The defense wounds on Travis Alexander's body; the long trail of deceit to cover up his killing; Jodi Arias' constantly changing stories and numerous admitted lies; her history of stalking and spying on boyfriends and exes; her tears in the court room - they all prove Arias is a "manipulative ... sophisticated liar" guilty of "a very orchestrated killing," the prosecution hammered in its closing arguments Thursday.
A 32-year-old photographer from California, Arias is accused of the grisly first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend, Alexander, in June 2008. Arias has admitted to killing her former lover, so her guilt isn't up for debate - but her mental state is. Arias' future depends on whether the jury believes she killed Alexander in self-defense because she feared for her life due to his alleged habitual domestic abuse, or was actually a jilted lover exacting gruesome, jealous revenge.
Culminating four months of testimony, prosecutor Juan Martinez attempted to show the jury that no matter what Arias has claimed in court, she is not to be trusted. He reminded the court that no witnesses or evidence have corroborated Arias' contentions, arguing the majority of Arias' defense rests on attacking the credibility of the victim.
"She planned to come and kill Mr. Alexander ... that's what the evidence shows," said prosecutor Juan Martinez to the jury.
"She premeditated the murder."
Arias' lawyers have portrayed her as an innocent, naive, devout Mormon who was sexually exploited by an often sadistic and abusive Alexander. The defense's case is essentially built around this version of Alexander. Arias has testified throughout the trial about her lover's supposed double life: a pious virgin on the surface, but a "sexually deviant" violent control freak underneath. Alexander's friends contend the defense's portrait of him is nothing like the man they knew, and have said Arias was stalking him and was "possessive and jealous." However, Arias has consistently claimed the couple had a volatile relationship, and that Alexander was possibly a pedophile who was "emotionally detached."
In a trial straight from the tabloids, infamous for the level of media and public attention lobbed on Arias, people fought for available seats Thursday. With the court room packed to its limits, Martinez displayed lurid pictures of Alexander's butchered body as he described the victim's last moments.
"As she's stabbing him, he is alive," Martinez said. "The more he bleeds, the quicker he dies."
Medical examiners found that Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, primarily in the back. The contention that Arias stabbed Alexander before she shot him is significant to the prosecution's argument that she was not acting in self-defense, and didn't commit a crime of passion, but was rather "posed to strike."
Martinez detailed the crime scene in Alexander's bathroom. He told the jury that evidence showed Alexander had tried to flee after Arias attacked him, and had stood in front of his sink in front of the mirror, watching Arias stab him repeatedly in the back.
"He could see the defendant delivering the strikes to his back," Martinez explained.
Martinez said the stab wounds alone would have killed Alexander, but Arias kept going. An autopsy revealed Arias also slit Alexander's throat from ear to ear with so much force it almost decapitated him, shot him in the head, and left his bloodied corpse crumpled over in the bathroom shower of his home - all in the course of 106 seconds.
"She's killed him three times over," Martinez said.
Once Alexander was dead, Martinez said, Arias quickly began trying to clean the crime scene. The prosecutor argued she immediately attempted to dispose of any evidence that might tie her to Alexander's murder, including wiping up blood, tossing the digital camera in the washing machine, and throwing away the gun and knife.
"The knife wasn't found anywhere ... The gun, it was taken," said Martinez. "She was cleaning up because she did not want to get caught ... She walked out and on that hot summer [day], got into the car and [drove] away."
As Martinez ruthlessly tore through the evidence, Arias cried on and off through Thursday's proceedings, an act the prosecutor characteristically pounced on.
"She may cry now, but the jury instructions tell you sympathy is not to be considered in this particular case," Martinez said.
Martinez reiterated that Arias' entire defense was based around lies.
"She's a very sophisticated liar in that she adds all these extra details," he told the jury.
Martinez emphasized that no evidence had been presented in court that supported Arias' version of Alexander, the events surrounding his death, or his actual murder.
"What the state is asking you to do is your duty and the judge has indicated that your duty is to follow the law as she's given it to you and apply it to the facts," Martinez said. "In asking that, the state is asking you to return a verdict of guilty -- a verdict of guilty as to first-degree murder. Not only as to premeditated murder, but also as to felony murder, for no other reason than it's your duty, and the facts and the law support it."
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 at his home through DNA evidence, she admitted she was there, but said two 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.
The trial resumes Friday at noon when Arias' lawyers will begin their closing arguments. Afterwards, the prosecution will have an opportunity for rebuttal. The jury will start deliberation after both sides have concluded their arguments.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
