It's Monday, May 6th 2013. Today marks the first full day of jury deliberations in the Jodi Arias murder trial. While it's impossible to guess how long the deliberations will go, or what the outcome will be nonetheless the end of this long journey from arrest to conviction is nearing. There's less than zero chance that Jodi Arias will be acquitted of this brutal and violent crime. Many people were shocked and outraged when Casey Anthony was found not guilty of all of the serious crimes she was charged with, but this is a whole different matter and I whole heartily believe there will be a just outcome. The Casey Anthony verdict was unpopular - the jury deliberated for 10 hours and 40 minutes before she was found not guilty of anything but lying to the police.
Quite possibly the most outrageous not guilty verdict was that delivered in the OJ Simpson case. Jurors deliberated for less than 4 hours before letting the former football star walk. Jodi Arias is not OJ Simpson. Don't expect her to walk due to popularity or questionable police work. The police work done in this case was by the book. Arias made a few key mistakes that prevented her from getting away with this crime. Kirk Nurmi tried to capitalize on the IQ test results and turn her mistakes into evidence - suggesting that she was smart enough to not leave so much incriminating evidence behind. The kind of argument that bordered on silly. So Jodi Arias is not an accomplished murderer, but make no mistake she did commit murder.
Had Jodi Arias taken the camera with her and been more careful with the blood evidence (palm print, hair) and had she not told Darryl Brewer she was going to Mesa, she may have very well gotten away with this murder. Despite her attempts to cover her tracks, I find it so ironic that the instrument of her own destruction would be a camera. What happens now? When a verdict is returned, the judge will set a sentencing date, usually within 30 days.
There have been a surprising number of women who have been convicted of horrible and heinous homicides of their husbands and loved ones. I've named several on other blog posts (Wendi Andriano, Susan Wright, Susan Polk, Nancy Kissel) and there are many more cases out there. Some of these women you'd never expect to get a parking ticket let alone kill somebody. Take Nancy Seaman, a 52 year old elementary school teacher who was arrested and convicted of hacking husband Robert 15 times with a hatchet before stabbing him 21 times. She claimed self defense a la battered women's syndrome. Seaman took steps to wrap and conceal her husbands body in the back of their SUV, clean up the garage where the killing occurred and she went to teach classes the following day. She was arrested three days later after a relative reported Robert Seaman missing and his body was found wrapped in plastic in the back of the couples SUV at their home.
Lenore Walker, who coined the phrase "battered women's syndrome" was called to testify at Nancy Seaman's trial, even know she had never interviewed Seaman. Her belief that Seaman did suffer abuse at the hands of her husband was based on reports from another psychologist (sound like Geffner?). She was not allowed to tell the jury she believed Seaman was a battered woman because Michigan law precludes the testimony because it's not classified as a mental illness. Under cross examination, Dr. Walker admitted that battered women's syndrome alone, less the self defense component is not a justification for killing. Nancy Seaman was convicted and is now serving a life sentence.
The jury who heard the trial against the Menendez brothers deliberated for 4 days before finding them guilty of killing their wealthy parents. The Susan Wright jury deliberated for 5 1/2 hours before finding her guilty of 2nd degree murder for stabbing her husband to death. As far as jury deliberations go, it's anyone's guess. The jury sets their deliberation schedule, and this jury will deliberate during normal court hours according to reports from HLN News last Friday. We are now officially on verdict watch. The clock is ticking. Wanna know what Jodi Arias has been up to? Her latest tweets have been to garner support for "other victims of domestic violence" (monetary support!), in another recent tweet she complained that her commissary order didn't arrive. Poor thing! Is that grounds for an appeal or lawsuit against Maricopa County? And the most appalling of all tweets - on 5/3 she tweeted "Just the friendly FYI, I am NOT profiting from my artwork, but it seems like everyone else is". There were several other tweets announcing new and old art pieces that will be for sale on her website, which is run by a friend out here in the free world.
Yeah, she's not profiting - who is?
Quite possibly the most outrageous not guilty verdict was that delivered in the OJ Simpson case. Jurors deliberated for less than 4 hours before letting the former football star walk. Jodi Arias is not OJ Simpson. Don't expect her to walk due to popularity or questionable police work. The police work done in this case was by the book. Arias made a few key mistakes that prevented her from getting away with this crime. Kirk Nurmi tried to capitalize on the IQ test results and turn her mistakes into evidence - suggesting that she was smart enough to not leave so much incriminating evidence behind. The kind of argument that bordered on silly. So Jodi Arias is not an accomplished murderer, but make no mistake she did commit murder.
Had Jodi Arias taken the camera with her and been more careful with the blood evidence (palm print, hair) and had she not told Darryl Brewer she was going to Mesa, she may have very well gotten away with this murder. Despite her attempts to cover her tracks, I find it so ironic that the instrument of her own destruction would be a camera. What happens now? When a verdict is returned, the judge will set a sentencing date, usually within 30 days.
There have been a surprising number of women who have been convicted of horrible and heinous homicides of their husbands and loved ones. I've named several on other blog posts (Wendi Andriano, Susan Wright, Susan Polk, Nancy Kissel) and there are many more cases out there. Some of these women you'd never expect to get a parking ticket let alone kill somebody. Take Nancy Seaman, a 52 year old elementary school teacher who was arrested and convicted of hacking husband Robert 15 times with a hatchet before stabbing him 21 times. She claimed self defense a la battered women's syndrome. Seaman took steps to wrap and conceal her husbands body in the back of their SUV, clean up the garage where the killing occurred and she went to teach classes the following day. She was arrested three days later after a relative reported Robert Seaman missing and his body was found wrapped in plastic in the back of the couples SUV at their home.
Lenore Walker, who coined the phrase "battered women's syndrome" was called to testify at Nancy Seaman's trial, even know she had never interviewed Seaman. Her belief that Seaman did suffer abuse at the hands of her husband was based on reports from another psychologist (sound like Geffner?). She was not allowed to tell the jury she believed Seaman was a battered woman because Michigan law precludes the testimony because it's not classified as a mental illness. Under cross examination, Dr. Walker admitted that battered women's syndrome alone, less the self defense component is not a justification for killing. Nancy Seaman was convicted and is now serving a life sentence.
The jury who heard the trial against the Menendez brothers deliberated for 4 days before finding them guilty of killing their wealthy parents. The Susan Wright jury deliberated for 5 1/2 hours before finding her guilty of 2nd degree murder for stabbing her husband to death. As far as jury deliberations go, it's anyone's guess. The jury sets their deliberation schedule, and this jury will deliberate during normal court hours according to reports from HLN News last Friday. We are now officially on verdict watch. The clock is ticking. Wanna know what Jodi Arias has been up to? Her latest tweets have been to garner support for "other victims of domestic violence" (monetary support!), in another recent tweet she complained that her commissary order didn't arrive. Poor thing! Is that grounds for an appeal or lawsuit against Maricopa County? And the most appalling of all tweets - on 5/3 she tweeted "Just the friendly FYI, I am NOT profiting from my artwork, but it seems like everyone else is". There were several other tweets announcing new and old art pieces that will be for sale on her website, which is run by a friend out here in the free world.
Yeah, she's not profiting - who is?