Crime & Trial Discussion Forums

I just watched the Spreecast with Jeff Gold and Cathy from Court Chatter and Jen from the Trial Diaries.

http://www.spreecast.com/events/the-gold-patrol-jodi-almost-cooked

I have to say that I am in disagreement with all three of them in their comments about Martinez's closing.

They felt it lacked punch and the bravado that Juan is known for.
They felt that he did not drive home the pain and suffering that Travis experienced while Arias was killing him.
They feel he made a grave mistake by playing into rebutting in a way, the defense's mitigation factors.
They felt that he should have stressed the dehumanizing way that Arias slaughtered Travis and that is why the jury was there.
Is "blood and guts" the only thing that will convince this jury?

To me, he did exactly what he was supposed to do.

This was a mitigation trial.
It was imperative that he address the mitigation factors presented by the defense.
It was imperative that he rebuke the mental illness defense and he did. He stated, more than once I believe, that Arias knew fully right from wrong.
He stated that she was 27 years old when she committed this crime and not the little girl the defense was presenting. She was 27 with high intelligence.
He showed the jury the deception of the defense's "expert" witnesses and that their testimony was based on what they picked and chose from information to fit it.
He stated that the diagnosis of PTSD was based on a lie and therefore was not to be believed.
He stated that BPD does not lead to murder, it is a personality disorder.
He stated that all the accusations of childhood abuse came only from Arias' mouth.
He stated that she showed no remorse by her vilifying Travis at every turn in this case. He even brought in the letter to the family.
........ and so on and so on..........
He addressed each and every mitigating factor presented by the defense.
that is what he was supposed to be doing.

Arias has been convicted of Premeditated First Degree Felony Murder with the Aggravated Factor of Extreme Cruelty.
The jury goes into their deliberations knowing this and they must remember this in their discussions.
It was not part of Martinez's job to state the obvious over and over again.
What part of Extreme Cruelty is not presented by Martinez when he puts up, more than once, the graphic photo of Travis' gaping slit throat?
He took a picture of Arias when she was small and smiling and told the jury to look at it. Then he put up right next to this picture, the photo of Travis' slit throat and said this is his smile. What part of Extreme Cruelty does this not represent?

I believe Martinez did what he needed to do.
I believe he closed with an impact.
I believe he was following the course of a mitigation trial.
I believe he was speaking to the jury as knowledgeable people who know the task before them.
I believe he addressed all of the issues that needed to be addressed unlike the defense who relied on telling the same thing over and over.
I believe the jury heard Martinez.

Nern, I have no desire to watch Spreecast but I read Jeff Gold's tweets that Martinez is in the weeds and needs to do this and that and I thought about what he said and realized like you did that Martinez didn't need to prove premeditation or extreme cruelty because that's already proven. He proved that Alexander suffered by putting up the autopsy pictures and pointing out that the little girl Nurmi said the jury can't kill left a man she claimed she loved to rot in his own shower riddled with stab wounds and with a bullet in the brain.

Like you said, and I said in my former post, all Martinez had to do was rebut the defense's mitigating factors. And he did exactly what he needed to do because the burden is on the defense, not the state.

Martinez only tries death penalty cases. He has won over 300 cases in almost 30 years. He certainly knows what he is doing.

Gold is a defense attorney. I've seen him fighting with Nancy Grace and other prosecutors on HLN. His job was to represent the defense and criticize the prosecution's case. That's all he knows.

If Gold is such a great attorney and legal analyst, why is he on an Internet show like Court Chatter that probably pays him very little if anything?

I watched the Gold Patrol before and I thought Gold came across egotistical and arrogant because the Gold Patrol is a bunch of groupies who know nothing about the law and hang on his every word. It wouldn't matter what he said, they'd believe him.

I will be so glad when the jury sentences the cold blooded murderer. I am so sick of Arias and all these hysterical obsessed court watchers who don't even know what they are talking about.

Martinez style is disprove defensive lies, he covers every one every time, and seldom takes or uses notes, at least what's seen by us during his performances. To work without an assistant and have his uncanny recall speaks to his career choice being a perfect fit.
300 cases, 30 years and a very high success rate' explains his devotion to the victim he fights for, except an amount of bulling with theatrics becomes exampled.

I've been anti Nancy Grace for her entire career, he working for CNN is a joke (The Most Trusted Name In News) being what they call them self, note. Headline News, Court TV were and are CNN, Nancy's success has copycats who sensationalize and lying is what she does best' Nancy failed in the courtroom because her clients were adjudicated guilty because she was so despised (theirs a few books explaining), I barely watch any of them, their career advancement to them is more important than people in the news. One thing I have done as far as Nancy this trial is reading her show on CNN transcribed, even then she aggravates but its more tolerable!

I thought it was especially powerful when Martinez turned the porn around on Arias and implied that Jodi Arias was saying Travis Alexander deserved to die because he watched porn.

He also said she had so much remorse she made up lies about Alexander being a pedophile and a perpetrator of domestic violence.

He showed the four autopsy pictures of Alexander with his slit throat and said, "This guy was bad for watching porn. Let's look him in the eye and say that."

He also pointed out that Borderline Personality Disorder is no excuse for murder and all it means is Arias has a fear of abandonment. DeMarte had said Arias killed Travis because she feared abandonment and she wanted to devalue him, which are symptoms of BPD.

The defense has no mitigators, which is why they spent so much trashing Alexander and using text messages to show Travis Alexander was a womanizer, liked sex and that there was porn on his computer and Arias has BPD and PTSD.

Nurmi will try to turn it back around but basically all he is saying is that the jury shouldn't kill her because she was once a little girl and she is a victim.

Martinez proved who the real victim was by showing the autopsy pictures.

---

Martinez didn't need to focus on the premeditation or suffering because the jury had already heard the jury's instruction that states the jury must accept:

1- The jury’s prior verdict of guilty of first degree murder.

2- The defendant caused the death of another, acted with premeditation and reflected on the act before the killing. The time may not be a prolonged amount of time in premeditation.

3- This act is death qualified in its cruel and heinous nature. It has been determined that the aggravating factor in that act was especially cruel. There was focus on pain and suffering and the defendant knew, or should have known that the victim would suffer.”

Well, it seems that we are all on the same page once again.

That is a good thing because we can hope that the jury is as well.

Thank you for reminding me of the 300 cases over 30 years that Martinez has tried. and, that he is a death qualified prosecutor.
It confirms for me that he knew exactly what was expected of him in his closing.
It confirmed that he knows his job/profession.
He got he job done!

Today, Nurmi will only say the same things but maybe in a different manner.
It will not change that he has not backed up with evidence and the truth in ANY of his mitigating factors.

I hate, absolutely hate, waiting for decisions like this!!!

Going away today to London for a few days BUT....taking my computer with me!!

Enjoy London Nern' have a safe trip, I wonder if Jodi will Allocate today' she likely has something up her sleazy sleeve and that may allow the defense to twice closing arguments knowing the judge is unlikely to allow Martinez a second shot at closing his arguments, I read 2,548 days so far (I haven't done the math) and expect one more delay!

By the way' Nurmi said wait until 2/26 for a witnesses testimony, and the judge (disbelieving) personally called that witness, resulting in the jury having days off and delaying Martinez cop killer court case, question is' why are the defense team paid for ninja witnesses invented for trial delay tactics, this delay was in your face disrespectful to judge and court!

Change of plans - going away on Friday so.....................guess I will be immersed in this mess for at least another two days. Hopefully there will be a verdict before I go.

I guess we shouldn't be surprised by anything the defense (Arias) does.
Ninja witnesses are just another ploy to delay.

I will not be the least bit surprised if Arias pulls another stunt (or two) before this case goes to the jury.
Unless she has something in the wings, she has not had the last word and that is so unlike her.

I believe that she thinks that by only letting the jury hear her short testimony, by not making use of an allocution and by feigning tears throughout the closing arguments, she has proven that she is unwell and should not be put to death.

Arias may have BPD but it has not defined how she lived her life in "normal" society.
She held down jobs, she lived independently from her family from an early age, she purchased vehicles, she even had a driver's license!
Many people of both sexes use others for their personal gain.
This is not, unfortunately, unique to Arias.

What IS unique to Arias is her complete arrogance and feelings of superior intelligence, her advanced manipulation techniques and her pathological compulsion to lie to get what she wants.
On top of that, when finally rebuffed again by a man, she says enough is enough and she slaughters him.
She also feels she is smart enough to get away with this "one day" in her life because everyone else around her is stupid, including all of her friends, acquaintances, her family, court members and even the jury.

She is DEAD wrong!

If Martinez gets to review closing arguments the defense is welcome to delay by any means in my opinion, as long as new expert witnesses or witnesses are not allowed!

Best thing is Jodi in street clothes unshackled ends when jury begins deliberations, so I hope (only for that reason) that the verdict takes another day, she will want interviews (no matter the verdict) and in prison (not jail) uniform fits her crime, she will be common Chattel for her remaining days!

if you want a clear and concise recap of the closing arguments from yesterday, read from the following link.

Jeff Gold should do the same.

https://www.facebook.com/JuanMartinezProsecutorSupportPage/posts/356855807841335

(02-25-2015, 01:27 PM)NERN Wrote: [ -> ]Well, it seems that we are all on the same page once again.

That is a good thing because we can hope that the jury is as well.

Thank you for reminding me of the 300 cases over 30 years that Martinez has tried. and, that he is a death qualified prosecutor.
It confirms for me that he knew exactly what was expected of him in his closing.
It confirmed that he knows his job/profession.
He got he job done!

Today, Nurmi will only say the same things but maybe in a different manner.
It will not change that he has not backed up with evidence and the truth in ANY of his mitigating factors.

I hate, absolutely hate, waiting for decisions like this!!!

Going away today to London for a few days BUT....taking my computer with me!!

Nern, I want to go to London!!!! You have a wonderful trip. It is nice to think of you in London for a few days.
I am in a better mood today. I was furious yesterday reading about Nurmi's horrible descriptions during his closing and I felt so glad that the family left the courtroom. It does no good getting furious, but that took me over the top. Regardless, this is the way it is. I am hearing too that Juan didn't do a great job, but I remember in the last trial, while I listened to HLN (never again), the talking heads continually said he was no good at his job. I think he has done a remarkable job and I admire his passion for justice. I too hate this waiting game, but we have waited for so long anyway, what is a few more days or weeks. I understand that if it is life, we will wait a couple of months for the judge to actually sentence her. So this is a long thing regardless, I guess. I will be so glad when Arias is in prison and all alone with herself.
You have a great time, Nern.