Arias: Trial Day 2 Revisited

HEATHER CONNER, Mesa P.D. crime scene examiner, photographer and latent print examiner.

She testified on day 2 of the Jodi Arias trial (January 4, 2013) regarding photographic and certain collected evidence from the crime scene.  One of the curious comments I've read on the internet is that the mattress pad from the master bedroom was not recovered.  So what, then, is pictured on the bed in the photographs below?

Exhibit #212 was a bag containing items collected by Conner from the home's dryer:

• 2 pillow shams (Conner called them "cases" but they were clearly shams)
• 4 pillow cases
• 1 fitted sheet
• 1 flat sheet
• 1 bed cover with buttons (sounds like it could be a duvet cover)
• 1 towel
• 1 pair of pants, size large

Duvet without a cover

Whatever item was left on the bed had to be either the mattress pad or the duvet... and frankly it looks more like a mattress pad than a duvet to me, particularly in Exhibit #66 where it appears to be a "fitted" type item.

The thought of Jodi taking the mattress pad (assuming there was one to take) does make sense if you want to get rid of potential DNA evidence but I don't remember Martinez questioning her about it.  I wonder why he didn't if he knew the mattress pad was in fact missing?  Maybe it didn't seem all that relevant in the grand scheme but it would have been just one more "stolen" item to consider for the charge of Felony Murder.

Ah well, it's just another mystery within a mystery.  Maybe Jodi will write a book entitled, "When I Did It." [snark]