World University

Does Juan Martinez Need a Time Out?

Juan Martinez has shown himself to be a very direct interrogator. If he asks a yes or no question, he wants a yes or no answer, not some drawn-out explanation. The prosecutor is attempting to obtain justice for Travis Alexander, who was brutally murdered on June 4, 2008 by his then-lover Jodi Arias. She faces the death penalty if convicted, but she is trying to get off on self defense, claiming she was abused by the deceased and she did it to save her own life. As Mr. Martinez cross-examined domestic violence "expert" Alyce LaViolette on Tuesday, she said, "If you were in my group, I would ask you take a time out, Mr. Martinez," likely referring to the aggressive interrogation tactics he has used. This led to further scolding by Judge Sherry Stephens, who has had to give many instructions to this witness especially, as she tries to dodge and weasel around the prosecution's questions. During her testimony last Thursday, she asked, "Mr. Martinez are you angry at me?" which led to throngs of laughter from court spectators. Not really a laughing matter, but there has to be light among the darkness, right? An interesting point was brought up, though: Did Ms. LaViolette view Ms. Arias's testimony? Her attitude seems to imply so, but that's against the rules, right? Though Ms. LaViolette was berated by the judge, her performance is unbecoming of a professional, which she claims to be. Her quippy little retorts seem to be betraying her "expert" status. And at a rate of $300 an hour for her testimony, you'd think there would be more focus on Jodi Arias's personality and the murder of Travis Alexander, rather than the incessant talk of fairy tales, like whether or not Snow White was a battered woman. Ridiculous. Juan Martinez seems to be exacerbating his point, that he believes Ms. LaViolette to be guilty of bias, showing that she prejudicially judged evidence to favor Ms. Arias. She is claiming that it is obvious that Jodi was a victim of abuse at the hands of Alexander, that he was controlling and hurtful, cracking her already fragile self esteem. Some say that Jodi Arias seems to be pretty self confident, and, really, happy with herself overall, as she showed in her 18 days on the stand, not telling about the day she murdered the man she "loved." But if Jodi was lying when she said all that other stuff, why is she to be believed now? What says that this is the true story? And if she was lying, then all the evidence this expert has looked through could be filled with lies, which would make her determination of domestic violence invalid, wouldn't it? Before the trial began on January 2, it was believed it would go on into April. However, at the end of court today, the judge asked the jurors to check their calendars for a few dates, leading into May. The dates were Fridays, which is a day court is not normally in session. Perhaps they are finally seeing a need to get this wrapped up, as Jodi Arias's defense is already costing Arizona taxpayers over $1.4 million. Even so, it seems there will be several more weeks before a verdict will be rendered. Are the jurors following the prosecution's path, or do they see the possibility in Jodi's third tale of what happened to her lover. Mr. Martinez is to resume his cross-examination on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. PST. that lung