Every day in the United States of America, about three women are killed by their abusive intimate partner. The case of Jodi Arias is a stark dichotomy – was it an abused woman attacked by an abusive man who lost control – or was it a cunning pre-meditated murder, perpetrated by a diabolical “femme fatale“? Some circumstantial evidence suggested the latter, but the truth is that Jodi is a survivor of sexual, emotional and physical abuse. There is no example in the history of crime of a sane woman premeditating murder by a week for a motive as weak as jealousy, this idea is in fact ridiculous. Jodi Arias is not the first “femme fatale” in history. This is a wrongful conviction – an abused woman who was not believed when she finally told the truth. Jodi was convicted on a wave of prejudice after she lied to detectives and on TV to protect her and her abuser’s reputation, while intending to commit suicide.
Introduction – undisputed facts
Jodi Arias travelled from Yreka, California to Mesa, Arizona, stayed one night and admits killing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander on June 4th 2008. She then travelled back to Yreka via Salt Lake City, where she met Ryan Burns, a new boyfriend who she had met on the internet. When interviewed by the police, she first denied ever having visited Mesa, then claimed that two intruders had killed Travis. Travis suffered a single gun shot wound to the head, and numerous knife wounds. There was extensive blood evidence at the scene, and also photographs recovered from Travis’ camera. Jodi was convicted of 1st degree murder in May 2013. The jury could not agree on the death penalty, resulting in a retrial of that phase scheduled after many delays for September 2014.
The prosecution case
The prosecution case was that Jodi stole a gun from her grandparent’s home where she was living, staged as a burglary, and attempted to conceal her visit to Mesa by using gas cans to avoid having to buy gas while in Arizona. The prosecution argued that Jodi attacked Travis in the shower with a knife, and subsequently shot Travis after he was dead. The prosecution also argued an alternative of Felony murder, in which Jodi did not bring the gun, but instead stole a gun which belonged to Travis.
The defense case
The defense case was that Jodi acted in self-defence, after an argument that escalated. Jodi testified that she first accidentally shot Travis as he rushed at her in a rage, following which she was so terrified that she has little recollection of what occurred. She explained that a knife had earlier been used to cut rope for a sex game. She also explained that she lied due to fear and shame, and had planned to commit suicide, to avoid trial.
Jodi was visiting friends on the way to see her new potential boyfriend in Utah. Jodi did not realise that visiting an abusive, possessive, conflicted ex-boyfriend can be very dangerous indeed. She blamed herself for what happened, as many abused women do.
No premeditation
There is one simple fact that shows the State’s “premeditation by a week” theory is wrong. Jodi called Ryan Burns between 8pm and 9pm on June 3rd, and told him to expect her around 12am to 1pm on June 4th. This is completely inexplicable if she was intending at that moment to go to Mesa to murder Travis. It would be impossible to carry out the murder and not be many hours late to see Burns. Making an appointment you cannot keep for the time when you are planning a murder is just nonsensical. If Jodi was planning murder, she would have told Burns to expect her on June 5th, not June 4th.
Disputed issues
There were several issues that were disputed at trial :
- Whether the gunshot was first or last.
- Whether Jodi used two or three gas cans on her trip to Mesa.
- Whether Jodi was a victim of domestic violence.
In addition the prosecution presented other circumstantial evidence of pre-meditation, to support the theory that Jodi planned to conceal her trip to Mesa. For example, when hiring a car for the trip, Jodi stated that she was not travelling to another State, and preferred a white car to a red car.
A wrongful conviction?
The fundamental doubt about the case arises from the lack of a credible motive, the lack of any previous criminal record or evidence of insanity and numerous internal contradictions in the logic of the prosecution case. I will start my analysis by looking at the evidence for and against extensive premeditation, starting with motive, and then consider the evidence at the scene.
Motive
It is of course not necessary for the State to prove a motive, however women rarely commit heinous murder, so it is reasonable to be sceptical about a woman planning murder for a whole week for no clear reason, especially considering that Jodi had no criminal record. The trial examined two possible explanations for Jodi having decided to murder Travis : firstly that she was stalking him, and secondly that she was jealous that Travis was taking another woman on a trip to Cancun.
Stalking
There was some hearsay evidence of stalking – Travis had suggested to his friends that Jodi was stalking him. However, while making this claim, in fact he was in constant communication with Jodi, and never showed real fear. It was simply a way for Travis to explain her presence, without admitting that he had a secret lover – not something that can be admitted in Mormon society. It is not disputed that Travis slept with Jodi after she arrived very early in the morning of June 4th. In addition they took photographs of each other, and on any view were in an intimate relationship in which neither were frightened of the other. Domestic violence expert Alyce LaViolette testified that a stalking relationship is characterised by extreme fear, so stalking is not a credible explanation of events. See this video from around 54 minutes in, where Alyce LaViolette explains that Travis was having a conversation with Jodi on the same day he says she was stalking him:
Jealousy
The idea that Jodi was so jealous that Travis was taking another woman on a business trip to Cancun, that she decided to murder him, is ridiculous. It would be unprecedented for a woman to have sufficient jealousy to embark on murder and to sustain that jealous rage for a whole week. In addition, Jodi was moving on from her relationship with Travis, and expressed no expectation that she would be going to Cancun in a recorded telephone call in early May:
Travis: The beginning of June through like the beginning of July it’s going to be a busy time in Mr. Alexander’s life.
Jodi: Yeah, me too. For me, I might make a trip at the end of the month to Utah. You’re what, going to Cancun and you’re coming here. Then I guess you’ll go up to what, see your friends in Washington or something?
Travis: I’m not going to do all that. You’re the top of the list.
Jodi had known for many months that Travis was seeing other women. She wrote that she was devastated at the time, but by January 24, 2008 she was philosophical about Travis, and quite detached. She wrote in her journal:
The problem with Travis is that he`s so used to girls falling all over themselves for him, and she” — Mimi — “doesn`t do that. He needs that. I really think he does.
By June 2008, Jodi was courting a new potential boyfriend in Salt Lake City, Ryan Burns, and was prepared to drive thousands of miles to see him. When an abused woman is leaving a relationship, this is very often the trigger for serious violence.
“Abusers are often deadliest when victims are trying to leave their control,” Kim Gandy, President and CEO of National Network to End Domestic Violence.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence ( or intimate partner terrorism, perhaps a more accurate term ) is very common, but at the same time hard to comprehend for those who have not experienced it first hand. It could perhaps be said to be a form of madness or insanity, and there are several paradoxical behaviours that need to be well understood to comprehend the defence case.
- Why would a woman who has been subject to violent physical abuse voluntarily travel hundreds of miles to visit her abuser?
- Why would a man violently attack a woman simply because she dropped his camera?
- Why would a woman feel guilty and suicidal if she was defending herself after being attacked?
These are tricky questions, but there is extensive evidence and literature that shows that abused women and abusive men do in fact behave in this way. I hope to expand more on this subject in time. There was testimony at trial from domestic violence expert Alyce LaViolette on this subject. LaViolette also testified that Jodi was abused, based on an evaluation of extensive documentary evidence and interviewing Jodi. See here for some of the documented evidence of abuse ( to be covered in more detail in a future article ). Of particular note is an entry in Jodi’s journal about 6 months before Travis died, where she describes a typical cycle of domestic violence – heated arguments followed by sweetness and making up:
Well, today was interesting to say the least. Highs and lows. Travis was obscenely mean to me, but then he was extremely sweet and apologetic.
Circumstantial evidence of premeditation
The State’s case-in-chief was circumstantial. A gun was stolen from Jodi’s grandparent’s home where she was living in Yreka. However the ammunition stolen did not match the bullet recovered at the scene, and the State argued an alternative in which Jodi did not bring the gun, but instead stole an old gun that Jodi testified Travis kept on a shelf, implying that the gun theft was simply an unrelated coincidental event.
As noted above, the call to Ryan Burns on June 3rd demonstrates there was no significant premeditation, but let’s have a look at the claim.
The Gas Cans
In closing arguments, Juan Martinez referred to gas cans no less than 26 times. It was undisputed that Jodi borrowed two five gallon gas cans from a friend en-route to Mesa, and also that she purchased another gas can ( in fact a Kerosene can ) from Wal-Mart in Salinas. However Jodi testified that she did not use this can on her trip to Mesa, instead she returned it to the same store, obtaining a cash refund. During rebuttal, the prosecution called a Wal-Mart employee, Amanda Webb, who testified that she could not find any record of this can being returned to Wal-Mart on June 3rd. However, there are reasons for suspecting that Webb was mistaken. In 2010, Wal-Mart relocated from N. Davies to N. Main. Webb was unaware of this, and it seems possible that some return records were transferred to head office, or for some reason were not available to Webb. Webb was not sure how many registers there were, suggesting she did not have a good way of enumerating them.
Juan Martinez: How many cash registers were there back on June 3, 2008 at Wal-Mart?
Amanda Webb: There was, I believe, 25 on the front end, then there’s a few outlying registers, like sporting goods and electronics, so I would say 27/28 maybe 30.
In addition, there are receipts for the gas that Jodi purchased at Pasadena, which show purchases of 9.59, 8.301 and 2.77 gallons. These purchases are not consistent with filling three five gallon cans unless one of the cans Jodi borrowed was already about half full. A careful analysis of the previous leg of her journey from King City to Pasadena shows that Jodi had space for at least 9 gallons in her gas tank based on mileage per gallon later in her road trip at similar speeds. The 9.59 gallons would fill two 5 gallon gas cans. Jodi testified that the 2.77 gallons would be a “top up”, and if she did not fill the tank completely on the previous leg, there could easily be space for 11 gallons in total. This is plausible considering Jodi delayed filling the gas cans until she reached Pasadena, where the gas was significantly cheaper on the day than at King City.
It’s my view that such confused and inherently unreliable evidence, introduced in the middle of a trial, cannot and should not be the basis for any criminal conviction, let alone a conviction in a capital case.
Other circumstantial evidence was ambiguous, with innocent explanations readily apparent, and I will not deal with it here.
[ Update : see Jodi Arias – the gas cans revisited, 26 October, 2014 – Webb conceded in court that she doesn’t know if the computer records moved intact when the store moved ]
The Scene
There was an abundance of physical evidence recovered from the scene: a bullet, a cartridge casing, extensive blood evidence and photographs recovered from a camera found in a washing machine.
The main area of dispute was whether the gun shot would have immediately incapacitated Travis, implying that Jodi’s account that he was first shot and then moved around could not be true. There was extensive evidence on this on the last day of trial, which will be the subject of a future article. At the conclusion of Medical Examiner Dr Horn’s testimony, he stated that the bullet must have passed through Travis’ brain, and therefore the statement in his autopsy report that the Dura Mater was intact must have been a typographical error:
He apparently did not consider that the bullet could have deflected, instead of passing through the fracture in the skull observed on the X-ray. This would seem to be the correct interpretation of the autopsy evidence.
The changing prosecution case
One sign that a prosecution is wrongful is when the State changes their case. Lead detective Flores claimed at trial that he had originally “misunderstood” Dr Horn:
Nurmi: You were asked if it was Dr Horn’s opinion that this rendered the victim unconscious or did he still remain conscious. Pretty specific question, right?
Flores: Yes
Nurmi: And you answered “He said it would possibly have rendered the victim unconscious but definitely could have been conscious”, correct?
Flores: Yes
Nurmi: You were also asked, but in the circumstances, based on all the other injuries, it was his opinion that it did not render him unconscious, correct?
Flores: Yes
Nurmi: And you say that you “misunderstood” Dr Horn? That is your testimony here today?
Flores is ruled non-responsive by the judge (403).
Nurmi repeats the question.
Flores: Yes.
Nurmi: You put this “misunderstanding” first in your police report, right?
Flores: Yes.
Nurmi: And second time, under oath, and giving sworn testimony, you perpetrated the same “misunderstanding”, correct?
Flores: Yes.
Nurmi: And then again you did it while being interviewed on national television, is that correct?
Flores: Yes, that is what I believed.
This “misunderstanding” is not credible. Flores lied at trial to cover up that Dr Horn’s opinion had changed, there was no misunderstanding. It seems that prosecutor Juan Martinez, in a desire to find evidence that Jodi’s testimony was untrue, manipulated Dr Horn into stating that Travis would have been immediately incapacitated by the gunshot.
Logical contradictions in the prosecution case
Besides doubts about motive and the reliability of Amanda Webb’s testimony, there are numerous logical contradictions in the prosecution case. For example, if this was a premeditated murder, why did Jodi allow herself to be photographed at the scene? Instead of using gas cans, Jodi could simply have bought gas with cash. And the 3rd gas can was not secret : she kept the receipt. Indeed her trip was far from secret : she left a trail of evidence, including credit card details. She even used her phone while in Arizona, which is not consistent with a plan to conceal her movements. She called Travis twice just before driving to Mesa from Pasadena. Why did she not attack Travis when she arrived in Mesa, or when he was asleep? And stealing a gun, but then attacking a much stronger opponent with a knife is strange, to say the least.
Why would Jodi lie about returning a gas can to Wal-Mart? She had five years to consider her testimony, why tell a lie that might be contradicted by computer records? Jodi could have instead said she accidentally left the gas can on the garage forecourt for example, and in any case why lie about the number of gas cans used – using three rather than two gas cans is not proof of premeditated murder in any case. Or she could have said she did not use the 3rd can at Pasadena, there is in fact no evidence that she did, although there was evidence she used more than 2 gas cans at Salt Lake City.
Jodi testified for 18 days in great detail. She cannot be said to be a good liar, since her lies to the police when interviewed were not credible. It’s very hard to lie and not make a mistake under intensive cross-examination, and Jodi’s testimony is well backed by documents and other physical evidence.
The prosecution theory has Travis standing at the sink, not reacting at all to Jodi stabbing him many times in the back (there was a group of nine shallow knife wounds on Travis’ back). The prosecution theory also fails to account for a pool of blood near the entrance to the toilet, which is well explained by Travis bleeding immediately after he was shot, as per Jodi’s testimony. Another issue is that Travis apparently bled from his nose, mouth and ear, and this cannot be due to a stab wound to the chest causing a nicked lung.
Alternate theories
Due to the many problems with Juan’s theory at the scene, many people have proposed alternative theories. However these theories generally do not fit the evidence well. For example there is no trail of blood from the shower, the blood evidence suggests Travis first bled near the entrance to the toilet. In addition it is hard to account for “accidental” photographs other than by Jodi’s testimony that she “juggled” the camera, unless the camera had a “secret” strap. But a “secret” strap introduces more logical contradictions.
The defence case is extraordinary
How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? – Sherlock Holmes
In any self-defence case where the accused person testifies, a trial can turn into a battle to find some tiny inconsistency. That was certainly the case here, with every aspect of Jodi’s story coming under the microscope. One hard to comprehend aspect is Jodi’s claim to be unable to remember what happened.Dr Richard Samuels, a psychologist, testified that extreme fear and stress leads to amnesia, that is loss of memory. See 42 minutes into this video:
The amnesia and Jodi blaming herself and believing she had done something very wrong is key to understanding why Jodi did not call the police. Of course not calling the police, and the lying made Jodi look very guilty, but sometimes truth is very strange and hard to comprehend. Domestic violence and stress-induced amnesia are the only logical explanation for the facts.
Self-defence – really?
Finally, many people have suggested that since Jodi did get possession of the knife and undoubtedly used it to kill Travis, this somehow indicates premeditation rather than self-defence. However, given that Travis had already attacked Jodi three times, she cannot be blamed for firstly grabbing it ( to prevent him getting it), and then using it in circumstances that are unclear. It appears that Travis was not to be placated, and a fatal fight broke out some time after Travis was accidentally shot. It could well be that a fatal “deadlock” occurred, with Jodi frightened that Travis would get the knife and kill her, while Travis was fighting to disarm Jodi, out of fear that she would kill him. I suggest that both decided that “attack is the best means of defence”, resulting in tragedy.
Summary
I have no doubt whatsoever that Jodi was wrongly convicted. Many support sites exist, including a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FreeJodi where more details can be found.
See also
- Jodi Arias Brief – a brief summary of my beliefs, for people who already have a good understanding of the case.
- Jodi Arias – another argument for innocence – October 16, 2014
- The infamous trial of Candy Crush by Lise LaSalle
- Jodi vs. The World by Brenda Clubine
- Jodi Arias Trial Index
- Retrial Summary – the latest developments
Trial by Media 
George, maybe you can add, the hair color thing. Phone off thing.
More normal things, that the state used as circumstantial evidence, and premeditated murder. How many pics, did Nurmi show of her hair color? Showing ,it was dark months before she saw TA.
Just suggestions , Mad-
She was not dependent on Travis for ANYTHING and SHE DROVE TO HIM, THAT MAKES HER THE AGGRESSOR! How do you function every day with your head so far up your ass? There are people out there who are truly abused everyday and she should be ashamed to even suggest that she was abused. She is an atrocity to humanity
Evielle – the evidence shows that Travis was the abuser in this relationship. He called Jodi names, he threatened suicide. You are blaming the victim here, Jodi truly was abused, and that led to this tragedy. You need to look much more closely into the evidence. Do not be impressed with ambiguous, very circumstantial evidence, as some (at least) of the jury were. And you should also learn to be civil with your language.
George, where do you get your facts? What makes you believe Jodi was not the abuser?
Sue, Jodi never used abusive language, but Travis. did. He called Jodi all sorts of names like “whore”, “three holed wonder”.
A domestic violence expert testified that Travis abused Jodi.
The jury foreman in the 1st trial agreed.
George is infatuated with Jodi However this is written well Stephen King writes well too Jodi was so abused that she let him take a nude pic of her with her BUTT in the air..that how fearful she was of him. I mean didnt she look frightened as hell after that long drive to Travis home unannounced? She looked scared to me lying there on his bed butt naked George I bet she was in shock as they had sex together being all abused and all. George you are a fool, But thats all Fluffy isnt it? You cant do anything with that. You write well for a Physician I mean a Physicist I mean a Mathematician a Scientist ….Theres no record of you ever at Cambridge BTW George http://youtu.be/oC7mS0pwbyU Vinnie handed you your ass buddy and you looked really stupid
You are correct, Jodi was not frightened of Travis. Neither was he frightened of her.
I am not a good writer, but I am working on it.
As for there being no record – see https://geebee2.wordpress.com/bio/ – there is a link there to my certificates, etc.
i was abused just the same way. i also had amnesia as a result, ended up at a hospital, team of five psychiatrist pulled together to bring me back to reality. i was in the closed unit, strapped down, under video surveillance for over a week! i can still remember a doctor asking me *what is your name* and NOT knowing who i was and being at a total loss to tell him my name is the most frightening moment i ever had. when i think back to this time i still cannot remember why i was there and what led to my amnesia but i am sure my X had everything to do with it and he was banned from this hospital from visiting or even talking to me by phone. when i consider jodis situation i think about my amnesia and how i can not account, or recall the events that led to it. for all i knew at the time, i could have snapped and done the same thing jodi did.its so sad that abusive SOB destroyed his and jodis life because he was everything jodi is accused of being.
This is all very interesting, it seems like the jury was far too influenced by that crazy c___ Nancy Grace who believes EVERYONE accused of murder is guilty until proven innocent, at least two people have committed as a result of being relentlessly attacked by her for no reason. I truly believe she is a much worse individual then Arias(and Casey Anthony for that matter), because she revels in violent crimes like this and wants to put distraught families in the spotlight all in the name of ratings, so yeah, I don’t think self-defense is all that farfetched.
Nancy Grace is ,simply, a now PARASITE…she revels in her OWN WORDS BEFORE THE TRUE TRUTH is delivered…..
It truly was self defence. People react emotionally to Travis’ multiple injuries, which actually show that this was a desperate struggle, and NOT premeditated murder.
Lord have Mercy George I react to the fact that she didnt call the police right away, she lied to police lied to jury, Travis never abused her any more then she abused him..Dont ya think recording phone sex with your partner without their knowledge is a tad but sneaky?
According to one of Jodi’s post-trial interviews, Travis did know about the recording, and there is evidence for this in a text message, but it didn’t come in as evidence.
I understand you and many others think it was self defense but your opinion doesn’t matter as the jury didn’t see it that way. I don’t get why folks that say they care about JA don’t find a good way to show that but insteads keep repeating the same 4 words over and over like it will undo what the jury already said. The followers act like they are slow when they do nothing but repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat and repeat. Do any of you folks understand the trial has been over for quite a while now?
It matters because Jodi needs to raise money to appeal ( assuming the case is not thrown out due to prosecution misconduct ). The truth is slowly emerging, for example we now know that Travis’ laptop had a lot of pornography on it, and he searched for “Tween”, meaning children aged 10 to 12 years old.
How is stabbing someone in the back and slitting their throat a desperate struggle?
Ruby, if you look carefully at the back wounds, they are shallow, meaning Jodi was not behind Travis. Jodi did finish by slashing Travis’ throat, likely when she was so terrified she did it without thinking. But what matters is who was the aggressor. Who started the fight? That is the question.
Did Jodi have any defensive wounds or marks on her person to show they’d been in some sort of violent battle? What about Travis?
It’s complex. She had cuts on her fingers, and reported persistent pain from her shoulder, and scratches around her ankles. In addition she wore long sleeved clothing when she met Ryan Burns, despite hot weather. Remember, she had a knife and Travis did not, so his attention was probably focussed on either restraining her or taking the knife. Travis had wounds to his hands consistent with trying to get the knife.It is impossible to reconstrct the fatal fight, but Jodi testified that in the past Travis had used wrestling holds on her that she could not get out of. It’s possible this was what led her to panic.
I’m pretty sure I saw a few wounds on Travis. None on Jodi, but for sure, she’s the victim. Just ask her.
Also, is there somewhere that Jodi’s journal entries are posted?
Yes, see here : https://geebee2.wordpress.com/jodi-arias-letters/
In addition, some sites have much more material from Jodi’s journal which I have not seen. See https://www.facebook.com/BethKarasInsession/posts/10152456249046813
Thank you for your replies. It’s weird I don’t know anything about this case, that is rare for me when it’s been so public. I have been in the missing persons field for almost 11 years and I thought I read all these. It’s nice to have one I can read knowing nothing about either side going in. I can form my own conclusions and they’re never clouded by media or hype.
So thanks.
I would like to know if you’ve read the despicably cruel letter Jodi Arias wrote to Travis Alexanders family, which she dated 7/28, Travis’ birthday?
If your son had been murdered by someone like Arias, how would you feel, if you received such a letter.
Also your credentials have been called into question. I see that you went to Cambridge, but there’s no mention of a degree? Did you drop out?
I did see the letter. It repeats the intruder theory. I did obtain a degree at Cambridge. You can view a scan of the certificate using a link on the page : https://geebee2.wordpress.com/bio/
George, I’m not really sure why I’m here and why I’m responding to your blog but I’m going to give it and you a shot.
It’s pretty obvious that even if God advised you that Jodi is guiltier than sin, this would not sway you in anyway. That’s ok, I guess the opposite is almost true in terms of how I feel about this case also.
Why do you continue to mention that motive, although not required, is doubtful at best? Motive is not required, ever, end of. Yes of course it would be good to know, will we ever know? Not likely. This doesn’t change the fact that we have a very brutal murder here. Please stop suggesting that since we don’t have an actual or even reasonable motive that somehow this means the charge of premeditated murder isn’t legitimate. Motive is not required.
Next you poo-poo the Gas can testimony by Ms Webb. Stating that since she doesn’t know the number of cash registers in her store that somehow she is not credible? Last I remembered she was asked to verify if there was any Gas/Kerosene can returned on a specific date or within a specific date range. Don’t try to confuse the situation. If the locations changed from one place to another, then the job of impeaching this witness lies with the defense and not with the prosecution. Don’t suggest something and leave it hanging, prove it.
The .25 caliber gun that was stolen also happens to be the same gun or bullet used at the murder scene but the bullets are not the same as existed in her grand parents home? And this means what exactly? How difficult is it in a country where the gun rules to get a bullet or 10 that are different from what was in grans home? Remember that she did testify to killing Travis.
Have you ever been a juror? You and many like you are doing the cardinal sin that a juror should never do. You cannot look at each piece of evidence, specifically when it’s circumstantial, and come up with a reason for or against it. We can do that for anything in life. Contrary to what most people think, physical evidence, specifically the kind we really want to see is very rare to be found at a crime scene. Guns/knives are not left behind by a criminal, with or without the fog. Since most evidence is circumstantial we need to look at this with the utmost respect and importance. If I were on your side, I could no doubt disparage every piece of evidence that points to her premeditating this horrible murder, as you have done but remember, she testified to killing Travis, now look at all the pieces of evidence and decide that it wasn’t premeditated? I personally can’t do it.
Her story was that Travis attacked/tackled her, because she dropped the camera, as you state, Travis was a lot bigger than her, this would have caused some serious pain and maybe knocked her out for a few seconds. She was able to then get up, run thru the hall, have a choice of leaving the floor/home (turn to the left) or turn to the right, into the closet and eventually back to the person who just attacked her? Remember that there was a gun in the closet (unloaded so she thought) and go back into the washroom to challenge her abuser? This is what you believe right? From the time stamps on the photos, Travis was shot, butchered and then almost decapitated within 62 seconds. So she was able to run around, in fear for her life, get on top of a dresser/stand (whatever that thing is called), that wouldn’t be able to support her weight, get a gun, back to the washroom and butcher him? Do you honestly believe yourself? It’s not possible.
I have no doubts that Travis used Jodi, I can’t say with 100% certainty that he ever abused her physically, mentally I have no doubts he did and sexually they used each other. The extent of if though we will never know for sure. You seem to think that since Jodi is female and attractive that somehow she is not capable of committing such a horrible crime? Statistically yes, your right, women do not commit these types of crimes but there are exceptions to every rule and you are not allowing this possibility to exist. You are like a referee in the EPL who happens to be a fan of Manchester United and subconsciously cannot call a penalty against his beloved ManU no matter what. It doesn’t make him a crooked ref, it just makes him human.
As you appear to be unlike most of the moronic supporters of this murderer, I ask you to look again at all the evidence thoroughly, don’t break down every piece of evidence and come up with an excuse for it to benefit Jodi and/or against Travis. Don’t think that if/since Travis may have abused her previously that somehow he deserved this. If you believe in self-defense, then how feasible is it to commit such a heinous crime?
Thanks and sorry for the rambling. It happens sometimes.
Ben
First you state “This doesn’t change the fact that we have a very brutal murder here.”
Murder is a conclusion, not a fact.
Secondly, you say:
“From the time stamps on the photos, Travis was shot, butchered and then almost decapitated within 62 seconds.”
This is not true. The picture at 62 seconds was taken just outside the linen cupboard, pointing into the bathroom. Travis’ arm is raised, and he is very much alive. He has been accidentally shot, as Jodi testified, but that is all. The fight in which he lost his life took place some time later.
The large number injuries Travis had indictae a desperate fight. The fact that most of the wounds are superficial suggest Jodi was not teh aggressor. There is more, much more, please see the menu.
If there was such a struggle then where were all of Jodi’s injuries??? Man you have an excuse for everything don’t you….
They are numerous reasons why Travis would have been angry with Jodi. 1. He had recently had sex with her that had violated the Laws of Chastity, again, that if anyone found out about the sex would bring upon him further ridicule and a possible loss of his Temple Recommend if anyone found, especially if Jodi said that she was going to tell about their affair. 2 Marie Hall was going to Cancun with him but was going there to babysit the Hughes children leaving Travis alone without a date to wander the sites by himself. 3. Jodi had dropped his $1,500 camera. All of these factors would have made Travis very angry thus lashing out a Jodi because just like his father his anger had finally broken through and took over.
Guilty, had she not went to AZ this would not have happened, I haven’t seen where Travis was going to California to initiate anything with her. Whatever the verdict is will be fine with me, life death all the same, locked up, and life is over as she knew it, everyone else can get on with their lives, I feel sorry for her mom and dad but they didn’t do this.
I am a survivor. I am a certified domestic violence advocate. I speak out and teach others about domestic violence. Jodi Arias is not a victim of abuse. She was a sexually adventurous woman looking for marriage. She wanted Travis to be her husband. He liked her but didn’t want to marry her. Her trip to Mesa was a hopeful attempt to change Travis’s mind and take her to Cancun. Plan A: seduce him and change his mind. When her ploy didn’t work , she resorted to Plan B…. Her attack was prompted by intense rage. Slitting someone’s throat is not a defensive act. Jodi is a liar, and an evil murderer, truly deserving the death penalty.
This is a sophisticated idea for a motive. A kind of “conditional murder” plan. But it is not credible. It is not possible to simultaneously be in love with someone (and having sex with them) and at the same time be planning to murder them. It’s one or the other at a given moment in time. In addition Jodi and Travis were not “broken up”, there was no commitment by June 2014, albeit a secret sexual relationship continued. So there can have been no sense of acute betrayal, the feeling that can lead to a crime of passion.
As for “slitting someones throat is not a defensive act”, this is well accounted for by the loss of control that can occur when someone is terrified beyond reason ( fight or flight ). Killing your opponent is allowed in self-defense situations.
George you really really need to move on with your life, she will never get out of prison. There is no reason for an appeal, just wait and see….imo
I myself am a victim Jodi arias is not if she was abused mentally and physically her “trips” to go to Travis could have stopped she stalked him she made It known lied on the stand several times she knew what she was doing she and her family has bashed his name so many times the truth is it was premeditated murder she went to his house went to his friends stating he won’t commit he won’t commit calling bet time and time again to see if there was another woman a truth be told his ex testified Travis never hurt anyone she deserves DP and Travis should be rip and his wonderful family should be at ease he didn’t have a choice why should she
I can understand why you say that Audrey, but when you think about at the evidence very carefully, it was not premeditated.
Jodi really loved Travis, she wouldn’t have wanted to kill him for no reason.
I really think her trial was quite unfair, nobody wanted to believe her, but what she said does actually make sense.
What evidence? Does she have medical or any witnesses that testified to seeing any bruises? Oh right, her defence wouldn’t call them because it might help Jodi hahaha…Oh, they were looking for one witness but couldn’t find him, and the reason they couldn’t find him was guaranteed Jodi give a fake name…Quite granted, we saw the text and he called her names but what did she do to him for him to get mad. Maybe with her jealous way he was the one who finally snapped and called her a bunch of names. I believe he did use her only for sex and nothing more. That doesn’t give someone permission to kill another because he called her names and used her for sex. I had to laugh when Jodi said her mother carried a wooden spoon in her purse…Is that all she got hit with? You ever see those big wooden spoons and forks that hang on the wall, and yes they are way too big to carry in a purse, well my mother hit us kids with them until they broke. I was verbally, mentally and physical abused but that is no excuse to kill someone.
There are so many details left out! Jodi is a monster and shall be treated like one. She was never abused. She was a jealous mental monster.
Amanda, we need to look at the evidence, and that shows Jodi is no monster. I know it looked that way, but as new evidence comes in, I hope you will realise Jodi’s testimony was the truth. Just think of how many of the State’s arguments are not correct. Especially considering Amanda Webb to be a reliable witness.
If she was moving on with her life and start up another relationship with another guy from Utah, don’t you think the last thing you would do is go see an ex boyfriend and have all hours of sex? You’re kinda contradicting yourself here. Even if he was persuasive, if she really wanted to end the relationship, don’t you think she would say no and keep driving to Utah. And don’t say Jodi is that weak either because we all saw her in court and if she doesn’t want to do something or listen she won’t…My God, she defied her defence team enough times by doing the opposite of what they asked. Unless she couldn’t say no because she still thought there was a chance with Travis and that she still loved him which would prove the jealous rage she had for him.
Jodi had arranged to see Ryan Burns, and thought that not going to see him would look suspicious. That Jodi wanted to visit her ex-boyfriend does not prove she had a jealous rage. Indeed, she visited two other ex-boyfriends on the trip before going to see Travis.