Crime & Trial Discussion Forums

Duluth, here is that article you said you didn't read:

Jodi Arias: *New* Travis's roommate describes the fear he and others felt following the murder

Enrique Cortez was one of Travis Alexander's roommates at the time of his murder. Enrique recently contacted me and talked about what he and others went through following Travis' death. I had never heard this story and I thought I had heard everything surrounding this case. Jodi Arias has caused and continues to cause horror, grief, sadness, fear and a myriad of other emotions to those who knew and loved Travis Alexander. As I sit at the courthouse in Maricopa County, Arizona, waiting for a jury of twelve citizens to determine if Jodi Arias will be sentenced to life or death, I decided to finally post this story.

Thursday would have been about June 13th, 2008. This was the week we found Travis. Lisa Andrews and her roommate Elena hadn't slept at their house all week. Everyone was a little shocked and unnerved at the news Travis had been murdered.

That Tuesday night, our bishop held a meeting in our church building to discuss what information Travis’s sister passed on to him. There were a couple theories floating around such as a business deal gone wrong. I think everyone who knew Travis when was dating Jodi suspected her of doing it. I had only met her briefly at the memorial, as I had said on Nancy Grace. When Detective Flores questioned me at the police station, he asked questions about Travis having a lady friend and that he thought Travis and a woman were having a sexual encounter. In fact, all 6 of us crime scene witnesses pointed the finger at her.

That Thursday, Lisa and Elena spent their first night in their house. They had a bunch of friends over for a party with all the lights on. I had been spending the week at Kent Flake’s and Kody Miller’s house. Zack Billings stayed at Dominick Daidone's, whom Lisa would marry later on. Kent had to go out of town on personal business and since Kody was going to spend the night at Lisa’s, I decided to go as well since I didn’t want to stay in their house alone.

Kody not only came with a loaded gun, but he also swapped vehicles with his brother and parked around the corner since Jodi would have recognized his truck. Once everyone left, it was time to go to bed.

Lisa and Elena slept in the master bedroom together. I slept outside the master in the family room with another guy named Josh Craig. This was also where you have the patio door. Kody slept alone in the living room at the front of the house with the loaded gun. I have to admit I was a little nervous when I went to bed that night, but it was better than staying alone without protection.

Waking up in the morning, Kody told me the police finally opened up the house. It had been closed off as a crime scene all week and now I could finally go and get my stuff out, as well as Zack.

In October 2008, we went on our delayed family trip to Disneyland on Columbus Day weekend. Me and the girl I was dating at the time all of this happened drove to Riverside to visit Travis’s grave.
Every trip to Disneyland I usually go to his grave. We ran into Mimi Hall, who was traveling with her parents. While the 3 of us spent a few minutes together at the grave, she had told us that before the murder, she got a harassing phone call. The only thing I remember Mimi saying about it was something along the lines of, “I know what you’re doing; you better stop it.” Lisa got a letter, Mimi got a phone call.

Needless to say, Zack and I wouldn't feel safe if she ever found a way to slip through the cracks.

http://www.courtchatter.com/2015/02/jodi-arias-new-traviss-roommate.html

Observer, I believe it was Arias who phoned Mimi to scare her. I believe that Mimi is a very lucky young lady that she wasn't murdered. I have thought that for a very long time. Mimi is a lovely young woman who anybody would be lucky to get as a wife and I think Travis would want to marry a person like her or Deanna Reid. I also think Deanna is lucky to be alive. I think the Hughes should count themselves lucky as well. Arias was able to snow the Hughes for a short while, but they finally realized what she was like and distanced themselves from her and strangely because of things they said in emails or texts the defense used them against Travis to smear his reputation and they absolutely did nothing of the kind. It makes me furious.

I feel that Arias wanted to kill all of them because she partially blamed them for Travis's rejection of her simply because they were his good friends and had she had the opportunity, I think she would have jumped on it, not only for spite but I believe she loved the power she had as she was killing Travis. I have no way of proving any of this, but it is my belief. I am just now remembering that Sky Hughes said somewhere that they were actually afraid Arias might hurt her children that time Arias and Travis were at the Hughes' house and Travis was talking to them with the door shut. Do you remember that? That tells me that Arias gave Travis's friends the creepy feeling. Way before the murder. She wasn't alone in that feeling.

I am glad the friends had that fear and tried to take care of each other. Sometimes we just have to go with our gut feelings and they were right to be afraid of Arias.

I think it will be too bad if Arias is let out into the general population early. I don't think that is harsh enough for her. It seems too easy. She loves manipulating people and will have the opportunity as soon as she is in general population.

Duluth, that was a beautiful response. You are so right.

Remember, Duluth, awhile back you asked what felony murder was?

I answered according to the law, it is felony murder if someone participates in a crime, even as a lookout, and someone dies in the commission of that crime even though he never killed anyone personally.

Jodi Arias thinks she is being wrongfully convicted of first degree premeditated/felony murder when she actually planned, executed and covered up a brutal murder all by herself because she shouldn't be defined by one day or a "bad choice" she made.

Can you imagine a teenager makes a decision to burglarize a home with two friends and one of them is shot and killed by the homeowner?

Although the teenager never pulled the trigger or killed anyone, he is found guilty of felony murder and is sentenced to 55 years in jail?

That happened to Blake Layman, 16, who had a part time job, was a high school student and had no criminal record before he got high and agreed to participate in a burglary in 2012.

Layman's attorneys are challenging the constitutionality of that law before the Indiana Supreme Court and the decision might affect the entire felony murder laws in the country.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/felony-murder-why-a-teenager-who-didnt-kill-anyone-faces-55-years-in-jail/ar-BBhZuAc

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My husband and I always warned our kids and our teenage grandkids that one bad choice in their teen years could ruin their entire life. My kids have made some stupid choices but none that cost them their freedom, health or life.

One of my best students decided to get high one night, dived off a cliff into a lake and is paralyzed from the neck down. Another basketball star with a four year scholarship to the best college in the state electrocuted himself when he jumped up and grabbed a dangling wire. Another student is a vegetable because he took a deadly cocktail of drugs as an experiment. One died of alcohol poisoning. Another student went to prison for killing an entire family while drag racing drunk. It is just heartbreaking to see teens with their whole life in front of them ruin their life with one bad decision.

It is hard to understand yet I think there has to be a line drawn somewhere. This is a very harsh sentence. I am glad I don't have to make that call. As far as teenagers, it is so scary because they are teenagers and sometimes just make a bad choice even if they are decent people, just for a second. It is scary. That is all I can say. I have a friend who just sailed through her kids' teenage years (I didn't) and I asked her how she did it. She said she just told God to take care of them when they left the house. It worked for her!!! I personally was a nervous wreck during my kids' teenage years, but I can't go back and change that now. Teenagers are fun though. They think they are so smart and it cracks me up. At that age, a teenager thinks they will live forever.

When a teenager can get through the teenage time in one piece, I consider it a blessing and a miracle.

One thing I can say with great certainty is that Arias was not a teenager when she slaughtered Travis and I don't understand the mitigating factor of her age. She was plenty old enough to know what she was doing. You have to start some time when you start murdering people. There has to be a first time.

Did anybody watch last night's Dateline NBC about the lawyer/justice of the peace guy in Texas who killed a prosecutor, the district attorney, and his wife? Big time chilling. I had been hearing something about this on the news, I guess, but didn't really know anything about it until I watched this program. And this guy was planning on taking some more people out, it sounds like. (like I think Arias had in mind)

No, I haven't watched that Dateline yet but I'm sure it is on my TiVo so I will eventually watch it.

To get back to the Jodi Arias saga, here is a hilarious letter to Juan Martinez that was sent to the Juan Martinez Support Page. It seems like all these nutcases - Richard, Marc McGee - sound a lot like Arias. Remember that chilling crazy email Arias wrote to Lisa saying she was going to hell for her whoredom with that "insidious man." This guy sounds like he's got more than one screw loose in that swelled head.

https://www.facebook.com/JuanMartinezProsecutorSupportPage/photos/a.143279079199010.1073741832.135700933290158/358017581058491/?type=1&theater

WHAT? HAHAHAAAA! This is weird. There are obviously a lot of weird weird supporters.

If Richard Bobrich isn’t in a psych ward, he needs to be. Saying the Mormon Church was Satan and infused her with a demonic spirit so she killed in self defense is insane. Where do these male nutcases come from that they think it is their duty to save this cold blooded murderer from death or even Life without Parole and blame the Mormon Church and the prosecutor who is trying to make her pay for her crime. This guy was stupid enough to give his name and I bet the police could trace his IPS address and pay him a visit. It’s against the law to threaten a prosecutor, even on the Internet.

Observer, my belief is that the defense team used the fact that Travis was a Mormon to trash him because he had sex with Arias. We only have Arias' word for how much sex they had. Frankly, the Mormon church or religion has nothing to do with this case, only that the defense used it to show that Travis was not a perfect person and that they are hoping that some in the jury will think that he should have been killed because he wasn't the perfect Mormon and had sex and possibly perverted sex. It is a horrible defense but with all the other trashing they got in, (lies) this is their defense and they have gone nuts with it. Remember the day that the Alexander kids left the courtroom? Nurmi actually had the audacity to say something about pornography and some sort of anal machine. That was to get the jury to think that Travis did those types of things (he didn't - there is NO evidence WHATSOEVER) and hope that they would be repulsed by his "alleged" pervertedness. It has been so wrong. I wonder what their defense would be if Travis had been a Baptist or possibly an Episcopalian. They simply took advantage of making him out to be a pervert because the Mormon religion is very strict against sex before marriage. Therefore - Travis is a sex maniac and a sex pervert, and I haven't even addressed how they tried to say he was a pedophile. Can you imagine sitting there like those Alexanders did and having to listen to that crap? And not be able to scream? It is infuriating how the law allows the lies. Justice is not about the truth. In my opinion. It is about who can tell the biggest whopper sometimes.
That's my story and I am sticking with it.

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I think most Christian religions frown upon sex before marriage, but I can't swear to that. The Mormon religion is apparently more vocal about that? I don't know all the ins and outs of religions. But I think it is well known about the sex before marriage with the Mormons. To me, Nurmi and Willmott decided to use the religious thing to trash Travis and slander his reputation. I think they are hideous. But. That is what defense attorneys do to win cases.

Duluth, don't you remember our discussion awhile back on the plea deal Arias tried to negotiate?

Here's my post:

Observer

#89
02-02-2015, 12:09 AM
On the Trial Addicts Facebook page Justice told us about, I also found the plea bargain motion which makes it clear from the beginning that Arias was planning on putting the victim on trial and exposing him as a sexual deviant and a tawdry playboy thinking his Mormon family would take the plea to save their brother’s reputation.

Wrong. The Alexander family and Martinez refused to give in to her blackmail and forced her to take it to trial.

According to the motion, on Oct. 26, 2010, Jodi Arias stated she would plead to second degree murder if the state agreed to the sentencing guidelines for someone who does not have a criminal record. Nurmi wrote the motion but it smacked of Arias arrogant know it all attitude.

The motion didn’t list the sentencing guideline but I believe it is eight years for someone with no criminal record. By then she had already been in prison for two years. So she was basically wanting to spend six more years in prison and then get out of prison and obsess and stalk and kill another guy who wouldn’t marry her.

I find it interesting that in the motion, Jodi Arias says it would require “the feat of mental gymnastics” to believe that Arias would be found guilty of felony or first degree premeditation because of the demeaning, degrading and abusive behavior of Travis Alexander.

The motion lists all the evidence Arias has against Alexander: the text messages, the sex tape, the emails and says a plea would save the Mormon community and family embarrassment of a trial.

Because of the “chaotic relationship," the motion states the most she would get is manslaughter.

It also says Jodi Arias does not believe she will get the death penalty so she is not going to plead guilty to first degree murder.

I wonder why she didn’t just agree to plead to manslaughter because that’s what she thought she would be convicted of if she didn’t walk on self defense.

She was wrong because the jury found her guilty of first degree murder (8-4 felony and 12-0 premeditation.)

I hope she is wrong and she gets the death penalty also.

https://grahamwinch.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/jodiariasngfile.pdf

So this just proves my point. That Arias is despicable and a serious manipulator and that she had lots of help coming up with that plea deal. She will hurt anyone who gets in her way. The grandmother, the siblings, the friends, the church, anyone and anything.

It gives me distress thinking about the siblings having to be in close physical contact with her in the judge's chambers which has happened probably 100 times. If not more. I can't imagine.

I hope hope hope the end is near.