Jodi Arias Trial Update: Prosecutors and Defense Psychologist Get Into Heated Exchange About Arias's Relationship Status In Death Penalty Trial
Day 28 of the Jodi Arias sentencing retrial continued on Thursday as prosecutors once again attacked defense witness psychologist Dr. Robert Geffner during another testy cross-examination.
When first called to the witness stand by the defense on Tuesday, Dr. Geffner 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.
According to analyst Beth Karas, Geffner's testimony supports the defense's "position that Travis Alexander treated women a certain way, presented himself to the Mormon community one way, but he was a highly sexual person, a little bit manipulative and controlling of women," reports KPHO.
Karas added that the new revelations about Alexander's interactions with other women "may help the jury understand where Jodi Arias was coming from. It's not a defense to the murder; she's guilty of the murder, but it might convince some of them she doesn't deserve to die" for the murder.
Geffner also said that Alexander lied to women about being a 30-year-old virgin in order to coax them into sleeping with him.
However, on Thursday, Geffner endured another day of tense and awkward questions from prosecutor Juan Martinez, who poked holes in his testimony and made note of the inconsistencies found in Arias' stories to different psychologists.
Martinez pointed out that Arias is a well-documented liar to discredit the psychologist's testimony. He also attacked Arias' claims that her ex-lover slammed her and broke one of her fingers, reports KPHO.
At one point, Martinez and Geffner had a heated exchange over the different dates Arias gave the psychologist as to when she and Alexander began dating. The two then began a big debate over what constitutes "official" dating and whether Arias and Alexander were in a real relationship, reports USA Today.
Martinez also pointed out that Geffner and other psychologists only have Arias's word and journal to prove that they were really in a relationship, ABC 15 reports. Plus, he burned holes in allegations that Alexander was abusive and consumed pornography.
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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