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Nancy Grace
The State`s Case Against Jodi Arias
Aired January 25, 2013 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JODI ARIAS, CHARGED WITH MURDER: Listen...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am listening. Believe me, I`m listening.
ARIAS: It`s hurting my reputation. It`s casting me in a bad light. (INAUDIBLE) white Americans. And they`re not mafia or anything.
Travis was screaming the whole time! He wasn`t screaming like a girl, he was, like, shocked.
I ran! I ran into the closet. I think I got knocked out, but I don`t think it was that long.
Such a blur.
I chickened out like a little bitch!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s you.
ARIAS: It looks like me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is you.
ARIAS: That is not my foot!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t believe you.
ARIAS: Pigtails? (INAUDIBLE)
There`s a morbid curiosity (INAUDIBLE)
How many times was Travis stabbed?
I`m all for the 10th Commandment, thou shalt not kill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Taking a look analytically at all the evidence, now we are in week four of the Jodi Arias murder one trial, there has been a mountain of evidence presented by the state against Jodi Arias. Now, even though there is a mountain of evidence, that does not ensure a conviction. We saw a mountain of evidence in the tot mom, Casey Anthony, trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: State of Florida versus Casey Marie Anthony. As to case number 2008-CF-15606-0, as to the charge of first degree murder, verdict as to count one, we, the jury, find the defendant not guilty. So say we all. Dated at Orlando, Orange County, Florida, on this 5th day of July, 2011.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We saw a mountain of evidence in the O.J. Simpson double murder trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Superior court of California, county of Los Angeles. In the matter of the people of the state of California versus Orenthal James Simpson, case number BA097211, we the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder in violation of penal code section 187-A, a felony upon Nicole Brown Simpson, a human being, as charged in count one of the information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So a mountain of evidence, so to speak, does not a guilty verdict ensure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: If I had planned to hurt him in any way, I -- you know, I`m not the brightest person, but I don`t think I could stab him. And I think I would have to shoot him continuously until he was dead, if that were my intention. I mean, again, I bring up the gloves again, that I would have to wear gloves because, I mean, I`m not too worried about prints. I guess they`re all over anyway. But I would never stab him. But if -- if I had it in me anywhere to kill him, the least I could have done was make it humane as possible, or quick or something, you know? Not that killing is humane, so to speak. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know what you mean.
ARIAS: He was still alive!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: What matters the most is what evidence speaks or resonates with the jury. And although there were some horrific crime scene photos and autopsy photos, I think what resonated with the jury the most, aside from the shock value placed on those crime scene and autopsy photos, is the intricate web of lies told by Jodi Arias. And lucky for the prosecution, much of it was caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just -- I just see -- like, I`ve seen "The Sopranos," and they`re not mafia or anything, but -- you know, I just -- honestly, there`s part of me inside that thinks they`re never going to come after (INAUDIBLE) If you don`t believe me, that`s OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m trying to. I`m trying real hard.
ARIAS: I`m just saying that, you know, it sounds to me like -- like I`m already in the system, pretty far in. I`m not getting out any time soon. And as long as the rap falls on me, I think that...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s not good. Don`t do this.
ARIAS: No, I`m just saying. I think that as long as that is -- there`s less of a chance that my little brother is going to be hurt, or my mom or my dad or my sister that live there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Because we see Arias giving her first version, that she was nowhere near the scene on police interrogation video. Then after just one night behind bars, we see Arias curled up in the fetal position and basically lying on the interrogation table, giving her second version of what happened, that two ninja-style warriors dressed in solid black killed Travis Alexander.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the first thing they did to him? You were there. You saw it. What was the first thing...
ARIAS: I didn`t actually see it. I heard it first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there an argument? No?
ARIAS: No, not between Travis and I.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to start letting me know what happened. You`re telling me that some other people were there. You know how much that concerns me.
ARIAS: I don`t know who they were. They know where I live, or they know where my parents are. I don`t know if they know where my grandparents are, but they got my address and they know where my family is. Sorry!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you`re trying to say you`re doing this to protect your family? Why would someone do this to you? And to him?
ARIAS: I don`t think they really intended to do anything to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: This is all with the backdrop of the defense opening statement, where they admit, point blank, Jodi Arias killed Travis Alexander.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jodi accidentally dropped Travis`s camera, and as that camera was falling, that was enough for Travis because he lunged at Jodi in anger, knocking her to the ground in the bathroom, where there was a struggle.
Jodi`s life was in danger. In just under a minute -- in just a minute, from this picture, we go to the next picture, where it`s Travis`s body. He`s clearly injured already, in a minute.
Now, that very brief moment of time, a minute, is not the result of premeditation. It is not the result of a planned-out attack. It is just one minute, just one minute of time between the camera falling until you see the picture of Travis with blood. One minute.
In that one minute, had Jodi not been forced to defend herself, none of us would be here. In that one minute, had Jodi not chosen to defend herself, she would not be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So you got these three stories. You`ve got three versions of Travis Alexander`s death. So they know Jodi Arias is a liar. That should, if the jury is reasonable, taint everything the defense says. And I think that is the single most important thing that happened. I think that is what will resonate with the jury.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not a case of whodunnit. The person who done it, the person who committed this killing, sits in court today. It`s the defendant, Jodi Ann Arias.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: They may have bad dreams over the crime scene and autopsy photos. I know I have. But what resonates probatively -- which means what is proved, proven to the jury -- her lying, I think because the jury is the sole decision maker when it comes to credibility. Who are you going to believe? I think that`s very, very important that the state establish that she`s a liar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This love, well, she rewarded that love for Travis Victor Alexander by sticking a knife in his chest. And you know, he was a good man, according to her. And with regard to being a good man, well, she slit his throat as a reward for being a good man. And in terms of these blessings, well, she knocked the blessings out of him by putting a bullet in his head.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: There was a lot of speculation about what the defense would be in light of the fact that Arias had already told two conflicting versions, one that she was not there at the time of the murder, two that two ninja- style warriors dressed in solid black killed Travis Alexander. A lot of speculation. Was she going to stick with one of those stories? Would there be a third story?
Well, now we know the answer to that mystery. There`s a third story, and that is what the defense said in opening statements point-blank to the jury, Jodi Arias killed Travis Alexander.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would have forced Jodi? It was Travis`s continual abuse. And on June 4th of 2008, it had reached a point of no return. And sadly, Travis left Jodi no other option but to defend herself. On that horrible day, Jodi believed that Travis was going to kill her. He threatened to kill her. And given her experience with him, she had no reason to not believe him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Why self defense? They are also planning to bring in a battered women`s syndrome expert. Now, to meet the criteria of the battered women`s syndrome, there must have been a history of domestic abuse. The defense seems to be saying that there was no prior physical abuse, only verbal abuse.
Will that carry the day? Don`t know. So far, what the state has put in -- the state`s case alludes to no physical violence whatsoever. Now, will this defense strategy, self-defense, require Arias to take the stand?
I guarantee you this. The defense will try every contortion, every backbend, every flip, every somersault possible not to put Arias on the stand. But they may have no choice. If they can make out a prior verbal or emotional or physical abuse without putting her on the stand, that`s what they`ll do. But if they need her, they`ll put her on the stand.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: I would venture to say that one of the stars of the trial for the state is the photographs of the crime scene. The crime scene not was only horrific, which works to the state`s advantage, but also can lay out the progression of the murder, most importantly, the nine stab wounds to Travis Alexander`s back, which should in a normal universe torpedo a self- defense claim. You cannot stab somebody nine times in the back as they`re trying to get away from you and claim they were attacking you. Now, that`s a new definition of rear attack!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And assuming this is Travis Alexander, what would you associate that blood with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A cut to the throat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I think that the crime scene is going to be a key component in the jury`s decision. The fingerprint expert highly important because that expert compared and lifted the prints that show Jodi Arias`s palm print with her blood and Travis Alexander`s blood commingled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And with regard to exhibit 22, what are your -- what were your findings or what were your conclusions?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Latent print 169-A was individualized as the left palm of Jodi Ann Arias.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Also, her hair was there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that how you want to leave this, these far- fetched excuses as to why your blood is there, why your hair is there, why your palm print is there, why pictures are there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now, her fingerprint or palm print or her DNA being in the home could have occurred innocently because she was there so many, many times, obviously, having marathon sex sessions. But the blood -- his blood and her blood -- found at the scene in her palm print clearly show that this was from the murder itself because there`s no other incident that we know of where they both bled, both their blood got on her hand and it deposited on the wall. It had to be from the time of the murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no way anyone else could have left your palm print in blood on that wall. No way. Get that through your head.
ARIAS: If I was going to ever try to kill somebody, I would use gloves. I have plenty of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody said you -- you know, you had planned this out perfectly. Maybe you were going there just to (INAUDIBLE) have a good time with him. Something got out of hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That one print alone -- I would say combined with the digi-cam photos, but that one print alone puts her on the defense. She`s at the scene at the time of the murder. She`s touched his body. She`s not calling 911. We know all of that from that one palm print. And the rest unfolds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: The medical examiner testified for a prolonged period under oath, and that was very important. Everything he had to say was critical to the state`s case because not only are they trying to make out a murder case, they are going for the death penalty. So they must not only show a murder, they must defeat her claim of self-defense. And they must establish facts sufficient to meet "heinous" as an aggravating circumstance to get the death penalty.
So their evidence is threefold that they`re trying to seek from the medical examiner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If somebody were standing and they were -- if the two people were standing, facing each other, and the person with the knife is reaching over the back, that`s going to have less force to it, wouldn`t it, than somebody who`s standing behind and being able to drive the knife right in without stopping?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Generally, I`d agree with that. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. That wound -- you were able to tell a direction or trajectory on that wound, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It`s pretty much straight into the chest cavity from the right side of the chest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Doesn`t it have a slightly upper trajectory?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it is, it`s very slight, because the heart is right -- the vena cava is right in that location where the wound is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: What was so important is that, A, he shows -- the medical examiner -- the nine stab wounds to the back. That defeats the self- defense claim. B, the multiple stabbing of an unarmed man, 29 stab wounds, including a smiley face slash from ear to ear, which -- you know, you`ve got to get the visual on this, of Arias behind him and above him, slashing his throat from ear to ear, maybe even pulling his head back to slash his throat, pulling him by the hair to slash his throat that way.
Hold that visual for a moment because that is what I would have the jury do, hold that visual for a moment. Now, see, they couldn`t do that had the medical examiner not testified the way he did.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: So you`ve got defeating self-defense claim with the nine stab wounds. You`ve got heinous. And also, you`ve got the fact that she shoots him after she stabs him to death. How do we know that? We know that he`s down by the trajectory path of the bullet. It goes top to bottom above the right eyebrow, lodging in the left cheek. They had to cut it out. It was still in him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you tried to wash him off, tried to get some of the blood off, tried to clean him up a little bit. But you`re even denying the pictures of you being there. There`s pictures of you laying on the bed in pigtails.
ARIAS: Pigtails?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I`ve got pictures of you that I`ve blown up. And you`ve got the little mole right there. It`s the same one. It`s you. It`s obvious. I can show you some of these pictures. Do you want to see the pictures? Will that change your mind?
ARIAS: I mean, I am curious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Let me take a little break then. Let me go find them. I`ll show you.
ARIAS: I wasn`t there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The trajectory shows that she was above them when she shot him, but we also know he was already dead or dying at the time of the gunshot wound because there was no blood pressure, there was no heartbeat pumping the blood, or else it would have spurt out. It didn`t. So just for good measure, it was, Boom! Take that, Alexander! That`s heinous. That is cold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have something to tell me, but you`re just so resistant. I know you`re afraid because you`re already going through it right now. There`s no backing up. There`s no backing up to yesterday. There`s no backing up to that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The explicit photos, the sex photos that were introduced to the jury were not brought in for prurient interest or salacious purposes. They were brought in to show that Jodi Arias was not being abused. She was not being beaten. She was there of her own free volition, not only taking part in everything but taking photos of it on her digi-cam. She is not a battered woman. That is the point of these photos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s already happened. And unfortunately, you`re going to have to face the consequences.
ARIAS: You know, if I did that, I would be fully ready to face the consequences. I`m not really for things like -- you know, I`m all for the 10 Commandments, Thou shall not kill. OK? But...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no evidence to show anybody else did that. None.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Well, the strategy of the prosecution in the use of the lead detective, Detective Flores, was unique and great. Very often, you`ll see a prosecutor put the detective up in the beginning or the end, and they testify almost in a monologue (SIC) and lay out everything there is about the case.
In the Arias prosecution, the state brought him on as they built the case. First (ph) it`s phase A, phase B, phase C. And they would bring him on each time to testify about that building block, which I found to be very, very effective. I think it was a very good trial strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you recall her saying that he had said several mean things to her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During any of these e-mails. And I guess about -- according to your testimony previously, it was about a year-and-a-half later that you actually looked at these e-mails, correct?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Do you remember seeing e-mails in which Mr. Alexander referred to Ms. Arias as a, quote, "three-hole binder?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection. Hearsay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a slut?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a whore?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: Hello?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. Could I speak with Jodi, please?
ARIAS: This is Jodi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Jodi. Detective Steve Flores, Mesa, Arizona, Police Department.
ARIAS: Oh, hey, how are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. I just got a message from one of my patrol officers that you needed to talk to me about something?
ARIAS: Well, I just wanted to offer any assistance that I may have. I was a really good friend of Travis`s (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What have you heard so far?
ARIAS: I heard that he was -- that he passed away and that it was -- I don`t know. I`ve heard all kinds of rumors. They said there was a lot of blood. I heard that his roommate found him or a friend found him or people were -- I`m sorry, I`m upset. But I heard that nobody has been able to get ahold of him for almost a week, and that was about the last time I spoke to him, too, which is actually why I thought I -- my friend said I should call you anyway and let you know the last time I talked to him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, any help we can get from anybody who had any kind of contact with him (INAUDIBLE)
ARIAS: I used to talk to him quite regularly. I used to live there. I live in northern California now. But after I moved -- I moved a few months ago, and after I moved, we kept in touch very regularly, and kind of felt that a little bit (INAUDIBLE) dropped down to a couple of times a week. But I hadn`t heard from him. I talked to him on Tuesday night. I looked at my phone records on the Internet to check. I definitely talked to him Tuesday night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So was that your cell phone?
ARIAS: Yes, it was my cell. That`s the only phone I have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the number that I called?
ARIAS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And what did you guys talk about?
ARIAS: It was brief. I was driving out to Utah, and you know, he was like, Are you going to come out and see me? I`m, like, No. He was supposed to make a trip up here at the end of the month because he -- we -- a thing that we are doing, it`s called -- it`s a book called "1,000 Places to See Before You Die."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I found the receipts presented to the jury to be very probative because there`s receipt, receipt, receipt, receipt, receipt, and then suddenly, the trail goes dead. And then it`s receipt, receipt, receipt, receipt, receipt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a look at exhibit 237.004. And this is to Valero, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the date on that one?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: June 2nd, 2008.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 8:41 PM.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what kind of card was used?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mastercard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are the last four digits?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2015.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it also has a name here, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s the name?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jodi Arias.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: She clearly was flying under the radar during that time period so she would not be identified or placed around Travis Alexander`s home or in that jurisdiction. That`s what that was all about.
And I`m interested about her cell phone usage at that time, as well. Recall how she said her cell went dead? She knew enough to know that triangulation could be used to place her in that area. So I`m willing to bet money on it, that when we see her phone records in full, that there will be very little cell phone usage while she`s in that jurisdiction, so she won`t be placed there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: I have not been near his house. Isn`t there...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I pulled your cell records. Your cell phone was turned off between here and here, OK? But the last place it pulled (ph) it was here. The next place it turned on was here. What does that show me?
ARIAS: Oh, well, I began -- oh, no, no, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there plenty of time for you to do that? Yes. Do I believe that you had come to visit Travis? Yes. I truly believe it. Did you have the opportunity? Yes. You were traveling alone. There`s no other witnesses. Your phone just happened to turn off from here to here.
ARIAS: Well, I didn`t turn it off physically. It died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then it magically -- you found your charger here?
ARIAS: It was under (INAUDIBLE) packed under the seat on the passenger side. And it was when I was...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you were lost, you couldn`t have pulled over and found it or...
ARIAS: Well, I did finally start looking when I was stranded. I wouldn`t have pulled over when I was lost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t think you`re being completely honest with me about that trip.
ARIAS: I honestly got lost. It`s -- it`s bad timing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: There is a problem whenever a murder weapon is not found. And here two murder weapons have not been found, a knife and a gun. Yes, it hurts the case. It would be better if the weapon were found, the weapons were found. But there`s a mountain of evidence to convict Arias.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: (INAUDIBLE) talk about this, but was there -- was there, like, some kind of weapon used? Or was there -- was there a gun? Was there...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can`t say what type of weapon was used, but I`m guessing there was a weapon used by the type of injuries that were left behind. Do you know of him having any weapons at all in the house?
ARIAS: His two fists, really. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No handguns or rifles or...
ARIAS: No. He wasn`t one to -- no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
ARIAS: He was more into, like, wrestling and (INAUDIBLE) you know, he (INAUDIBLE) a punching bag -- like, he loved beating the crap out of a punching bag.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Sadly. we know that a mountain of evidence does not always suffice for a guilty verdict.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, "ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL": In my opinion, Jodi Arias`s defense team took a page from Casey Anthony`s defense team and basically tried to pull the rug out from the prosecution by admitting a lot of their case and sort of robbing them of the chance to prove that she was there by saying, Yes, I was there. And so essentially, they`re trying to sort of co-opt the prosecution`s case, claim it for themselves, and then provide some kind of explanation that would make it all make sense in Jodi Arias`s favor. And I don`t think they`re going to be able to do that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when did you guys actually start dating?
ARIAS: Not for a while. We met in September. The following weekend, he invited me to church. And the following Wednesday of that Sunday, he gave me a copy of the book of Mormon. I started reading it. I got baptized November 26th.
We would talk a lot and hang out a lot. We kind of had, like, a thing, and there was definitely an attraction and an interest, but we weren`t officially dating until about February of 2007, around his birthday. I think that a string of events sort of pushed that together. Travis had kind of a commitment phobia, I guess you could say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The prosecution wrapped its case surprisingly early. I believe that they think they made out the case. And yes, they did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The state may call its next witness..
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state rests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: There`s quite a bit of evidence they chose not to introduce. That`s their decision, and they`re basing that decision on a lot of different things. It could be that they know the judge may rule adversely to them with other evidence. There may be issues about the other evidence that we don`t know.
I would say, however, that had I been prosecuting the case, I would have introduced every scintilla of evidence I had in my case in chief, not try to save it for rebuttal. You don`t know if you`re going to be allowed to introduce it on rebuttal.
For instance, the fact that Jodi Arias was busted trying to escape just before she was handcuffed. Under secret police surveillance on her grandparents` house, they saw her loading and packing boxes to leave town. Why would she do that? Including in those boxes, knives, and in the rental car, a hidden 9-millimeter weapon. I think that`s very probative. The jury will never know about it unless it comes out on rebuttal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you met her, what was her hair color?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blond.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Jodi Arias go from blond to brunette almost in an instant before killing ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When she came over to watch Jordan, what was her hair color?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dark.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is a dye job like this done without making a huge mess when you`re literally on the run? Nancy Grace asked a professional hairstylist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if someone wanted to dye their hair in the car, they actually could because some formulas don`t require you to wet your hair prior to applying the color formula. So you could apply it to the hair. You know, at the point in time that you want to rinse it out, then you know, find a bathroom or head back home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: I expect the defense to focus largely on dragging Travis Alexander`s reputation through the mud and destroying any legacy he had left behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: And a lot of people were dropping my name, and I said I`m not worried about it because I didn`t do it, I said, but it`s very much -- it`s hurting my reputation right now and it`s casting me in a bad light.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn`t be worrying about your reputation right now. I`d be worrying about the rest of your life. That means nothing, absolutely nothing.
ARIAS: Well, my reputation will affect the rest of my life, so I am worried about my reputation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I also think they will focus on trying to establish that she was a battered woman, although we don`t know of any physical attack on her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: Can I see the pictures?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have your blood at the scene, your hair with blood at the scene, your palm print at the scene in blood. What`s going on there?
ARIAS: Well, I can explain the blood and the hair. I don`t know about my left palm print.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can you explain the blood and the hair?
ARIAS: Well, because I used to bathe Napoleon all the time and...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You haven`t been there since April, right? He`s had the house cleaned several times since then. And this hair was not just a hair, you know, in the shower or something. This hair was stuck with blood and obviously had blood on it at the time it got stuck, where it ended up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This was one of the bloodiest crime scenes we have seen in a criminal trial in recent times. There was blood everywhere. There was blood in the hallway. There was blood in the shower. There were blood stains on the walls, on the toilet, and especially in the sink. The sink is like a pool of blood.
And so it is so overwhelming, it is so mind-boggling and heart- wrenching to see all that blood and know that Travis Alexander did not die quickly or painlessly, that this was a long, long, violent, painful death.
GRACE: A lot of court watchers have the question, will she take the stand? She may insist that she take the stand over her lawyer`s objections. I think it would be a very bad move. I wouldn`t do it. I would do a somersault, a backflip and find a way to get self-defense in without her taking the stand. And they may just be able to do that through some voicemails that Travis Alexander apparently left her.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: State of Arizona versus Jodi Ann Arias.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
911 OPERATOR: 911 emergency.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A friend of ours is dead in his bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw him curled up in the -- he`s curled up in the shower.
911 OPERATOR: Had he had anybody bothering him recently?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he has. He has an ex-girlfriend that`s been bothering him. Her name is Jodi.
ARIAS: There was a point in time where we were in love, but it was short-lived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Motivational speaker Travis Alexander was viciously murdered at his Mesa home back in June.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The person who done it, the person who committed this killing sits in court today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a print left on the wall in blood that led investigators to Jodi Arias.
ARIAS: I would be shaking in my boots right now if I had to answer to God for such a heinous crime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you -- I have to ask you this. Did you kill Travis Alexander?
ARIAS: Absolutely not. No, I had no part in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you had nothing to do with Travis Alexander`s murder.
ARIAS: Nothing to do with it.
I witnessed Travis being attacked by two other individuals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who?
ARIAS: I don`t know who they were.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jodi Arias changed her story yet again. She acted in self-defense.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jodi, were you ever afraid of Travis?
ARIAS: I`ll pass on that question.
No jury is going to convict me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?
ARIAS: Because I`m innocent. And you can mark my words on that one, no jury will convict me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me what a typical day is like for Jodi Arias?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Morning breakfast starts about 9:00 o`clock, and it will be (INAUDIBLE) sack, with usually peanut butter and fresh made bread. And that`s her breakfast and lunch, her brunch. She may read. She has dayroom access for 16 hours. Phone calls are available to her. She may make phone calls, pretty much day-to-day life in a small cell with another person.
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GRACE: Whenever there is a break in evidence, I think that works to the detriment of the state.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You understand you look guilty here.
ARIAS: I understand that everything -- all of the evidence against me right now is very compelling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What really happened in there?
ARIAS: In a nutshell, two people took Travis`s life, two monsters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did not shoot Travis.
ARIAS: No. I`ve never even shot a real gun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You did not stab him 27 times.
ARIAS: I never -- that -- that`s heinous. I`d never...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or slit his throat from ear to ear.
ARIAS: I can`t imagine slitting anyone`s throat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That records check shows you that you reported a gun stolen, a .25 auto.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One of the reasons Jodi Arias was crying and sobbing so much during Heather Connor`s (ph) testimony is that Heather Connor was the witness that allowed the prosecution to show this horrific crime scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just happens to be the same caliber as the weapon used to kill him.
ARIAS: A .25 auto was used to kill Travis?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, along with multiple stab wounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And essentially, I think Jodi was trying to pull the focus away from those horrible pictures and back to her and try to drum up a little sympathy for her. She`s the one who created that crime scene. She knows what it looks like. She was there. But they start showing those photos, and she starts sobbing and sobbing. I think she`s trying to neutralize the incredible impact of those photos.
GRACE: I think that by the time a jury comes back for the defense, they will have forgotten a large portion of what the state presented. That`s not good.
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