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As we all know by now, aggravation was proven by the state yesterday and we are now in the penalty phase - the end is near. Should they come back with a death penalty verdict, she will be sentenced on the spot. If they choose life in prison, she will be sentenced in a month or so. I think all of us Travis supporters are breathing a collective sigh of relief in knowing that regardless of life or death, Jodi Arias will never see anything beyond the concrete walls and bars that surround her. Will she stand by the words given in the post-conviction interview and ask for death if she testifies during this? Or, will she exhaust every appeal available? We all know Jodi loves the limelight, so I think the latter is correct.
Juan Martinez has been simply amazing. There's not much more I could say about him that I haven't already said in earlier blogs. He was meant to be the voice for Travis. His passion never faltered. His dedication has been unwavering. Detective Flores deserves major respect too. The citizens of Maricopa County should feel proud that these two men are one of them.
It also came out today that Nurmi and Willmott asked to be removed from the case,. This was denied by the judge. Did anyone else notice that both Nurmi and Willmott wore blue today? Blue - the official color of the Justice For Travis cause. Coincidence? Planned? It's an interesting thought.
Today we saw Travis's siblings, Steven and Samantha Alexander, stand up for their brother and give victim impact statements. It was heartbreaking for me to see Steven struggle to not break down and cry as he told the jury the Travis that really existed, not the Travis that Jodi made up in a desperate attempt to justify the way she butchered him. Steven read Travis's blog entry about how 2008 was going to be the best year of Travis's life. We all know, he did not live to see those dreams that Steven read to us come to fruition. His pause when he read about how Travis wanted to find the perfect mate was powerful. I'm sure Steven was thinking about how Travis finding the worst woman he could have found was the very reason he was standing in that courtroom today. I know Steven, along with the rest of the Alexander family have often wondered what Travis's life would be like now, in 2013. He would probably be married with children. They'll never know. Steven told of the emotional and physical ramifications he has suffered as a result of his brother's murder. I pray that Steven finds peace. I pray that Steven lives life to the fullest, just as Travis would have wanted him to. I know Steven will find his way. He seems so strong yet so fragile. Seeing a man cry gets me every time. Steven, you did your brother proud. His voice came through you. He was beside you today as you stood before that entire gallery of people.
Samantha gave an equally emotional and heartfelt tribute to her brother while focusing on Travis's generosity to strangers and his dedication to his family. I never noticed, until today, how Samantha and Travis have the same eyes. Wow. It was like seeing him for a second in her eyes. Samantha spoke of Travis's singing voicemails. Travis was their rock. Travis inspired them all to lead bigger and better lives. His grandmother died of a broken heart. I felt her sorrow as she looked at a photo of them together, which was a couple of weeks before his brutal murder. It is sad to think that moment frozen in time was the last time they were together. It is sad to look at that photo and know what was going to happen to him in a few short weeks. The entire Alexander family's strength and poise has been quite remarkable. Let's hope we never have to be in their shoes. I can't imagine their heartache.
Court recessed for lunch but was eventually postponed until Monday. Why? I have heard that one of Jodi Arias's character witnesses wishes to remain off-camera while she attempts to portray Jodi as a victim of her upbringing and as a model friend. Smart move for her, as most of America, and anyone with an ounce of common sense, knows Jodi is a cold-blooded murderer. Expert witnesses and the defense lawyers themselves have been threatened on the internet, via mail, and phone, and in person. While I find these types of things pathetic, I can't say I am surprised. This case has brought out so much emotion in people who never knew Travis Alexander. I don't think I have seen anything like it. Maybe it's because we all see a piece of ourself in Travis. Maybe some have an older brother they adore and can't fathom what his siblings have had to endure. Maybe it's because we know the brutal fashion in which he was murdered. For whatever reason, we've been glued to the coverage, and we have an emotional investment in seeing this case concluded.
I think I saw something in Jodi's face today I haven't seen yet. Fear. Fake tears aside, I think the finality of this has hit her. I think all of these years since she murdered Travis, she thought she would lie her way out of this in time to play herself in the Lifetime movie. Now she realizes that she has been found guilty of 1st degree murder and the death penalty is on the table. There's no "get out of jail free" hope for her now. She has been prevented from doing any interviews. She is forced to listen to all of the good things about Travis she knew to be true and she couldn't say a word. She can't speak to the local Fox station tonight. She is silenced until she takes the stand. When and if she does, I don't think it will have a chance of making any impact to the jury, to the public, or to Travis's family. Will she boast about her artwork and how this world needs her skills with colored pencils? Will she finally apologize for murdering Travis? If she does, I wouldn't believe a word of it. The pathetic attempt to squeeze tears from her eyes was sickening to watch. In fact, if you watch closely and zoomed in, Jodi was holding her breath and breathing out to give that "red faced" look. What an insult. She has no remorse. She has no sympathy for his family. She is a narcissist who only cares about herself.
I know a huge weight has been lifted off of Travis's friends and family. While we all feel like we know them in some way now, we will never feel their loss the way they do. I guess if there's any beauty to be found in all of this is that Travis's goal to inspire people happened. Unfortunately it was after he was dead. But ultimately, I hope his family finds some comfort in knowing that their brother has changed lives. I hope they know they have inspired us by showing that strength can be found in the darkest of times. Week after week, we've seen them cry, sit stoically as they listened to made up stories about their brother. Yet they were respectful of the process in spite of the many times I am sure that they wanted to stand up and shout. I hope the end of this provides some sort of peace. We all know that won't be easy, but they should know they have our thoughts and prayers.
Until Monday, let's continue to lift them up in prayer. We are nearing the finish line. It's amazing how a tragedy can bring people together just as this has.
Below are my favorite links on Facebook to discuss the case as well as my trial talk Twitter:
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