Juan was in court early prosecuting an unrelated case. All of Jodi’s family and Donovan are there. Travis’s family is there including all the sisters. Jodi chatted with her mitigation specialist while she waited. A juror is running late but in en route. Meanwhile Nurmi made a motion to repress the medical examiner’s testimony about the order of the wounds. Judge Stephens denied it. For some reason I do not understand, Nurmi is not allowed to cross-examine Flores’ testimony from yesterday until after Horn gives his testimony. I believe Horn is the HOT medical examiner that we enjoyed watching last time. He will be up first today. The order of the wounds and the determination of the fatal wound seem to be very important to both sides. And frankly, if I recall correctly Horn, or someone changed their minds about the order of the wound inflictions last time. I think Horn’s schedule is limited and he can only testify first this morning. That is why Nurmi can’t do his cross yet. Nurmi thinks this is a calculated move by Martinez. Of course it was but there is no law against it.
I am still confused why Nurmi is upset over the phone sex call. Nurmi feels that Martinez is questioning the authenticity of the recording. Martinez says he is not questioning the authenticity, he is questioning whether the tape was stolen. Nurmi wants to call Martinez on the stand to state that he has already acknowledged the authenticity of the tape. Does anyone understand the point of this? Nurmi seems to be saying if the judge doesn’t find prosecutorial misconduct on Martinez’s part he will call him as a witness.
Horn is on the stand and immediately we go to autopsy photos. Very graphic. Showing Travis’s face discussion the gunshot wound. Shots of Travis’ defensive wounds on his hands. Travis’ family all bow their heads they are crying already. Arias family all look at photos intently. Nurmi objects to the term “defensive wounds.” Overruled. Sidebar. After sidebar, Martinez walks over to family and says something. Probably warning of more graphic images to come. Yep, full frontal of Travis’ body showing all the stab wounds. The point of all of this is that Travis’s was alive and trying to defend himself from the knife. Many wounds are very deep. Four stab wounds in neck, chest and stomach and two on shoulder. Jodi is not looking at autopsy pictures. Focus is currently on those six wounds. Travis was stabbed a total of 27 times. Martinez is making a case for torture. He asks how long it takes to bleed out from this many wounds. One of the stab wounds in Travis’ torso is 5 1/2 inches deep. One penetrated the vena cava and was 3.5 inches deep. It would eventually be fatal. But Travis’ heart was still beating. Travis was in great pain.
Willmott has taken over the task of objecting every other minute. Nearly all objections denied.
Martinez continues to go over every wound. Now on Travis’s back 11 stab wounds. Nine plunging wounds, deep wounds, not slashing. Two to the back of his head. These pictures appear to have been taken after considerable decomposition. All media tweeting about the gruesome nature. All jurors paying attention except for one. Horn discusses divots in the skull. Martinez continues to ask about pain levels. Stressing the torturous nature of the attack.
Martinez moves on to the decapitation. Arias sliced through the throat, severing the carotid arte, jugular vein and windpipe. Horn says Travis would have been unconscious in seconds and dead in minutes. Martinez wants to know the sound that would come from the windpipe as Travis tried to scream.
The move on to discuss the gun shot wound to the head. Horn says determining trajectory was difficult due to decomposition making the brain the consistency of pudding. Dr. Horn says the gunshot came last.
Brief recess.
Willmott on cross. She says that Flores testified the last time that the gun shot came first. Martinez objects. Extended sidebar. Horn says he did not discuss sequence of events with Flores. Willmott asked if the bullet could have come from the back of the head. Horn says no. He I s not happy with the defense questions. Snipping back and forth between Willmott and Horn. Willmott accuses Horn of changing his story. If the gunshot came first the there would not be as much suffering and the crime would not be a heinous perhaps sparing Jodi’s life. Horn says if Travis was shot first he would not be standing over the sink. Willmott makes some ground on one of the stab wounds to Travis’ chest. Willmott says the trajectory was upward. Horn concedes that Martinez’s theory it happened in the shower was unlikely.
LUNCH BREAK
Problem with a juror. Beth Karas from HLN called to the stand. Looks like a juror may have talked to her. It’s not super clear what happened but a juror with connections to the Arias family (what? why is she even on the jury) took off her badge at a morning recess and listened to Beth Karas comparing this trial with the last one. It seems the juror has a sister-in-law who knows Jodi Arias. She went outside on morning break to smoke and watch an interview Karas was doing for the local news station. Karas said that the juror asked her if she was Nancy Grace. Karas reported the interaction to the court. No decision on the fate of the juror has been made yet.
The phone problem: this didn’t turn up until after Jodi was arrested and had changed her story from “I wasn’t there” to “two ninjas did it” to “eeek he abused me!”… There was something iffy about the chain of custody with the phone. It was a second phone maybe? It wasn’t taken by LE it was “given” by jodi when she decided to stick with the abuse story… something weird like that. But Juan admitted it into evidence during the first trial even though it was a little squirrelly. The phone convos are the only thing jodi has to try to convince people that TA was abusive and a pedophile. Something like that anyway. It’s hard to keep up when a damn trial goes on for years!
Wait….so the two ninjas did it story isn’t a joke by TT? She really said that to police?
no joke Michael, that was jodis story after the i didnt do it didnt work.
I always get nervous in cases where it appears to be a ‘slam dunk’ for prosecution. All it takes is one dumbass juror who thinks they know better than many expert witnesses for there to be a hung jury.
there will be one on this jury, just like last time who say they can follow the law but dont believe in or will give the DP. me, i changed during the last trial to just wanting life with no parole. the DP, if given here will just be a money draim for 20+ years and never implemented.
DP seems like an easy way out too. It’s costly, takes tears of time due to appeals and I thought that during that time they are treated better than the majority of the imprisoned population.
while on death row they are in solitary confinement with maybe an hour a day out of their little cage into a bigger cage and little contact with other prisoners. life, eventually she would get to be around others. jodis plan is to stay in county jail as long as she can due to daily visits and phone access
I don’t remember the chain of command problem, I did notice during the replay of video of Det. Flores that she NEVER stops talking, even to hear the questions. That must be how a pathological liar works; just keep repeating their lies for as long as possible. She would have been smarter to shut her mouth.
This is so very different from the original trial and such a letdown. You, TT, are part of the answer since I can’t be inside the camera inside the courtroom.
Jennifer Wilmot (may we use JW as her name from here on for commenting?) and Dr. Horn did not get along at the last trial. Are both sides re-inventing their side of the story? Juan, aka JM, is presenting a much more visual show this time, he even showed a video of the beginning, from the moment she entered thru the garage to his bedroom yesterday, identifying the blood stains as he went. Nurmi (KN) seems to not be going with the hot, bondage Jodi but with the mentally screwed Jodi.
I so miss being able to see JA as all of this is going down.
Oh, and what’s with the juror speaking to Beth Karas? Someone tweeted that this is the juror who grew up in JA’s hometown and her sister knew JA. She certainly chose my favorite court person, Beth, to speak with. She couldn’t have broken the rules harder if she had tried.
Oh, I just read that JVM lost her show on HLN. I know Nancy Grace was on for 2 hrs. last night. So, keep it up, T. I know that the case will be shown in full as soon as the trial is over. You need to be thinking of how we can all be together then and comment away. BBL to see what y’all are thinking. 🙂
I’m here in Phoenix and actually know some people who knew both Travis and Jodi. Your blog is more informative than our local news casts and far more interesting and detailed. Thank you.
Thanks. the lack of video is disconcerting. I am relying on a variety of media tweeting. THey don’t always agree on what is going on…
On Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 6:31 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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If a family member of mine had been murdered, I’d be front and center every day. I can’t imagine the pain of his family as they show these photo’s, ask about sounds and pain levels. I have PTSD from a very “normal” death that haunts me…the violence here would have me locked up when it’s over.
Did Martinez get an answer when he asked what Travis’s screams would sound like with a severed windpipe and his other throat wounds? What a horrid image!
No. Horn said several times he had never stabbed anyone or severed a vocal chord and that was out of his area of expertise.
On Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 7:04 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Wtf. A juror who is related to the defendant? How was this not challeneged during the selection process. They could taint the jury pool with their opinions and knowledge.
My heart goes out to the Alexander family. Having to relive this over and over again. That awful sociopath & LIAR Jodi is horrendous. I’ve been glued to HLN since yesterday Nancy Grace has been replaying her interrogation interview with detective Flores. What a despicable liar she is. Just watching her try to con the AZ police firstly saying she want there. Then changes it to two other people involved , such bs ! She keeps omitting contractions in her vernacular. I was not there she states & also this I would not ever hurt Travis. She can’t embrace the use of a simple contraction in her interview. Thar is a blatant tell that she is telling lies. Just like when a person who prefaces a statement with , to be honest… or honestly …. then the next thing they say to you is untrue. She’s a narcisstic sociopath who has B. P. D. The trifecta of DSMIV. Fucking nuts!
Thanks TT. Sounds like Juan wants the jurors to know how Jodi committed the offense in an especially” heinous, cruel or depraved manner”, which is one of the Aggravating Factors in Capitol Punishment in Arizona. Makes sense to me why he is focusing in on each stab wound and the pain Travis went through.
As Steve said, she would “thrive” if given life instead of death as she will have that “contact” with others to be able to manipulate for her pleasure.
I cannot believe that that juror had a connection to Jodi Arias. That is some bad detective work.
It was disclosed in voir dire and they let her on anyway. WHY?
On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 1:01 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Dearest Miss TT, I have been pouring over all your posts for days and I feel so spoiled now. Your posts are the most hilarious and true insights that frankly, my abs hurt from laughing so hard. I love your “I’m not making this up.” I was driving home last night and was GRINNING about reading more of your Vanderpump Rules and Jodi Arias Trial posts. Wow, girl, your writing is sooo good, I just love your style. One of my favorites is your analysis (ha ha, anal…ahem) of Jodi’s letter from jail to Ryan Burns. I’m nervous about running out of your posts, but hey, then I’ll just read them again. You’re a writing LEGEND IMO, thank you for sharing your gift with all of your readers!