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Speaking of being indigent, what is going on with Jodi's Sister in Crime Casey Anthony ? She is supposedly broke, has no job, but she is still living somewhere, eating 3 times a day, and being driven around by Chaney Mason to go to court appearances for bankruptcy and stuff like that. How does she get money to survive ?
Maybe someone is banking on Casey getting a big payday if she ever sells her story for a book or movie, but it would simply be a fictional account because you can't believe a word that comes out of her mouth.
Jodi is in pretty much the same situation except she has housing and food provided by the State of Arizona, who has also picked up a pretty hefty tab for her trial so far ($ 1.4 million, they say). It is pretty sad when someone like Jodi or Casey can get great representation at our expense, but 99% of the criminals who don't have money have to settle for a slam, bam, thank you maam kind of defense team.
Justice is equal for all, but a little more equal if you have money or some notoriety to your case, it seems.
Don
Arias is not as good a liar as Casey Anthony was ... Casey could weave a tale ... a tall tale and six months later repeat it verbatim and even add more imaginary characters. She never deviated from the Zenaida story along with all the imaginary friends.
Casey filed bankruptcy in the amount of $792,000 and she owes:
Jose Baez $500,000 (he needs to give her a job & let her work it off)
Orange County Sheriff's office $145,660.21
IRS $68,540.00
Others including her mother and consultants with no amounts listed.
The representation depends upon the charge ... in a capital punishment case if the person is indigent and the court has to appoint an attorney it has to be a death penalty qualified criminal defense attorney. If you will recall Jose Baez was the ambulance chasing attorney that did not meet the death penalty qualifications and Chaney Mason stepped in pro bono as he is death penalty qualified in the state of Florida.
Jennifer Willmott is death penalty qualified in the state of Arizona. I don't know about Nurmi since his website consists of getting sexual offenders off.
In my county, if you are indigent and you are charged with a crime (not capital punishment) you can apply for a public defender upon completing the application and paying the $40.00 fee and you receive a forty dollar lawyer. LOL
Yes, this is why I believe its an excellent portrait. Its not just a picture of her face that he drew. It captures aspects of her personality and conveys them to the viewer. I just can't get over the look in her eyes in that portrait - they just look dead cold to me. And it really impresses me that an artist can capture something like that.
If you read his blog post about this painting, you will see that the art editors at the Phoenix Times added most of the red color that is on there. Either way, its compelling.
Behind Arias he has the stab marks too and that is probably how she looked as she stabbed Travis and then attempted to clean up. What kind of circulation does Phoenix New Times have? Willmott and Nurmi will throw in another mistrial request when they see this portrait. I hope Arias gets to see it.
I checked out Graham Smith's website and his blog. I like his portrait of Johnny Cash. He is a very talented artist.
I don't know if Jodi is getting "great representation." Willmott may be doing her best, but she comes across as giggly and nervous as a chihuahua at times. She doesn't display a level of confidence or professionalism I would expect from a good lawyer. Nurmi's even worse...borderline comatose, obviously disinterested and checked out as soon as he was finished asking Jodi all the lurid sex questions he could come up with. They are grasping at any possible straw for a mistrial and their expert witnesses were a huge flop.
I don't know if Jodi is getting "great representation." Willmott may be doing her best, but she comes across as giggly and nervous as a chihuahua at times. She doesn't display a level of confidence or professionalism I would expect from a good lawyer. Nurmi's even worse...borderline comatose, obviously disinterested and checked out as soon as he was finished asking Jodi all the lurid sex questions he could come up with. They are grasping at any possible straw for a mistrial and their expert witnesses were a huge flop.
I agree I don't think Willmott and Nurmi are very professional lawyers but I thought Jose Baez was terrible and he won the case for Anthony. Willmott with the laughing, smirking and giggling. In addition she was feeding ALV answers which really shouldn't be allowed.
The first death penalty qualified lawyer, Victoria Washington got the heck out of Dodge after Arias third story (lies and the letters.) It seems Victoria Washington is a smart lawyer. ALV should have looked at the letters Arias forged from Travis admitting he was a pedophile. Juan Martinez had the letters tested and they were found to be forgeries. But that wouldn't have changed ALV's assessment. Unfortunately the jury never gets to see these things ... unless ... they sneak a peek around the internet or television.
The hearing in the morning at 11:00 AM with Ms Wong a producer from In Session is a closed hearing and it appears to be about another Willmott/Nurmi request for a mistrial.
What is the spending ceiling on a trial like this ? Is there a blank check the State writes and are the defense team allowed to spend as much as they want on witnesses and investigations ? At $250 per hour a person sure would be tempted to chalk up as many hours as possible, and at $ 300 per hour Juan Martinez can slice and dice me any way he wants on the witness stand because I would be smiling all the way to the bank.
The sad thing about this is, can you imagine how many hungry kids could be fed and clothed for the $1.4 million they are spending to try this sorry excuse for a human being ? It makes me sick.
What is the spending ceiling on a trial like this ? Is there a blank check the State writes and are the defense team allowed to spend as much as they want on witnesses and investigations ? At $250 per hour a person sure would be tempted to chalk up as many hours as possible, and at $ 300 per hour Juan Martinez can slice and dice me any way he wants on the witness stand because I would be smiling all the way to the bank.
The sad thing about this is, can you imagine how many hungry kids could be fed and clothed for the $1.4 million they are spending to try this sorry excuse for a human being ? It makes me sick.
Don
A mistrial would be terrible with all the money spent thus far in addition if they end up with a hung jury. Lord a'mercy if they have to do it all over again. The poor taxpayers of Arizona will be footing these bills I don't know if there is a spending ceiling. I would think a basic budget was laid out in the beginning. I recall in the Casey Anthony trial, Jose Baez was always asking for more money.
Why does ALV make $300 an hour on the stand and Dr. Samuels with a Phd and he is a Psychologist, a higher education than ALV only made $250.00 an hour?
I just wonder what Arizona pays the jurors. I know they are not providing the jury lunch. They either bring a bag lunch or go out on their own to eat. I guess a jury has to be sequestered before the State provides their meals. It seems no one wanted to feed Arias lunch either.
This jury needs to get 'pain, suffering and mental anguish' payments too.
What is the spending ceiling on a trial like this ? Is there a blank check the State writes and are the defense team allowed to spend as much as they want on witnesses and investigations ? At $250 per hour a person sure would be tempted to chalk up as many hours as possible, and at $ 300 per hour Juan Martinez can slice and dice me any way he wants on the witness stand because I would be smiling all the way to the bank.
The sad thing about this is, can you imagine how many hungry kids could be fed and clothed for the $1.4 million they are spending to try this sorry excuse for a human being ? It makes me sick.
Don
Yeah, that 1 million and a half could have been much more well served to innocent kids, then spent on this trial.
I wonder who made the decision to press for 1st degree and the death penalty, instead of taking the plea agreement for 2nd murder.
If the state and whoever ultimately makes the decision took the plea, then Arizona taxpayers would have saved the money. My understanding is that Judge Stevens didn't sequester the jury in order to save money, so I don't think it was her decision.
Was it the District Attorney's decision? Or was it Juan's? Or was it Travis's family?
I agree. While I can understand why the Prosecutor's office wanted to go for murder in the first degree due to the horrific butchering of Travis, I think they would have been better off to take the deal offered by Jodi's team. Yes, she would have been eligible for parole in 20 years or so, but it was a sure thing. If the Anthony trial proved anything it is that the unthinkable can happen and in this trial Jodi could walk free.
The people of Arizona are bearing the cost of this trial and all of this could have been avoided if the deal was accepted. Sometimes you have to be smart instead of right, and this might have been one of those times.
In a Capital Punishment case, the death penalty is there but isn't life without parole another option under Capital Punishment? When you get into the lesser 2nd Degree Murder or Manslaughter the prison time is less and parole is an option.
Attempting to find that info on the internet for Arizona ... all I can find
First Degree Murder = Death, Life without parole, or Life with parole after 25 years
Second Degree Murder = Not less than 10 years nor more than 25 years
Manslaughter = imprisonment up to 12.5 years in prison for a first offense
Negligent homicide = imprisonment of up to 3.75 years for a first offense
If she is charged on one of the lesser charges they will allow for time served already.
But we have to be prepared for a hung jury ... or they let her walk. I don't think the judge is going to allow a mistrial. The judge is loose but she has done everything possible during the trial to avoid a mistrial. To much state money has been expended for the judge to stop the trial now. I just hope the judge gives clear, precise instructions to the jury when they are ready to deliberate.
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The poor taxpayers of Arizona will be footing these bills I don't know if there is a spending ceiling. I would think a basic budget was laid out in the beginning. I recall in the Casey Anthony trial, Jose Baez was always asking for more money.