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Did Jodi Arias Shoot Travis Alexander First or Last? Sequence of Events: Arguments For Both Sides

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• published: 03 Apr 2013
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There's been much debate on whether Jodi Arias shot Travis Alexander 1st or last. This video explores compelling arguments for both sides, as well as counter-arguments. Arguments That the Shot Came First: 1) The last photo of Travis alive was of him sitting in the shower. The photo indicates that Jodi would've been on his right side & standing above him. This position is consistent w/ the bullet trajectory which entered from Travis's right forehead to his left cheek: right to left & downwards. Counter-argument: The trajectory is not definitive since the bullet may have bounced off bone. 2) No gunpowder stippling was found on Travis' head. This means the shot occurred at least a few feet away. This distance is more consistent with Jodi standing & Travis sitting in the shower vs a point blank "finishing off" shot. Counter-argument: She could have shot him through clothing to silence the sound of the shot or to conceal the weapon as she shot him. 3) Jodi used her left hand to stab Travis (she is left-handed & knife cuts were found on that hand). While he was in the shower, she would've been on his right side stabbing w/ her left hand. An awkward position to stab in the chest straight on. Also the knife wound to the chest had an upward trajectory, furthering the argument that it would've been awkward. Counter-argument: Anything could've happened. The knife could've gone straight in even from the side. She could've told him to face her to pose for a photo & when she stabbed him. His eyes would've been on the camera & not the knife so he would've been distracted either way. Or she may have stabbed him in the back first. 4) Travis was much larger than Jodi. She wouldn't risk a losing struggle by attacking w/ a knife 1st Counter-argument: The fact that she had a gun & a knife w/ her would've evened the playing field & given her a significant advantage. Jodi was angry at Travis. She likely wanted him to suffer as she believed she did. In that case, it wouldn't make sense to shoot 1st then stab later. Jodi allegedly used a knife to slash Travis' tires & knives were found in her car when she was arrested. 5) Shooting 1st has been one of the few stories Jodi has been consistent w/, even in her intruder story. She likely wanted to tell true parts of what happened so that it would match what she thought the forensic evidence would find. Counter-argument: Jodi cannot be trusted on her word. Even with her intruder story, she may've thought it made her look less culpable if she fled the scene while Travis was still alive. Her self-defense story is also supported by a shot coming 1st. It's also possible that she was genuinely ashamed about the stabbing & wanted to distance herself from it as much as possible. Arguments That the Shot Came Last: 1) The ME has stated that the shot went through the frontal lobe of Travis' brain. It would've incapacitated him & made him unable to defend himself w/ his hands. Yet we do see defensive wounds on his hands, suggesting that he was stabbed before he was shot. Counter-argument: The autopsy report suggests that the bullet did not pass through his brain (if it did, it only grazed it). It's been documented that a person can survive & fight back after sustaining a point blank gunshot wound to the face. It happened to Deputy Steven Rankin in Feb 2006. 2) The bullet casing is found on top of blood - no blood is found on top of the casing. If the shot came 1st, blood from stab wounds coming afterwards would've dropped on top of the casing. Counter-argument: The casing could've been moved there while she was cleaning the scene. 3) Not much blood was found coming from gunshot wound, indicating significant blood was already lost (from stab wounds). Counter-argument: The brain was too composed for a proper evaluation of whether the brain bled or not. 4) Psychopaths & people seeking revenge in general WANT their victim to know they're going to die & that they're the ones who are going to be killing them. If Jodi brought both the gun & knife, then shooting him in the head 1st & having him die instantly would defeat the purpose of bringing a knife. No one really knows what's going on in the mind of a killer but the killer him/herself. The truth is, we'll never know for sure what really happened. The only person who knows is Jodi Arias. What's the significance of all this? In a critical hearing on Aug 6, 2009 Detective Flores said Jodi shot 1st but in trial testified that she shot last. That 2009 hearing was to determine whether the case showed enough cruelty to go forward as a capital (death penalty) case. Jodi's defense argued that because Flores made conflicting statements, there should be a mistrial. The court ruled that regardless of which wound came 1st, the evidence showed that the crime was especially cruel either way. Clip compiled & edited by PKReport