Meleigha SchimmollerLaw Enforcement 1

•I am currently a Junior at Swan Valley High school, as well as a first year student at the Saginaw Career Complex

• I have been on the high honor roll through my high school career and was recently indicted into National Honor Society

•My career goal is to become a Corrections Officer

I picked this case because I have been following the case from the start

Jodi Ann Arias is accused of shooting ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander, a 30-year-old motivational speaker and legal-insurance salesman, in the face and then stabbing him 27 times and slitting his throat from ear to ear

Jodi Ann Arias

Did she kill in self defense?Should the mistrial have been granted regarding juror number 5?

Should the mistrial have been granted regarding the trial being compared to a Salem witch trial?

Issues with the case

The defense team demanded a mistrial or to at least get rid of a juror

Kirk Nurmi asked that juror #5 be removed claiming that statements made to other jurors amounts to misconduct

Another mistrial motion claimed that the case resembled a modern -day witch trial

The motion also included a circus-like atmosphere in the court room

Mistrials

Judge for the Maricopa County Superior Court

Sherry Stephens

Prosecution

Travis Alexander Juan Martinez

Victim that was brutally killed by Jodi Arias

Maricopa county prosecutor

One of Arizonians top death penalty prosecutors

Defense

Jodi Arias Jennifer Willmott and Kirk Nurmi

Defendant Charged with 1st degree

murder

Public defenders Jennifer Willmott was

assigned to the case in January 2012 after Jodi's attorney pulled from the case

Ryan Burns Leslie udy Ex-lover of Jodi Arias Met Jodi at a work

related conference

Both testified that when they meet up with Jodi Arias after the murder, they noticed cuts on her knuckles

Alyce Laviolette ◦ Domestic violence expert

Richard Samuels◦ Stated that Jodi Arias has PTSD

Janeen DeMarte◦ Clinical psychologist◦ Stated that Jodi Arias has Borderline

Personality Disorder and no evidence of PTSD

Raphael Colombo Deanna Reid

Rent-A-Car shop owner Testified that floor mats

were missing and that there were stains that he thought were caused by kool-aid

Jodi Arias rented a car on June 2nd, 2008

Ex girlfriend of Travis Alexander

Testified that he never abused her or raised his voice at her

Maricopa County medical examiner The medical examiner stated that Travis

Alexander was stabbed first, shot in the head and then his neck was slit from ear to ear

Dr. Kevin Horn

September 2006- Travis Alexander met Jodi Arias at a conference in Las Vegas.

November 2006- Because Travis was a Mormon, Jodi choose to be baptized

February 2, 2007- Travis and Jodi began dating

June 29, 2007- Travis and Jodi broke up but maintained a physical relationship

Sequence of events

December 2007- Travis began dating another women and he told friends that arias slashed his tires on his vehicle twice. After this, his new girlfriend received a harassing email

March 2008- Travis and Jodi visited several states together

April 2008- Jodi moved from Arizona to California

June 2, 2008- Arias picked up a vehicle from a rent-a-car in California

June 4, 2008- Jodi went to Travis's house in Arizona. They had sex and took explicit photos together.

June 5, 2008- Jodi went to Utah to see Ryan Burns

June 7, 2008-Jodi returned the rent-a-car June 9, 2008-Travis’s friends went to his

house because they were worried because they hadn't heard from him in days. They found Travis dead in his shower

June 17, 2008- Arias went to the mesa police station and voluntarily gave her finger prints and DNA

June 19, 2008- Police contacted Jodi and questioned her about Travis’s murder

June 21, 2008- Travis Alexander was laid to rest in California

July 9, 2008- Arias celebrated her 29th birthday. A grand jury incited her on first-degree murder

July 15, 2008- Mesa police arrested Jodi and she was booked

September 5, 2008- Jodi was extradited to Arizona

December 10, 2012- Jury selection began

December 20, 2012- A panel of 12 jurors and 6 alternates were selected. 11 men and 7 women

January 2, 2012- The trial began

Judge Stephens drew the line and announced that the attorneys will be delivering closing arguments

Final jury instructions will be read on May 2nd

Attorneys will give their closing arguments May 2nd and 3rd

The case will be submitted to the jury May 3rd

An End May Be Near

In my opinion I believe that Jodi Arias should be put to death because her actions were pre meditated and there were to many wounds for it to be self defense like she claims. He had over 27 stab wounds to his body and most of them were on his back. He was also shot in the head and his throat was slit from ear to ear. That seems like a lot of built of rage and jealousy and I feel like she should be put to death because Travis Alexander had a drawn out painful death and he knew his life was near the end.

Conclusion

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/jodi-arias-timeline-revised_n_2598662.html#slide=2052612

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/jodi-arias-whos-who-murder-trial_n_2404657.html#slide=2074086

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/jodi-arias-murder-trial

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57562995-504083/jodi-arias-trial-medical-examiner-describes-brutal-attack-on-ex-boyfriend-travis-alexander/

Sources