Jodi Arias Trial

[Yamato]

I thought she already sold her paintings to buy food. In any case, it'll largely be up to Nancy Grace's audience to determine how much of a celebrity she'll be.

I bet Nancy Grace staffers are on the case, searching low and high for her most successful recipe to date, another cute murderer who killed a cute victim. It's TV magic, and HLN is desperate for ratings.

[Regi]

after 5+ months of seeing JA for the sociopath that she is, does it truly surprise you that JA arranged the interview?

In retrospect, it's not surprising, but that it occurred, yes, it's stunning because I don't know if it's ever happened before that a murderer had a sit-down interview mere minutes after conviction.

[Regi]

Travis Alexander went unfound for a long time. How long was it before he was discovered, and why ?

You know what? The roommate apparently wasn't aware that Alexander's bedroom door was locked. He'd appeared to have had no concern about Alexander's where-abouts whats-so-ever until Alexander's friends (his description of them) came to the house looking for him.

How was Jodi able to lock the door from outside the room?

I should have said that I'm sure the bedroom door had the sort of DOORKNOB that was one of those used on exterior doors, not the 'sort of lock'...

(I try to be as precise as possible, you see! )

[Leftcoastgal]

... does it truly surprise you that JA arranged the interview? And, for the record, JA's mother did NOT say "This is the beginning of the end." Beth Karas and Jean Casarez of HLN both said that Mrs. Arias was silent when the verdict was read and remained silent until she was in the elevator.

No, the arranging of the interview not surprising at all. I was shocked by the immediacy of JA's drive or need to comment on the verdict, even given her thirst for attention, I'd have thought she might need time to digest the outcome before spouting off again.

Actually it was one of those gals, don't recall which one, while reporting for HLN, who made the comment about what JA's mother had said. The reporter was on television in a call with N-Grace when she described it. Of all the characters on that network, Beth Karas & Jean Casarez are the two who I tend to find most grounded, least biased on the whole and accurate in their reporting. Above all else in comparison to other personalities at HLN, neither are prone to offensive comments that are stock in trade for this group, IMO. In any event, it wasn't a comment pulled from a court clip so can't say I witnessed it being spoken by Mrs. Arias, but hearing it described as overheard by one of the two mentioned above I didn't question it as having occurred. Hardly matters here in the forum. Mrs. Arias carries this burden with her heart, a mother's heart, yet another victim on the periphery of JA's deeds.

[Yamato]

Jagged and biased TV personalities are the secret sauce a for-profit network like HLN needs to serve the corn feed to the masses. How many millions have they raked in thanks to Jodi Arias? If only they didn't hide their giggles when their back pockets are taking in all that profit as they rail, rant and ridicule their cute little controversies they gleefully manufacture for us, then I might start to make more sense around here.

Good night friend.

[Myles]

Jagged and biased TV personalities are the secret sauce a for-profit network like HLN needs to serve the corn feed to the masses. How many millions have they raked in thanks to Jodi Arias? If only they didn't hide their giggles when their back pockets are taking in all that profit as they rail, rant and ridicule their cute little controversies they gleefully manufacture for us, then I might start to make more sense around here.

Good night friend.

Who are the not-for-profit news staions?

[Yamato]

Who are the not-for-profit news staions?

That's not the distinction that matters. They're not like HLN; they're not People Magazine on television. There wouldn't be room for more than one of those, and there's hardly enough room for even one, based on ratings. That said, there are plenty of non-profit news outlets you can learn about yourself on the internet but it wasn't my purpose to push those.

[backwoods]

If the Alexander's are successful in the wrongful death civil suite then won't they be able to claim the proceeds from the sale of ms. Arias' art work and tee shirts? At least couldn't they stop her from selling her products? It seems that I remember a similar case with the art work of "clown killer" John Wayne Gacy.

[Myles]

That's not the distinction that matters. They're not like HLN; they're not People Magazine on television. There wouldn't be room for more than one of those, and there's hardly enough room for even one, based on ratings. That said, there are plenty of non-profit news outlets you can learn about yourself on the internet but it wasn't my purpose to push those.

I disagree. They are all in it for ratings. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSN. I will admit Nancy Grace is more annoying than most, but I just choose not to watch her show or block of air time.

[docyabut2]

I do think I understand Jodi, a once very sweet girl. She was a victum of verbal abuse.Maybe problems in her youth, but not treated by anyone like Travis treated her the vebral abuse.Sometimes vebral abuse can makes one feel more raged and sick inside then physcial abuse.She only had to realize that way he was treating her was of his own bad way he felt about himself, and what he felt he was doing wrong with in his self , instead of killing him in her anger. I hope they give her life.

[Yamato]

Scouring the countryside for glamorously cute murderers and murder victims and turning up empty, HLN continues its wall-to-wall coverage of the Jodi Arias trial because, let's be frank, there's absolutely nothing else of importance out there to report on. Success is, after all, a recipe. Find the worst example of human behavior available today and flog. it. to. death. Surely I can appreciate that if I would only think about it long enough. All that matters to our spare time on the couch is Jodi. No, there are no good people out there doing good things to report on. That's boring, and they're kinda ugly too. There's just Jodi. No complaints. Jodi Arias all day, every day. It's great. We're a great country. We care.

[Myles]

Scouring the countryside for glamorously cute murderers and murder victims and turning up empty, HLN continues its wall-to-wall coverage of the Jodi Arias trial because, let's be frank, there's absolutely nothing else of importance out there to report on. Success is, after all, a recipe. Find the worst example of human behavior available today and flog. it. to. death. Surely I can appreciate that if I would only think about it long enough. All that matters to our spare time on the couch is Jodi. No, there are no good people out there doing good things to report on. That's boring, and they're kinda ugly too. There's just Jodi. No complaints. Jodi Arias all day, every day. It's great. We're a great country. We care.

To me, it sounds like you are sucked in more than most. I know what is happening in the trial, but not the details and not to the point where I watch news shows about it. That's the great thing about the TV remote.

[Regi]

I hope they give her life.

If they decide 'life', the judge then decides whether or not it's life without parole or with parole eligibility after 25 years.

In Arias' case, she's already spent 5 years behind bars and that would be to her credit, so...if she's given life/with, then theoretically, she could be out in 20.

[Moon Gazer]

Regi, I don't know much about the USA legal system (or the UK for that matter lol) but wondered if you could please help me understand something I saw mentioned in a report.

I read because her lawyer had asked that she be dropped from the case, if she is given the DP, this has practically handed her an appeal on a plate. As she could say that during the last part where she had to try and convince the jury not to give her DP, she could say she wasn't properly represented or something along those line. Is that true? Do you think her lawyer asking to be dropped from the case could have been a sneaky move just to make sure she can get an appeal if given DP?

[Regi]

Regi, I don't know much about the USA legal system (or the UK for that matter lol)

Hey, we're all learning! And here, the laws vary from state to state. To start with, not all states have a death penalty, aka, capital punishment.

I read because her lawyer had asked that she be dropped from the case, if she is given the DP, this has practically handed her an appeal on a plate.

An appeal is automatic for a death penalty case.

As she could say that during the last part where she had to try and convince the jury not to give her DP, she could say she wasn't properly represented or something along those line. Is that true? Do you think her lawyer asking to be dropped from the case could have been a sneaky move just to make sure she can get an appeal if given DP?

No, I don't believe they asked to be dropped in order to try and establish grounds for an appeal.

'Ineffective Council' is grounds for an appeal, but I've read that it's very, very difficult to show. For one thing, it would have to be extreme negligence, and so it appears to me highly doubtful that Arias could even possibly win on those grounds.

[Moon Gazer]

Ineffective council! That is what they called it, thanks. Well if appeal is automatic in DP cases guess it would matter very little anyway.

Will be interesting to see what way they go.

[CuriousLittleOne]

holy........

i've just read up on this, seen really terrible photos, the poor guy!

probabbly seen by everyone by now, but still, found this helpful, ok so he was "knifed" between 5.29 and 5:30.

Edited May 23, 2013 by CuriousLittleOne

[Yamato]

To me, it sounds like you are sucked in more than most. I know what is happening in the trial, but not the details and not to the point where I watch news shows about it. That's the great thing about the TV remote.

If you want to do a post count on these 53 pages and publish the results, we can use that as a measure for how sucked in we are. As for why you're singling me out, I have no idea. I never said I wasn't interested. You just never asked why.

In the final days of this trial I was hoping for a not-guilty verdict because I believed/believe the greater good was handing this shameless, tawdry, valueless, disgraceful media a lesson. It doesn't hurt that it would also be the comedy event of the year. Youtubing Nancy Grace in a month from now would have provided hours and days of entertainment.

[Myles]

I didn't mean to offend you if I did. I think I only singled you out because you have been the most vocal (or typed) about the coverage of this. You also are very knowledgable of the case. Seems you are sucked in more than most.

[Yamato]

I didn't mean to offend you if I did. I think I only singled you out because you have been the most vocal (or typed) about the coverage of this. You also are very knowledgable of the case. Seems you are sucked in more than most.

I know far less about the case than others here do, I'm probably less tolerant of the way the money-media plays with it, more respectful of the rule of law, and perhaps now more merciful with the convicted. Other than that, I have no idea what you're talking about when you talk of me being "sucked in". I watch 10-15 seconds of HLN a day because it's all I can stand. There are frames frozen on HLN's screen that anyone with TVs set to mute can still read almost instantly. Even when they're not talking about the case, they're displaying information about it. It is wall-to-wall coverage literally. It was from those I found out she was guilty. It was from those I found out she was cruel. It is from those I now know her life hangs in the balance of her peers. I know nothing of the profitable "blah blah blah" that others do who have the noise on.

[Regi]

Mistrial has been called in the penalty phase, as jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision.

There will be a retrial for the penalty phase beginning July 18th.

[Queen in the North]

This case! Been away from UM but still following this, especially after I found a live feed that worked here in the UK.

So the penalty phase has to be done again with new jurors. Either way I wish they could have come to a decision, stop this rumbling on for even longer. My heart goes out to the Alexander family, it really does.

[Aaronsmom]

I admit being a little surprised as to the hung jury on the DP, but to me this is an example of what's wrong having the DP. If the public, and DA offices, could get over being so blood-lusting about the DP, this kind of waste wouldn't happen. The jury decides the verdict and the judge sentences according to state statutes and her discretion as a seasoned professional of the CJ system. DP is off the table, so no further need for the jury--either natural life or possibility of parole after 25 yrs (or whatever it is). This DP deliberation is such an extravagant and needless use of the taxpayers' money. But the other part of this I see as ridiculous is why does the court need a unanimous decision by the jury for life in prison? I see it with the DP--we don't want to put people to death if the whole jury isn't in agreement. But why can't the procedure be, if the jury can't be unanimous about the DP, then instead of retrial (of the penalty phase), it hands off to the judge for sentencing? The idea of getting a whole new jury to hear the arguments for life or death again is ludicrous IMO. So extreme!

Anyway, I saw this somewhere some years ago that stats show when cases are retried, the advantage goes overwhelmingly to the Prosecution, not the Defense. I really don't like the message that this retrial sends the new jurors: it's like a not-so-subtle pressure to choose the DP. Why is killing someone--even a waste of human life like JA--so high a priority in society? So high we devote so many resources to achieving it?

[docyabut2]

Well they said one women jurer was crying and said to the Alexander family she was sorry, another women jurer was wringing her hands and crying, so I guessing they were some of the few that thought Jodi was a victum of some kind of abuse, and just could`nt give her the DP.

Well this just in, there were eight for the DP and four were against,since there were eight men and four women, I guessing it was the women that were against giving Jodi the DP.

Edited May 24, 2013 by docyabut2

[Aaronsmom]

Wow, thanks for the update docy. I had not heard that. While it is not certain the votes broke down along gender lines, still it's a good theory, and is interesting if it was true. Would it be that the women jurors gave some weight to the Defense's claim of abuse and sexual exploitation, just enough to mitigate a teensy bit in the penalty phase? Would a male juror view the murder and the sheer brutality of it as beyond the pale of allowing for mercy? It's quite possible we will get more specifics. Most of the time, juries in these high profile cases give interviews eventually.