The defense has rested, finally.
I am just now watching the part of the trial where clinical psychologist Janeen DeMarte is testifying and she is wonderful, professional, and easy to follow since she is consistently recalling most all parts of this case with ease.
So far we have learned that Jodi has an overall IQ of 119, a far cry from Einstein's. Dr. DeMarte is very well educated and sounds like she has been at the top of her game for quite sometime. Unlike Ms LaViolette, DeMarte is able to administer a variety of tests that help in diagnosing a patient. Dr. DeMarte was able to use these various tests to come up with an official diagnosis for Jodi and that was revealed to be Borderline Personality Disorder.
DeMarte gave an excellent description of what borderline personality disorder is when she compared it with someone acting like a teenager. They often experience frequent mood swings; they are very immature; they internalize anger and can take that out on people at inappropriate times; they often will act out and blame others suggesting that someone else "made them do that." Borderlines have difficulty in close relationships and often push people away when they actually are trying to get closer to a person.
During DeMarte's entire testimony Jodi sat at the defense table drawing, doodling, writing -- who knows? She completely ignored the woman, basically acting out the exact way DeMarte was describing her. Jodi's behavior was clearly immature. She made it clear to anyone paying attention that she was obviously angry with DeMarte's testimony. It was only until her lawyer started cross examination that Jodi decided to put her glasses back on and pay attention.
Personally I am much more impressed with DeMarte as compared with LaViolette. She is young but I see this more to her advantage since she has much more education and is much more familiar with updated information. Ms. LaViolette couldn't be troubled to know the difference between an e-mail and a blog, nor does she have the ability to administer tests or interpret them.
The prosecutor, Juan Martinez, did an excellent job at pointing the differences in which the two women executed their examination of Jodi. While LaViolette apologized to Jodi for reading her diary and spent 44 hours with her developing a relationship, DeMarte did not do those things at all; she approached Jodi objectively, did not apologize to her for doing her job, and she was able to both speak with Jodi as well as test her for an official diagnosis.
Jenn Wilmot conducted the cross examination of this witness and as we have seen from this defense before, her questions were given slowly, constantly referring to her notes; she tried her best to discredit DeMarte but the questioning slowly fizzled into a sort of meltdown. DeMarte was quick and concise. She answered the questions directly compared with LaViolette who insisted on qualifying each and every statement she made in order to justify her distorted opinion of Jodi.
So far this has been an excellent testimony and if you take the time to watch it, you can actually learn something. Dr. DeMarte disagreed with the idea that Jodi suffered from PTSD, citing inconsistencies in Jodi's statements and explaining that PTSD is something that is related to one specific event, not different events that Jodi claimed to two different people. She explained that PTSD sufferers will often display a fear or exaggerated actions that demonstrate they are scared. This might be found when a loud noise such as a slamming door is heard, the sufferer will jump or display an exaggerated movement displaying freight. DeMarte explained that when she viewed the interrogation tapes of Jodi, there were times when doors were slammed, people were making noises outside of the room which could be heard but that Jodi did not make any sudden movements or acknowledge the sounds in anyway.
In addition, Dr. DeMarte did not agree that Jodi was a battered woman. She explained (rightly so), that women who are in these relationships will cite that their partners are controlling, limiting their social connections, snooping through their private stuff, demanding they only spend time with them, etc. Jodi made no indication that Travis acted that way. Jodi also cited four incidents of domestic violence with DeMarte but had cited numerous incidents with another doctor (I believe this was the first man that testified for the defense saying Jodi had PTSD, and I apologize because I have yet to watch his entire testimony). Jodi's inconsistencies and lack of indicators led to her belief that Jodi was not the victim of domestic violence.
DeMarte also pointed out that women who are abused are generally not fond of their bodies, have a lot of insecurities when it comes to their body aesthetics, which Jodi did not indicate.
The oddest part of Jodi's statements had to be those that pertained to her memory loss. DeMarte explained that when people begin to talk about things they typically remember more of what happened, in Jodi's case this was the opposite. Jodi also indicated to Dr. DeMarte that when she came out of her "fog" she looked down at her hands and saw a bit of blood, and stated that's when she knew she killed Travis. DeMarte questioned this story. If you have no memory, how can you look at a little bit of blood on your hand and know you killed someone? A person looking at their hand and seeing a little bit of blood, having no memory of anything prior, would think they may have cut their hand somehow, not believe they actually killed someone. Again, Jodi is caught in another lie.
Jodi also demonstrated higher levels of function in her fog by trying to cover up the murder. Deleting pictures, using water to wash away fingerprints, getting rid of both the knife and gun, all while done in this so-called fog of hers.
I would add that I personally believe Jodi is a sociopath since she seems to be incapable of expressing emotions unless she feels she can gain sympathy of some sort. Her tears during her interrogation videos seemed almost timed, since she only cried after the detective informed her she wasn't acting like an innocent person. She knows exactly what happened that night but instead of telling the truth, she continually chooses to lie, distort, and make up stories for the purposes of covering her own ass.
The defense was slow and looked a bit incompetent but than again, what do they really have to work with? They're defending a pathological liar who murdered someone and clearly has no remorse. The best they can hope for at this point is no death penalty.
The prosecution has since began their rebuttal. We have cleared up the matter of the gas can. A Walmart manager was called to the stand for the purposes of clarifying that there are absolutely NO records anywhere indicating that Jodi returned a gas can as she testified to doing on the stand. In addition, there were no gas cans returned at all to that very store.
An employee of the gas station where Jodi filled up and acquired three receipts was able to confirm that there were three purchases made for gas. This cleared up any idea that Jodi may have gone into the store to purchase something else other than gas. The manager explained that two swipes of the same credit card at a pump would go through but a third swipe would automatically prompt the buyer to come inside for their purchase. This is done as an attempt to prevent fraudulent charges.
Juan Martinez also called to the stand a friend of Travis' that was able to produce a video of Travis and a picture that clearly displayed Travis showing affection to Jodi in public, that she was not just some secret during the entire span of their relationship. Another claim made by Jodi proved to be a lie.
Travis' ex-girlfriend was also brought to the stand and testified that Travis was a calm person; he did not threaten her, grab her inappropriately; they did have sex and went to their bishop; they argued like many couples but he never struck her or criticized her. This demonstrates that Travis was overall a reasonable person who has not shown patterns of violence, indicating that the likely hood of Travis suddenly demonstrating this behavior with only Jodi is unlikely. Anything is possible but in this case, not probably. Once again, Jodi's stories fall short of logic and reason because they are all lies.
A police officer was called to confirm he found no images of naked women on Travis' computer. None. He found no evidence of child p**n or inappropriate pictures that depict children. No memberships to p****graphy websites or any other indication of someone interested in kink or other sexual deviance. Nothing. Truth be told, I expected at the very least for them to find a bit of p**n. It seems as though this is a rather common thing for many men in today's world to peruse through on occasion but surprisingly nothing was found.
The shelves in the closet were inspected. They are simple shelves that are held up by pins inside of peg holes. Nothing in the closet looked disturbed and for Jodi to claim she stepped on one in order to reach the top shelf to retrieve the supposed gun Travis kept lost all credibility. When the defense questioned this, it appeared as though Jodi prompted her attorney to ask, "Could the shelf have been placed back in order to make it look as though it wasn't disturbed?" Well, yes when you have someone making efforts to cover up their murder, I suppose that could happen.
The questions from the jury continue to expose the idea that most of them are not at all believing Jodi and her web of continued lies. They are more interested in satisfying their minds, putting them at ease for when they hand down that guilty verdict. I could be wrong; I have to admit; I've been wrong before but these questions are intelligent and seem to go against supporting Jodi.
From what I understand closing arguments begin next week. I can't wait for Juan to bring it all together and hit a home run.
2013-04-16
Boston Bombings
I'd first like to take a moment for all of the victims, their families, and friends of this great tragedy. My prayers and thoughts are with my fellow Americans.
Charles Dharapak, The Associated Press
Yesterday our country came under attack in Boston, at the Boston Marathon by people who are heartless and filled with hate. Yes, I am trying to not jump to any conclusions but I would be a liar if I told you I did not immediately believe this to be the work of Muslim terrorists.
Obama said this:
If this is the work of terrorists, it would be the second attack on our soil by these monsters. Let's hope that Obama will do as he promised.
Source: click here.
Charles Dharapak, The Associated PressPresident Barack Obama speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, April 15, 2013, following the explosions at the Boston Marathon.
Yesterday our country came under attack in Boston, at the Boston Marathon by people who are heartless and filled with hate. Yes, I am trying to not jump to any conclusions but I would be a liar if I told you I did not immediately believe this to be the work of Muslim terrorists.
Obama said this:
"We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable."I guess we will wait and see. I watched the press conference this morning and I am under the impression that the FBI does not have many answers. Then again, whatever they do know, they probably do not want to let the public know just yet.
If this is the work of terrorists, it would be the second attack on our soil by these monsters. Let's hope that Obama will do as he promised.
Source: click here.
2013-04-10
Alyce LaViolette -- Testifying For Jodi Arias
The domestic violence expert, Alyce LaViolette is testifying in the Jodi Arias case. Under cross-examination we have learned that Ms. LaViolette has given a speech entitled, "Was Snow White a Battered Woman?"
Interestingly enough the speech raises some questions about how fairy tales affect the way children think. Ms. LaViolette points out how many fathers are absent, that females appear helpless, etc. I think we can all agree that fairy tales can have both good and bad messages attached to them. Obviously LaViolette is more interested in pointing out the negative.
The prosecutor, Martinez goes back and forth with LaViolette over information that has been previously presented. Alyce's testimony is reminiscent of Jodi's. She is difficult and abrasive. A root canal is easier to endure compared to watching her on the stand. Since Psychology is a "soft" science, meaning there are very few ways of being able to produce consistent results from one professional to another, Martinez has a fairly easy job of discrediting her. Ms. LaViolette seems to have an extensive background however she is lacking in credentials that allow her to test her subjects. She typically relies mostly on what her subjects tell her and from there she makes a determination of their situation.
In this case LaViolette was given Jodi's diary and she apparently had access to emails and text messages between Jodi and Travis and Travis and the other women he communicated with. She concluded that Jodi was a victim of domestic violence.
Martinez exposed the absurdity of this conclusion by pointing out that LaViolette had formed her opinion mostly on conversations exclusively with Jodi and other correspondences -- emails and text messages. She also concluded that these other women Travis was communicating with were vulnerable but never once spoke with them directly. Even more damaging to the defense Martinez rightly indicated that LaViolette's conclusions mean nothing if Jodi was being less than truthful with her.
Jodi was dishonest. She told LaViolette that she cut her hands while cutting apples.
Martinez pointed out that LaViolette in her own notes questioned the gas can issue since she was informed that they were borrowed for a trip to Mesa. In her notes she seemed to indicate uncertainty since she was under the impression that the trip was last minute.
The conclusions that LaViolette has come to concerning Jodi being abused greatly disturbs me. I have personally been in an abusive relationship and Jodi exhibits almost no signs of being abused but rather her behavior exposes herself as being the abuser.
Let's take a look at some of the common behaviors of abusers:
Of course it is well documented that Jodi accused Travis of being unfaithful and she has a history of accusing other men of being unfaithful to her. It is most likely that Jodi was the one who sent a "John Doe" email to the woman Travis was seeing. In this e-mail she called the woman a whore and told her to repent. I am unaware of Jodi using drugs or alcohol but her mother indicated when Jodi was a teenager she caught her growing marijuana in their home. Jodi most certainly destroyed property as she was also most likely the one who slashed Travis' tires two nights in a row. Then there is the car of his that she destroyed. Who knows if she attacked Travis' dog but it wouldn't surprise me to learn she did.
We all know Jodi used both a knife and gun to kill Travis. We also know she lured Travis into continuing a relationship with sex. She was very forward with him and was an excited, willing participant in all of their sexual encounters. Finally, the entire defense for Jodi is Jodi blaming Travis for the killing.
I cannot say with any certainty that Travis was some perfect guy. He most certainly had his flaws and it's safe to say that he exhibited jealous and controlling behaviors at times. This was a volatile relationship. Both of them appeared to be bullheaded at times but, it's clear to me that Jodi was much more of the abuser in this relationship.
I cannot understand how it is LaViolette is so blind to seeing Jodi's role as the abuser. Doesn't she know that abusers typically project their own actions on other people? Is she really so naive as to think only males can be abusers? Perhaps it is her fairy tale analogy that influences her into believing that only females experience abuse? A so-called "expert" should know that women are just as capable of abuse as men are.
Ms. LaViolette admits that Jodi displayed manipulative and deceitful behavior after the murder. Does she really believe that Jodi just became a liar after the murder? Did she forget that Jodi was calm and expressed almost no emotion during her interrogation as lie after lie spilled from her mouth? Does she really expect us to believe that all that these manipulative actions just appeared overnight? Being a liar and taking great pains to cover up her presence in AZ is not something a person does when they are otherwise considered to be honest. It is also not the behavior of someone who was defending themselves. Someone defending themselves may shoot or stab (not both), and run to a phone or escape and get to a police station. They do not run away, pretend as if they were never there, leave messages for the known deceased, call the police to fish for information, repeatedly lie for years, and then out of nowhere claim they were just defending themselves. This was not a one or two wound crime. This was multiple stabs that led to overkill -- a slashed throat and a shot to the head.
I am hoping this woman has good intentions and is not looking to gain 15 minutes of fame. I am inclined to believe that she believes what she says but I am not comfortable knowing this woman is involved in helping people deal with domestic violence. She is not thorough in her work, nor is she insightful. She is siding with the abuser, not the victim.
The fact is, Travis is dead. Travis is the one who endured 27 stab wounds, a slash across the neck from ear to ear, and a gunshot wound. He is the one who was stuffed into his shower, washed off, and left naked and dead. Jodi left with a cut to her finger.
______________________________________________________
I would like to take a moment and make mention of the Women's Center for Advancement, Omaha, NE, Formally the YWCA. They provide free counselling and domestic violence education for women and men who are in need of help. They helped me greatly in understanding what domestic violence is and taking the steps necessary to get away from the abuser.
If you or someone you know is being abused verbally, sexually, or physically seek help. Most areas have services available to you. If you would like to help people in these situations -- donate! Most places accept money, food, and clothes. Don't be a victim and help others to not be a victim either.
Interestingly enough the speech raises some questions about how fairy tales affect the way children think. Ms. LaViolette points out how many fathers are absent, that females appear helpless, etc. I think we can all agree that fairy tales can have both good and bad messages attached to them. Obviously LaViolette is more interested in pointing out the negative.
The prosecutor, Martinez goes back and forth with LaViolette over information that has been previously presented. Alyce's testimony is reminiscent of Jodi's. She is difficult and abrasive. A root canal is easier to endure compared to watching her on the stand. Since Psychology is a "soft" science, meaning there are very few ways of being able to produce consistent results from one professional to another, Martinez has a fairly easy job of discrediting her. Ms. LaViolette seems to have an extensive background however she is lacking in credentials that allow her to test her subjects. She typically relies mostly on what her subjects tell her and from there she makes a determination of their situation.
In this case LaViolette was given Jodi's diary and she apparently had access to emails and text messages between Jodi and Travis and Travis and the other women he communicated with. She concluded that Jodi was a victim of domestic violence.
Martinez exposed the absurdity of this conclusion by pointing out that LaViolette had formed her opinion mostly on conversations exclusively with Jodi and other correspondences -- emails and text messages. She also concluded that these other women Travis was communicating with were vulnerable but never once spoke with them directly. Even more damaging to the defense Martinez rightly indicated that LaViolette's conclusions mean nothing if Jodi was being less than truthful with her.
Jodi was dishonest. She told LaViolette that she cut her hands while cutting apples.
Martinez pointed out that LaViolette in her own notes questioned the gas can issue since she was informed that they were borrowed for a trip to Mesa. In her notes she seemed to indicate uncertainty since she was under the impression that the trip was last minute.
The conclusions that LaViolette has come to concerning Jodi being abused greatly disturbs me. I have personally been in an abusive relationship and Jodi exhibits almost no signs of being abused but rather her behavior exposes herself as being the abuser.
Let's take a look at some of the common behaviors of abusers:
Keeps track of what you are doing all the time and criticizes you for little things.So, let's dissect this a bit. Jodi most certainly made efforts to keep track of Travis. She even moved to Mesa after the two broke up in order to keep an eye on him. She would sneak into his house; she admitted to going to the back of his house and peering into his window while he was engaged with another woman; she snooped in his phone. Later we learn that she broke into his Facebook account. She also claims that the two of them exchanged passwords for online accounts in order to keep tabs on him.
Constantly accuses you of being unfaithful.
Prevents or discourages you from seeing friends or family, or going to work or school.
Gets angry when drinking alcohol or using drugs.
Controls all the money you spend.
Humiliates you in front of others.
Destroys your property or things that you care about.
Threatens to hurt you or the children or pets, or does cause hurt (by hitting, punching, slapping, kicking, or biting).
Uses or threatens to use a weapon against you.
Forces you to have sex against your will.
Blames you for his/her violent outbursts.
Of course it is well documented that Jodi accused Travis of being unfaithful and she has a history of accusing other men of being unfaithful to her. It is most likely that Jodi was the one who sent a "John Doe" email to the woman Travis was seeing. In this e-mail she called the woman a whore and told her to repent. I am unaware of Jodi using drugs or alcohol but her mother indicated when Jodi was a teenager she caught her growing marijuana in their home. Jodi most certainly destroyed property as she was also most likely the one who slashed Travis' tires two nights in a row. Then there is the car of his that she destroyed. Who knows if she attacked Travis' dog but it wouldn't surprise me to learn she did.
We all know Jodi used both a knife and gun to kill Travis. We also know she lured Travis into continuing a relationship with sex. She was very forward with him and was an excited, willing participant in all of their sexual encounters. Finally, the entire defense for Jodi is Jodi blaming Travis for the killing.
I cannot say with any certainty that Travis was some perfect guy. He most certainly had his flaws and it's safe to say that he exhibited jealous and controlling behaviors at times. This was a volatile relationship. Both of them appeared to be bullheaded at times but, it's clear to me that Jodi was much more of the abuser in this relationship.
I cannot understand how it is LaViolette is so blind to seeing Jodi's role as the abuser. Doesn't she know that abusers typically project their own actions on other people? Is she really so naive as to think only males can be abusers? Perhaps it is her fairy tale analogy that influences her into believing that only females experience abuse? A so-called "expert" should know that women are just as capable of abuse as men are.
Ms. LaViolette admits that Jodi displayed manipulative and deceitful behavior after the murder. Does she really believe that Jodi just became a liar after the murder? Did she forget that Jodi was calm and expressed almost no emotion during her interrogation as lie after lie spilled from her mouth? Does she really expect us to believe that all that these manipulative actions just appeared overnight? Being a liar and taking great pains to cover up her presence in AZ is not something a person does when they are otherwise considered to be honest. It is also not the behavior of someone who was defending themselves. Someone defending themselves may shoot or stab (not both), and run to a phone or escape and get to a police station. They do not run away, pretend as if they were never there, leave messages for the known deceased, call the police to fish for information, repeatedly lie for years, and then out of nowhere claim they were just defending themselves. This was not a one or two wound crime. This was multiple stabs that led to overkill -- a slashed throat and a shot to the head.
I am hoping this woman has good intentions and is not looking to gain 15 minutes of fame. I am inclined to believe that she believes what she says but I am not comfortable knowing this woman is involved in helping people deal with domestic violence. She is not thorough in her work, nor is she insightful. She is siding with the abuser, not the victim.
The fact is, Travis is dead. Travis is the one who endured 27 stab wounds, a slash across the neck from ear to ear, and a gunshot wound. He is the one who was stuffed into his shower, washed off, and left naked and dead. Jodi left with a cut to her finger.
______________________________________________________
I would like to take a moment and make mention of the Women's Center for Advancement, Omaha, NE, Formally the YWCA. They provide free counselling and domestic violence education for women and men who are in need of help. They helped me greatly in understanding what domestic violence is and taking the steps necessary to get away from the abuser.
If you or someone you know is being abused verbally, sexually, or physically seek help. Most areas have services available to you. If you would like to help people in these situations -- donate! Most places accept money, food, and clothes. Don't be a victim and help others to not be a victim either.
2013-04-03
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