Jodi Ann Arias shot and stabbed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander to death (Part II)

[dianalyn]

Brilliant as always = http://eggtreenews.wordpress.com/201...-from-the-fog/

[bermstalker]

The Arizona Republic, however, obtained a copy of the e-mails between Alexander and a close friend from California, Sky Hughes.

Sky Hughes and her husband, Chris Hughes, both testified briefly earlier in the trial. They were in court today, the last day of testimony. Chris Hughes said that he and his wife had been manipulated by Arias, which is why they had a much more positive opinion of her character in early 2007 than they expressed at the trial.

Sky Hughes was shown parts of her e-mails. She smiled, read them through, and said only that she had written them, ?And Travis still loved us.?

The e-mails talk about the love that Arias and Alexander felt for each other, at least in January 2007. Sky Hughes told Alexander in one e-mail that Arias would make a good wife.

?Know that I would love to see you marry Jodi, but just because you have never seen her cry, doesn?t mean she hasn?t been crying,? she wrote. ?SHE LOVES YOU, so much that she is afraid that bringing up anything that is bothering her or letting you know she doesn?t think you are ?perfect? would ruin all chances to be with you.?

Alexander, 30, was found dead in the bathroom of his Mesa home in June 2008. He had been shot, stabbed and his throat was slit. Arias claims she killed Alexander in self-defense. Martinez is pursuing a verdict of first-degree murder against her.

In January 2007, the couple took Arias aside and told her that she should stop seeing Alexander for her own good. The e-mails indicate that Alexander learned from Arias that the couple had counseled her to move on. He fired off to an e-mail to Sky Hughes headed ?You?ve crossed the line.?

She, responded, likening the conversation to what she would tell a sister about Alexander.

?He doesn?t call her during the day, he waits until after 1 am (giving her what is left of him at the end of every day). He jokingly calls her a skank. He tells her to go out with other guys, but makes her feel guilty when she does. Thus keeping control, without having to give any commitment. He kisses her in the dark, when no one is around, and messes around with her, but won?t commit to her. ... she loves him more than anything, and will do anything for him...?

Then Alexander followed up with with a long discourse in which he said, ?I adore Jodi. In fact, I don?t know if it has ever been easier to be nice to someone as it is with Jodi.?

He rebukes the couple for causing ?irreparable damage to mine and Jodi?s relationship. She is paranoid that this evil person you have depicted will someday surface. No matter what I say or do she will always have in the back of her mind of this person that lurks in the shadows.? He denied being more than ?a jerk? with her.

But Sky Hughes stuck to her opinion, according to the e-mails,and sent Alexander?s e-mail back to him with her own responses, paragraph by paragraph.

?She was being treated horribly, you weren?t beating her physically, but you were emotionally,? she wrote.

?Travis, with love, you are a heart predator. You take great joy in making women fall for the T-dogg. You laugh about what you can get away with. It would scare me to death if my little sister liked you, in fact I wouldn?t allow it.?

At the time, Alexander was seeing another woman named Deanna Reid, who testified last week that Alexander was always a gentleman to her.

Sky Hughes wrote: ?(Jodi) has given you everything, all control, and you give her 3 am calls and make-out fests. I tell her this, and it is what she has been feeling. She asked why? I told her that she is filling the physical spot that Deanna doesn?t. But Deanna fulfills everything else for you. That is not to say you don?t enjoy talking to Jodi. But with Deanna fulfilling all but physical needs, and with Jodi fulfilling the physical, you feel fulfilled.?

At the end of her e-mail, Hughes wrote, ?We should have just said you should talk (to) Travis about these issues. But due to a pattern, we thought were (sic) trying to help her and you, in case there could be a future.?

Chris Hughes said today that the e-mails were something that Arias ?orchestrated.?

?She came over and threw Travis under the bus,? he said. ?We bought it, and we didn?t know she was manipulating us.?

He acknowledged that Alexander was seeing several women and felt it was normal for a young man.

In April 2007, Hughes and his wife had a falling out with Arias after they caught her twice eavesdropping on conversations they had with Alexander, he said.

?Are you going to tell Travis not to date me?? Chris Hughes said Arias asked them.

?We want nothing whatsoever to do with you,? he said he answered.

http://www.mydesert.com/article/2013...ealed?gcheck=1

[AnnieBelle]

I am watching last nights Dr Jill testimony.
One seat on the titanic. Oh my, I am so glad I didn't watch Jenny last night. Lord, Dr Jill spanked her spanx. Mercy already.

Dr Jill did a great job. And her personality and approach was such that the DT could not punch holes in her testimony. I'm sure the jury liked her, too. She was just very believable and personable.

[AgathaAppleswine]

:) I asked this a while back, but things were moving fast then...



IMO, clearly Jodi had no illusions of cleaning up the crime scene after seeing the big bleedout blood stain on the carpet -- that was there to stay.

What she did need to do is buy herself time. As much time as she could so she could at least control her destiny: by suicide or later surrender or whatever.

So she wanted/needed to get Travis' lifeless body as far out of sight as possible. Laying there at the entry, it would be most readily discovered: by peeping into his bedroom or by smell.

So she tried to pull it back into the shower ... but it was too heavy and it was sticking to the hallway floor with his blood that was coagulating.

So Jodi got that plastic cup -- the one found in the shower -- and she spread water on the hard surfaced floor as a lubricant to help slide his body back to the shower.

The water reduced the friction & mitigated stickyness enough to allow the body slip & slide along the floor.

She could also have rolled his body onto a towel, then wet the towel & floor and used that to drag him back to the shower.

Remember there was so much water that an adjacent file box was soaked red on the bottom.

If she were cleaning up, she surely would have wiped the blood off the wall that contained her hand print -- it was readily in view. And there was blood everywhere. Cleaning all of that was impossible.

So the water was used as a lubricant -- perhaps like the Egyptians used sand to move those huge pyramid stones.

And the cup/water/shower/towel were used to clean her body -- I do think she undressed to clean the blood off & put on clean clothes/shoes.

All of which bought her time -- his body wasn't discovered for days -- and escape: she wasn't covered in blood.

Oooh, that's a good theory. I hadn't considered that one!

I've never believed that Jodi was trying to clean up the crime scene. I always figured that she was simply going around destroying as much evidence of her being there as she could. I can well imagine that since she was bleeding at some point, that she must have realized her blood was there, possibly dripping all over the place. The hand print left behind was a over-sight, just like the camera was.

I believe she fully planned this murder. Just because things got sloppy at the end doesn't mean that it wasn't planned.

[Pywackett]

The Arizona Republic, however, obtained a copy of the e-mails between Alexander and a close friend from California, Sky Hughes.

Good article Berm. Even if they were manipulated, the Hughes kind of creep me out. I have never seen a couple so personally involved in another couple's relationship. It just seems weird and preachy to me.

[Sneakers the Wonder Dog]

but the juror caught it cuz geffner had just testified to it, which means that wilmont didn't find it when she first (and second) cross examined dr woof - which now the motions made sense the asked geffner to testify to rebutt demarte he got the case file read the autopsy and prolly asked if they had noticed the dura was intact - and wilmont goes running to make another motion so he could rebut dr horn - so i bet that was the first she realized it was in the report - then wasn't gonna bring it up directly to dr woof cuz she knew it had to be a mistake, just based on the autopsy photos - i bet she was pissed the juror asked the question

eta: that was the first thing that jumped out at me when i read the medical examiners report - smh!

Listen to Geffner's testimony again. The intact dura mater was brought up then on direct. I do agree that Wilma did not want to have to speak to Horn about it. She was either saving it for closing arguments or did not want to mess up the question.

it was brought up on geffners direct - but willmott should have found it 4 months ago when she was crossing dr horn - the first time

She didn't catch it during the defense's deposition of Dr. Horn either. In 4.5 years they never consulted an ME or called one to testify. They had ample opportunity to do so and chose for strategic reasons not to. When JM recalled Dr Horn he showed the jury autopsy pictures of the of TA's skull showing the trajectory of entry and exit wounds.JM then brings back the fact that TA's heart had stopped beating when the shot to the head was administered and Dr. Horn reaffirms "it takes a beating heart to produce blood in the wound track and there was none. The pictures shown were disturbing enough that they were not shown on the live stream.

It's worth rewatching this portion of the testimony. Don't fall for Willmott's word salad and her magic bullet theory.

At about 3:28 Stabby looks like she might she start to hyperventilate

I am not as concerned about the male juror I was before, he appeared to be looking at whoever is doing the questioning rather than the defendant. I noticed he had on a wedding band. As did another young male in a hoodie, but not gangsta style, short hair clean cut. I can't really describe the jurors, because I might offend some here with the same features.

Overall they look pretty average, you would not notice them on the street. Sep maybe a waist length ponytail on an old guy. One kindly looking old man took a nice long gaze around the gallery during a side bar. Can't begin to guess who looks like foreman material!

Thanks for sharing Poppycock!

So true! Hell, killer has followers crying for her! Statistics suggest strong, juries don't put females to death as easily as males. Stats also suggest they don't give the DP if they think the def has a mental illness.

However, if you look at just AZ....

http://www.nlada.org/DMS/Documents/1...hjurors24.html
Since Arizona revamped its law because of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that juries must determine mitigating factors in death penalty cases, Maricopa County juries are voting for death far more often than their peers in four other states affected by the ruling. They are also dishing out death sentences more often than judges did in the past.

Including the jury in the Ahwatukee case, the trial of Wendi Andriano, Valley juries have voted the death penalty for 14 of 18 defendants since Aug. 1, 2002.

That 78 percent rate contrasts sharply with the sentences of Maricopa County Superior Court judges, who imposed death in 15 percent of cases from 1995 to 1999, according to 2002 report by the state Capital Case Commission.

While Arizona legal experts say it still may be premature to determine how the change is working, jurors in the Andriano case told The Arizona Republic that they believe juries should make the choice, even though they felt enormous pressure and anguished over their death penalty verdict.

I would be surprised with anything less than M1, jodi lied to the jury way too many times to garner much sympathy from them

Keep in mind that Wendi Adriano also had two children and she still got the DP. If they come back with M1 then I'm satisfied with either LWOP or the DP.

Lying consistently to the Jury, Jodi is fucked. The obvious heinous photos of Travis Alexander, tells the true story of how Jodi murdered and slaughtered him. There is zero excuse around it. I feel the Jury has made their decision months ago.

The jury shouldn't have made their decision months ago. That's not how our jury system is supposed work. They haven't even been able to discuss the evidence/testimony with each other yet. I am impressed with the questions the jury has asked all along.

You're absolutely right about "The obvious heinous photos of Travis Alexander, tells the true story of how Jodi murdered and slaughtered him. There is zero excuse around it." and I'm hopeful the jury will do the right thing!

Ok, fine. Some people, like my good friend who was shot in the head, are immediately incapacitated. Others aren't. Take that a step further. Out of those that are not, how many of them are genuinely nice, kind people who were just shot by a psycho ex-girlfriend? Would their reaction be to get help or say fucking kill you bitch? That's what it boils down to. I'm leaning on the side of trying to save their own skin.

The fact that TA had defensive wounds and stab wounds to his back and head and she escaped unscathed except for cut on her finger speaks to that!

Riiiight. I need to scroll thru the jillion pages to find where Alyce "misspoke" about her notes, where stabby said pedo pics were on a computer. Your reaction to her misspeaking?
And Dr Samuels, he misspoke about his notes and what stabby "told" him also. Your reaction?
I don't understand that entire credibility is lost over this. How is it possible the bullet went into his skull to the jaw without piercing the dura? And it makes you respond thusly?
Alyce and samuels lost credibility because of their unprofessionalism and demeanor and well, the shit they said on the stand and such was so freaking OUT there despite the misspeaking and misquoting or forgetting to fucking bring their notes...
States witnesses were concise, calm, credible. I am sorry, but the only typo from and ME that would make me doubt his credibility would be that he found NO bullet and said "oh, right, I made an error"

Funny that the defense is held to a much lower standard when it's their client that is facing such a serious charge. Let's not forget all of the defense antics and childish, unprofessional behavior during court either.

Would you agree that 100% of the people with frontal lobe trauma are deceased at the time of your examination?

I think it was a clearly sarcastic question letting us know one juror doesn't care about what the lawyers were battling over, bringing the ME back for his 3rd curtain call... That it's as simple as she shot him and he's dead. Not a defense juror, IMO.

Agree!It was a slam to the defense and to Geffner.

Are the closing arguments today?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I need to find the ME report: did he just check the wrong box on a form? that would be a typo, or did he write it out long-hand "the dura wasn't pierced"? because that would be a mistake and his testimony would then be somewhat of a "cya" attempt. By NO means misconduct or an appeal issue though.

The ME probably uses a report writer and simply forgot to edit it as he said yesterday, it's a typo.

Jury instructions 1st.. then Juan is on... then Nurmi.... brace yourself

The defense goes first, Juan Martinez has the last word

No. JM goes first, then the defense and then JM again as gets to rebut the defense's final argument. He gets last word as he the burden of proof!

[AnnieBelle]

Would you agree that 100% of the people with frontal lobe trauma are deceased at the time of your examination?

I think it was a clearly sarcastic question letting us know one juror doesn't care about what the lawyers were battling over, bringing the ME back for his 3rd curtain call... That it's as simple as she shot him and he's dead. Not a defense juror, IMO.

That is exactly how it took it, as well. The Dr. had been testifying that a projectile through the frontal lobe would not cause incapacitation. The ME was testifying that it would, indeed, cause exactly that. The juror question drove home the point that Dr. Horn has seen many cases of frontal lobe wounds....and no one of them is alive and walking around with a great story to tell!

[elamir]

You've come this far - why give up watching in the home stretch?

Watching and listening to Nurmi - if he closes - will be painful indeed. However since closing arguments must be completed by tomorrow I suppose Nurmi will only have time to compose and speak about four sentences.

Have to watch my data usage, if this goes to the next phase I'll be ready to jump out the window if i can't watch it. Most important for me is to hear Juan today, I already know what the defence will say----so Nurmi is doing the close?

[ShellJett]

For me, it's all about the throat slash. That was the "take that, Travis" moment.

As disturbing as it will be for the family, I expect JM to give the Jury a visual of that in Closings. Even the description of that wound is horrific, and those pictures should lead the Jury down the path to a M1 conviction. I tried not to get lost in the weeds of DT fuckery yesterday, but I did watch the testimony and I don't think either side gained much. The jury does not have to decide if the gunshot came first or last in order to find her guilty of M1. I hope that is made clear in Jury Instructions and Closing Arguments. With all of the twists and turns of this trial, I am trying to prepare for any outcome. I hope JM is clear and concise, and I expect to hear the same shit from Nurms, just in a different format.

[Wishmich]

At about 3:28 Stabby looks like she might she start to hyperventilate






!

She sure doesn't look like the same cocky bitch that was sparring with Martinez during her cross.

[dizzyp]

Good article Berm. Even if they were manipulated, the Hughes kind of creep me out. I have never seen a couple so personally involved in another couple's relationship. It just seems weird and preachy to me.

I don't know if they're PPL or not but that whole group seemed a tad cultish to me...

[Wishmich]

I think Martinez will wow the jury with his knowledge of the facts and his passion. He will bring it home. I prefer Nurmi doing the closing for the DT because he is just so dry and boring and couldn't convince me to do anything.

[Sylvian]

Good morning everybody! I am so glad this case is almost finished. I have Jodi burnout.
Just imagine how quicker this would be over with if the court was like court yesterday. Maybe this case would have only last a few weeks!

Anyway, I thought yesterday was good. Personally, I don't care if Jodi shot him first or stabbed him. I don't care if Travis smacked her in the face real hard or body slammed her to the ground. She added about 29 additional steps to her actions that day. Doesn't matter which came first. If she shot him first, she still continued on by stabbing him 29 times, then cut his throat.
Nothing in Jodi's whole story justifies what she did that day. She brutally murdered him! Then she worked very hard afterwards to coverup her crime. That shows a person that knew what she did was wrong. Rage and overkill!

Wanted to let everybody know that I will NOT be writing the recaps for closing. There really is no need to.

Thankyou so much for all the recaps. With being over the pond sometimes it's just not been possible to watch with the time difference and your recaps have greatly appreciated.

[dizzyp]

I think Martinez will wow the jury with his knowledge of the facts and his passion. He will bring it home. I prefer Nurmi doing the closing for the DT because he is just so dry and boring and couldn't convince me to do anything.

but Nurmi's got all that pent-up energy from the last few weeks...

[Bellaboo]

The issue with Dr. HORN's typo is regrettable . However the gun shot wound is not listed as a cause of death.
COD is listed as sharp trauma to neck and torso. I don't believe this unfortunate error is a significant cause for concern .

[Bellaboo]

As much as I dislike the DT's style and tactics, personalities, etc.....they did a great job muddying the waters. It pains me to say, I would give them an A+.

They started with a seemingly cut and dry case of Murder #1 against their client - Yet they managed, with smoke and mirrors, to create confusion, doubt, and disagreement. They undoubtedly gave JW a run for his money.

In the end, however, I do not believe the DT was interested in revealing the truth or achieving fairness. In fact, I believe the DT had to set aside every modicum of wisdom and intellect they possessed in order to advance the theories they did.

Therefore, the A+ means nothing in the grand scheme of things. They are unprincipled and underhanded charlatans. Whether they win or lose, they will never be the same. They will be forever tainted by their choice to promote evil over good.

Well put. They abandoned their sense of decency in their assault on Travis' s name and inflicted great pain and suffering on his family.

[sheesh]

The Arizona Republic, however, obtained a copy of the e-mails between Alexander and a close friend from California, Sky Hughes.

Sky Hughes and her husband, Chris Hughes, both testified briefly earlier in the trial. They were in court today, the last day of testimony.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/2013...ealed?gcheck=1

I have to disagree with some of the sentiment regarding Chris and Sky Hughes around Jodi/Travis...

This is exactly what my male friends do, and with my appreciation. Much of what happens in men's groups -- Christian and secular -- revolves around intention vs. action, being "in integrity", and having accountability partners/groups. It's what we do as men to better ourselves. I've been called out many times by my friends for being out of integrity -- sometimes I disagree, sometimes we've argued about it. But our friendship remained and I was usually wrong, since I'm not yet perfect.

My male friendships are characterized much more by this "challenge" dynamic than the "consensus building" I've seen in women's groups. This is also not uncommon in peer relationships originated/built in 12 step groups.

It's my best friends who are willing to be honest with me when I'm in the wrong. Sometimes, at times, they know me better than I know myself .... or am able to see at the time.

Just my

[marshmallow]

While we may not like the tactics employed by the defense, they have actually done the best they can with what they had. These tactics are used in courts of law every day. We just saw them a bit closer this time. Jodi was lucky to have had a defender who would go the extra mile for her. Mr Nurmi seemed like he checked out before the trial started but his partner was rabid in her attempts. She just had nothing to go with. So she went with a bunch of nothing. She did pretty well all things considered.

[AgathaAppleswine]

The issue with Dr. HORN's typo is regrettable . However the gun shot wound is not listed as a cause of death.
COD is listed as sharp trauma to neck and torso. I don't believe this unfortunate error is a significant cause for concern .

I agree. I read the ME's report, and noticed that he listed cause of death as you said, from sharp trauma to neck and torso. His opinion has never changed. Detective Flores was the one who made an error, not the ME (as some people keep trying to insist).

Ok, and I admit. I am not the smartest one in the room. I am totally embarrassed to admit that I still don't see the error in the ME's report, so could someone point it out to me, please? :-) I haven't caught up on the testimony yet, and I probably won't until tonight.

[Pywackett]

I have to disagree with some of the sentiment regarding Chris and Sky Hughes around Jodi/Travis...

This is exactly what my male friends do, and with my appreciation. Much of what happens in men's groups -- Christian and secular -- revolves around intention vs. action, being "in integrity", and having accountability partners/groups. It's what we do as men to better ourselves. I've been called out many times by my friends for being out of integrity -- sometimes I disagree, sometimes we've argued about it. But our friendship remained and I was usually wrong, since I'm not yet perfect.

My male friendships are characterized much more by this "challenge" dynamic than the "consensus building" I've seen in women's groups. This is also not uncommon in peer relationships originated/built in 12 step groups.

It's my best friends who are willing to be honest with me when I'm in the wrong. Sometimes, at times, they know me better than I know myself .... or am able to see at the time.

Just my

My male friends have never assisted me with my relationship (Think we a bit antiquated in that regard) but I wouldn't necessarily have a problem if they did want to give me advice here and there. But if they went to my gilfriend or wife and started communicating with her about the dynamics and the rights and wrongs of our relationship, that is creeptastic IMHO. I guess one could argue that they were friends with Jodi as well, but I don't really believe that.

[*crickets*]

Hon, what do you think ME's do? They look at what was done to the body and explain the manner and cause of death. They do this because of medical knowledge of what would happen to the living body when something like a knife goes through skin and muscle, or what an electrical current would do to the heart.

He was able to testify as to why the knife to the heart would have been fatal. He explained how the knife wounds to the hand severed muscles and tendons. He talked about what the knife wound to the throat would have done to Travis. Why do you think he's suddenly unqualified to talk about a bullet to the brain?

Read your own definition of what the ME does, sweetie. Determine the manner and cause of death. Examine the body inside and out and document what he sees. His job does not include speculating on the effect a non-fatal wound would have had on the person. The GSW was not fatal. His report states cause of death was sharp force trauma to the neck and torso.

He says it himself while being questioned about why Det. Flores had written in his police report, quote: "The initial report from Dr. Horne was that the GSW would not have been fatal. The GSW would have possibly disabled him temporarily". Dr. Horne denied telling Flores that and goes on to say his job is to document injuries and determine cause of death, NOT to speculate on the sequence of effects of non-fatal injuries.

Do try to get your facts straight at some point, won't you?

[AnnieBelle]

My male friends have never assisted me with my relationship (Think we a bit antiquated in that regard) but I wouldn't necessarily have a problem if they did want to give me advice here and there. But if they went to my gilfriend or wife and started communicating with her about the dynamics and the rights and wrongs of our relationship, that is creeptastic IMHO. I guess one could argue that they were friends with Jodi as well, but I don't really believe that.

If ANY of my friends tried "meddling" in my personal business, I would not be happy. It's not their place. As for Travis, he obviously thought Skye and Chris were crossing the line, too.

[rdeadline]

Good morning everyone!

I find it really hard to believe anyone takes HLN as gospel on this trial. Although, I do like to think of people learning all about law through Jodi's attempts at revenge.

[Wishmich]

My male friends have never assisted me with my relationship (Think we a bit antiquated in that regard) but I wouldn't necessarily have a problem if they did want to give me advice here and there. But if they went to my gilfriend or wife and started communicating with her about the dynamics and the rights and wrongs of our relationship, that is creeptastic IMHO. I guess one could argue that they were friends with Jodi as well, but I don't really believe that.

I'm on the fence about the Hughes'. I think they really cared for Travis. I think Sky is one of those women who allows herself to become involved in people's lives. Jodi probably knew this and did, in fact, use her to her own advantage. I could also see Sky harping on Chris about it day and night, which is how he involved himself. I'm thinking Chris can now tell Sky to "butt out" of other people's affairs because, unfortunately, this one didn't turn out so well.

[dizzyp]

Az State Seal is up.. some people are literally sobbing as they enter the courtroom