Things coming up in the near future.....

Next week I will be writing about the American Correctional System.  I will be taking an in-depth look at prisons inside our country.  I am currently gathering research to give you a REAL look at what being ‘in a correctional facility, jail or prison, is like’.  If you are interested, I will be posting links on my new Facebook page.  Here is the link for those of you that may want to follow….

https://www.facebook.com/jennie.lorenzo1?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/530038593722820/530044680388878/?notif_t=like

Also, I reached out to the Trayvon Martin attorney, Benjamin Crump who has agreed to give me any info about the family and the case that he possibly can.  I am waiting to hear from Zimmerman’s lawyers.  For those of you that still want to hear more about Jodi, I think that I may even be able to interview one of the jurors from the trail.  I am very excited.  Please check this page as often as time allows and PLEASE share either the FB page or this blog.  As always, I will post links to FB with any new info. 
As always, thanks for reading!!!!

 

Caryn Kelley : NOT GUILTY

Last night the three men and three women that made up the jury in the Caryn Kelley manslaughter trial found the 48 year old realtor not guilty in just over an hour and a half. Ms. Kelley has recently been compared to Jodi Arias. While its easy to see why....both beautiful women who killed their lovers, I struggle to see any other similarities in these women.  Let's take a look at the details of the night Phillip Peatross was killed.

Without going into details about Ms. Kelley's trial, lets just look at the differences between her behavior and Jodi's. Jodi shot Travis Alexander, stabbed him twenty seven times and slit his throat. Jodi wanted to make sure that Travis was never leaving that room again. Caryn shot Phillip, then she immediately called 911. She was clearly upset on the 911 recording.  While she did give multiple explanations, they were all part of the same story. Jodi Arias told police completely different accounts of the night Travis Alexander was stabbed, shot and nearly decapitated. She first claimed she had no idea what had happened because she hadn't seen Travis in over two months. Only when confronted with physical evidence of her being in Travis's home did she change her story. Seeing that she could no longer dispute that she was there, she then tells her 'ninja' story. We all heard her ever changing story during her trial.  

Caryn was distraught over Phillips death. You can hear her on the 911 call, see her on the police recording and even in court she was told repeatedly to keep her emotions under control or she would be removed. Jodi never shed a tear over Travis. Jodi is never less then fully composed. She shows absolutely no remorse or sadness. She also chose to put the victim on trial with her allegations of abuse and pedophelia. 

Jodi Arias is a soulless psychopath. Caryn Kelley was highly intoxicated when she and Phillip started struggling over the gun.  While its a very sad situation, continuing to compare these women is simply rediculous, in my opinion. While I in no way condone the behavior of Caryn Kelley, she was not breaking the law. It is completely legal in America to get wasted in your own home. It's also legal to own a gun and to use it for protection in your home. In this case there was far too much reasonable doubt. No expert could tell us who shot the gun.  Caryn had a bruise on her inner arm that is evidence of a struggle over the weapon. 

This also tells a story about gun safety. While it is illegal to drive under the influence, there is no law that prohibits people from wielding a weapon while under the influence.  If Caryn Kelley had been charged with criminal negligence, there would have been a far greater chance of her being charged with something. To charge her with murder was completely over charging her.  Prosecutors agreed, as they lowered the charge to manslaughter.  While I completely understand that some are outraged that she just 'got away with it', I beg to differ. Caryn has spent the last two years in a hell of her own making. I can only hope that she took that time to get help for her problems with drugs and alcohol. This woman was facing thirty years, the rest of her life, behind bars. This has no doubt been a nightmare to her and her family. It was proven that she didn't intend to shoot Phillip. Maybe if we had a law against handling a weapon while under the influence, there would be grounds to put her in jail any longer. The only thing deadlier then a loaded gun is a loaded gun and alcohol.  Jodi Arias planned to kill Travis and she did. Coldhearted and evil, she belongs in prison. There's no doubt about that. However, placing Caryn Kelley in a jail cell beside Jodi Arias seems completely illogical.....

Stand Your Ground?

The 'stand your ground law' is a controversial law in which removes a persons duty to retreat before using deadly force against another in any place that he has the legal right to be---so long as he reasonably believes he or someone else faces imminent death or great bodily harm.  In other words, if you are on your property and someone threatens you or anything/anyone, you may use deadly force to protect yourself and your property without facing prosicution. The stand your ground law was first passed in Florida in 2005 and was backed by the NRA (National Rifle Association).  It is also known as "castle doctrine" which comes from the saying "one's home is one's castle".  Some states also have the 'no duty to retreat law', which carries the stand your ground law out to the street.  Among those are FL, OR, WA and NH.
The first time that I heard of the stand your ground law was after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old FL boy who was shot and killed by a member of  the neighborhood watch in his fathers gated Stanford FL community.  George Zimmerman called police to report a 'suspicious' man walking through the neighborhood.  Police told Zimmerman to wait for an officer and to not proceed in following the man.  Zimmerman, however, decided to follow anyway.  By the time police arrived, Trayvon was shot and killed.  The events of what took place are still unclear but jury selection of Zimmermans trial begins in June.  Zimmerman is pleading not guilty due to the stand your ground law.  What happened between them will come out during Zimmerman's trial this summer.  Since the shooting, Zimmerman has been in hiding due to the amount of threats that were made against his life.   It is thought by many that this was a hate crime. Trayvon being a young black male and Zimmerman a Hispanic/white man.  At first no charges were pressed against Zimmerman.  However, after the uproar in the community, as well as around the country, prosecutors decided to charge Zimmerman with second degree murder.  I'll discuss this case later, as more details emerge.
I decided to look up some stand your ground cases and was shocked at what I found.  Below are five cases in which the defendant was acquitted of any charges against him using the stand your ground law as a defense. 

~October 2012~
Florida vs Bryant
A women was attacked by her boyfriend, who had a history of violence.   Police had been called seven times that year, reporting domestic violence.  The man chased her around their apartment, finally catching her and attempting to pin her down.  Bryant grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed him multiple times in the chest. 
In my opinion, this is one of the very few instances where the stand your ground law worked properly.
~November 2007~
Texas vs Horn
A man shot and killed two men that he suspected of burglarizing a neighbors home.  Like Zimmerman, Horn called police and was told to back down.  Horn reminded the 911 operator that as of September of that same year, the stand your ground law was put into effect, therefore making it legal for Horn to shoot and kill the men.  Horn was acquitted of any wrong doing.
~January 2012~
Louisiana vs Thomas
A grand jury cleared Thomas after he fired into an SUV, killing a 15 year old boy.  The boy was with six other teens when they drove up to Thomas' vehicle.  Thomas opened fire at the SUV, shooting two of the boys, killing one and injuring the other.  The boys were suspected gang members and Thomas claimed that the boy had threatened him, making him fear for his life. 
~April 2012~
Arizona vs Jude
A mentally disabled pedestrian walked in front of a vehicle at a Taco Bell drive-thru.  The man swung what appeared to be a metal pipe.  Jude shot and killed him.  He was actually holding a dog leash. 
~January 2012~
Florida vs Garcia
A judge tossed out a second degree murder charge against Garcia after he chased down a suspected burglar for more then a block and stabbing him to death.  Garcia claimed that the suspect had swung a bag of stolen car radios at him.  The judge said that Garcia "was well within his rights to pursue the victim and demand the return of his property.

While I understand the right to protect yourself and your family in your home, I am having a hard time understanding how it is legal to chase someone down for an entire block and stab them to death.  Do we give a thief the death penalty?  Would any jury in our country sentence someone to death for petty theft?  The answer is absolutely NO.  So, what would give someone the right to chase down an unarmed person and kill them?  Why are some states allowed to let regular citizens kill someone that they suspect of commiting a crime?  What happened to the the constitution?  It does not make sense to allow one person to be the judge and jury of another person.  A majority of these cases, in my opinion, should have been prosecuted.  Our country prosecutes people on far lesser charges on a daily basis. 
This is not about gun control.  This is about protecting our constitutional rights as well as the safety of our children.  We have, obviously, not heard many details of the Zimmerman case.  All we know is that a 17 year old boy, armed with candy and a cell phone, was killed for walking through his dads neighborhood at the wrong time.  While I realize that evidence may come out that shows that Trayvon confronted Zimmerman, I am still at odds.  Zimmerman was told by police to stop following the boy, more then once.  Zimmerman decided to continue to pursue Trayvon under the assumption that he was up to no good.  But who gives a stranger the right to follow our children around and make themselves the judge and jury of a suspected situation?   I can guarantee that, had Zimmerman and Trayvon never met on that fateful night last February, Trayvon Martin would still be alive today.
Again, I am aware that I do not know all of the evidence in this case.  However, the simple fact is that a 28 year old man followed a 17 year old boy, against the order of police.  This resulted in the death of a child. 
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on June 10, 2013.  More info on this case to follow. 
Thank you for reading <3

Justice?

Now that I've had a chance to take it in and not be overwhelmed by my emotions, lets think about the jurors in Jodi Arias's trial.

These people have been living in Jodi Arias's world for nearly six months. It's very clear that this jury was in no way influenced by its sensationalism and round the clock coverage. Tonight we found out that the split between jurors was eight to four. Eight in favor of death. It's odd, considering that, if you remember, the jury consisted of eight men and four women. That defiantly does not mean that all eight men were leaning towards death and vise versa but just another odd coincidence of the Jodi Arias Saga. 

It amazes me that the interviews, or at least the news of the media blitz, did not get back to the jury. It's hard to imagine that anyone that believes in the death penalty could hear the things she said in those interviews and believe anything this woman says. She is cold, calculating and evil. I would not be surprised, in any way, if we were to find out that Jodi went on her media tour to taint the jury pool. The thought of the Alexander family sitting in that courtroom again, listening to the hardest part of the trial, only much longer this time, simply breaks my heart. I think the world just wants to see these innocent people who have suffered so much, finally feel a sense of justice. We know that nothing can ever replace Travis, but I know, from experience, that seeing justice served brings some kind of peace to the families of the victims. I also know, from experience, that Jodi will NOT STOP tormenting this family. She will not stop dragging Travis's name through the mud. If for some reason the media ban is lifted at any point from here on out, I strongly believe that the media should completely ignore her. I mean really, all we're gonna get is the same old lies!!!!  I believe no one should give her the satisfaction of granting her another interview. And none of us should watch any more of Jodi's interviews.  She will NEVER be sincere and while I know that we all wish that Jodi would break down and beg for forgiveness, it will NEVER happen.  Lets stop giving her what she want!!!!  What she BELIEVES she deserves!!!!

I hope that the Alexander family can find some comfort in knowing that Jodi will spend twenty three hours a day in a 7'x11' cell. 

Looks cozy..... I pray that her days are long and filled with memories of the life she once had...

She will be able to leave her 'personal space' for one hour a day, in which she can use to shower, get some 'excersize' or make phone calls to tweet. She will have two striped 'outfits', two pairs of netting like underpants, similar to those given in hospitals after surgery. She gets one pair of socks and one pair of rubber shower shoes. Her shower time will be perfect for her. She'll be the center of attention. Hopefully she finds some crazy women the size of Donavan with a personality like hers to keep her warm on during those cold prison showers......

When she does leave her cell, she will be guarded at all times with handcuffs and chains around her belly and her ankles. Jodi's jail cell will be the only cell that Jodi will ever come close to owning...she will never use an iPhone, see what her twitter page looks like, use the Internet, or even have a life of any kind.  She will remain in her cell until the next jury sentences her to DEATH or Life Without the Possibility of Parole.  Where she will live in the same facility she would live if she were on Death Row. Karma will get Jodi Arias.  The next jury will get it right.

She will eat her meals in her room, a la toilette. Lets take a look at the lovely menu Jodi will likely get to enjoy. 

                Breakfast 

                Lunch

                   Dinner

I wonder if she will still share her commissary items with her 'jail buds', the "indigent" girls that Jodi has become the queen of. Oh wait...I almost forgot, Jodi will no longer be in jail, she'll now be in prison so these girls will be hard core, like Jodi!!!  And since she can't come out of her cell to sign autographs maybe she'll just sign the ho-ho"s she slides to the cell next to or across from her...."Sincere Survivor Hodi".   

The only jewelry that Jodi will ever wear again will be these lovely matching bracelets....

But seriously, I know many of us wanted to hear that she had scored a one way ticket to death row. Jodi being locked in a cell for twenty three hours a day will be worse then death to Jodi. The media ban will stay in effect. Jodi will be in pure hell all by herself all the time. 

This IS our justice system at work. And while I refuse to stop demanding Justice For Travis until the Alexander family is at peace, lets at least take comfort in the fact that this women will not even be good enough for general population.  She will have complete and total solitude.

Please remember to click on the link below and donate $1. If everyone could donate just $1, we could maybe help to ease some of the stress from the Alexander family. 

http://travisalexander.org/

The Alexander family needs our help and prayers more then ever. 

Thank you. 

 

The day the Earth Stood Still

May 23, 2013. A day I will never forget. The Jodi Arias jury just returned a verdict on the penalty phase. No unanimous agreement. My heart aches for the Alexander family. After nearly five months of sitting in a courtroom, away from home. Away from their families as Travis's murderer sat and attempted to destroy his reputation. Calling him a pedophile who beat her. Then, as though its just not enough for her to simply lie, she decides to go on television any chance she gets and torment these victims even further!!!!  

Let me make it clear that I, in no way, blame the jury. I would have a hard time putting someone to death too. The thing is that the jury hasn't seen what we have all seen. The interview that she did after her conviction where she trashed Travis Alexander repeatedly!!!  We saw her basically dare the jury to give her death. 

The jury, doing their duties, obviously have not watched the news. Where she actually claimed that she felt betrayed by them!!!  

She gave a press conference just a few nights ago!!!  Right after she said that, given life, Travis's family wouldn't have to see his MURDERERS face again. 

I'm just....speechless. 

Please, pray for this family. If you can, please donate to the Alexander faintly who will now have to spend, who knows how long, more time away from their jobs, their families, their homes...even if its only $1, please click on the link below. Lets do what we can to help this poor family. I can't imagine having to deal with the pain of a graphic murder trial and also worry about money. Please, every dollar counts. Lets help them. They have shown such grace and class...

http://travisalexander.org/

Everyone in that courtroom sobbed. The jurors, the reporters, the Alexander family sobbed openly. Men started down the jury. Juan Martinez broke my heart. I've never seem him look the way he did today. Even Judge Stevens fought back tears. Jodi appeared to shed some tears, it seemed. Again, you can't believe anything from Jodi Arias. Her family was not present.  Perhaps they feared the worst or maybe that's why Jodi cried. She had no one to 'celebrate' with. 

Again, my heart breaks for each and every one of Travis's siblings. They don't deserve this. No one deserves this. 

The jury was to make a statement but appeared to change their minds at the last minute. I'm sure the jury is very emotional as well. I feel for them. Now they have to see what this psychopath has done while they put their lives on hold and were torn at what to do. She asked for lights, camera and makeup. 

This is not over. Jodi will get what she deserves. All evil people do. Again, my heart breaks. I can't imagine..... 

Please pray. The power of prayer is REAL. Pray for peace for this poor family. We can all feel their pain, so just imagine the pain they must feel. 

This man, only 30 years old when brutally murdered. Stabbed him 27 times, nearly decapitated him!!!!  And then a final 'fuck you' shot to the head. 

Jodi Arias, the Death Penalty was Created for People Like YOU

Inside Jodi Arias's Mind

If you are anything like me, you've probably sat and wondered what the hell was going through Jodi Arias's head as she sat in court day after day sparring with the prosecutor, Juan Martinez, knowing that his goal was to put her to death. As she stared directly at the jury, who would ultimately determine her fate, she told lie after lie. Contradicting herself unwittingly day after day....in her mind, she was absolutely telling the truth, or at least her version of the truth. Maybe you watched her interrogation videos and thought to yourself 'something has got to be wrong with her'. Or perhaps you just thought she was simply a cold blooded, calculating murder. But let's look at history....no criminal in our history has ever given such a highly publicized interview just moments after such a serious conviction as capital murder.  Especially being that she had an unsequestered jury that still had to decide her punishment.  The only way to stop Jodi Arias from further speaking out and continuing to drag her victim, Travis Alexander, through the mud was to put a public ban on all media interviews. Jodi was clearly her own worst enemy. 

During the guilt phase of the trial we heard one psychologist after another sit on the stand and give us their diagnosis of what was wrong with Jodi. We heard about her PTSD. (Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened). Jodi claimed she had symptoms of PTSD due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of Travis. We all know that Travis had not abused her. And furthermore, the results of the PTSD were determined based on a lie. When Dr Samulels examined Jodi and administered the PDS (a diagnostic test used to determine PTSD) he was basing the test results on the lie Jodi had told Dr Flores.  At first Jodi claimed to know nothing of Travis's murder. Only after being confronted with physical evidence proving that she had been at Travis' home on June 4, 2006, she then claimed that two intruders had attacked her and Travis, killing him and letting her live only after the gun jammed and the perpetrator threatened to kill her family if she revealed what had happened.  As Janeen DeMarte (expert forensic psychologist for the state) stated on the stand "if you base the test results on a lie, it renders the test invalid". If Jodi suffered from PTSD, it's clear that this came on as a result of her killing Travis (and that's a big if). Alyce LaViolette also claimed that Jodi suffered from PTSD which resulted from Battered Women's Syndrome. Being that there was no evidence of Travis ever laying a hand on Jodi, we can conclude that she was not a battered woman. While many battered women never expose their abusers publicly, the signs are always there. We all saw Jodi's journals. Page after page of her talking about how great Travis was and how much she loved him. Jodi even moved from Yrica, CA to Mesa, AZ to be closer to Travis. And after she moved back to Yrica, she decided to take a road trip of over 1000 miles, back to visit Travis. A typical battered women would never willingly return to her abuser.  In fact, a battered woman will go to great lengths to hide once she has fled from her abuser. And most battered women stay with their abusers because they have no other way out. Many times having children with their abusers and having nowhere else to go. The clearest evidence against her battered woman story was Jodi's behavior. It quickly became very clear that the aggressor in Travis and Jodi's highly dysfunctional relationship was Jodi herself. We all heard about her slashing Travis's tires, sending him and the women he dated threatening emails, sneaking in doggy doors and hiding behind Christmas trees. Jodi was clearly obsessed with Travis. Think fatal attraction...

Dr Janeen DeMarte diagnosed Jodi with Borderline Personality Disorder. (Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. This can lead to a variety of other stressful mental and behavioral problems). This was a far more accurate diagnosis then PTSD. Jodi was clearly unstable. However, a person with BPD would have shown a great deal of emotion when she saw herself in the situation that Jodi ultimately ended up In. If someone has issues with emotional instability, you would think that being convicted of such a thing as first degree murder would send them over the edge. Especially with their claim of self defense and innocence. Instead we saw her sit and give an interview 20 minutes after the verdict was read. Below is a link to Jodi's post verdict interview with Troy Hayden of Fox News in AZ. 

http://youtu.be/28EpBe6XRpg

Jodi is a little emotional in the beginning of the interview. She starts to claim that the 'fog' is starting to return but quickly changes her mind. 

Let's dig a little deeper and see what some symptoms of BPD are. A person with BPD has a great deal of difficulty controlling anger and rage. Jodi seems to be quite the opposite of that.  She somehow always seems to stay composed, the only signs of anger being her snarky responses and evil looks. Other then that, the general public has never witnessed Jodi having an extreme episode of anger. People with BPD also tend to become addicts to drugs, alcohol or sex. We saw that Jodi was addicted to Travis so that's one check in the BPD category for Jodi. Another characteristic of people with BPD is they often tend to see things as good or bad, with no in-between. To me, Jodi seems to always see the bright side in every situation. This could possibly be a result of her belief in the 'law of attraction'. When her artwork was banned from eBay, Jodi tweeted that "the silver lining to this was that her artwork would be harder to get, therefore increasing its value". Even when facing the death penalty, Jodi seems unswayed. Nothing seems to get to her. This drives me crazy about her. We would expect any normal person faced with such extreme circumstances to be extremely worried or upset. While Jodi seems shaky in the first few minutes of her interview, she regains her composure extremely quickly. Another symptom of BPD is that people who suffer from the disorder often have impaired memory under extreme amounts of stress. We all saw Jodi lie. While she claimed to have a significant amount of memory loss, the general consensus is that her gap in memory is just too coincidental, not remembering stabbing Travis 27 times or slicing his throat from ear to ear nearly decapitating him. This is not consistent with either PTSD or BPD. Instead, this seems to be due to her pathological lying. She seems to have an amazing ability at remembering her lies....until they are taken out of order and dissected as we saw Juan Martinez do. We know from what she did to Travis that she has the ability to go into extreme emotional outbursts and rage and that she did not handle feeling 'abandoned' by him very well. Two more checks in the BPD category.  And finally, BPD tends to make sufferers expect negative attitudes from other. Jodi thinks she can charm her way through any situation, so clearly that doesn't describe her. 

Maybe she has some of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder but she clearly has other issues as well.  Let's remember that I'm not a Dr or a psychological and am writing this strictly for entertainment purposes. I have never met Jodi and hope I never have the pleasure of meeting anyone like her. That being said, she's given us all a glimpse into her personality. One thing no one can argue is that she is a complete narcissist.  (

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder  in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity) ...this is clearly evident in her behavior as well as her words. If you listen to Jodi's allocation 'presentation' closely, you hear the word "I" being used a whopping 180 times!!!!  Don't believe it?  Here's a link so you can see for yourself...

http://youtu.be/IBIZ2lFQNC0

Her narcissistic personality is also clearly evident in her demands for makeup before interviews her demand to not be shown in her prison clothes and shackles. She believes that she is right and anyone that disagrees with her is wrong. In her interrogation videos you can see her trying to manipulate the detective. Jodi seems to have always been able to manipulate men with a flip of her hair and a tilt to the head. She was not used to people battling with her and most definitely not used to male rejection. She even tried to use the excuse that she had 'no experience with police interrogation'. REALLY JODI?!?  Most of the population doesn't!!!   

Next lets look up the definition of a psychopath. (

Psychopathy is a personality or mental disorder characterize partly by antisocial behavior, diminished capacity for remorse, and poor behavioral controls). Now that's Jodi Arias!!!  

Jodi seems to be a combination of a narssasist and a psychopath. She believes the world revolves around her.  There are videos captured of she and Travis apparently at a party (social gathering) in which they both were sitting on a couch. Travis is telling a story and she just lays possessively across his lap. At one point, she seems to become bored and sits up, removing his arm from around her. That is antisocial. We all know she is incapable of showing remorse and her behavior is extremely out of the ordinary. So, there you have it. 

Wait a minute though...in a text message that Travis sent to Jodi a week before she murdered him, he calls her a sociopath. Just out of curiosity, lets look up sociopath. (Sociopath a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience). Pretty close to the definition for psychopath. So it would seem, sadly, that although Travis realized that he wasn't dealing with a normal person, he underestimated the danger that comes along with these untreated mental disorders. I would highly suggest that if you happen to meet someone that even seems to have the personality traits of a psychopath/sociopath, RUN in the other direction. These people often tend to be very charming and it's often easy to get caught up in their webs. 

As always, thanks for reading!!  

***Definitions were obtained online and anything with "" is quoted. 

The Jodi Show

As always, court was delayed the day that Jodi Arias was due to deliver her allocution. No one knew what to expect from the women who, just moments after being convicted of first degree murder, gave an interview to a local Fox affiliate in AZ saying that she would prefer death over life in prison. In her mind, death was the ultimate freedom. And of course, Jodi wanted her freedom as soon as she could get it. Would she stand before the jury and ask for mercy?  Or would she stay true to her word and ask for death?  The Internet was buzzing with anticipation. From inside the courtroom, reporters tweeted and analyzed every move of the main players in this bizarre case.  The podium that had been set up for the Alexander family had now been set up for Jodi Arias. At the last minute, the podium was removed. Jodi was in the courtroom one minute and out of the courtroom the next. Finally, at about 10:45am MST, Jodi Arias, dressed in all black, holding a yellow manilla envelope, approached the jurors that had already convicted her of first degree murder, and began to address the jury. She did not use a microphone and stood unusually close to the jury box. As she began her allocution people held their breaths to see what she would say. Jodi Arias had proven to be completely unpredictable.

She began by speaking of her mother...."Several months back, while the first phase of this trial was ongoing, my mom visited me, like she had every week since the trial began". She went on to tell about how her mother, stopped one day at a stop light, had turned and seen the Alexander family in the car beside her. She said that they were both silent for a moment until her mother voiced what they both  had been thinking. "I know they are going through hell".  She said that until the victim impact statements, their pain had not been driven home. She claimed that she knew she was responsible for the families pain. She spoke of how she had wondered where Travis's grandmother had been, not knowing that she had passed but acknowledging that she was likely inadvertently responsible for her death as well as Travis'. She spoke of how Travis had told her on Thanksgiving of 2007 that his grandmother was "the glue that held the family together". She went on to talk about her thoughts and attempts of suicide saying that the one thing that always caused her to waiver was "sitting right over there", as she gestured towards her family. She claimed that she did not know that, if convicted to life, she could work and become self reliant. She cited the good things that she could accomplish while serving life in prison and the programs that she could start and continue to participate in. She then started a powerpoint presentation. Fully composed, she told the jury about how she had donated her hair to 'Locks of Love' before the trial began. It was the third time since her arrest that she had done so and if given the chance she would continue to do so for the rest of her life. She spoke of programs that she could start in prison, including a book club and teaching other inmates how to read, speak Spanish and even teach them American Sign Language. She spoke of starting a recycling program within the prison. She went on to show a slideshow of photos beginning with herself as a small child. She spoke of her family. Her closeness with her younger brother, Carl. Family trips to Seaworld and Hawaii. How, at age eleven she watched her baby sister, Angela, come into the world four weeks early. She showed pictures of her and Patti Womack, telling the jury that as a result of the announcement that Patti would be speaking on Jodi's behalf, she and her nine year old daughter had been threatened.  Patti ultimately decided against speaking at the mitigation phase.. She showed picture after picture of herself with her previous boyfriends, Daryl Brewer and his young son Jack, citing that she had last seen him on June 3, 2008 (the day before Travis's brutal murder). Photos of her and Bobbi Juarez, Matt McCartney and other friends flashed on the screen. She showed family portraits at holidays and vacations. She spoke of the nieces that she had only met through a thick pane of glass, about the weddings and holidays she had missed. In one photo, taken at Christmas, 2010, her family had held a photo of her in their family portrait. This, she said, was the only way she would ever spend the holidays with her family again. She spoke of how her nieces were the closest she would ever come to motherhood because "of her own terrible choices". She showed copies of her artwork. Again, she spoke of how she had so desperately wanted to avoid trial and go "quietly into the night". She again claimed that she had intended to protect Travis's reputation and that it was never her intention to drag Travis's name through the mud. She stated that she had been forced, on the stand, to tell the truth. She reminded the jury that while she told of Travis's abuse, she was always quick to defend him in the same breath and that she loved Travis and looked up to him. At one point he had been her whole world.  She said that this was the worst thing that she had done, could ever imagine herself doing and that before that day she had never harmed even a spider. She claimed that she was horrified at what she had done. She spoke of her families suffering and how she could not stand there, in good faith, and ask to be put to death. She asked for mercy, not for herself, but for her family whose pain was still so fresh after hearing the guilty verdict only weeks before.

The moment that stunned court watchers everywhere was when Jodi held up one of her 'Survivor' tee shirts. She said that she realizes that there were people that did not believe that she was an actual victim of domestic violence and that they were entitled to their opinions but that it was a cause that was close to her heart. For many people, this was her final knife in the back of the Alexander family. How could she continue telling her tale of abuse that had already been rejected by the jury?  She spoke for approximately nineteen minutes. Many people believed that any progress that she may have made had been shred apart when she displayed her 'Survivor' shirt. The irony of a convicted first degree murderer, who so savagely killed a man that she claimed to love and left him to decompose in his shower, pushing a tee shirt that she designed that read 'survivor' seemed to be too much for many to accept. One of her final  statements to the jury was that Steven Alexander had stated that he never wanted to see his brothers killer again and that with life in prison, he would never have to. The one thing that Jodi did not say during her allocution was "I'm sorry",  

Jodi Arias delivering her allocution of her death penalty murder trial. 

Jodi's plea was followed by closing arguments in which Jennifer Willmott listed the mitigating factors. She stated that Jodi was only 27 years old at the time of the murder, that she had no prior criminal record and had been an ideal inmate at the jail in the five years that she had been incarcerated. She cited Jodi's talent as an artist for being a reason to spare her life. In contradiction to Jodi's statements, Jenny told of the abuse that Jodi had suffered at the hands of her parents. She reminded the jury that if they decided to issue the death penalty, they would be taking her life. She asked if they could live with the decision to take another persons life. She argued that Jodi's life was worth sparing and could still be of some value behind bars. She claimed that Jodi wanted to better her life and help others and that Jodi had once been a 'good friend' to many people. 

Juan Martinez reminded the jury of the brutality of the murder.  He cleared up the issue with Patricia Womack, stating that he had interviewed her and she had pleaded the fifth amendment in an effort to not incriminate herself about alleged drug use and the sale of photos that were sold to the media in which were not reported to the IRS.  He pointed out that Jodi was 27 years old at the time of the murder. That soldiers were sent off to war at just 18 years old. Jodi was nine years older than a legal adult. He pointed out that while Jodi would continue to age, Travis would forever be 30 years old. She had lived a full life, with multiple sexual partners and life experience. He asked what being an artist had to do with anything?  He pointed out that while Jodi's family got to visit her in prison, Travis's family had to visit him at his grave. 

Jennifer Willmott had the last word in the penalty phase since the burden was now on the defense to try and save Jodi's life. She walked over to Jodi, rested her hands on her shoulders and asked the jury if they were going to kill her or let her spend the rest of her life behind bars. 

The decision of life or death was now with the same jury that had convicted her of capital murder and decided that it had been proven that she had acted in an especially cruel and depraved manner. 

In a final shocking twist to the ongoing saga, Judge Stevens lifted the ban on media interviews given by Jodi. That night Jodi requested makeup. She made a list of the media outlets that she would allow to interview her and began her surprise media blitz. Below are links to the various interviews Jodi did on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 while her destiny hung in the hands of the jury. 

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/jodi-arias-feels-betrayed-jury-115902659.html

http://m.today.com/news/jodi-arias-death-penalty-would-be-revenge-not-justice-6C10018471

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/22380878/2013/05/22/jodi-arias-speaks-out-to-choice-media-before-sentencing

https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1659202266001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAABvZFMzE~,IXjx0MpOF0p74gQ0oxWK0L1cZBcoHPoi&bctid=2400243284001&secureConnections=true&autoStart=false&height=100%25&width=100%25

http://www.abc15.com//dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/jodi-arias-interview-arias-speaks-out-to-abc15-as-jury-deliberates-on-death-penalty

It seemed that now that her attorneys were no longer on the case, Jodi was free to do as she pleased. If she thought that the media was going to coddle her, she was in for a big surprise. As always, however, Jodi seemed void of emotion. As each interviewer asked her why she had not apologized to the Alexander family, Jodi claimed that she had apologized, yet when asked if she wanted to apologize on air, she struggled to say the words "I'm sorry", claiming that the words seemed inadequate to the remorse she felt. 

It seemed a slap in the face that just hours before she had stood in front of the jury and said that if given life, the Alexander family would never had to see her again. She smirked and stood her ground as one after one, reporters asked her tough questions followed by reminders of the hate that the general public felt towards her. Jodi was once again running the show, prepping for the camera and letting reporters know that they were not to show her jail pants or chains that she wore around her ankles. However, one media outlet released this photo, which spread like wildfire over social media. 

The level of arrogance she displayed was appalling. It seemed as though this was all a game to Jodi. The world was her stage and she was loving the attention. The general public had never hated her more. All the while, the jury deliberated. 

On Wednesday, May 23 at approximately 11:45 am MST the jury announced that they were unable to reach a unanimous decision after deliberating for less than three hours. Judge Stevens instructed them to continue deliberations and try to reach a unanimous decision. 

That afternoon, Jodi began using Twitter again. It is not clear who managed her Twitter account at this point.

It became apparent that the Jodi Show was far from over.....

Jodi's smugness and arrogance is beginning to affect people everywhere.  Please comment on your thoughts as to whether you think a convicted criminal should be able to give media interviews in which she continues to trash her victim.  

***Update....On Wed. evening, Judge Sherry Stevens again put a ban on media interaction with Jodi Ann Arias