( Note: there is an earlier more introductory article here. This article is intended for an audience with a good existing knowledge of the case )
Jodi is innocent. I don’t believe the State’s main case, it doesn’t make any sense. I don’t believe Jodi (no criminal record or acts of violence since childhood – see Note 3) would premeditate murder by a week, for no discernible reason. In addition, there are numerous contradictions in Jodi’s behaviour in her trip to Yreka that confirm she was not intent on murder : she called Ryan Burns, and told him to expect her the next morning. She did not conceal the receipt for a gas can that was supposedly part of a plan to conceal her trip to Mesa. She used her mobile phone after leaving Mesa, but before reaching the Arizona border.
I believe the gun theft in Yreka was a random burglary, not connected with the case.
In addition, looking at the alleged crime scene, it is a scene of chaos.
The physical evidence suggests:
(1) The gun shot was first.
(2) Travis then bled near the entrance to the toilet.
(3) Travis then went and stood at the sink for some seconds.
(4) After which it is hard to say precisely what happened.
However there is other physical evidence that needs to be accounted for:
(i) A pool of blood on the carpet, near the North end of the hallway
(ii) Two pools of blood outside the linen cupboard
(iii) Trails of blood on both sides of the hallway
(iv) Signs of rotation just outside the linen cupboard
(v) A pattern of 9 wounds on Travis’ back
(vi) Photographs taken by Travis camera
Any theory needs to account for ALL of this physical evidence, and also the time frame established by the photographs, and the location and orientation of the camera.
My theory follows Jodi’s testimony, which I believe to be the truth. However, I will give an account from when Travis was shot, since around then Jodi’s memory is poor to non-existent.
Travis was shot by Jodi as he came towards her out of the closet. The gunshot wound to his head caused heavy bleeding from his nose and/or mouth, forming the pool of blood near the toilet entrance. At some point he coughed or sneezed, causing the spatter seen on the toilet.
He then got up and went over to the sink, where he coughed/sneezed and dripped blood into the sink.
We see a picture of the Travis outside the linen cupboard 62 seconds after the picture of the shower ceiling. I believe he has been shot, but the fight in which Jodi killed him with a knife has likely not started. Some time after this Travis came down the corridor, and bled on the carpet there. He then moved back towards the bathroom.
After moving back towards the bathroom, there was then a fight between Travis and Jodi, in which Jodi used the knife to defend herself. This ended when Travis’ throat was cut. I think this likely occurred just outside the linen cupboard, where there is a large pool of blood.
Jodi then rotated his body and dragged it to the shower, where she subequently washed it. Possibly she left the shower running, accounting for the flood.
Notes
- Jodi testified to screaming and dropping the knife onto the bathroom tiles. (Day 30 Part 1)
- After Travis was shot, until the fight started in which Jodi used the knife, although Travis threatend her, there was no definite reason for Jodi to leave, since he was injured in a gun accident, a strong motive for her to stay and help him, see what happened, confer on what to do next (in domestic violence the parties usually like to establish a cover story to keep it secret), etc.
- Other than kicking her mother once aged about 20.
See also
Trial by Media 
That is absolutely the most ill informed, illogical and completely ridiculous explanation of the events I have ever read. I can’t even believe you believe that!
Excellent. Perhaps you would like to explain why you think that?
George, all the hype attributed to your take on this case and THIS is it? All your education, this is it? As a nurse with 30 yrs experience in medicine and forensic laboratory experience, I expected more after all I had heard…wow!
There is a lot more information about the case at https://geebee2.wordpress.com/jodi-arias-trial-index/
George I hope you don’t mind,
Here is my theory
If the gun shot came first. It could have happened like this. Just my opinion.
I believe Jodi brought the gun with her.
Jodi’s plan was to shoot Travis in the shower so there would be no blood mess. Any blood evidence from head shot would have been washed away in the shower.
She set up the photo shoot session. Quality photos was not the reason for this photo shoot. that’s obvious if you have seen the photos. The last photo 5:30:30 was Travis sitting down in the shower. I believe Jodi had a gun in the left had camera in the right at this time.
Jodi was standing over Travis seated in shower. Bullet trajectory right to left downward shot. One single gunshot to right brow, projectile recovered in left cheek. Instead of camera shot it was the gun shot to the head, approximately Ceiling photo at 5:31:14
I believe Travis received only one wound in the bathroom area, gun shot or stab.. There is very little blood in the bathroom area, 90% of the blood is down the hallway, by looking at the crime scene photo evidence.
The gun shot may have not incapacitated Travis. Not what Jodi was expecting. This simple murder turned into chaos.
Jodi may have tried to keep Travis down but was not working and ran for the knife.
Travis went down near the toilet area, was down for a moment, blood pool there, spitting up blood. to the door casing, got up made his way to the sink, he followed the wall where the scales were, there was a blood trail there, then around back to the sink.
Travis then made his way to the sink, Jodi is freaking out, and didn’t think Travis would ever leave the shower.
Jodi is shocked that Travis is back on his feet. Jodi needs to finish what she started. There is no way she can let Travis get help, she need to finish him off.
Jodi is back at the attack.
Travis turned around and tried to defend himself from the frontal knife attack.
Jodi is between him and escape route. Dazed from gun shot to the head, Travis was unable to defend him self properly.
Travis has received defense wounds to the hands and stab wounds to heart and body. Travis is becoming very weak at this point. This happens in the area of the linen closet.
Travis breaks away trying to get down the hallway to escape, collapses at the linen closet, head wound and stab wounds have taken their toll, large pool of blood near the linen closet. Travis would have to be on the floor to leave these blood pools.
Jodi jumps on Travis’s back and starts the knife attack to his back. Travis is on the floor, face down, Jodi is on top of him, seated in his buttocks region, making the stabs to the upper back. I believe Travis may have flipped over onto his back here photo 162 – 5:32:16 Picture with Jodi’s foot. Travis’s head up arm is up defending him self from the ongoing attack. I would be hard to pinpoint exact location of this photo, but somewhere between linen closet and maybe ¾ of the way down the hallway.
From autopsy Report – stab sound to the back
(A cluster of nine (9) stab wounds of the upper paramidline right and left sides of back, ranging in size from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches, within a 6 x 5 1/2 inch area; all wounds display blunt and sharply incised ends; all wounds penetrate soft tissue of back and impact upon ribs and lateral aspects of vertebral bone, with out penetration of chest cavity.)
Impact upon ribs and lateral aspects of vertebral bone, the reason the back stabs were not deep.
76 seconds latter, possibly still trying to fight her off, Travis still appears to be alive still on the floor same location with the camera slightly turned, photo 163 – photo 5:33:32. The thing is he is still on the floor with blood pouring out. We don’t have any time line for events after this photo. A this point he has blood coming out of his body for over 2 minutes.
Travis has blood coming out every where, he crawls to the end of the hallway. Travis makes it to end of hallway, to final destination.
Jodi knows Travis is close to death. There was no way for Travis to defend himself at this point. Jodi just walked up and slit his throat to finish him off at the end of hallway near bedroom. Large amount of blood on carpet near bedroom where Travis dies. I believe the blood pool on the carpet has the most blood, because the carpet would soak up the blood like a sponge and not allow it to spread out like it would on the tile floor. The blood on carpet may look the same diameter in size, but will cover a way bigger area on the tile, and would be bigger then any of the other blood pool at the crime scene.
Jodi drags Travis back to the shower.
Jodi tried to clean up the mess. She cleaned up all the foot prints, there just happens to be only one shoe print in all that blood, there also appears to be an area void of blood down the middle of the hallway. So Jodi just cleaned up the foot prints.
Jodi never thought there would be that much blood. Jodi knew she needed to get out of there before Travis’s friends came home.
She planned for Travis to never get out of the shower. Jodi had no idea a 25 cal would not do the job.
Jodi acknowledged she killed Travis and did it alone, right. The real question is: was the killing murder or self-defense?
If you just look at what happened in the bathroom, all the opportunities for Jodi to escape, Jodi actions, blood evidence. There is no way this was self defense.
There were so many opportunities for Jodi to get away, first when Jodi says she broke away after she says she dropped the camera, she should have just ran out of the house, instead of running into the closet. After the gun shot she said she broke away again, she still did not leave, We know Travis was at the sink bleeding with his back turned to Jodi, there would be no threat to Jodi at that time, another opportunity to get out of there. By the time Travis’s throat was cut, He had received a shot to the head and many stab wounds. Travis would for sure not be a threat to Jodi at this time. Another chance to leave before she cut his throat.
If Jodi cared anything about Travis like she says, She would have taken the first opportunity to get out of there, call the police and ambulance and not just continue to kill Travis, and she did have many opportunities.
Well, we know for sure Jodi did not help Travis, because he is dead..
We can only guess if she ever tried to help Travis between the times he was stationary. She never testified to helping Travis at all. Even in her intruder story, she just left him there for the intruders to kill.
We know Travis was down on the floor stationary for a few moments 3 times, and may have been crawling at times, plus standing at the sink.
The blood evidence in that bathroom tells me, looking at the pools of blood on sink and floor. Travis was stationary these time in that bathroom. Travis was down by the toilet, he was at the sink, he was down in he hallway, he was down on the carpet,
What was Jodi doing all these times Travis was motionless to be able to leave pools of blood?
The blood pools on the floor are proof enough for me, That tells me Travis was on the floor maybe 15 seconds per, Toilet area 15 + sink + 15 + linen closet 15 = 45 seconds on the ground, and there is only 62 seconds between ceiling photo and photo of Jodi’s foot photo, that is down the hallway. And I didn’t even count the carpet.
Travis was probably on the floor 90% of the time, and Jodi was Stabbing Travis 100% of that time, what else could she be doing, she’s not escaping,
I don’t think self defense is where you are able to disable a person enough to get away, but then just continue to kill that person.
Gun shot to the head would disorientate anyone enough for you to get away.
If someone is standing at the sink bleeding, with their back turned to you, they can’t be a threat to you. Great opportunity to get the hell out of there.
Would you really need to cut someone’s throat, after you shot them in the head and stabbed them 27 times. Maybe if you were fighting for you life with a grizzly bear.
It doesn’t make sense that Travis would attack and continue to attack someone that is continually stabbing him, while he has blood pouring out everywhere, and doesn’t stop attacking until he is dead, over a camera.
And don’t forget Jodi has no injuries, just two self inflicted cuts on her fingers.
Just my opinion.
Mike, thank you for submitting this here. There are two parts to your post, an alternative theory to Juan Martinez’ theory of the scene, and assertions about how a domestic violence fight between Jodi and Travis could have evolved.
On your theory, it is compatible with much of the evidence we have previously discussed. However, there is other evidence that is not compatible with your theory, notably the trails of blood on either side of the hallway. Nevertheless, you do agree that there are long pauses in the action, which are in my opinion not compatible with Jodi attacking Travis. There is much more that can be said, including discussion of the shallow back wounds.
On your assertions about Jodi being able to escape, I say that she was conflicted – she had reasons to want to flee, but also a strong reason to stay and render assistance to Travis, who would have been bleeding heavily from the gunshot.
As for Travis, we do not know what was in his mind – but he may have feared that Jodi might kill him, and opted to try and disarm her, causing increased fear on Jodi’s part. This can result is a spiral of fear and escalation, and this is the logical explanation for how Jodi came to kill Travis in the knife fight that occurred some minutes after Travis was shot. In my earlier article at https://geebee2.wordpress.com/2014/06/13/jodi-arias/ I gave an outline description as follows:
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.
I do wonder what was on Travis mind when she was killing him what do you think you would be thinking at a moment like this. The thing is he isn’t here to defend him self is he she made sure of that and the only evidence anyone has is what Jodi is telling. How do you know he attacked her three times did you see it no it all goes on what Jodi is telling. There is a difference in defendIng ones self and stabbing someone as many times as she did him then cutting his throat then the gun shot have you ever heard of OVER KILL!!!!!.
Katherine – I see a lot of shallow, MINOR wounds ( which means DEFENSIVE WOUNDS ), followed by TWO fatal wounds ( stab to chest, slash at throat ). That is not overkill, it is desperate self-defense.