Travis Alexander: Loved to Death

There's no doubt in my mind that Jodi Arias loved Travis Alexander.  Bobby Juarez, Matt McCartney and Darryl Brewer should be down on their knees thanking God every night for the rest of their lives that Jodi didn't love them as much as she loved Travis.

Random thoughts on today's trial coverage...

If I hear Alyce LaViolette support her opinions of Jodi and Travis based on "the evidence I've seen" one more time I think I'll have a meltdown.  She hasn't got a clue just how much evidence she hasn't seen!  Now, if I put on my defense attorney hat, I have to admit hiring LaViolette was a strategic necessity.  She isn't a psychologist or psychiatrist.  Force her to focus solely on domestic abuse and she may not notice the depth of Jodi's psychopathy.  Solely from that standpoint, the strategy worked fairly well.  What has backfired is that her failure to recognize and admit that Jodi is an abuser has gone over like the proverbial lead balloon.

Jennifer Willmott needs to sit down.  The more she scrambles to rehabilitate LaViolette's testimony, the more ridiculous they both look.  The jury is pissed off and frustrated that LaViolette was manipulated by Jodi and her defense team -- and their 159 questions all show that.  The more LaViolette protests that Jodi was not an abuser/manipulator/stalker, the more likely it is Jodi will get the death penalty.

One of the jury questions had been regarding how many times LaViolette had testified in a criminal trial on behalf of a man.  Her answer was, "One or two times."  Juan Martinez just got her to admit that was perjury.  She has never testified in a criminal trial on behalf of a man.  BUSTED!

Martinez, still in followup, can't get her to admit some of her own testimony earlier in the day regarding Jodi being (or rather not being) a manipulator.  She's still insisting she "saw no evidence" to support that.  [cough]  Actually, she saw two pieces of evidence which she opted to disregard.  BUSTED!

"Hypothetically speaking, would your opinion of domestic abuse change if you learned the defendant has lied in this case?" asks Martinez.  OBJECTION!  SIDEBAR!  SUSTAINED!  He rewords the question... OBJECTION!  SIDEBAR!  Again the question is reworded.  "It would depend on what Miss Arias lied about.  Once again, I'm looking for... patterns of behavior," said LaViolette.  She goes on to needing more information about what type of lie it might have been (suggesting it probably isn't going to matter to her anyway).  Now he's nailed her, pointing out her own "lie" about having experience testifying for males in criminal court.  "Did you tell the jury that with the same degree of certainty with which you told them the defendant was a victim of abuse?" [crickets]  Flurry of unsustained objections ending in a sidebar.

[Juror #11 is ill and has been excused from the trial according to Judge Sherry Stephens.]

"So people who tell lies are liars, right?" asks Martinez.  It took him awhile to get the answer he was looking for but he did get it.  "Yes," LaViolette replied.  [LMAO]  In context, LaViolette refused to admit that Jodi might be a liar because she didn't see a "pattern" of lies (she "only" lied after and about the murder) while, on the contrary, LaViolette had characterized Travis as a proven liar based solely on his claim of being a virgin.  Apparently, LaViolette doesn't see the inconsistency.

Martinez finishes up by showing the jury that LaViolette will not concede her evaluation was defective because she was not able to interview Travis.  By extension, the implication is that we all know Jodi is a liar; Travis can't give his side of the story; and LaViolette doesn't have the Big Picture.  Well done, Mr. Prosecutor!!

What's this?  Following one last juror question and followup by the State, Judge Stephens dismisses the jury and addresses LaViolette:

The record will show the jury has left the courtroom... Miss LaViolette, we will need you to return on Tuesday to complete your testimony unless I release you from your subpoena prior to that time.  There is another issue that the... I think you are aware of the additional issue... this is a priority... [LaViolette speaks to the Judge, inaudible]... don't tell me about your personal issues.  Here's my concern.  My concern is that we will have a conversation on Monday, on the record, after everyone has had an opportunity to follow up on the issue we've discussed and at that time I will hear anything else.  You will have made preparations and we can talk about it at that time... You are still under subpoena.

Wow!  Sounds like reporters will be scrambling over the weekend to find out what's going on with that.