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I know that I won't be the first person to be wrongly convicted and possibly wrongly sentenced [music] for either
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life in prison or the death penalty. Um, and personally, if I had my choice, I would take the death penalty because
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[music] I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison. We introduced you to Jodi Aras back in
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2009 when she sat down to be interviewed by 48 Hours shortly after being arrested
00:00:30
and charged with the murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. Since then, she's become a national
00:00:37
sensation, the focus of newspaper and magazine profiles, and the subject of 24-hour cable news coverage. I met Jodi
00:00:46
Aras at the Australia jail four and a half years ago when she agreed to tell CBS News her story of how Travis
00:00:53
Alexander had been murdered. An interview which for the first time in the history of 48 hours was used as
00:01:00
evidence in a death penalty trial. >> Just give me the gist of what you were doing here in [music] this place today.
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>> Today um I am interviewing with you. Um, I've been charged with first-degree murder of my friend Travis [music]
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Alexander and um, I'm just here to have a conversation with you about it. >> During this 3-hour interview, Jod told
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us a tale of secret intimacy. >> There was an attraction and um, you know, it it found an outlet on occasion.
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Um, >> that's a very creative way of saying it. It found an outlet. >> The drama of masked intruders. There
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were two individuals walking toward us and I just heard a loud bang and Travis was screaming
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>> and ultimately a desperate escape. >> He um was holding the gun at my forehead. He pulled the trigger
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and nothing happened with the gun and so I just grabbed my purse and I ran down the stairs and out [music] of there and
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I left him there. >> It was an incredible story. So, at that point, I remember pulling
00:02:07
over again at the Hoover Dam and I thought, I'm going to call Travis and I tried calling him and it just went
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to voicemail and I called him again. It went to voicemail. >> As it turned out, that incredible story
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was an incredible lie. >> Would you agree that you're the person who actually slit Mr. Alexander's throat
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from ear to ear? >> Yes. Jodi Aras killed Travis Alexander. There is no question about it. The
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million-dollar question is what would have forced her to do it. >> At her trial, Jodi Aras told the world a
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new story. >> It was Travis's continual abuse. It had reached a point of no return.
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>> I grabbed the gun. He was chasing me. I turned around and I didn't even know that I shot him.
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weaving a tale of fear and abuse. He >> called me a [ __ ] and he kicked me in the ribs.
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>> Why did you call the police? >> I would have never called the police on Travis. I was loyal to him.
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>> We go back to the beginning. Returning to our first meetings with Jodie for insight into the mind of a killer.
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>> Is it at all possible at all possible [music] that that day that you were together, you had a fight, you had an
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argument, and you just had enough? No, we didn't argue at all that day. >> Something happened in her to trigger
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this tremendous amount of rage. >> Was he ever abusive to you in any way? >> He lost his temper a few times. I never
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felt my life was in danger. >> Jodie gave us [music] secrets in those interviews. She gave us an insight right
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into what she is thinking. >> He had a girlfriend [music] who he was having a relationship with, but he was
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still having you on the side. >> Yeah. Did you know that that relationship was >> I would have never allowed him and I to
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continue to to behave the way we did had I known >> like Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson
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[music] before her. Jodi Arias captured the attention of the country. >> Aras [music] pilted these lies
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>> from the Jodi Arias trial. >> Jod Aras. >> Jod Aras. >> Looking back at these interviews, it
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would appear that Jod thought she could fool everyone. >> I don't believe that I'm going to be
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convicted. I don't think that I'm going to spend one day in prison. State of Arizona versus Jodianne Aras.
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>> But in the end, Jod Aras could not have been more wrong. >> We, the jury, do find the defendant
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guilty. >> I know that people will look at me and say, "Oh, yeah. He really meant a lot to
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you, didn't he, by the way just left him there." Not only that, they think that this is a fabrication and that I was the
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one that murdered him. I'm Moren Maher. Tonight on 48 Hours, unraveling the lies of Jodi Aras.
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I have nothing but time on my hands to think. And that's when I really began to try and remember and relive that day.
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And then it just gets so horrible that I shut it out and I don't want to think about it.
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911 emergency. >> This friend of ours is dead in his bedroom. His roommate just went in there
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and said, "There's lots of blood." >> It all started in 2008. When Travis Alexander was found dead in his
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bathroom, the first question homicide investigator Estban Flores had was who? When did you first hear the name Jodi
00:06:06
Aras? >> We heard that name from day one. There were certain individuals who who gave us
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that name and said, "You need to look into Jodi Aras." He has an ex-girlfriend that's been bothering him. And
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>> And do you know the ex-girlfriend's name? >> Her name is Jodie. >> In the state of Arizona versus Jod and
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Aras. >> Now 4 and 1/2 years after Jodi Aras was arrested and charged with first-degree
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murder. >> Are we ready for the jury? >> The question that needed to be answered
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was why. >> Travis Victor Alexander, an individual that was one of the greatest blessings
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in her life. Well, she knocked the blessings out of him by putting a bullet in his head.
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>> Prosecutor Juan Martinez wasted no time exposing the jury to the brutal reality
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of this homicide. >> There was a hallway leading off to the bathroom where the shower stall was.
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That was all covered in blood. I I noticed large amounts of blood pooling and smears.
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>> When I first walked through this crime scene in 2008, I was struck by the echoes of the extraordinary struggle
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that had taken place here. And it was the evidence of that struggle collected at the scene that spoke volumes to the
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jury. >> 107 is what? >> That's a photograph of the staining on the sink and some of the spatter inside
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of the sink running down. >> That is red staining on the tile floor in the bathroom. Red staining that was
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on the carpet in the master bedroom. Leon print 169A was individualized as the left palm of Jodie Anne Aras.
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>> Is that the bullet? Yes, it is. This is consistent with the 25 bullet. >> Did you have occasion to conduct a
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medical examination on the body of Travis Alexander? >> Yes. >> One by one, Mesa County Medical Examiner
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Kevin Horn listed each of Travis Alexander's devastating wounds. >> The most significant wounds are going to
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be the neck wound, the stab wound that penetrates the heart, and then also the gunshot wound.
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>> She really slaughtered him. This was overkill. >> Criminal attorney Linda Kenny Bodton,
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who worked on the defense teams of Casey Anthony and Phil Spectre, has seen more
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than her share of murders, but few like this. >> This showed that she was an incredibly
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angry young woman. >> What piece of evidence sticks out the most in your mind? >> Well, the piece of evidence that to me
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is amazing is the slit neck wound. >> Why? because it was the cudigra in my opinion. It was the ultimate control
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over him. He wasn't going to say anything bad to her ever again. To me, that was just vicious.
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>> Since her arrest in Hirka, California in 2008, Jod has always insisted that she
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did not viciously murder Travis Alexander, but her details of how he died have changed repeatedly. Ma'am,
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there's a number of stories that you gave in this particular case um involving the killing. There was one
00:09:10
that you gave to Detective Flores, right? >> Yes. >> He was like on his knees like this doing
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something like this or something like I don't know. And I was like I was like are are you okay? What's going on?
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What's going on? He's like go get help. Go get help. And I said okay. And I turned around there
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two people there. One was a guy and one was a girl. >> But then you still gave another view of
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what happened to 48 hours, right? >> Um I think I was inconsistent in my lies. Yes.
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>> So let's take a look at uh what you may have said 48 hours. >> In the 25 years that it's been on the
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air, this is the first time a 48 hours interview has been used as evidence in a death penalty trial.
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>> I was hit on the back of the head. Um, I don't think I was out very long, but
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when I came to, uh, Travis was on all fours on the tile and he was, well, I say all fours, but one of his hands was
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actually holding his head. >> And that's another version of the events that occurred on June 4th of 2008.
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Correct. >> Yes. >> And they're not true. >> Neither of them. Well, it's all the same
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thing. It's just different versions. Couldn't keep my life straight. But Bodton says that her experience with
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other defendants suggests that the story Jod told 48 hours may contain elements of the truth.
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>> Jod gave us secrets in those interviews. She gave us an insight right into what
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she is thinking. >> She was in the bathroom standing over Travis and I charged her. She talks
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about having a fight with the woman and she describes the woman who attacked Travis as being, you know, about her
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height and Caucasian. Well, that's her. >> I ran down that hall and I pushed her as
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as hard as I could and she fell over him. >> She then talks about power later on in
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that interview and she talks about having a gun. >> They just kept arguing back and forth
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whether or not, you know, to kill me. >> And if somebody has a gun to your head,
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you have the ultimate power. It's like everything just stops when you when someone else is sitting there with a gun
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pointed to your head deciding your fate. >> So, I think that a lot of what she was
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saying about what happened was what happened with her and Travis the day he died.
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>> Jod's various stories aside, the prosecution says there are critical pieces of evidence that speak for
00:11:39
themselves. >> These are accidental photographs. These are photographs that the killer
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did not want taken. >> Jodie, when she did the interview, she at one point said she likes to document
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everything. >> I've always had my camera. Always. So, it goes everywhere I go. >> So, it's kind of amazing that she
00:12:01
actually documented herself committing this murder. >> This individual's here. You see her
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foot, you see Mr. Alexander's head, you see his arm, you see him bleeding profusely. You do solemnly swear.
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>> After nine days and 20 witnesses, Martinez believed his case against Jodi Aras was ironclad.
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>> The state may call its next witness. >> The uh state rests. >> Now, despite all the lies and deceitful
00:12:30
behavior that the court has heard, >> I wouldn't hurt Travis. He's done so much for me.
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>> The [music] defense will have to convince the jury that on the day Travis died, it was actually Jodi Aras who was
00:12:42
the victim. Travis flipped out and he stepped out of the shower and he picked me up and he bodys slammed me again on
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the tile. >> Oh, holy night. [singing] >> [singing] >> Even in jail awaiting trial, Jod Aras
00:13:12
had little trouble keeping herself in the [music] spotlight and caught the attention of the media when she won a
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Jailhouse Christmas singing competition. >> Well, I appreciate your vote. Thank you
00:13:22
very much. >> The defense calls Jodie Aras. >> Sirius, please stand to be sworn. And
00:13:27
when the defense finally presented its case, Jod took the spotlight again, taking the stand to tell her
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unbelievable story of self-defense. Among those listening were Jod's mother. >> Thank you.
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>> Her aunt, >> hi, Jody. >> And Travis's family. >> Did you kill Travis Alexander on June
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4th, 2008? >> Yes, I did. >> Why? Um, the simple answer is that he attacked me and I defended myself.
00:14:00
>> The biggest hurdle is Jod herself. The fact that, >> according to trial lawyer Linda Kenny
00:14:05
Bodton, putting a defendant like Jodi Aras on the stand can be extremely problematic
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>> because then the case only becomes about the client and what she said and that
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jury is always going to go back to what Jod said. >> Miss Aras, you are still under oath. Do
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you understand? >> Yes. And what Jodie had to say was shocking. >> I'm taking pictures of him. We were
00:14:28
trying out different poses. And when I went to delete the photos, as I moved the camera, it slipped out of my
00:14:38
hand. >> So, what happens after you dropped the camera? Travis flipped out and he stepped out of
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the shower and he lifted me up and he bodys slammed me again on the tile and I remembered where he kept a gun. So
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I grabbed it. He was chasing me. I turned around and we were in the middle of the bathroom. I pointed it at him
00:15:03
with both of my hands. I thought that would stop him, but he just kept running. I didn't even think I was
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holding the trigger. I just was pointing it at him and I didn't even know that I
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shot him. It just went off and after I broke away from him, he he said, "Fuck kill you, bitch."
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Jod's memory of how Travis allegedly attacked her was striking, and yet she was at a loss for words when asked to
00:15:35
explain her actions. Once you broke away from him, what do you remember? >> Almost nothing.
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>> Do you remember stabbing Travis Alexander? >> I have no memory of stabbing him.
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>> Do you remember dragging him across the floor? >> No. And I just remember screaming.
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>> I don't remember anything after that. But there are many people that never remember the actual events.
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>> To help the jury understand why Jod had trouble remembering, the defense called
00:16:14
Dr. Richard Samuels, a clinical psychologist who tested Jod for PTSD. >> Her scores on the post-traumatic stress
00:16:22
disorder scale confirmed the presence of PTSD. Right. >> Yes. >> Samuels concluded that Jod suffered
00:16:30
amnesia from the trauma of the attack. And it's clear from the research that a large percentage of individuals who are
00:16:37
in such settings do not remember or have cloudy and foggy memories of what has transpired.
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>> How many hours did you spend with her? >> Between 25 and 30 hours. >> But the prosecution insisted that
00:16:50
Samuel's diagnosis was flawed because when he examined Jod three years ago, she still maintained the intruder story.
00:16:58
You confirm the presence of PTSD even though you've just now told us that this is based on a lie.
00:17:05
>> Perhaps I should have readministered that test. Altered mental states which are of such magnitude that a person has
00:17:13
little or no awareness of their behavior are very very uncommon. >> Dr. Stuart Klyman is a forensic
00:17:23
psychiatrist and consultant for 48 hours. So, it's very reasonable to conclude this person acted out their
00:17:31
rage and told lies about it afterwards. >> Jodi Aras claims she not only has no memory of stabbing Travis more than two
00:17:39
dozen times and slitting his throat, but she also has no memory of altering the scene. It wasn't until after driving
00:17:48
hundreds of miles into the desert that her mental fog apparently lifted and she suddenly realized she had done something
00:17:56
horribly wrong. >> Did you believe he was alive? >> Um, I didn't know, but I didn't think he
00:18:06
was. I was scared and I couldn't imagine calling 911 and telling them what I had
00:18:15
just done. If someone after a crime engages in behavior which suggests an effort to cover it up, then that would
00:18:23
not be consistent with amnesia. If you didn't remember what had happened, what's the need to cover up something?
00:18:32
>> You did uh grant interviews to uh people from 48 hours, didn't you? >> Yes. >> There were two interviews, right?
00:18:40
>> Yes. Martinez hoped that by exposing Jod as a liar, he would discredit her with
00:18:45
the jury and once again presented clips from Jod's 48 hours interviews. >> Travis's family deserves to know what
00:18:54
happened. And because I may be the only person that will ever be able to say what happened that day, I wrote them a
00:19:02
letter. In that letter, you actually tell the family that the people that did it were this male and this female,
00:19:11
right? >> Yes. >> So, you lied to them, didn't you? >> Yes. >> When you asked me if I was angry or
00:19:18
outraged, I'm more angry and outraged that his life was taken and that he had so much potential.
00:19:24
>> I know that I'm innocent and even though this is a very serious thing to be charged with, um there's no reason for
00:19:30
me to be sad. Um because I know that that I'm not that I'd never hurt Travis. I did see Travis the day that he passed
00:19:38
away and um a lot of things happened that day um I almost lost my life as well. >> Nowhere in that recitation or in any of
00:19:50
the interviews that you gave with 48 hours did you ever indicate that you had memory loss. Correct.
00:19:56
>> That's correct. I have faith that in in the end everything will be made known,
00:19:59
everything will come out and uh in the meantime smile, say cheese. >> Takes a certain kind of person with
00:20:05
great hutbah to go on national television and tell a big lie to the entire world.
00:20:12
>> Am I allowed to tell you what I'm trying to say? >> And Jod displayed that same tenacity
00:20:17
during her 18 days on the witness stand. >> You say that you have memory problems,
00:20:23
but it depends on the circumstance, right? >> That's right. What factors influence
00:20:28
you're having a memory problem? >> Um, usually when men like you are screaming at me or grilling me or
00:20:34
someone like Travis doing the same. >> So that affects your >> Throughout the heated cross-examination,
00:20:39
Martinez vigorously attacked Jod's story. >> Ma'am, were you crying when you were
00:20:44
shooting him? >> I don't remember. >> Were you crying when you were stabbing him?
00:20:51
>> I don't remember. >> How about when you cut his throat? Were you crying then?
00:20:56
I don't know. >> But to save their client's life, the defense tried to destroy the only thing
00:21:03
left of Travis Alexander, his reputation. >> The instances of violence were becoming
00:21:10
more frequent and more severe. Fear, love, sex, lies, and dirty little secrets will help you understand, I
00:21:20
think, what happened in those three minutes. Jod's life was in danger. She would
00:21:33
either live or she would die. >> For the entire time that Jod Aras's fate hung in the balance in court, her
00:21:41
defense was on a mission to save her life. >> Jod had to make a choice >> by proving Travis left Jod no choice but
00:21:48
to defend herself. The milliondoll question is what would have forced her to do it?
00:21:55
>> Jod's answer, an accusation of her own. >> It was Travis's continual abuse. And on June 4th of 2008, it had reached
00:22:06
a point of no return. >> Jod now claimed there was a dark side to Travis and that she lied to cover up the
00:22:14
truth about domestic abuse in their relationship. Her fear and her panic about what had happened led her to tell
00:22:22
different stories. He threatened to kill her and given her experience with him, she had no reason to not believe him.
00:22:32
>> It was a challenging defense, one that in addition to her story of intruders,
00:22:37
Jod may have been considering when she spoke with 48 hours just after her arrest.
00:22:42
>> Was he ever abusive to you in any way? He lost his temper a few times and it wasn't um anything that really um
00:22:49
required me to that that I felt I never felt my life was in danger. I'll say that.
00:22:55
>> Did you show the physical signs of it? >> Yes. Um but I was able to hide it pretty
00:23:01
well, I think. >> Arms, >> arms, legs, torso. >> But Jod testified to several incidents
00:23:08
of alleged abuse. >> And he body slammed me on the floor at the foot of his bed. He called me a
00:23:12
[ __ ] and he kicked me in the ribs. He went to kick me again and I put my hand out and it clipped my hand and hit my
00:23:20
finger. >> Defense attorney Kirk Nurmy even had Jod display her injuries to the jury.
00:23:27
>> Could you hold up your hand for us so we could see? >> Why didn't you call the police?
00:23:34
>> I would have never called the police on Travis. There [music] is no record of Jod
00:23:38
reporting this abuse. And his friends Chris and Sky Hughes say that is not the Travis they knew.
00:23:45
>> We've never ever seen any evidence of abuse. They couldn't find one human other than Jodie, who we know is a liar.
00:23:53
They couldn't find one person that had a story of being uh abused by Travis. >> She's making it up as she's going along.
00:24:01
>> And they say Jod's most appalling lie came next. I walked in and Travis started grabbing at something on the
00:24:09
bed. It was a photograph. >> What was the photograph of? >> It was a picture of a little boy. He was
00:24:16
dressed in underwear. He He seemed very um ashamed with himself. >> She's saying this whole time she knew he
00:24:27
was a pedophile. They're just lies. >> You saw him do that. That's a lie, isn't it, ma'am?
00:24:33
>> I wish it was a lie. Prosecutor Martinez wasn't buying it either. >> It is a hateful allegation with nothing
00:24:40
to support it. It's so easy for her to make these allegations. It's so easy for her to get on the witness stand, as
00:24:49
you've seen, and lie. And this is really the pinnacle. Trial attorney Linda Kenny
00:24:58
Boden says if the defense could not prove Jod's allegations, they would come back to haunt her.
00:25:04
>> To say that she was physically abused and she was fighting for her life that day and that's why she had to kill him,
00:25:08
that's just going to get the jury angry. >> And do you believe in your expert opinion that Jod was a battered woman or
00:25:15
is a battered woman? >> Yes, I do. To convince jurors that Jodie was a battered woman, her attorney,
00:25:21
Jennifer Wilnot, called domestic violence expert Alice Laviolet, who testified for several days.
00:25:28
>> How would you characterize their relationship with their relationship at this point in time given your expertise
00:25:34
in the area? >> I would call it a domestically abusive relationship. >> Lovelet testified that Jod and Travis's
00:25:42
relationship was abusive both verbally. Does he call her names like [ __ ] >> Yes.
00:25:47
>> And calling her a [ __ ] >> Yes. >> And physically? >> He grabbed her by the shoulders, threw
00:25:53
her to the ground, and then told her she wasn't leaving. And when she's when she
00:25:58
hits the floor, she makes a sound. And he says, basically, don't act like that hurts, [ __ ]
00:26:04
>> As a defense attorney, how would you use this relationship between the two of
00:26:08
them? >> You can't go after a victim. going after a victim in a courtroom, you might as
00:26:13
well just turn in your license, really. So, you have to be able to be very soft with regard to Travis here.
00:26:20
>> You feel a need. >> The prosecutor was anything but soft during heated cross-examination.
00:26:26
>> You actually are uh biased in favor of the defendant, aren't you? >> I don't believe I'm biased. You're
00:26:34
you're mischaracterizing what I do, Mr. Martinez. One of the questions here is why is it that you felt the need to
00:26:42
cuddle her? >> Mr. Martinez, are you angry at me? >> Ma'am, is that relevant to you? Is that
00:26:47
important to you? Does that make any difference to your evaluation whether or not the prosecutor's angry? Yes or no?
00:26:53
>> If you were in my group, I would ask you to take a time out, Mr. Martinez. >> More layers of Aras's complicated psyche
00:27:01
were peeled away when the state called its expert witness, Dr. Janine Dearte. this um reporting of domestic violence
00:27:09
has changed over time frequently. My opinion is is that there did not appear to be significant abuse.
00:27:17
>> Demarte also dismissed defense claims that Jod suffered memory loss from post-traumatic stress.
00:27:23
>> She indicated to me that she had a very large gap in her memory. That's not how
00:27:29
it typically presents with traumatic memories. Instead, De Marte testified that tests she administered suggest
00:27:36
Jodie may have a borderline personality disorder. >> You could see it in her journal entries
00:27:41
that went from happy to sad very quickly. There is some indication that she has some anger problems that she had
00:27:47
some strong feelings of anger internally. >> She couldn't let him go. Even from Wica,
00:27:52
she couldn't let him go. The prosecutor said Jod's desire to be with Travis had no bounds and she would stop at nothing
00:28:00
to get what she wanted. >> Her motivation for this was that she just wanted him.
00:28:04
>> You don't think she could have just snapped? >> No. This was a buildup that led to her
00:28:09
ultimately making a decision in a in a passionate way. By continuing to have sex with Jod on
00:28:16
and off for at least nine months after they broke up, Bodton says Travis may have unknowingly sent Jod mixed signals.
00:28:25
>> He really didn't know and probably didn't care because when you're you're young and you're having sex the way Jod
00:28:32
made it very easy for him and he didn't realize that he had this rattlesnake by the neck. Whatever he did fed into her
00:28:41
craziness, fed into her insanity, fed in her to her desire that she wanted him and she wanted to control him and she
00:28:47
wanted to have a life with him. It was the perfect storm that something had to happen.
00:28:50
>> She had a vision that they were going to get married. And from that point, she
00:28:54
would not let that go and she would not let Travis go. Jod could not deal with the rejection. Lots of people told Jod
00:28:59
to move on and she said, "I can't. He'd be the most amazing husband. I can't picture anyone else being the father of
00:29:06
my children." She was obsessed. >> Dr. Steuart Kleinman says obsession can have dangerous consequences.
00:29:14
>> If a person has an intense need for something and a clear consistent boundary is put up by another individual
00:29:25
that will probably help both of those individuals. And ultimately, if that need is never going to really be
00:29:33
satisfied, create an intense level of rage. >> Was sex a tool for Jod? Of course it
00:29:39
was. But was Travis playing with fire? Absolutely. For the families of Jodi Arias and
00:29:57
Travis Alexander. Enduring the trial was a trial in itself. >> What are we looking at here? [snorts]
00:30:06
>> That's the shower stall with the body crammed down in the bottom of it. >> Oh, it's very very hard. I mean, they're
00:30:14
they're never going to get over this. >> Trial attorney Linda Kenny Boden knows the price both families paid.
00:30:21
>> Just as much as Travis lost his life, there's going to be parts of that family
00:30:24
that are have died in the process. is just horrible, horrible thing happened to the best person.
00:30:30
>> It was an unthinkable crime as Travis's siblings, Samantha and Steven, told us
00:30:35
in 2008. >> And you would never in a million years think that that would happen to Travis
00:30:40
because things like this don't happen to people like Travis. >> And you're the one that did this, right?
00:30:47
>> Yes. >> The family of Jodi Aras has had to endure their own torment. first watching
00:30:55
as she was cast as a coldblooded killer. >> And you would acknowledge that a lot of
00:31:01
the stab wounds were to the back of the head and to the back of the torso. Correct.
00:31:08
>> Okay. Count them. I don't know. Just take your word for it. >> And then hearing Jod tell the world that
00:31:15
she has been abused her entire life. >> You told us that your dad hit you with the bell.
00:31:21
>> Yes. >> After age seven. Yes. >> Did he leave welts? >> Um, he didn't leave welts as often as my
00:31:28
mom. She also used to belt. Um, he My dad was very intimidating, so I don't think he needed to hit us quite as hard
00:31:34
to get the point across. My mom didn't carry that fear factor with her. So, I think she used more force.
00:31:39
>> She's lying. She's making it all up. And she staged her defense by lies. Do you think jurors are impacted
00:31:50
by family who are in the courtroom, their reaction to say crime scene photos or even testimony by the defendant?
00:31:59
>> I think they are, but then they do a very good job of compartmentalizing it. >> Jury expert Richard Gabriel, who has
00:32:08
worked with the defense teams for Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson, says jurors are able to separate themselves from
00:32:15
courtroom drama. Does it impact them when they hear sobs in the galley? Yes, they absolutely hear that. But they
00:32:23
do a pretty good job of trying to divorce themselves from them. >> The juryy's not going to feel sorry for
00:32:27
Jodie. >> They can only feel sorry for her family and hope that the sorrow they feel for
00:32:33
her family is more merciful than what she felt for Travis. And during her 18 days on the stand,
00:32:41
Bodton says Jod thought she could win the mercy of the jury. >> Some defendants are manipulative and
00:32:48
they think they think they can manipulate the police and they also then think they can
00:32:54
manipulate the courtroom and that's the problem. You can't manipulate everybody.
00:32:59
>> Her being on the stand for so long was just disgusting. Travis's friends Chris
00:33:04
and Sky Hughes believe Jod relished her months in the spotlight. >> She enjoyed it, you know. She enjoyed
00:33:10
every moment of it. She enjoyed the attention. She enjoyed toying with people. She enjoyed, you know,
00:33:19
looking over and making up these just disgusting stories for the jury. Jody may have felt there was no question
00:33:28
she would be found innocent, but the jurors had some questions of their own. Over 200 questions read by the judge.
00:33:36
>> How could you kiss another man when you knew what you just did to Travis? >> Arizona is only one of three states that
00:33:43
allows jurors to ask questions. Why were you afraid of the consequences if you killed Travis in self-defense? You said
00:33:52
that one of your worst fears was for everyone to find out what was going on in your relationship. So why did you
00:34:00
talk to 48 hours and other TV stations? >> I thought that the jurors in this case
00:34:05
asked better questions than the prosecutor defense many times. >> Bodton says those jury questions were
00:34:11
telling. >> They really got to the heart of the matter. >> After all the lies you have told, why
00:34:16
should we believe you now? The lies that I've told in this case are can be tied directly back to either protecting
00:34:25
Travis's reputation or my involvement in his death. >> In the end, both sides agreed. It came
00:34:33
down to one question. Do you believe Jod Aras? >> She premeditated it. You now have a
00:34:40
duty. You are to reach a decision as to whether or not the defendant committed first-degree murder. So what I'm saying
00:34:46
to you ladies and gentlemen is ultimately if Miss Aras is guilty of any crime at
00:34:55
all, it is the crime of manslaughter and nothing more. >> But for the family and friends of Travis
00:35:03
Alexander, there was no debate and [music] there never had been. There was only one verdict, one punishment
00:35:10
appropriate for Jodi Aras. I want the maximum that the law will allow. >> Ultimately, I I really hope that she
00:35:19
gets the death penalty. Justice and what it would finally look like would depend on just which Jodi Aras the
00:35:37
jury in this tense Phoenix courtroom ultimately bought into. She does seem to adapt, which is why I think she's like a
00:35:44
praying mantis here, is that she is a chameleon. >> Jod's a manipulator, and that's what she
00:35:51
does. >> Through 18 days of her testimony, the world had witnessed the many faces of
00:35:58
Jodi Aras. [music] >> She's always reading the environment, right? Trying to determine how she's
00:36:07
supposed to act. She's always trying to be something that she's not, right? >> When I see Jodi Arias, I just feel utter
00:36:15
disgust like she's not human. You know, she doesn't feel like normal people feel.
00:36:23
>> She's over here. So, >> for Travis Alexander's loved ones, Jodi Arias is nothing but a fake.
00:36:30
>> Don't be fooled by Jod's sweet demeanor. [music] She's a liar and she's evil.
00:36:39
>> [music] >> and she deserves to be judged and convicted. >> Who do you think killed him?
00:36:45
>> I have no idea. >> The stories told by the 32-year-old California waitress were consistent with
00:36:52
just one thing. A defendant who lied from the start. >> Nothing but the truth. >> My mom began to carry a wooden spoon in
00:36:59
her purse. >> To family. >> Were you at Travis's house? >> To the police? >> Absolutely not.
00:37:04
>> And to 48 hours. How do you feel about being accused of this crime? >> I know that I won't be held accountable
00:37:11
for killing him because I had nothing to do with that. I had everything to lose and nothing to gain if I were to kill
00:37:19
Travis. >> Okay, let me get those off you. >> It seems like a lifetime ago. >> I didn't kill Travis,
00:37:27
>> but it was only four years. If a conviction happens, I know that I won't be the first person to be wrongly
00:37:34
convicted and possibly wrongly sentenced for either life in prison or the death penalty.
00:37:41
>> Then that story evaporated in the Arizona desert. What was left was an admission.
00:37:48
>> And that's when you shot him in the face, right? Um, yeah, that's when the gun went off
00:37:55
>> and an excuse. >> And he's just screaming angry. He had already almost killed me.
00:38:03
>> We are so very thankful for the opportunity to gather here as friends. Travis
00:38:11
>> for those who loved him. >> Travis for Travis. The thought that Travis Alexander somehow had it coming to him
00:38:20
was the final crime against a murdered man. >> She slaughtered him on June 4th and then
00:38:26
she has slaughtered him every day for the last 5 years with the lies that she's told.
00:38:33
[music] >> After 3 days of deliberations, there was a verdict. >> The state of Arizona versus Jodianne
00:38:41
Aras. Verdict count one. We the jury duly impanled and sworn and the above entitled action upon our oaths do find
00:38:48
the defendant as to count one first-degree murder guilty guilty of firstdegree murder. The
00:38:57
highest charge the jury had. The death penalty was now on the [music] table. Jodi Aria seemed shocked, holding back
00:39:07
tears [music] of sadness, while Travis's family could not hold back their tears of joy.
00:39:17
>> I'd rather have Travis Alexander back. You know, I'd rather have my buddy back,
00:39:20
but we can't have him back. >> So, I'm uh I'm as happy as I can be given the circumstances.
00:39:26
A week after the verdict, the sentencing phase begins with the prosecutor trying to convince the jury
00:39:34
Jodi Arias deserves death. >> And the last thing that Mr. Alexander felt was this knife coming towards him.
00:39:44
>> The first decision comes quickly. The jury rules the murder was especially cruel, clearing the way for the penalty
00:39:52
phase. >> Is this your true verdict? So say you want it all. >> Yes. >> The jury heard from those who love
00:39:59
Travis Alexander, his brother Steven. >> Why him? >> Unfortunately, I will I won't ever get
00:40:07
the answers to most of my questions. Questions like how much did he suffer? >> His sister Samantha.
00:40:14
>> Travis was not shy. He was full of life. And the jury heard from the defense that
00:40:20
Aras would testify one more time >> and talk to you about how she viewed her life.
00:40:29
>> That should be next week when we may also find out whether Jodi Aras lives in
00:40:34
this Arizona prison for a minimum of 25 years or dies here. Four years ago, she seemed to sense her
00:40:44
fate. If I had my choice, I would take the death penalty because I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison.
00:40:49
>> And after her guilty verdict, Aria seemed almost wistful in talking to a local reporter.
00:40:55
>> I believe death is the ultimate freedom. So, I'd rather just have my freedom soon
00:40:59
as soon as I can get it. Freedom wasn't an option for Travis Alexander. He was home in Riverside, California.
00:41:15
His image, [music] silent and cold, carved in stone. And soon we'll see if Jodi Arias gets
00:41:26
her wish, joining three other women on Arizona's death row and perhaps making one final headline,
00:41:35
becoming the first woman executed in that state since 1930. [music] >> [music] [music]
00:42:08
[music] [music]