Verdict is in! GUILTY of MURDER ONE - Hung Jury On Penalty Phase

[AuburnSchnauzer]

It was 8-4 Satch, - 8 for DP and 4 wanted to give her life. CNN reported earlier as well as other news outlets.

That wouldn't surprise me...I was thinking 10-2 or 9-3...I knew they must have been wide split. Not just one person for life.

 

[Mrs G Norris]

His closing was weak - didn't hammer home the point that CMJA is a danger to society and that if the jury didn't give her the DP, there was a chance that she could get out one day and find some other guy "abusive".

OK I'll pay that .. also wish he'd played some audio of Travis (one of his speeches) so his voice was the last thing heard in the courtroom, since JA seemed so determined to make sure he could never speak again.

 

[StephanieHartPI]

What would it have taken for some members of this jury to say yes to the death penalty? If jodi video taped herself sawing Travis head down to his spine. Would they have voted yes then? The answer is yes. They got it wrong.

If Jodi killed their family member they would want her put to death.

 

[Celeskitty]

His closing was weak - didn't hammer home the point that CMJA is a danger to society and that if the jury didn't give her the DP, there was a chance that she could get out one day and find some other guy "abusive".

I think they knew (the holdouts) were never going to vote for death. The jury instructions always state that the opening and closing arguments are not evidence.

Its not JM's fault if some of the jury knew they were never going to vote for death.

 

[Gypsy Road]

For those who might have missed it. There was good news today.:seeya:

We got some Justice for Shaniya Davis today...
Her killer was found GUILTY on 6 out of the 7 charges against him...
He was found guilty of 1st degree murder. :woohoo:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204207&page=15

That is great news! I hope he rots in prison for the rest of his sorry life! Thanks for posting. RIP Beautiful little Shaniya. Gosh...that had to be one of the saddest cases ever. Such a precious little girl.

 

[AuburnSchnauzer]

They will have to! They will admit they saw it. They will then discuss if they can be impartial.

hone:

I hear you on the other end of the phone, but I know plenty of people that know nothing about this case. We only "assume" that everyone knows all about this case, you know?

 

[Tenaciousdae]

So, what do y'all think about JM getting a new jury pool that hasn't been looking at the defendant for 5 months?

I think it's great, but also agree with lil buddy, he went through all the criteria for murder 1, he needs to be more clear on the mitigating factors... I'm not sure how cmja got to do her allocution w/o cross! I'm still hot about that... Personally I say f the baby pictures, unless the Alexander's can show as many as they want and videos with sound!!

I'm worried about this stunt of her family not being there... No family support *advertiser censored* better be referenced to that! Nurmi was probably taking them out for ice cream! Where was he! :seeya:

 

[nells]

"Hindsight is 20/20..." BUT I really do wish JM had re-played that video taped moment where JA told Flores, "If I did this, I would BEG for the death penalty..."

 

[TartLemon]

I have complete respect for juries. These are people who do not apply, but are called to do the job. I hope that if ever I have need for a jury, it is people who have respect for the system. This jury did. BRAVO!

 

[Gypsy Road]

Hopefully. The girl gang members are as violent as they come. :floorlaugh: But it is said jodi will be in maximum security if she gets life. She will rot in a cell. No book clubs.

AND they have cockroaches crawling all over the jail cells!!!!!

To me, with my insane and out of control fear of cockroaches, that is scary than Big Bertha and her cronies!! :scared:

I live in Florida, and we have huge flying cockroaches. They are bigger than the size of some small dogs (okay...I exaggerate), but they are BIG! And did I mention - THEY FLY!!! UGH!!!!:scared:

If I had to put in a jail cell that had cockroaches - you might as well just kill me now. :scared:

 

[Dana]

Wouldnt be mine at all,but I'm happy agreeing to disagree

I'm curious, who would your choice of a prosecutor have been?

 

[christee]

I love Juan and everything he did in the trial, but I agree with you that he was a little weaker in the mitigation part. My theory on this is that he didn't want to come across as too aggressive and turn some jurors off - like, oh this guy he's just bent on killing her because he hates her so much. I really really think that's why he went a little soft, and I understand why he chose that strategy.

The only problem with that strategy was that it left the door open for Wilmott to do some damage. Wilmott was not necessarily stronger in mitigation, but it just seemed that way b/c Juan went softer on purpose.

And it was kinda hard for Juan to put together a strong message of any kind with JAW (Jennifer "Ann" Willmott) shrieking out an objection every 10 seconds.

 

[Gypsy Road]

"Hindsight is 20/20..." BUT I really do wish JM had re-played that video taped moment where JA told Flores, "If I did this, I would BEG for the death penalty..."

Ugh! ME TOO! I was waiting for it - and he never played it!

 

[deedee21]

If Jodi killed their family member they would want her put to death.

If they had to look at their sons neck cut on the big screen they would want to put the needle in her vein.

 

[aa9511]

I believe in Juan and believe he will make the necessary adjustments to get death in the next trial. He is much smarter or shall I say, a much better lawyer, than JW or Nurmi. He will make adjustments. JW and Nurmi were good too, but no match for Juan. And now he kind of has a blueprint of what the defense will say, like for example they snuck in the BPD during JW's closing so Juan couldn't rebut it. So he will make sure to address that.

I think his biggest challenge will be finding the right jurors. If he can do that and find a good jury, I think we will see death verdict for the next trial.

Also, there were 4 holdouts in this one. Let's say with some adjustments in strategy/presentation, Juan can bring it down to 2 holdouts. I think 2 is reasonable to bring over to the majority side for a unanimous verdict.

He needs to make sure the next jurors know they are to remain open-minded and willing to change their views when presented with evidence in deliberations, just like Juror 8 (per Beth Karas) said. He said he was disappointed that the jurors didn't keep an open mind all the way until the end so they could reach a unanimous verdict.

With smart jury selection and a few adjustments, I think death verdict has a really good chance next time. Also, the second jury will not be able to spend as much time with CMJA and "connect" with her. It will be easier for them to believe how evil she really is.

 

[Dana]

AND they have cockroaches crawling all over the jail cells!!!!!

To me, with my insane and out of control fear of cockroaches, that is scary than Big Bertha and her cronies!! :scared:

I live in Florida, and we have huge flying cockroaches. They are bigger than the size of some small dogs (okay...I exaggerate), but they are BIG! And did I mention - THEY FLY!!! UGH!!!!:scared:

If I had to put in a jail cell that had cockroaches - you might as well just kill me now. :scared:

LOL! In AZ they have BIG spiders and scorpions

 

[AuburnSchnauzer]

His closing was weak - didn't hammer home the point that CMJA is a danger to society and that if the jury didn't give her the DP, there was a chance that she could get out one day and find some other guy "abusive".

Oh, so this is Juan Martinez's fault that CMA didn't get the death penalty?

 

[katydid23]

I don't see this as a huge loss for Juan. He got unanimous verdicts of guilty in the first two phases, and 8 to 4 in his favor in the third and final phase. I think that is quite a successful effort on his part. JMO

 

[Mrs G Norris]

This is what my Canadian friend thinks Wilmott is doing tonight, since she's got tomorrow off LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs0KeB3NVBw

 

[MidwestMama]

The family will never be free from Jodi unless she is dead. She will hold interviews from death row (remember child-killer psychopath Damien Echols). Jodi will have a large fan club whom she writes to frequently that will harass and torment Travis family. Jodi will start a crusade to stop pedophiles and likely put Travis picture and name on the next fundraising t-shirt. She will manipulate celebrities to vocally fight for her freedom. It will never end for Travis' family because she's an narcissistic psychopath. She'll seek attention and revenge.

IMO, the family should PUSH for a penalty phase retrial and BEG for Jodi to be put to death.

Pensfan
verified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse

I totally agree. I am not saying she should get Life. I think she deserves the DP. I am only explaining what I believe caused the hung jury today.

My heart breaks for the Alexander family and friends. There has never been a better example of brave grace than they have shown. They have been, and will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.