Jodi Arias Sentencing Retrial Latest News: Jurors Hear Graphic Text Messages Between Arias and Travis Alexander
Jodi Arias' sentencing retrial resumed on Wednesday this week as jurors heard some very graphic text messages between Arias and Travis Alexander.
According to Fox affiliate Fox10Phoenix, some of the message details were far too graphic to be reprinted or posted online, and basically, what the prosecutor was trying to show was that Arias was very enthusiastic when it came to her sex life with Alexander. The texts meant to show Arias in a bad light, and to contradict what the defense has said: that Arias was passive and abused by Alexander.
Psychologist Janeen Demarte was on the stand and questioned by the prosecutor. Demarte cited police interviews which showed that members of Arias' own family didn't like her very much. The psychologist also said that Arias' co-workers claim that she has a tendency to act inappropriately with colleagues, and that one witness said that Arias gave her number to a man on the flight back from Travis Alexander's memorial service.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
On Thursday, Demarte continued to testify on Arias' mental state. Demarte said that Arias does not have post-traumatic stress syndrome and instead, diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder, which qualifies as a form of mental illness.
Demarte reportedly described Arias as an "insanely jealous stalker who had borderline personality disorder, fixated on Travis, and couldn't let go, spying on him, confronting other girls he dated, and prone to manic episodes of extreme happiness and despair."
According to Jen Wood of Jen's Trials Diary, Thursday was a good day for defense, as there is a possibility that Arias won't get the death penalty based on Demarte's diagnosis.
"It's good for the defense because maybe they can get one person on the jury that thinks, 'I don't know if I can give somebody with mental illness the death penalty', so that puts something in the jurors' minds to think about," said Wood.
The sentencing retrial resumes on Monday, Feb. 9.
