of us do not trust prosecutors, cops, and even forensics etc after that.

     And one was being a bully to people here.

8. Is there any evidence that she is the one that slashed his tires or is it all hearsay? Has that been introduced into court yet, the tire slashing? The talking heads keep bringing it up. I would think it would fall under the same category as the prosecution’s objection to the hearsay that Travis was a flirt and no good for Jodi.

   • Yes the tire slashing has been mentioned more than once. It was mentioned by Mimi Hall on day one.I figure that when it is the defense’s turn to call witnesses, more will be raised on the slashing of tires since it does not seem like TA ever called police over the matter and there doesn’t seem to be any proof she was the one that did it, unless there is an email or text messages to the contrary.

   • That’s hearsay as far as I know. It was repeated by the first witness on the 911 call in court. I don’t remember her being asked about it. She was told by travis that jodi was slashing tires. Unless he made a police report, I dont believe it because it was repeated by the travis friends who obviously didn’t care of jodi.

9. What did everyone think of the questions the jury asked today? Also, that is the first time I have ever heard of that, a jury asking questions after testimony. I read somewhere that its done to try and avoid a mistrial later down the line.

   • I have never heard of it either. The questions didn’t seem terribly relevant. But it’s good to know that the jury is actually paying attention.

     • I thought they were asking good questions for the most part. Didn’t they ask if the CSI person tested for any other finger prints and whether they actually tested for bleach in the laundry? I thought that meant they were wondering if anyone else could have been there/involved. The murder indictment also says Jodi herself, or Jodi and another suspect. One would think when seeking murder 1 with capital punishment, they would know who was involved?

   • I have heard of it before. I think sometimes the trial judge encourages it. After the witness/expert has been examined and cross-examined, the judge allows the jury to go away and think of any questions to ask. I think it is a fantastic idea – after all the jury are the “triers of fact” and are ultimately the ones calling the shots.
     And yes, it shows they are paying attention.

10. Not sure if I’m posting this correctly… Sorry, if it’s in the wrong place. Just really want to add some of my thoughts, and see what you all think. First of all, I think Jodi is climbing and uphill battle with her defense, and way behind the eight ball, when it comes to the media/pretrial publicity benefitting the State. I try to be as impartial as possible when it comes to following trials, etc…Sort of like, putting myself in the jury seat as I listen to the case unfold. Here’s what I think… Unless the defense can explain stab wounds, as well as the gun being present, I think they will convict her of 1st degree. I really do, and I’m concerned that they haven’t jumped on that… I hope they take the oppurtunity every chance they get to instill in the juror’s minds, especially now with all the photos/evidence the State’s entering, that the knife was there because Travis had just used it to tie her up AND that the gun was an afterthought. If she was there to kill him, premeditated, than she would’ve just shot him! Jodi had the gun in her possession because she was a young, pretty girl travelling through the desert alone, going to visit an exboyfriend, who persuaded her to come visit… Things would be different, he promises…just wants to talk to her, work things out. In her naivety, she believes him, and goes. Possibly another reason why the gun is in her purse/possession. (Back to my theory) After the initial attack in the shower, she grabs the knife in self defense, but he steps out of the shower, they struggle, he goes toward the sink, she continues to defend herself and realizes she has the gun and goes for it…she runs out of the bathroom into the bedroom where her purse is and grabs the gun… When she runs out to grab the gun, he comes down the hall, more struggling/stab wounds here, perhap , but she manages to get the gun, and that is how the gun is introduced…Sorry so long winded, but unless they give the juror’s an explanation for the gun, it could leave some to wonder, how was it self defense if she happened to have a knife and a gun with her at the exact time he attacked her? In the shower no less… Since most already think she’s guilty, and the media certainly aren’t considering anything other than what points only at her guilt, it’s up to her defense team to make this perfectly clear… And to repeatedly instill this in the minds of the jurors. I know it’s early, but many have made up their minds. It’s just how our system seems to work. I have half a mind to send an email to her defense team, an objective opinion from someone on the outside hearing it, someone not so close to the case…(: Thanks for hearing me out, let me know what you think???

    • Yep, I think that her defense team will have to argue that Jodi was carrying her gun with her for protection. A lot of people do travel with guns, and the ME’s testimony that the gunshot came last works against premeditation.

      I read a comment on another site that speculated on the knife wounds to Travis’s back being inflicted while he was on top of Jodi rather than standing with his back toward her. Any thoughts on that? I need to watch the ME’s testimony today to see if he says anything about the trajectory of the back wounds.

      • That’s interesting Kira… I believe there are definitely more ways that should be considered, as far as possibilities of how the entire events surrounding the attack occured. It’s never cut and dry, especially when none of us were there. Travis was so secretive, and outright dishonest, when it came to what was actually going on with he and Jodi’s relationship. Which is so suspicious to me, and I’m quite surprised everyone is so willing to overlook this, and hell bent on this “sainthood” status his friends and the media are portraying him to be. I don’t know him, but I’m pretty sure the evidence, the testimony of friends admitting he was telling everyone one thing and doing the next, shows he was not at all who they believed him to be. But, for whatever reason, he’s getting a pass. Must be that charm people are talking about, which I just don’t see. He’s charming, so he can lie, and it’s ok. But, Jodi’s charm makes her a monster. She is charming, sweet, and soft spoken, therefore she’s must be a manipulative femme fatale, or whatever nonsense they print. Big double standard, and I just hope the jury will consider other possibilities. A great example is as you mentioned, there are other explanations of how these wounds could’ve happened. Are they going to consider this? Most won’t, but there are only 12 that matter. Hopefully the defense will be aggressive, and really pound the other options…I will be very interested in what the me has to say about the wounds today, and hope the defense can really start making their side known, loud and clear…

    • The attack could have went down the way you said and him promising things would be different and Jodi believing him. But, The Jury is supposed to be sequestered and not watch what the media is saying. They are not supposed to make up their minds either way this early. They are supposed to listen to both sides and look at the evidence or lack of before making a decision. I hope you are wrong and the jury sees that she is innocent.

11. I’m confused with a lot of the tastemonies not understanding why the prosacusion want to be the fact and why the defense wont it to be the other way around.

    May I ask the admin to update the info and people will understand what was going on in the court every day and say an opinion on how successful the defence was and what was the arguments between the defense and the prosacution

12. My mom and I have been watching this trial since day one and we have been reading all of the comments and questions online. We believe that there are questions that need to be asked and hopefully the defense team does ask them. First off, Travis’s roommate was in and out of the house for 5 days while his friends body is decomposing and you cannot tell me that neither him or his girlfriend that was there watching a movie could not smell decomposing of a body especially when Travis’s other three friends went to the house to look for him and they were in the garage and could smell that horrible smell from there. Second off, there were blood satins on the staircase and the stairs itself as well as blood spatter on the kitchen cabinets and again the roommate did not notice anything. The washer had a towel in it with blood all over it as well as bloody clothes and what the roommate didn’t do laundry so he didn’t notice that either. The picture that they found on Travis’s camera of his body on the ground and the other persons paint leg and shoe, tells me that there must have been a second person to take a picture from ground level. A detective testified today that the restaurant Casa Romos that Jodi said was working at and happened to cuts her fingers on broken glass, did not associate in anyway with the name margaritaville. Well upon some research myself, Casa Romos is in fact called Margaritaville by a lot of people because of the well known margarita drinks that they make. If this detective or anybody for this matter is going to testify then they need to tell the whole truth and not just half. There are also 2 restaurants that I know of that are in California that are called Margaritaville. Maybe somebody is twisting Jodi’s stories around. And lastly, I have to agree, it only took 1 minute and 38 seconds for this murder to happen. Has anybody noticed the size of Travis especially at dead weight and the size of Jodi. There is no way that she could have done this especially on her own.

    • Glad you brought this up… So many of these types of questions have been bothering me. To the point I have to remind myself that Jodi already confessed to this, whenever I start thinking someone’s story isn’t adding up. A biggie for me too is about the roommate. How did they not smell it? Why didn’t they figure something was wrong because of his dog? Who was taking care of the dog? He wasn’t leaving for Cancun for 6 more days when he went missing, and his dog was to he dropped off at his grandma’s. Travis had a landline, so when all these people were trying so hard to get a hold of him, to the point his voicemail was full, why didn’t the roommate ever answer? Why didn’t the roommate answer his door earlier when people were continuously knocking, apparently pretty hard at times? With the smell, the abandoned dog, Travis’s car parked in the garage, no explanation or goodbye from Travis, his bedroom door locked..why didn’t the roommate, at the very least do a tiny bit of research, like peek in his office-would’ve noticed his laptop open in sleep mode, he hasn’t been at work, and not one single sole has heard from him. Was his cellphone in his room, was it ringing? Nothing, at all… He must be the seriously most clueless person on the face of this planet, or maybe there’s more to it. Just doesn’t make any sense. And Ryan Burns… Along with other things mentioned about him, can he really not remember if he changed her license plate? Really? An upside down license plate… That’s not something you do everyday. I don’t care if it was 5 years ago. If I changed an upside down license plate 50 years ago I think I could probably recall that! It was his first date, and really his only time he ever spent with her, and he can’t remember some pretty obvious details. If she rode with him, what movie they watched, etc… I could buy it if they’d been together for 10 years, then some things get mundane, and the attention to details go out the window… Maybe they’re lying, or maybe Travis just surrounded himself with complete morons, therefore, he could be “the man” and pull the wool over these nitwits eyes… Listening to the titles of his favorite books, maybe that is the case.
      Anyway, I could on and on about all the baffling questions I have for so many of the characters in this case…

13. What we have to remember right now is that it is the prosecution’s turn to call witnesses and the defense lawyers can only ask questions within the scope of the evidence that has been released so far.( I learned a lot during CA’s trial). The prosecution is trying to win their case, so they are not going to be asking Ryan Burns questions like: Do you remember if Ms Arias had any facial bruising when you met up with her? Do you remember what she was wearing? Did she have a turtleneck on? Could she have been covering up neck bruises? etc…. They will ask questions about cuts to her hands and fingers because it ties in with their prosectution of her. Those questions would lead people to believe that she was the one holding the knife and using it. As for the question concerning the license plates being upside down on her car, I believe that is moot, because, if she killed TA in cold blood like they want everyone to believe, she likely would not turn her license plates upside down to draw attention to herself.

    • I think a plea bargain is what’s best at this point. That was a horrible, horrible interrogation they just showed today. She’s not looking so good and I think her mom knows it.

      • Well, to be honest, she’s hardly the first person to deny being involved with a crime while being interrogated. I’m not even sure why so much time is being spent on that recording; she’s confessed to killing Travis. The defense can, and probably will, say that she was lying because she was scared.

14. I cant see how these 2 can go togather having sex and premeditation of killing if I would be angry on someone so much to kill him I would come into the house and on the first chance it would be over I would not have sex with him

    Can someone explain how the prosacuter is puzzling them togather?

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