The expert witness for the defense may believe Jodi Arias is a victim of domestic abuse, but the first round of juror questions suggested the jury is far less than convinced.
Arias' lawyers are currently trying to establish her inherent need for self-defense against her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander through a series of paid expert witnesses. In an attempt to prove he fractured her mental state so badly that's she's suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and is a victim of domestic abuse, the defense has brought in psychotherapist Alyce LaViolette. The defense's assertion that Arias is the real victim here is the crux of its argument at this point in the trial. If they can convince the jury she was physically and mentally abused, she could beat the murder charge against her. Meanwhile, prosecuting attorney Juan Martinez is determined to prove Arias' premeditation to sustain a first-degree murder charge in Alexander's killing.
Earlier in the week, jurors submitted a wealth of questions to be asked to LaViolette by Judge Sherry Stephens. Arizona is one of three states that allow jurors to ask witnesses questions once prosecuting and defense attorneys have completed their questioning.
As the first of the jury's many questions were asked Thursday, it was clear many of the jurors were having a difficult time buying LaViolette's diagnosis of Arias as a victim of domestic abuse was accurate. Her professional opinion was scrutinized in many of the questions.
Juror: "Is there any reason to believe Arias has not manipulated you, as she has others?"
LaViolette: "I didn't use Jodi as my evidence. I didn't. I used so many other things to look at, so I don't believe that Jodi manipulated me because the areas I looked at were corroborated by other people."
Juror: "How confident are you that Arias did not lie to you?"
LaViolette: "I don't believe she lied to me about significant things. I don't have reason to believe that she lied to me."
A 32-year-old photographer from California, Arias is charged with the grisly first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend Alexander in June 2008, when she stabbed the 30-year-old man 27 times, primarily in the back, shot him in the face, slit his throat from ear to ear with so much force it almost decapitated him, and left his bloodied corpse crumpled over in the bathroom shower of his home - all in the course of 106 seconds. Arias' guilt is not up for debate - but her mental state at the time of the killing is. Arias' future depends on whether the jury believes she killed Alexander in self-defense, as she contends, or was actually a jilted lover exacting jealous revenge, as the prosecution argues.
Arias has already admitted to lying about Alexander's death to just about everyone. She first claimed she was never at Alexander's home the day he was killed. Then, when a bloody handprint on the wall confirmed she was there through DNA evidence, she admitted she was there, but said masked intruders killed him. Finally, years later she backtracked to admit she killed the victim, but now claims it was in self-defense, saying he attacked her in the shower, forcing her to fight for her life. She claims she lied so often because she was "ashamed" she killed Alexander in self-defense and because she was afraid of revealing the details of their sexual relationship.
Juror: "Do you think Arias exaggerated when she spoke to you about the abuse she claims to have suffered?"
LaViolette: "She could have exaggerated ... [but] she tended to minimize more than exaggerate," LaViolette said.
Juror: "Hypothetically, if you determined Arias had exaggerated, would that change your opinion?"
LaViolette: "I would certainly re-look at things because that would be important."
Some jurors openly doubted LaViolette's ability to remain objective, and many accused her of having a personal relationship or some kind of a kinship with Arias.
Juror: "Do you have personal feelings for Arias?"
LaViolette: "I have liked Jodi in terms of working with her ... but we have not had a relationship other than the [time] we spent in jail [conducting the interviews]."
Some jury questions pointed to several instances in LaViolette's testimony when she allegedly looked and smiled at Arias during questioning, and in one case even met her gaze for acknowledgement and shrugged when she was asked a question.
One juror directly asked LaViolette why she smiled at Arias so much in court.
"I have done that on occasion just to acknowledge her, but no other reason," said LaViolette. "I've actually tried to avoid looking at Ms. Arias."
Arias faces the death penalty if convicted. The trial resumes with more questions from the jury Friday at 12:30 p.m. EST.