Jodi Arias Trial Update: Prosecutors and Defense Psychologist Argue Over Claims of Domestic Abuse In Death Penalty Retrial
Defense witness Dr. Robert Geffner and prosecutors in the Jodi Arias sentencing retrial got into another heated exchange when the high profile trial continued on Monday.
When first called to the witness stand by the defense last week, the psychologist delivered a graphic testimony that painted the murder victim, Travis Alexander, as an emotionally abusive and manipulative boyfriend. He also focused on the sext messages that Alexander sent to multiple women while seeing convicted killer Jodi Arias.
However, Geffner returned to the witness stand at the Maricopa County Superior Court on Monday for another day of cross-examination by prosecutor Juan Martinez, who attacked his testimony and claims that Arias suffers from mental illness.
At one point, tension rose between Martinez and Geffner during an argument about domestic violence and the difference between a "shove" and a "push," reports KPHO.
According to legal analyst Beth Karas, Martinez is directly calling Arias a professional liar and trying to discredit Geffner.
"Don't believe a word out of Jodi Arias's mouth' is basically what he is saying about the trauma she experienced -- the PTSD that she has now been diagnosed as having," said Karas, according to AZ Family. "It's Martinez's position that this is a woman who will lie when it's convenient."
Although Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder last May in the death of her ex-boyfriend, in her first trial, jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision on her sentencing. As a result, the retrial will determine whether she should be sentenced to death, life in prison or life with a chance of release after serving 25 years.
According to medical examiners, Arias stabbed Alexander 27 times, primarily in the back, torso and heart in his Phoenix home. She also slit Alexander's throat from ear to ear, nearly decapitating him, and she shot him in the face before she dragged his bloodied corpse to the shower and took pictures of him.
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