Fact-Based Reporting by
Rob Roman
Warning!! This article contains explicit and graphic autopsy / crime scene photos.
There are two versions of this and every article, this one is a “page“, the other is a “post“. If you do not wish to view the most explicit and graphic autopsy / crime scene photos, please go to the alternate version here:
Then come back here to the “page” for the comment section: This version is where most people comment.
In part three of the Table Has Turned Series, we are now going to review Jodi Arias’ attitude and actions as portrayed by the prosecution and the defense, to see which one fits best, according to Jodi’s actions throughout the trial. Then we are going to look at the autopsy (WARNING: Graphic Photos) and the crime scene to see what they can tell us about self-defense vs. murder.
Let’s take what we have learned about the 7 most salient pieces of circumstantial evidence, and add these indisputable facts that we were talking about earlier in (part 1):
Facts about Jodi Arias
1. Accusations of stalking
2. A seemingly nomadic lifestyle
3. A poor work record / not doing much in PPL
4. Though Baptized into the LDS, little to no involvement in the LDS
5. No solid friends in Arizona save Travis Alexander, Daniel Freeman, her roommate, and a couple of females from her singles ward.
6. Arias had abandoned her responsibilities (Mortgage and Bills) in California with Darryl Brewer.
7. A habit of violating Alexander’s personal space and monitoring his activities.
8. Proof positive that Arias had stolen a diamond engagement ring from Alexander
9. No solid plan for the future
10. A habit of following through on plans even after the plan had already failed
11. Questionable move to Mesa, Arizona in the first place (after she “broke up” with Alexander).
All of this screams obsession with Travis and a single-minded plan to capture him. Notice how I said “accusations of stalking”? This is because I don’t see that any stalking at all was proven in court. I do believe she was following him around, though. That’s not stalking. The stalked person needs to know they are being followed and create a fear in the stalked person for it to be stalking. Travis telling someone he is fearful is not enough for me, because he didn’t take any of the actions a person who was truly fearful, would take, in my opinion. For example, did he call the police? No, he called his sister in California who is a police officer.
Now, let’s add Arias’ actions directly after the crime:
* She gives few details about the day of the crime, and is ambivalent about what happened the day before the crime. This is because she wants to give no details that can pin her down, in my opinion.
* When some part of her story is troublesome, then you get Technicolor detail and everything down to the split second.
* She altered the crime scene (Removed the weapons, deleted photos, attempted to clean the floor, straightened out the scales, dragged Travis back to the shower, threw bloody clothes and items in the washer, etc.).
* Jodi Arias immediately tried to cover up her involvement in the crime (text messages and voice messages to Travis).
* Jodi Arias went to Travis Alexander’s memorial service knowing she was involved in his death (there were over 1,000 people at Travis’ memorial service).
* She sent an exceptionally insensitive letter to the family complaining that she hurt her toe and lamenting that Travis’ family would get souvenirs from Travis’ home that she helped pay for. She lied to the family about what happened.
Jodi Arias Letter to Alexander Family (7 28 2008)
* She called Detective Flores and offered to help with the investigation while also trying to throw him off the trail, suggesting possible suspects, and monitoring his progress (what other interactions does this remind you of?).
* She lied in the interrogation, and when shown proof she was at the scene and some evidence, she used that evidence to fabricate a second set of lies. (The “Calvin Klein photo” – Would Jodi Arias have said this if she never saw that photo? The ninja woman standing over Travis. – Would she have said that if she didn’t see that “foot photo”? (Would Jodi Arias have said there was a woman involved?)
Jodi Arias is a very well-practiced liar. Just look at her two pre-trial interviews. I’m still sold even after I know for sure she’s lying. This is why some Jodi Supporters feel she didn’t kill Travis at all.
Now, let’s add Arias’ character from inside and outside the courtroom into the mix:
1. Jodi Arias did write a manifesto in jail and she went on several interviews before the trial against the advice of her attorney(s)
2. Jodi Arias did manipulate her fellow inmates to have sympathy for her and advocate for her innocence and freedom
3. Even though Arias was facing the death penalty, she still managed to have serious conflicts with the lead attorney on her case, a person she was once very closely allied with, to the point that they no longer communicated with each other. That’s really not too bright.
4. Jodi Arias also had conflicts with at least 10 to 20 of her supporters, including personal friends who wanted nothing from Arias but to help her, because Arias thought she knew better than they did.
5. Jodi Arias has sided with Simon Johansson of JodiAriasIsInnocent .com and has condoned and approved of his actions in attempted jury tampering and intimidation, a violation of our US Constitution, our American values, and our Justice System.
She has condoned and approved of slandering and attacking the victim’s family members (People who have lost both parents and grandparents as well as their brother), posting a photo of Travis Alexander in a body bag, with a message that Justice was “served” and Justice was “in the bag”.
She has condoned and approved of SJ calling the Alexanders the “Adam’s family” and calling Travis Alexander’s eldest sister, Tanisha Sorenson, “Morticia” and “Skeletor”. To this day, Jodi Arias has failed to repudiate anything SJ has said or done, giving more credence to the idea that SJ’s words and actions are synonymous with Jodi Arias’ words and actions.
6. On the day of the original trial guilty verdict, Jodi Arias got in a heated argument and screaming match with her attorneys over whether or not she should do an interview with Troy Hayden. What were the attorneys trying to do? They were looking out for Jodi Arias’ best interests. Juan Martinez chose not to use material from the interview, and Arias was lucky he didn’t.
(NOW, what is “Team Jodi” saying about Troy Hayden?
7. Jodi Arias, during her allocution, told the jury that she was a survivor of domestic violence in spite of their guilty verdict and spoke mostly about herself.
8. Jodi Arias showed no regard for the feelings of others, especially people who cared about her and tried to help her, on several occasions. (Detective Flores, Her attorney Kirk Nurmi, her parents, Donavan, George Barwood, Jason Weber, Elizabeth Schilling, A person named “Coco Elsie”, A person named Edd Stackowitz, numerous supporters who wrote to her and were left feeling she had treated them badly (I have this first hand from far too many supporters), and even Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who treated Jodi Arias well, as much as I hate to admit it.
Donavan was in court every single day, she did interviews, she answered E-mails, she advocated for and supported Jodi Arias. How did Arias treat her? Not too well. And amazingly, like quite a few supporters who were treated badly by Arias, Donavan is still out their pulling for her.
What happened with Donavan? She was smart enough to listen to a lot of Jodi’s supporters who felt her tweeting in between trials might endanger her chances. Donavan stopped doing the proxy tweeting for Jodi Arias. Jodi found someone else to register her tweets, and she took it out on Donavan, refusing to speak to her. Sound familiar?
These are just the ones we know of, as Jodi Arias was on trial for her life, people who were supporting her would want to keep quiet about problems like this. Of course, it’s remarkable that in the midst of a death penalty trial, Jodi Arias becomes intensely involved in everything that is going on in her supporter groups and in the social media at large. This is the fault of her super-supporters or “fans”, who got her all involved in the crazy internet goings on when they should have been taking Jodi’s mind off of all these things.
The sheer idiocy of these people has no limits.
The end result was it ended up dividing the supporters as Jodi chastised and humiliated some popular supporters, who had a big following, in favor of other supporters. (See the Jodiland Wars). This in turn alienated a lot of supporters, including myself, because Jodi Arias attacked the unselfish and kind people who we knew were doing the most for her.
And in the midst of all of this, Jodi Arias called for unity.
Jodi Arias was undeniably acting the way the Prosecution portrayed her, not the way the defense portrayed her, in my opinion. The same defense attorney who portrayed her that way is also the one who said that 9 days out of 10, he doesn’t like Jodi Arias and did not communicate with her at all for months and months.
After being accused by the prosecution of deceptively taping Travis without his knowledge and using the phone sex recording for her own gain, and denying this, Jodi Arias went on to duplicate this exact same behavior by deceptively recording a supporter named Elizabeth Schilling, over the phone via a “third party” and then using the recording to try and discredit her. What Jodi Arias did to Elizabeth Schilling, a recent college graduate and well meaning and ardent supporter, was despicable.
9. Jodi Arias broke the rules of video visitation procedures and encouraged others, including minors, to follow suit.
Who was backing up Jodi Arias in ALL of this destructive behavior? Simon Johansson (“SJ”), His website JodiAriasIsInnocent dot com, and his core handful of baboons.
10. Jodi Arias treated her mother badly during the course of the trial.
11. Jodi arias lied under oath in her trial.
12. Consider that IF she in fact premeditated the murder of Travis Alexander, that means that during the trial, she told a veritable circus tent full of lies.
13. Jodi Arias has engaged in an almost adolescent “love affair” with a Supporter named Ben Ernst and has gone off the deep end with him, duplicating her capacity to get involved with obsessive relationships characterized by a childish over dependence on the other person.
Jodi Arias was 34 years old at the time of the writing of this letter:
“(O.k., I’m in court now so I must cut these silly musings short. Ben, I love you so, so much. I’m a lucky lady. You mean more than the world to me.)”
Must run xxoo ❤ JUDITH A.ITH ARIASITH
P.S. Don’t forget your GRATITUDE! 🙂
4. At her sentencing, after hearing the prosecutor talk about how the family members found what little solace they could in the fact that Travis Alexander was most likely unconscious when his throat was cut, Jodi Arias told the court that no, contrary to what she said on the stand, she now remembers that Travis Alexander was conscious and was still attacking her when she sliced the knife into his throat and slashed his throat open.
In doing this, she completely contradicted the testimony of her Expert Psychologist, who thought it was possible that no memories of the traumatic event had been formed (if she really remembered nothing of the killing). There is no way possible to put Arias’ words to the judge and her actions at sentencing in a light favorable to the defendant, that I can see.
This is a person who seemingly begged for the Death Penalty by refusing to testify unless impossible conditions were met, not bringing in any character witnesses to speak in her favor, and refusing to allocute. She even states at sentencing that she wanted to allocute and “beg for the Death Penalty”, but she did not due to her family. Those words at sentencing seemed to be the words of a person who must have known that her only chance was the trial. Either that or she really just does do what suits her best at the moment with absolutely no regard for future consequences.
Now let’s go back to the beginning and bring down the defense’s portrayal of Jodi Arias and decide whether this portrayal fits her actions:
The Defense Portrayed Jodi Arias a driven and hard-working woman, who got into a toxic relationship. The salesman she fell in love with had a big ego, and he was controlling and abusive. Jodi Arias was a shy, withdrawn, passive bookworm type who was happy to just quietly read books and draw nice pictures. While trying to enter a professional career, she meets and falls for a charismatic leader and successful business man.
She becomes interested in the LDS religion, even becoming a Mormon herself. The relationship degenerates into sex only, as Travis Alexander cannot commit to any one woman. The more she tries to get him to commit to one woman, the more he runs away until one day, Travis Alexander reveals a terrible personal secret to Jodi Arias. Travis is tormented by sexual thoughts involving young children.
Having let that secret slip, Travis now starts to take his anger out on Jodi. He can’t end the relationship because Jodi will spill the beans. Mentally and emotionally abusive behavior on the part of Alexander towards Arias quickly turns into physical abuse as Jodi Arias tries to find ways to exit the relationship. This all culminates in tragedy when the exe’s get together one fateful day, and a simple light-hearted “photography session” turns deadly when Alexander snaps and attacks Jodi Arias. Alexander relentlessly attacks and refuses to back down. The demure and petite women uses everything she can find to stop him and defend herself when adrenaline kicks in, causing a massive overkill.
Travis Alexander continues to attack and refuses to back down even after he is shot in the face, stabbed deeply into the abdomen and heart, was lying down on the floor bleeding for a considerable period of time on at least two separate occasions, had his left hand deeply cut multiple times as well as the right, had received 7 additional knife wounds in the front and 14 more in the back.
Does this comport with everything we have learned about Jodi Arias both inside and outside the trial?
Let’s take a look at the prosecution’s portrayal of Jodi Arias:
The Prosecution painted Jodi Arias as a lying, manipulative, scheming stalker who targeted a rich Mormon and pursued him relentlessly. Another key element of Jodi Arias is that she will take an action that benefits her in her mind in the short term without giving any thought to long term consequences. Jodi crossed many personal boundaries and she continuously violated Travis’ privacy, read his private text messages and e-mails, and listened to his voice messages. Even when they were not officially dating, Arias was monitoring all Travis Alexander’s moves and his girlfriends and love interests.
Arias caused Travis to spend lavishly on her as they went on many personal trips together, yet sparks of anger and unhappiness kept flying. Finally Arias was told no and cut off and she flew into a rage, devising a plan to go to Mesa, Arizona fully armed and ready to tear Alexander apart for having the nerve to tell her “No”.
Keep in mind that they only knew each other about 1 year and 8 months and they dated steadily for less than 5 months. Yet she talks as if they had been together for 10 years or more. In that year and 8 months, what did Jodi Arias do to improve her own personal, professional, social, and spiritual situation in life? She did almost nothing at all.
Jodi Arias, says the prosecution, knows best what is right. She will defy anyone who tries to tell her what to do, and she’ll throw anyone under the bus at the drop of a hat. She will turn her back on and devalue anyone who “disses” her.
Does that sound like Arias’ both in and out of the courtroom? A few months ago, I would have said no. Now, I have to admit, it’s the correct judgment. She has duplicated so many of the behaviors that the prosecution suggested.
I can not overemphasize the incredible devastation that has happened among so many Jodi Arias Supporters. Almost everyone I know, either still believes in her but no longer supports her, or no longer believes in her and no longer supports her, or have simply moved on to other things due to The actions of Jodi Arias towards them. I contacted some former ardent Jodi Supporters to give them a “heads up” prior to writing this series of articles. Their reaction? Go right ahead. What changed them?
1. JAII and Simon Johansson
2. Jodi Arias’ own humliations of popular Jodi Supporters.
3. Jodi Arias’ Statements to Judge Sherry Stephens at her sentencing.
The two sides of the story. Which do YOU believe?
From the 48 hours interview. Jodi Arias and Samantha Alexander speak.
Now, let’s go to the crime scene and the autopsy.
The autopsy really fails to help Jodi’s case for self-defense, even if you factor in an adrenaline rush, trance, auto-pilot, trauma-induced overkill. Why? Take a look:
The autopsy mentions “blunt force trauma”, stating there are many abrasions and contusions.
The 3 sharp force injuries to the head were probably all done from behind. The one incised wound to the top of the forehead also seems to have come from behind.
Examination of the head reveals the following sharp force injuries:
1-2) “Two (2) oblique linear full thickness incised wounds of the right and left posterior scalp, each measuring 2 inches in length”. *
*” Incised and roughly triangular cortical defects of the right and left portions of the skull calvarium, corresponding to the incised defects described above”.
3) “A 1 ¼ inch oblique stab wound of the lower scalp (over the mastoid process), below the earlobe of the right ear, with an apparent blunt 1/32 inch wide end posteriorly, with penetration into scalp and superficial upper right sternocleidomastoid muscle”.
There’s one wound to the back of the neck:
4) “A 1 inch oblique stab wound of the posterior left neck, with penetration of superficial posterior paraspinal neck muscles”.
We have the cluster of nine stab wounds to the back:
5 – 13) “A cluster of nine (9) stab wound of the upper paramidline right and left sides of the back, ranging in size from ¾ to 1 1/2 inches, within a 6 x 5 ½ 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 (transverse laminae and vertebral bodies), without penetration of chest cavity”.
14) Here’s another wound in the same general area as the cluster of nine:
“A 1 inch oblique stab wound of the right paramidline neck base/upper back, with penetration into trapezius muscle”.
15 – 19) There are 5 defensive wounds of the hands, one to the right hand and 4 to the left.
So, out of 29 knife wounds, at least 14, or about half the wounds are coming from behind the target. It’s only logical that these wounds came after the gunshot, the deep penetrating stab wound to the heart (20), the stab wound to the sternum (21), the stab wound into the pectoral muscle (22), the 5 ¾” stab wound to the abdomen (23), the three incised wounds to the front of the neck (24 – 26), and the two shallow and parallel incised wounds to the front of the shoulder (27 – 28).
Then there is number (29)
“A gaping oblique deep incised wound across the anterior upper neck, 6 x 1 1/2″ with a lower right side (within 2 1/2 inches inferior to the right external auditory meatus (ear) and 2 inches inferior to the left external auditory meatus (Not quite ear to ear), and transection / perforation of the entire upper airway, strap muscles of neck, right jugular vein, and right carotid artery.”
All together there are 13 incised wounds & 15 stab wounds (cluster of 9 back stab wounds) + 6 other stab wounds). If you want to theorize that the cluster of nine stabs to the back were defensive in nature, then you could classify these 9 as “chopping wounds”, giving a total of 6 stab wounds. It’s only a different way of classifying the wounds, it doesn’t make them any less damaging. Also, some of the incised wounds (the wounds to the skull and hand, etc.) are devastating. The incised wound to the throat, was fatal.
The 14 wounds to the back most likely came after Travis turned his back in defense before and during his attempt to get down the hallway culminating with the slashed throat after he fell over and collapsed near the threshold of the carpeted bedroom.
Then there was the gun shot wound to the head and face, which could have come first or last. I think first makes the most sense, and I explain why in the next article. There are so many reasons to believe the gunshot was first. I have come up with 15 to 20 reasons why. It will be extremely difficult to prove that the prosecution purposely changed the order of injuries, although I believe this is true. The prosecution having a wrong or inaccurate theory is not cause to reverse a conviction.
It’s interesting to note that Travis Alexander himself said that when he was a child, he would instinctively turn his back when his mother was trying to beat him:
“A good woman, with the intent at an early age to be a loving mom. A few poor decisions changed that. As she progressively got more involved in drugs she progressively got less capable of raising children. Most commonly was a beating for waking her up. It hurt but we got used to it. I learned how to turn so that when she hit me she would strike my back and arms, the pain was less there.”
Would Travis Alexander shower with the shower door open? Look what he said in his blog:
“We didn’t have the convenience of bathing every day so we tended to stink. I didn’t mind going with out a bath that much really. I was a boy like most and didn’t have a problem being dirty. But I was scared of bathing because if I once got the bathroom floor wet and my mother accused of me of urinating on the floor and threw me half way through a wall.”
– Travis Alexander Being Better Blog http://travisalexander.blogspot.com/
This makes it much less likely Alexander would shower with the door open unless someone (such as Jodi Arias) intervened. This implies he knew she was there taking photos.
So, is this self-defense? The defense needs to come up with a scenario for self-defense when the “attacker” seems to be the one trying to defend himself. Now, that doesn’t look very promising for a defense team. How about the crime scene? Can they help a defense team to find self-defense was a possibility? Remember – you only have to show that self-defense was a reasonable possibility.
The crime scene:
In addition to all the wounds to the back of his body, it seems as if Travis Alexander was trying desperately to get out of the bathroom and away from his attacker. I don’t know how many self-defense cases you will have with the attacker engaged in retreat and escape from the victim? Can we theorize that Jodi Arias was being attacked, she went into an adrenaline induced overdrive and just went ballistic? After Jodi Arias had gained the upper hand, Travis would then try to get out of dodge with Jodi Arias, basically on auto-pilot, not being able to stop until Travis stopped moving?
Can a defense team convince all 12 jurors of this possibility? Hmmmmm.
Is this possible in light of the evidence? In light of some of the evidence, yes. But in light of ALL of the evidence, it’s not possible, in my opinion.
Yet, according to Jodi Arias, Travis, with 28 stab wounds, blunt force trauma, and 5 deep incised wounds to his hands, and, oh yeah, the gunshot to the face, and all the resulting blood loss, is Still coming after her when she took the knife and opened up his neck?
Most of the wounds to the front are made in the same direction and more or less horizontal, implying Travis may have been stabbed as he was lying on the floor..
Travis was stationary at the time, or in a confined area. He could have been on the floor on his back when he received these wounds. I think it’s possible he was standing or sitting up, and stabbing from a further distance than the angled stab wounds in the back, which must have been at close range. I think her theory makes more sense, though.
Make a stabbing motion with your arm. See how it would most likely hit a target on an angle ( \ If you are right handed, / If you are left handed) but then flattens out to horizontal (—) as your arm gets farther and farther away from your body?
So, we have in the front, wounds mostly made when Travis was not mobile, the cluster of 9 back wounds which seem to be made also when Travis is in one place, then chaotic stab wounds that seem to be when Travis was in motion. We have motion going down the hallway, so which wounds do you theorize came first? I think it’s possibly the motion wounds came first, but I think it’s much more likely it was the stationary wounds to the front, then the stationary cluster of 9 wounds to the back, then the chaotic, in motion wounds to the back.
The likely way this throat slash happened is with the victim crawling, or on their stomach and the attacker over the victim’s back. I believe Travis was on his stomach when he got the throat slash, because of a video, I was unfortunate enough to view. A man on his back on the sand had his throat slit by an ISIS fighter. Because of the victim’s neck diverting the blood flow, when the man was removed, there was a distinctive butterfly pattern. For Travis, there is no butterfly pattern. it’s more of a unobstructed blood flow, leading me to believe he was on his stomach.
The throat wound is unusual in that it is immediately below the jaw line and follows the bones of the lower jaw (see photo above).
I was talking about this wound with a friend, The first thing he asked me was if Travis had any experience with wrestling. I said yes, he had, he was on the wrestling team all four years of high school. I asked him why?
My friend said that it makes sense that when someone was behind Travis and they drew an arm and a knife across his neck, that he would instinctively bring his jaw down to his chest, in a chin tuck, then the knife would naturally follow the line tight against bottom of the jaw. Imagine that: Even Travis’ last move was most likely defensive, as he tried to protect his throat.
Nope, I don’t see how you can get a slashed throat like that face to face or from the front, or from someone beneath the “attacker” when the receiver of the throat slash has their chin tucked into their chest. You have my ear if you want to try to explain it, though.
Note to JAII inner core of people –
No, it’s not speculation, it’s fact. Maybe you would care to challenge this series of articles with a little more than merely barking at the moon as usual?
What’s YOUR opinion? Have your views evolved? Let me know, please.
Comments from all viewpoints are welcome.
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Spotlight on law 
Nice Job. 🙂
Oh, you looked at the graphic version, Colie? You are tough. 🙂
Very good Rob, exactly how I see it.
Now these are all the things most supporters don’t want to talk about or repeat, so they bury their heads in the sand and say Jodi is innocent, self defense is not a crime, is all they can say.
I have yet to hear from a supporter a self defense scenario using all the facts and evidence from the bathroom, that could even work. It just can’t be done. You would need to add things like Travis was on PCP drugs, Travis transformed into an actual lion, or some wild animal. Actually the intruder story sounds more believable the self defense story.
Thanks for your comments, mikejl2015. I laughed out loud at Travis turned into an actual lion. There’s nothing wrong with one or two improbable things happening. In the Defense perspective, there are way too many improbable things (and at least one impossible thing) to be either reasonable or believable. I also wonder what would have happened had Jodi Arias just stuck with that Intruder story? I also wonder what would have happened if the defense just rested as soon as the prosecution rested their case? The state never proved premeditated or felony murder at the time they rested their case. They had a lot of help from the defense.
Well written, easy to follow.
Thank-you, Kathy Westfall. I really try to make it that way. Next, I look more at the crime scene. I also want to do something on Incongruence, becausefor me, the evidence and Jodi’s own actions are incongruent with her claims.
I’m glad Jodi was found guilty of Murder. Travis was a great guy who did not deserve to die.
I love the interrogation video where Jodi says probably if she never met Travis, he would still be alive, and Detective Flores says yeah, because you killed him.
She needed Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park to help explain her quantum theory of cause and effect that a man pumping gas was to blame. lol
Okay, I’ve heard so much buzz on this I might actually have to go pay to see it. Yes, I mean really it could be just about anyone’s fault and doing.
Some people, like JAII people, want to blame the defense attorney, the prosecutor, the judge, the witnesses, the jury, the media, the social media, and the victim’s family. Have I left anyone out? Others find it more convenient to just blame Jodi Arias herself.
That was one of my favorite parts of all the interrogation minutes!
Thanks, Rob for your effort.
In terms of critique, this piece is not as tightly woven and thus not as compelling as the previous two articles you wrote.
The crime scene and the autopsy report do not support a self defense scenario. Add to that Arias’ statements in court, especially the one she made during her sentencing hearing along with time stamped pictures and self defense becomes impossible. Her victim was injured beyond being able to attack when she slit his throat- the blood loss and muscle damage made this impossible.
I pity the fools who believe that she inflicted all those knife wounds to his posterior while defending herself.
Thank-you,Elizabeth Hall. I appreciate the criticism. I tried to do two things in this article. I tried to show that the injuries alone leave no room for self-defense except in the most impossible of circumstances. I also tried to show that Jodi Arias’ own voluntary actions in the last 7 years show that she not only could do this murder, but she did do it.
Maybe this wasn’t as polished as I wanted it to be, and to you this all may seem pretty obvious. But for Jodi Supporters, we are a much harder sell. We are conditioned to be very skeptical and to just reject anything anyone has to say that is against Jodi Arias. So, in that case, a little more convincing has to be done, imo.
Looking forward to the next article. So far they have been great and easy to follow. I like your use of graphics better than your older posts.
Ha Ha, Cheryl, I got a new theme which allows me to do more with graphics and I updated a lot of articles. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Rob, I was very impressed with all 3 articles. They set forth exactly what happened and really, who she is, in a succinct, easy to understand way. I enjoyed reading it and I’m glad you came back to the light.
Thanks, bev gray, that’s really what I was shooting for, something direct and followable and understandable. I have seen some grousing by some commenters on JAII, but that’s not what I was hoping for. What I would like is for someone to try to refute what I am saying, wi whole or in part 🙂
Well done article and series Rob! You’ve done an excellent job articulating much of why many people could never have supported Jodi Arias. I’ve never even understood the concept of supporting JA. Why would anyone want to support a human being like her? But I guess we must concede that it took some people a longer time to SEE her, who she was, than it did others.
The evidence, all of it, was just too much for the defense to overcome.
I do agree that what sealed her fate was Jodis hubris getting on that stand and lying for days and days thinking she could lie her way out of a murder conviction. Thinking she could be combative and snarky and arrogant on cross and nobody would once wonder…’is this the same downtrodden, beaten, abused, put upon ,meek, intimidated by anything woman , who just tried to sell us that she was Mother Theresa…now flipping the switch and acting like a woman afraid of NO ONE’??
Jodi always goes too far. And she loved being on the stand. Well..until she didn’t.
But I disagree with your definition of stalking. youre still looking at a definition of ‘stalking’ in a very narrow legally defined way that is only applicable in some states, that strictly says what stalking has to be. Do further research on stalking. And read articles from psychologists that specialize in stalking. Particularly the type done by women and in today’s world. A world that includes social media and the use of technology.
Stalking comes in all shapes and sizes and stalking victims react to their stalkers in as varied a way and as similarly as victims of abuse.
It makes perfect sense that Travis didn’t go to the police but in fact did contact his sister, a policewoman, looking for some advice. Victims of abuse, and stalking IS abuse, despite what certain defense experts would tell you, quite regularly do NOT want to get their stalker in trouble. TRAVIS’ gchats, emails texts , revealed after trial was over, that he was most definitely being harassed by this woman. Not just ‘followed’. Given in the end what she did to him I find it extraordinary people can see the guilt, finally, but still can’t connect that her intrusive behavior with him was most definitely stalking. The most dangerous kind.
Johanna, oh I think you are are very bright. Well said. I think what did it for me is that the entire world seemed to come down on Jodi Arias and certain people just naturally gravitate to the underdog. In trying to give her every possible benefit of every possible doubt, maybe I ended up compartmentalizing way too much. She certainly is unique and a phenomenon, and I also plan on addressing that.
I usually think I find myself on the right side of legal issues, and this case never seemed quite right to me. Is that all Jodi’s doing? It’s hard to tell.
As for stalking, I suppose I should look at the latest info, and yes, I have gotten a lot of feedback about that in the past. I guess it’s because Travis didn’t really seem to know what she was doing, and part of it’s everything they precluded from trial. I’m just keyed into the old notions of stalking I guess because my personal experience of stalking was a jilted ex who would slash tires, but he let her know it was him and he would stand outside her apartment building frequently, until one day, he came with a rifle and just suddenly opened fire, barely missing her roommate who was my girlfriend and on the phone with me at the time.
Yes, I think Jodi Arias was getting intel on Travis any way she could, whether it was through the rumor mill or via e-mail hacking.
“I usually think I find myself on the right side of legal issues, and this case never seemed quite right to me. Is that all Jodi’s doing? It’s hard to tell.”
Same here, Rob.
Yes, I mean is all the doubt I have caused by Jodi Arias being so convincing? Like I said, I listen to her pre-trial interviews and I believe every word she said, even though I know she ‘s lying. So, If I haven’t convinced people yet, just wait for the final article part 6.
Yes, Jodi is a very good liar, thinks on the fly, no hesitation . If I didn’t already know the whole story, you could easily have believed the storys during interrogations, the interviews.
http://shrink4men.com/2011/02/08/stalking-part-i-what-is-stalking-and-can-men-be-stalked-by-women/
Oh man, you too? I see that in the same way domestic violence has become for many, less physical and much more psychological and sophisticated, so has stalking. It’s become more subtle, but is still about power and control. It ‘s about ownership and intimidation. It’s about an invasion of personal space and privacy. And what is domestic murder but the ultimate illogical extension of that ownership, invasion and control?
And more and more ladies are jumping into the game.
Really good article Rob. I have liked them all. What you described regarding the stab wounds and how she did it, makes so much sense. Looking forward to the next!
One thing I continually hear from Jodi supporters is “how could he be afraid of her if he spent all day having sex with her!”, also how submissive she was during the May 26th phone call. If you read or know anything about abusive or stalker partners isn’t this exactly what you learn? Jodi did something she knew was wrong over and over be it snooping into his email,facebook,showing up unannounced, hiding in his closet, peeking in windows, slashing tires and on and on, then she would be extremely meek, taking all the blame and from the outside it appears that Travis is a brute while she tries to calm him down. What does he need to be calmed down from? This is classic abuse cycle, with a female victim it may be being hit or slapped and then the abuser being apologetic and remorseful. If you did not know that he had hit her and read a text full of apologies you would think wow this guy bends over backwards for her!
The same thing about “having sex with her all day”. I don’t think Travis truly knew she was going to show up at his house, the communication between them during her trip and the days prior are not prolonged, definitely not enough for a long “guilt me into coming” conversation. I think after the fight he was truly done with her, would have happily moved on with his life sans Jodi but she showed up and as usual seduced him. He gave in because it was the easiest thing to do as many abuse victims will do. If he would have told her Jodi I have a lot to do to get ready for my trip or I have a conference call to prepare for can you hear the never ending guilt she would have put on him?? I am not saying he did not enjoy time with her but he did not seek her out and was ready to move on, which again as supporters point out is the most dangerous time for an abuse victim. He probably thought this was the final goodbye as he would be leaving for Cancun in the next couple of days. He like most men with female stalkers, underestimated how dangerous she was.
One other thing you have left out is we often hear how Travis was not close to his family and that they are money grubbers or worse. We have heard Steven haunted by a phone call that he never got, he had just been to see Samantha, he was very close to his grandmother. On the other hand, Jodi was abusive to her mother both physically and mentally, demeaning to her sister Angela (calling her stupid) and would not even allow them to visit her home. Travis when he had a problem asked his sister for advice, Jodi only called home when she was in trouble and needed money. Her mother flew to help her return home and was abused and belittled to the point she left. Her journals often speak of her large family and how she loved them but not one of them stood up for her nor have I heard one interview of what a wonderful young girl she was growing up. I do credit the people of Yreka for keeping their mouths shut and protecting her family because you know reporters were looking for information.
Good article Rob. I did wonder have you ever actually exchanged correspondence with Jodi? Have you let her know that the reputation she was so worried about was being badly damaged by those she had aligned herself with?
Excellent comment, Diana.
Diana, these are all great comments. I would like to see you do a guest article. You hit on it, the way the two sides see things differently. It usually depends on a person’s life experiences. There are lots of these kinds of contradictions in Jodi’s stories if we break them down and actually look at them.
Well written article Rob. I also appreciate your concern for others by providing a link to your assessment, without graphic photos. Though we haven’t had many conversations, I have enjoyed the ones we had even though you were, at that time, an ardent JA believer. One thing that was enlightening for me through the course of the trial, was to discover how many men (commentators) had been abused &/or stalked in previous relationships.
Yes, Kimberly Dennis. I also has an incident with my ex-wife, who I suppose is mentally ill. I didn’t see the warning signs, but she attacked me in such a way, that in about 10 more minutes it would have been a choice of her or me. That was the 1st and last time that happened ans it was out of the clear blue sky. Luckily she injured herself and she was arrested as soon as she got out of the hospital. It was frightening. I didn’t try to protect myself, but I was almost driven to the point where I would have had to defend myself. I tried to get out of the house, and she wouldn’t let me. She cornered my in our bedroom. I know that Brad Smith had a worse experience.
It’s funny, but the autopsy photo that affected me the most, was a simple photo of Travis’ leg. No injuries, but his leg looked just like it did in life.
Rob, that statement you just wrote, “you didn’t try to protect yourself” is what I think cost Travis precious seconds. I just have never believed he was the type to hit a woman, Jodi or anyone else. His hesitancy is this case may have cost him dearly. Unless she pulled the gun and immediately shot him and I can’t see it that way, he would have lost nothing by charging at her and doing his best to defend himself whatever way necessary. Don’t you believe she would have taunted him or screamed her anger before she shot him? It may be that he was in a seated position why he was unable to do anything.
I like the way you lay out your arguments point by point. A very good article that is easy to follow. Thank you.
Regarding you rpoint #5:
5.No solid friends in Arizona save Travis Alexander, Daniel Freeman, her roommate, and a couple of females from her singles ward.
Well, how many friends is one expected to have??? A few friends is what most people have. Everything else are casual acquaintances and don’t count as friends.
Come on, James Dean. Any friend of Travis’ would be a friend of Dan’s Her roommate – well one would hope they would get along. Travis Alexander – he would have to be a friend by necessity.
Jodi Arias was in a single ward that is geared towards socialization. I suppose there were at least 100 if not hundreds of people in that singles ward. Yet, Jodi Arias, a very gregarious and liable person, had the bare minimum. Why would that be? I’m suggesting that this is because she had a laser focus on Travis to the exclusion of almost everything else.
There’s not one good friend independent of Travis. Doesn’t this give a clue as to what her objectives in Mesa were? It certainly wasn’t to further her career or to further her spiritual growth.
I just wanted to comment on Jodi being gregarious but having no friends. Sometimes the seemingly most gregarious people often don’t have friends. People who think so deeply as Jodi does tend not to have friends who can put up with it. I have so much in common with her personality, I have started to worry if I’m bi-polar.
I don’t kick walls, strangle cats, and kill boyfriends. But when I read her journal, I see a lot of my own inner struggles with myself and in relationships. Because I’m older, I grew out of a lot of it, but I think that no matter what Jodi did, Jodi didn’t fit in with a society into “life” instead of into thoughts and feelings.
Other people are usually into the rules of society–which revolve around capitalism. Money, career, advancement, children. I believe that the artistic Jodi never fit into a capitalistic, socialite type society. I mean, who would want to talk to Jodi all the time about intangible things? But she was into intangible things — love, astrology, theology, and philosophy. This world is about more superficial things.
Jodi tried to make friends and connections, but she couldn’t. I’m like that, and I often wonder what my mental problem is that I’m not career and “success” driven, but everyone else seems to be.
Jodi also turned her back on her family. She left when she wasn’t mature enough to be an adult. She had no role models for relationships or forging a life. She was against her parents, so she didn’t take stock in anything they’d tried to teach her. She was like a child growing up in the jungle and then expected to simulate like a society-raised human being. Not that her parents did anything wrong, but it was her insolence, refusal to be governed, and insistence upon having life answer to her that made her an unteachable teenager.
I think her maturity level was stuck at the high school level all the way through to Daryl, who then became a father figure. With Travis, she reverted back to high school maturity because he wasn’t structured like Daryl. Travis didn’t hold a normal job, he didn’t keep normal hours, and he was constantly socializing. That’s like high school. That appealed to her. But what was lost on her was that he was working really hard at PPL and that’s why he could have the kind of life he did.
I’m not in any way defending her. I’ve never been a Jodi supporter. But I do know what being Jodi is like–as much as I hate to admit it. It takes a lot of effort–in fact it takes everything she was telling herself in her journal–to get out of her patterns. She just could never overcome her depressed, immature side that didn’t want to integrate in regular society. I still can’t fathom what caused her to commit this heinous crime, and my sympathy is with Travis.
Thanks for your comments, Navintavi. You have a tremendous amount of insight and a capacity to see through the fog into the real issues at hand. Great Job!
I can’t wait for part 6!!!! Ever since I found this site, I have become addicted to reading every word. Love your posts. Any idea when part 6 will be available?
Thank you, Calli. Part 6 , the final of the series will be out in a few days. I’m glad you like them. I will be doing more Arias articles from farther back in the trial amd some new cases as well.
Rob, you had doubt about the guilt of Jodi Arias???
Yup. I still think she is guilty but mentally ill. It was all the mental illness.
Mostly, I was fighting for her to not get the Death Penalty, because I felt this was not a Death Penalty case and never should have been one.
By this time the dust has settled, no death penalty, so you got what you were fighting for.
Speaking for myself, not a “fan” for either the murderer or the victim. From a legal point of view, this murder was not only premeditated, but was as brutal as it gets, if such a brutal premeditated murder doesnt warrant death penalty, what does?
With that been said, I dont see a LWOP sentence as a loss, maybe for the prosecution but not for the family. Jodi Arias is as good as dead. Or even worse, rotten in prison for the rest of her life, the idea alone scares me to death. LOL
By the way, I also believe that the gunshot came first. I know what the autopsy report said but it doesnt make any sense in the light of few factors:
1. Jodi stole a gun. WHY risk a criminal charge to steal a gun if you planned to stab somebody to death? WHY would you risk your life to stab somebody when you have a gun in hand?
2. HOW do you surprise somebody with a stab from the front, because the first stab went into his heart (that had to come from front right?) which incapacitated him.
3. IF the first stab was not the one from front that went into his heart incapacitated him, Travis should be able to overpower Jodi.
The prosecution took a huge gamble playing the “stabbing came first to make him suffer” game (as if over 2 dozen stabbings werent brutal enough). Because there’s a good chance some juror(s) would ask the same question “HOW is it possible that she could stab him and he couldnt fight back? And WHY would she risk her own life playing such dangerous game?” … And worse for the prosecution, sometimes when a juror got confused, they interpret their confusion as “reasonable doubt”. GAME OVER.
Wow, I had about 15 reasons why the gun was first, and you just came up with one I hadn’t thought of. The aggression of the prosecutor was the other reason I just didn’t trust the prosecution. The more I thought about the knife first, the less sense it made.
I think in actuality, it was as brutal as it gets, yet I still see that her untreated mental illness played a big role in this. Now, after experiencing Borderline Personality Disorder first-hand, I cannot put the blame on JA, but on a combination of the Mental illness, the instability of the life she was living, the lack of structure, and her mental breakdown.
Oh, one thing must be made clear. When we say gunshot first, didnt mean that we bought her “self-defense” bullshit. She didnt shoot him in the head by accident.
Some people don’t realize that gunshot first does not necessarily mean self-defense. Gunshot last can only mean murder. Gunshot first can be self-defense or murder. (y)
And neither did I buy her “memory fog” convenient crap. (Which is the typical defense crap.)
She was no “battered woman”, at least no physical abuse. Travis was playing her heart that’s for sure, used her for sex, just as she used sex to get Travis to marry her. They kinda deserve each other.
Was Travis a child-molester? I doubt it (considering the timing and source of the accusation). Was Travis a hypocrite player who lived a doubt life? ABSOLUTELY! Did he deserve the slow agony death for what he did to/with Jodi? NO. But Travis is no “innocent” victim, nor was he the saint painted by his family (and some friends). He played an unwillingly fatal role in his own demise. When you play with fire, get ready to get burnt.
just a quick question about the diamond ring which she stole, i must have missed this. can you please tell me how this was proven? i haven’t heard any testimony about it. i’m really enjoying your blog. thanks, patsy
Sorry to respond so late, Patsy Klein. Dr. Janeen DeMarte testified that Jodi Arias did in fact steal the diamond engagement ring that Travis Alexander bought for Linda Ballard. This was confirmed in texts written between Jodi Arias and Travis, where Jodi admits to stealing the ring. These were not allowed into the trial, but Dr. DeMarte, with the assistance of Prosecutor Juan Martinez, brought this info into the trial via the back door.