Read transcripts from Jodi Arias trial closing arguments, videos, On May 2, 2013, Judge Sherry Stephens read jury instructions to the jury who has long awaited the chance to deliberate on the verdict regarding the fate of Jodi Arias. Arias faces everything from manslaughter to first-degree murder with a possible death sentence for the June 4, 2008, slaying and shooting of her lover Travis Alexander.
The case has been a mixture of two young, good looking Mormons who had a raunchy, sex-life, combined with secrecy, plenty of lies and one of the most gruesome murders that will go down in history.
Arias surprised all when she not only took the stand, but carefully looked the jury members in the eye as she detailed countless sex escapades that were so illicit, they had to be bleeped off television screens and live news casts nationwide.
Sometimes Jodi Arias' testimony became so elaborately detailed, that they overshadowed the importance and purpose of the trial: The murder of Travis Alexander.
Travis Alexander was found naked, curled up in the fetal position in his shower stall on June 9, 2008. His body had begun to decompose, his throat had been cut nearly from ear to ear, to the point he was almost decapitated.
Blood was splattered in his bathroom sink, smeared in the hallway and found in his master bedroom. In the midst of the bloody, crime scene, a sole hand print was found mixed in the blood on a wall.
In addition to 29 stab wounds including multiple wounds to Travis Alexander's back, chest and defensive wounds to his hands, showing he tried to fight off his killer, he had been shot in the head.
Though blood had been found at the crime scene, Travis Alexander's body had been washed off after being moved to the shower stall.
Exactly what transpired on June 4, 2008, was little known, until crime scene investigators discovered a digital camera that had recent images deleted in Travis Alexander's washing machine. Inside the machine, investigators found Travis Alexander's clothing, sheets, a towel and the camera.
Forensic experts retrieved photos from the camera and to their surprise, luck and amazement, they not only had a timeline of the murderous events that transpired, but they had photos of Travis Alexander's killer: Jodi Arias.
Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander had taken nude photos of each other. These pictures were released as evidence during the Jodi Arias trial that began on Jan. 2, 2013.
In addition to the nude photos were pictures of Travis Alexander taking a shower. The photo timeline shows Travis in the shower, then what appears to be the camera on the floor as there is a picture of the ceiling. Next, there is a photo of Travis Alexander's body slumped on the shower floor with blood beginning to pool under his body. More photos showed Jodi Arias' foot and pant leg as she dragged Travis Alexander's body across the floor.
In all, authorities confirmed the murder occurred within a three-minute time frame.
Once authorities had the crime scene documented in photos and time-stamped proof that Jodi Arias was in Travis Alexander's home the day of his murder (and proof that it was her bloody, palm print found on the wall) they called her in for questioning.
Jodi Arias first denied she was at Travis Alexander's home on June 4. When she learned that police knew she was there, she changed her story and stated that ninjas had broke in and attacked Travis Alexander, while she managed to get away.
Finally, Jodi Arias stated she killed Travis Alexander because she was forced to. She looked at the jury from the witness stand and said she had to kill him in self-defense.
What added even more drama to what was already shaping up to be a bizarre case, was that Jodi Arias began to speak to the media. In fact, she granted an interview to Inside Edition where she said, "No jury will convict me. I'm innocent."
Jodi Arias spoke from the witness stand and admitted that she had lied. Not only had she lied, but she said she lied so much she couldn't keep her lies straight.
The prosecution, led by Juan Martinez, argued that Jodi Arias was a jilted lover, who though she moved away from Travis Alexander in May 2008, planned to murder him after he let her know in no uncertain terms that he thought she was evil and wanted nothing else to do with her. He argued that there was proof Jodi Arias premeditated and planned to murder Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008, beginning with a staged incident where her grandparents' gun was stolen, borrowing two gas cans and purchasing a third in order to avoid buying gas in Travis Alexander's hometown of Mesa, Arizona and renting a car away from her home. She was stopped for driving with an upside down license plate that was argued to have been an attempt to avoid detection.
The murder weapons used in the crime were never found. It has never been proved that the gun stolen from Jodi Arias' grandparents was the same gun used to shoot Travis Alexander in the head. The knife Jodi Arias used to repeatedly stab Travis Alexander has never been recovered. The gas cans Juan Martinez says prove premeditation are also missing, along with the bloody clothes that Jodi Arias wore that fateful day.
The defense, led by Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott countered that Jodi Arias was a victim of domestic abuse and killed Travis Alexander after he threatened her life and put the fear of imminent death in her because she dropped his camera.
The defense stated during closing arguments that if Jodi Arias was as smart as the prosecution alleged, she would have done a better job planning Travis Alexander's murder. They also stated that she was hardly his stalker because she had moved away from Mesa, Arizona to Yreka, California the month prior to his murder.
Also, the defense argued that Travis Alexander wasn't truly in fear of Jodi Arias because when she arrived at his home, he let her in, slept with her, and took naked pictures of her. The time stamp on the photos proved that Arias had been there for hours before the murder occurred. They stated it would have been much easier for her to come to his home and kill him in his sleep, rather than having sex with him, taking photos with him, then killing him in the shower. The criminal defense team also argued that Jodi Arias would have never left the paper trail that followed or tell people her plans to go to Mesa, Arizona, if her intent was to murder Travis Alexander.
You may read the transcripts for both the prosecution's and defense's closing arguments in the Jodi Arias trial along with full videos from jury instructions and closing arguments to prosecutor Juan Martinez' final rebuttal in the links below.
The case is now on verdict watch and deliberations will resume on Monday, May 6, 2013.
Jodi Arias could receive an acquittal on grounds of self-defense, a minimum of seven years for manslaughter, 10 years or more for a felony, murder conviction or the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.
Transcripts: Jodi Arias Trial Closing Arguments Prosecution and Defense
Jodi Arias Trial Video Archive from Jan. 2, 2013 - May 4, 2013
Warning! Graphic Autopsy Photos of Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias Nude (crime scene photos)
The case has been a mixture of two young, good looking Mormons who had a raunchy, sex-life, combined with secrecy, plenty of lies and one of the most gruesome murders that will go down in history.
Arias surprised all when she not only took the stand, but carefully looked the jury members in the eye as she detailed countless sex escapades that were so illicit, they had to be bleeped off television screens and live news casts nationwide.
Sometimes Jodi Arias' testimony became so elaborately detailed, that they overshadowed the importance and purpose of the trial: The murder of Travis Alexander.
Travis Alexander was found naked, curled up in the fetal position in his shower stall on June 9, 2008. His body had begun to decompose, his throat had been cut nearly from ear to ear, to the point he was almost decapitated.
Blood was splattered in his bathroom sink, smeared in the hallway and found in his master bedroom. In the midst of the bloody, crime scene, a sole hand print was found mixed in the blood on a wall.
In addition to 29 stab wounds including multiple wounds to Travis Alexander's back, chest and defensive wounds to his hands, showing he tried to fight off his killer, he had been shot in the head.
Though blood had been found at the crime scene, Travis Alexander's body had been washed off after being moved to the shower stall.
Exactly what transpired on June 4, 2008, was little known, until crime scene investigators discovered a digital camera that had recent images deleted in Travis Alexander's washing machine. Inside the machine, investigators found Travis Alexander's clothing, sheets, a towel and the camera.
Forensic experts retrieved photos from the camera and to their surprise, luck and amazement, they not only had a timeline of the murderous events that transpired, but they had photos of Travis Alexander's killer: Jodi Arias.
Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander had taken nude photos of each other. These pictures were released as evidence during the Jodi Arias trial that began on Jan. 2, 2013.
In addition to the nude photos were pictures of Travis Alexander taking a shower. The photo timeline shows Travis in the shower, then what appears to be the camera on the floor as there is a picture of the ceiling. Next, there is a photo of Travis Alexander's body slumped on the shower floor with blood beginning to pool under his body. More photos showed Jodi Arias' foot and pant leg as she dragged Travis Alexander's body across the floor.
In all, authorities confirmed the murder occurred within a three-minute time frame.
Once authorities had the crime scene documented in photos and time-stamped proof that Jodi Arias was in Travis Alexander's home the day of his murder (and proof that it was her bloody, palm print found on the wall) they called her in for questioning.
Jodi Arias first denied she was at Travis Alexander's home on June 4. When she learned that police knew she was there, she changed her story and stated that ninjas had broke in and attacked Travis Alexander, while she managed to get away.
Finally, Jodi Arias stated she killed Travis Alexander because she was forced to. She looked at the jury from the witness stand and said she had to kill him in self-defense.
What added even more drama to what was already shaping up to be a bizarre case, was that Jodi Arias began to speak to the media. In fact, she granted an interview to Inside Edition where she said, "No jury will convict me. I'm innocent."
Jodi Arias spoke from the witness stand and admitted that she had lied. Not only had she lied, but she said she lied so much she couldn't keep her lies straight.
The prosecution, led by Juan Martinez, argued that Jodi Arias was a jilted lover, who though she moved away from Travis Alexander in May 2008, planned to murder him after he let her know in no uncertain terms that he thought she was evil and wanted nothing else to do with her. He argued that there was proof Jodi Arias premeditated and planned to murder Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008, beginning with a staged incident where her grandparents' gun was stolen, borrowing two gas cans and purchasing a third in order to avoid buying gas in Travis Alexander's hometown of Mesa, Arizona and renting a car away from her home. She was stopped for driving with an upside down license plate that was argued to have been an attempt to avoid detection.
The murder weapons used in the crime were never found. It has never been proved that the gun stolen from Jodi Arias' grandparents was the same gun used to shoot Travis Alexander in the head. The knife Jodi Arias used to repeatedly stab Travis Alexander has never been recovered. The gas cans Juan Martinez says prove premeditation are also missing, along with the bloody clothes that Jodi Arias wore that fateful day.
The defense, led by Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott countered that Jodi Arias was a victim of domestic abuse and killed Travis Alexander after he threatened her life and put the fear of imminent death in her because she dropped his camera.
The defense stated during closing arguments that if Jodi Arias was as smart as the prosecution alleged, she would have done a better job planning Travis Alexander's murder. They also stated that she was hardly his stalker because she had moved away from Mesa, Arizona to Yreka, California the month prior to his murder.
Also, the defense argued that Travis Alexander wasn't truly in fear of Jodi Arias because when she arrived at his home, he let her in, slept with her, and took naked pictures of her. The time stamp on the photos proved that Arias had been there for hours before the murder occurred. They stated it would have been much easier for her to come to his home and kill him in his sleep, rather than having sex with him, taking photos with him, then killing him in the shower. The criminal defense team also argued that Jodi Arias would have never left the paper trail that followed or tell people her plans to go to Mesa, Arizona, if her intent was to murder Travis Alexander.
You may read the transcripts for both the prosecution's and defense's closing arguments in the Jodi Arias trial along with full videos from jury instructions and closing arguments to prosecutor Juan Martinez' final rebuttal in the links below.
The case is now on verdict watch and deliberations will resume on Monday, May 6, 2013.
Jodi Arias could receive an acquittal on grounds of self-defense, a minimum of seven years for manslaughter, 10 years or more for a felony, murder conviction or the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.
Transcripts: Jodi Arias Trial Closing Arguments Prosecution and Defense
Jodi Arias Trial Video Archive from Jan. 2, 2013 - May 4, 2013
Warning! Graphic Autopsy Photos of Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias Nude (crime scene photos)
0 comments:
Post a Comment