Crime & Trial Discussion Forums

Nern, I have followed this trial since the beginning, and their is so much of the puzzle missing,
maybe after the rest of the transcripts are released.

Lavender, you are correct and I too have followed this trial since it began. I will say, it is the last one too. Took too much time out of my life.

My feelings are that I no longer want to hear about Arias as she is a forgotten entity to me now - as she should be.

But I DO want to know what ramifications could happen as a consequence to this case.

(04-19-2015, 02:33 PM)Lavender Wrote: [ -> ]Hello
This is OP but I thought I would post this article for you to read.
http://www.livescience.com/49613-psychopaths-brains-punishment.html

Interesting read, but I don't agree with the conclusion of offer them more rewards and less punishment, as children. I say that often, they simply do not learn that there ARE consequences to our every action or decision to do something...or not to do it. Children need balance to learn. And if balance is applied, the child learns that if he does something wrong...he will be punished (disciplined). He also needs to understand that people appreciate him more if the does the right things.

This article just leaves too many questions unanswered. For example, what makes psychopaths have such an inflated ego and consider themselves smarter than other people, or more charming than others? What makes them feel so 'entitled'? Why do they consider ONLY what they want and/or who they want in their life, even to the point of deciding who deserves to live or must die, at their hands?

I honestly do not see this as a brain problem, like for someone who is diagnosed as Bi-polar or Schizophrenic or mentally challenged. We need to face the fact that some people simply do not have a conscience. Mainly, they never care to learn how to treat other people and do not want to be told what to do. Jodi Arias has shown us a prime example of such a person.

Justice, I tend to agree with your thoughts on people like Arias. I can't help but believe that some people regardless are going to be "evil" regardless of how they are raised or their life experiences or anything. And if these types decide they want something, they will go for it regardless of the outcome for themselves or anybody else. They only care about their own wants and needs and don't care about the consequences for others - only their wants are important. And I don't think they have a conscience.
I did enjoy the article. What does OP mean, Lavender?
And Nern, I also am looking forward to a book by Dr. Randle regarding the psychological aspects. I might get some others as well, if I think there will be interesting facts in them. I would like to know more actual facts that weren't allowed in this particular trial but I doubt there will be books like I am looking for. For instance, I would like to know more about Arias and Searcy and what that was all about and I would like to know the reality of Arias' family life because I really don't believe she was an abused child. Many other things like that would be something I would like to know. I'll just have to wait and see if anybody does a really good investigative story of this type of thing.

Duluth, I think JA was having sex with Gus, he had a phone she needed and she was broke. I know Gus was sued by his own daughter
on Judge Judy, it's on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/results? search-query=g
He seems to like the limelight. One question that I wonder about is did they ever find out who was behind the break-in at DR. De Marte's
home, it was the timing of the break-in... just before her testimony. I heard that JA was spoiled growing up, her father had restaurants
was doing very well at one time, I think her mom and dad knew JA was wired wrong, if you remember the 1st. interrogation videos, that
was very telling to me.. and I think the family was scared of her, and they were very truthful with the LE. That's why mom couldn't testify
in the trial, because Juan could have brought in the videos with the police. OP= off topic

OP - Old Post
---------------------------------
I have maintained throughout this case my feelings on what made Arias do her dastardly crime.

For so many, it is important to provide a "label" on any person who does a horrific deed. These labels justify in their mind the reason for what has happened. They need a tangible explanation because no normal person would do something so horrible. so, words such as psychopath, sociopath, etc. are used.

As I have said before, I am not a religious person per say, but I am a spiritual being.
I believe that goodness far outweighs evil in this world.
Most are good and honest people who would not ever do any harm to another.

But having said this, I DO believe that there are people that come along who are just plain evil. They lack any form of conscience or humanity in their being. It is just who they are.

I believe that Arias is evil - has an inherent evil within her.
Over time, it began to rule how she went through life. It manifested itself with lies, manipulation to get what she wanted and felt she deserved for herself. She did whatever it took to get what she felt was rightfully hers in life.

Finally, she took the ultimate step to achieve her goals and also seek her revenge by slaughtering Travis Alexander.

I believe that goodness can and most often does trump evilness.
It did in this case.
The goodness of Travis, his family, his friends and all those who grew to admire him won over Arias.

Arias remains on this earth, but is being punished by a slow existence behind steel and concrete where she can never again hurt anyone in the manner that she hurt Travis.
She is a hated woman.
She is a forgotten person on this earth.

Travis is no longer here.
But Travis brought so many people together, while he was alive and now that he is physically gone from this earth.
Travis Alexander lives on in the many, many people who grew to admire and love him.

We do not need labels to understand - sometimes there are just bad people.
But goodness does win.

Lavender, I too have thought that surely Arias was doing sexual acts with Searcy. I mean - seriously - can you imagine? The very idea is so repugnant. And my sister and I both have believed from the first time we heard that Dr. Demarte's home was burglarized and her laptop stolen that it had something to do with Arias and her followers. You and I are on the same page on those two subjects for sure. And I have never figured out why Searcy would just give Arias a phone that was very expensive and drive and meet her somewhere in California (Pasadena) on her move back to Yreka to give it to her. She had about four phones at her disposal about the time she left Yreka to go kill Travis. Amazing that this wasn't discussed more in the first trial, I thought. I also wondered why Arias just HAD to stop and see Daryl and Matt McCartney and his roommate. I won't tell you what I suspected. I just wish Juan could have had Matt McCartney on the stand. That would have been wonderful.
Nern, I too believe some are just born to be bad. And I am not religious at all but most of us can choose to be good or evil. Some can't choose because they don't understand the concept of good and wouldn't do good even if they understood the concept.
And where oh where is Lunarscope?
And Lavender, I believe you are right that Arias was spoiled by her parents growing up. She is so bad that she simply has to try to get the public or whoever to feel sorry for her by saying that her parents treated her badly. That type of person always tries to get people to feel sorry for them. It is a trademark of that type. She probably has actually made her parents feel like they did not treat her right and they probably did everything to treat her good. She has that kind of power to make people feel sorry for her.

I agree with both of you, Duluth and Lavender.

Arias used her sexuality to get what she wanted. She knew of no other way that would benefit her in a quick and positive way (in her mind).

She was a booty call for so many men in her life.
Searcy would have been flattered that a young blonde was interested in him. It would feed his ego just as she wanted and then allow her to get what she wanted from him.

I do not think that Arias was necessarily spoiled by her parents while growing up. She may have received a bit of preferential treatment just to keep her calm and out of trouble within the family. This would have been a tactic on her parents' part as they most likely did not know what else to do especially when they had other children to care for.
But to say she was spoiled - no. If she had been that spoiled she would not have been constantly looking to be the centre of attention. She felt she was not and therefore did what came naturally - acted out and then blamed others for her having to do so.

I have trouble with the word "power" that is used so much by so many when talking about Arias.
She could manipulate but she didn't have any power over others.
She had power over her own actions and used them without a whim of conscience.
She found the weaknesses in others and used them to her advantage, but seeing that as power I guess is just the wrong word for me. She had the "ability" to get what she wanted from others but I do not see this as power.
It is a subtle difference in the use of words but a difference that works far better for me.
Power only comes when others choose to allow it.
Manipulation and the ability to manipulate does not allow for choice. That is what Arias does.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=36&v=7K6FLDaVa_0

The above is an 11 minute interview with Arias' Private Investigator Dorian Bond by Ron Leiberman.

As I have felt from the beginning and it is pointed out in this interview that part of Arias' appeal will be going after her defense team, namely Nurmi.
Bond stated more than once that the relationship between Nurmi and Arias was irrevocably broken and therefore she did not receive an adequate defense.
Nurmi jumped into the gutter alongside Arias with his defense of her.
It did not work. So.....has to be his fault.

Bond also stated that the many mistakes made by Nurmi AND the judge and Martinez would also be included in her appeal for a new trial.

He said she is hard not to like when you speak with her on a regular basis but for some reason, he does not see the obvious manipulation on her part to keep him retained and on her side.

He also believes that now that she is not under the influence of Sheriff Joe, that things will be more relaxed in Perryville and that she will do media interviews and that she should do them.
Never mind that they are not allowed in Perryville.

Arias has this guy snowed but once again, it is her perception of how she has been treated.
SHE got an unfair trial.
SHE was misrepresented by her defense team.
SHE was a product of a poor judge and prosecutor.
SHE was a victim of the media.
Not her fault.
She will lose once again.

(04-20-2015, 02:35 AM)duluth45 Wrote: [ -> ]Lavender, I too have thought that surely Arias was doing sexual acts with Searcy.  I mean - seriously - can you imagine?  The very idea is so repugnant.  And my sister and I both have believed from the first time we heard that Dr. Demarte's home was burglarized and her laptop stolen that it had something to do with Arias and her followers.  You and I are on the same page on those two subjects for sure.  And I have never figured out why Searcy would just give Arias a phone that was very expensive and drive and meet her somewhere in California (Pasadena) on her move back to Yreka to give it to her.  She had about four phones at her disposal about the time she left Yreka to go kill Travis.  Amazing that this wasn't discussed more in the first trial, I thought.  I also wondered why Arias just HAD to stop and see Daryl and Matt McCartney and his roommate.  I won't tell you what I suspected.  I just wish Juan could have had Matt McCartney on the stand.  That would have been wonderful.
Nern, I too believe some are just born to be bad.  And I am not religious at all but most of us can choose to be good or evil.  Some can't choose because they don't understand the concept of good and wouldn't do good even if they understood the concept.
And where oh where is Lunarscope?
And Lavender, I believe you are right that Arias was spoiled by her parents growing up.  She is so bad that she simply has to try to get the public or whoever to feel sorry for her by saying that her parents treated her badly.  That type of person always tries to get people to feel sorry for them.  It is a trademark of that type.  She probably has actually made her parents feel like they did not treat her right and they probably did everything to treat her good.  She has that kind of power to make people feel sorry for her.

---

Duluth and Nern, when I first started watching the trial, I noticed she was alot like this woman a close family member had dated.
She was so much like JA they could have been twin sisters. This person was capable of hurting someone and did, thanks goodness
she moved with her (So-called) Uncle, and I truly thought at first he really was her mom's brother. But as time went on he was her
new boyfriend, he was twice her age, had money, nice cars, and she was still dating the family member, she would wait until he
went to work and go off with the Uncle. She would come to his apt. about 20 min. before he would get home from work. I was
good friend's with his roommate's Mother, that's how I found out alot of stuff that was going on. One day she called me and said
have you seen so and so's face, and I was shocked, what I had heard, He had to have twenty stitches to his face, both eyes blacked nose broke just inches from losing his eye, she did this to him, the hospital wanted to know WTH happened to you..
Well he always covered up for her, he was laying on the couch watching TV and she just out of the blue threw this large cigarette
roller thing at him and it cut his face up. He lied at the hospital and told the story that he was wrestling with roommate and hit the
glass coffee table. He lied at his job and told them he was in a car accident a passenger in a friend's car. He looked like Frankenstein, they asked him to go home and come back when he was all healed up because he was scaring the customers.
The stories I could tell would curl your toes..

No question that there are people out there that are so similar to Arias.
I have what could have been my daughter-in-law that has so many traits like Arias. thankfully, it was not to be and my new daughter-in-law is a wonderful, gorgeous person who loves my son unconditionally.

I do not think Arias is unique.
It is the media attention that surrounded this case that made her seem that way.
I do not know of any other case that received the hype that this one did and I believe it was HLN that began the fueling of it.
There have been diabolical, evil, manipulative, deceitful men and women who have done horrific crimes but did not receive the media attention that Arias did.

EVERY nuance, EVERY word, EVERY minute detail of Arias, her crime and her actions have been under a microscope for a very long time all with the aid of the media.
With that, EVERY action, etc. by the defense team, the prosecution the judge and the juries was also scrutinized in depth.

There is no doubt that Arias is evil and bad to the bone.
There is no doubt that she is exactly where she should be for the rest of her natural life given that she escaped the death penalty.

She received far too much attention for her crime. Of course, she suborned the attention initially but the media ran with it and never stopped. The media gave her exactly what she has craved her entire life - full attention.

I got sucked into the hype like so many others and wanted to hang in there until this case was concluded. All thanks to the coverage of this case on TV, the internet and social media. I have also fully participated in following and commenting throughout.

I feel it would be naïve of me and others to think that there are not others like Arias in this world.
Hopefully the media will not feed into the psychopathy of another terrible defendant and make it a national "event".
Having said this, if they can, they will but I have no plans to get sucked in again.

---

She is out!

http://courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Criminal/042015/m6789258.pdf