Why Are Criminal Defendants like Jodi Arias Allowed to Trash Their Victims Without Evidence?

Trends Point to Victim Bashing

Dawn Dix, Yahoo! Contributor Network

In murder trials, it seems to be an up and coming trend to 'blame the victim.' For instance, look at the infamous Jodi Arias case, where she has eclipsed Casey Anthony as the most-hated woman in America. Who ever thought that was possible?

Allegations made that were never proven - just on the word of the defendant, who by all accounts, is an habitual liar. Mormonism was one focus. Now, in every other religion, there's probably a creed that you shouldn't be having sexual intercourse before marriage; however, with this case, Mormonism was front and center, as though it were the only religion that forbids it.

Next, we had allegations of sexual peodphilia, which were also unproven. Not a single trace of emails, pictures, or any form of downloads on the computer of the victim.

What was the draw in this twisted case? A combination of what some called a pretty defendant, and sex of course - that sells after all, doesn't it? Sexual recordings, which in all likelihood she made without his knowledge - to possibly blackmail him at some point. Plenty of nude photos of both parties. If he were to dump her, she'd ruin his life in the Mormon community.

Let's not forget the physical abuse allegations as well - also unfounded. No pictures, no police reports, no friends coming forward to say she was abused. Nothing but the 'word' of an admitted killer. So I guess - anything goes, huh?


It's like a train wreck, where you can't take your eyes away, even though you know you should. Every day, there was yet another new revelation. Eighteen excruciating days of a defendant on the stand - feeding off the spotlight. She seems to crave attention, like a child, where even if it's negative attention, it's SOME attention, which gives her validation she's obviously missing in her life.

Something about Travis Alexander became an obsession for her - and a deadly one at that. So what does it get you at the end of the day? A very dangerous, lying, unemotional defendant who will take out anyone in her way to get what she wants - and what she wanted was him. Cliche, I know, but if she couldn't have him, nobody else could.

She still makes the news by being allowed to actually tweet from her jail cell! Why this hasn't been sanctioned is beyond me. Social media has made trials very different these days, having been used even in the Casey Anthony trial. Her attorneys would go onto Facebook and Twitter - see what they should and shouldn't be doing - and use it as part of their strategy.

What other criminal has taken to the airwaves not five minutes after being convicted of Murder One in which she could possibly face a death sentence? It was like some surreal version of a celebrity going on a PR tour for their latest movie or an acclaimed author going on book tour. Pure insanity.

I'd love to - and every shrink out there, no doubt - get half an hour with her to actually pick her brain to see what's in there. Of course, it would take a highly skilled therapist, who wasn't manipulated and fooled - to see through her. If she'd allow someone to help her, even though it won't change her new lot in life, it might give us a glimpse into her brain and what deep-seated problems she has.

Not only was Travis brutally slaughtered, but his name and reputation were dragged through the mud. In essence, she's killing him a second time, and loving every minute of it. We need to re-think this 'blame the victim' defense. Unless there is HARD PROOF of allegations, they should never be allowed into a court of law.

I'm Baaaaack!

Wow, it's been six months since I last posted on my blog!  If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a crime and trial junkie.  I've been wrapped up in the (in)famous Jodi Arias trial.  A woman who stabbed her ex-lover nearly 30 times, slit his throat, then shot him for good measure.  The epitome of a woman scorned.

This is the stuff of novels, though if anyone were to have written it, nobody would believe it was true.  Each new day brought with it another tale of filthy deceptions.  Anything to get her out of First-Degree Murder, which carries the death penalty.   It had all the hallmarks of great fiction -sex, lies, and yes....audiotape!

Perhaps a lot of you already know me from my HLN Crime Fan page on Facebook, where we've discussed this trial ad nauseam.  I've enjoyed meeting many new people that I now consider friends and hope they'll follow my blog as well.

I love reading, but I gravitate toward mysteries, detective stories, and true crime.  I write what I read, which is what they say authors tend to do.

So, for those of you that might have wondered what happened to my psychological thriller novel, it was put on hold while I allowed my mind to stray.  Not a good thing for a writer, as I've realized.  Much like exercise, if you miss one day, it can turn into two.then three..and so on. Writing is the same.  Every author will tell you to write EVERY DAY, and they're right.  If you don't, the 'muscle' becomes atrophied (yes, another metaphor to exercise, but if the shoe fits.).

When I received the feedback from my editor (who is WONDERFUL), I was overwhelmed by all the changes that were necessary, and I let it get to me.  I didn't know where to start.  I felt like I had to practically re-write the whole novel.  I've begun the process, and let me tell you, as a first-timer, it's ARDUOUS.  However, I want to make this happen, so I have to do it - no more excuses!  Life is way too short, and this has been my calling since childhood.

Now I see why some authors take YEARS to write a novel.the easy part (for me) is the writing - EDITING is the bear.  Learning what areas to tweak, which characters you (sadly) need to part with, and what you need to expand on to make the reader identify with your story and fantastical people.  It's a learning experience and can only serve to make me a stronger writer in the future.

There will ALWAYS be 'another trial' to follow, but now that I have a break, I'm making it my mission to forge ahead and work on the book.  I need to find a balance, which I've never been good at.  That Billy Joel song, "I Go To Extremes" seems to have been written for me!  I'm either gung-ho about a project or totally ignoring it.  I'm a great 'starter,' but this time, I need to be a 'finisher.'

The Ego...

Egocentric & Grandiose...Psychopaths have a narcissistic & grossly inflated sense of themselves.

Their sense of entitlement is boundless, and they see themselves as better than the rest of us.  As a result, they feel justified in living according to their own twisted rules.  Naturally, they'll come off as arrogant and opinionated.  They enjoy having control over others and will disregard your opinion if it doesn't square with theirs.  Most times, it probably won't, since they live in their own special world.

Drew Peterson, for instance, seems to fit in this category.  He married four times, probably killed his third wife, and no doubt the fourth, who's been missing for years.  He has the ego, the sense of control over his wives, and the arrogant self-importance.

Adolf Hitler is another example.  His ego was off the charts, and we all know he thought he was better than most.  He was SO awful that he felt the need, not to mention, entitlement, to exterminate fellow human beings.  He also managed to sway others to that opinion with the infamous charm these people can possess.

Lack of remorse or guilt will be next.which stands to reason.  Everyone realizes that psychopaths/sociopaths don't have ANY remorse over their deeds...stay tuned.

'PSYCH 101' .....

Since I write about psychopathic killers, I’ve decided to read several books on the subject.  My current one is “Without Conscience” by Robert D. Hare.  The first thing I learned is that ‘sociopaths’ and ‘psychopaths’ are really the same thing.  There’s no distinction.  Researchers and clinicians use the term interchangeably.  Sometimes sociopathy is used because it’s less likely than ‘psychopathy’ to be confused with psychoticism or insanity.  For believe me, sociopaths/psychopaths are NOT insane.  They know exactly what they’re doing and just don’t care.  They're not all killers, though.  They are serious con artists.

Let’s start with one of the traits and continue the subject in another post.   The first one is Glibness and Superficiality.  They can be witty and quite articulate.  They can be funny and great conversationalists.  They can weave stories that cast themselves in a good light.  They’re very often likeable (i.e. Ted Bundy and Jeffrey MacDonald).  You may already know they prey on the weak...those that may not see through their guise.  Others may view them as too slick or smooth and won’t fall for what they’re ‘selling.’  They can hone in on those that won’t question them, bilking them out of money, house, and home, and not even flinch.

Jeffrey MacDonald, the military doctor who killed his entire family, still proclaims his innocence.  Yet, the biggest twist in his tale was the fact that his own biographer, who came to write about HIS side of things, had his eyes opened by the callousness and disregard he gave to his dead wife and three daughters.  All he did was talk about himself.  When he spoke of the murders, he was glib and utterly detached – devoid of emotion or  empathy.  That author wound up writing a book that portrayed MacDonald as he truly is – a cold-blooded killer.  (Joe McGinniss, “Fatal Vision”).

Next time, we’ll talk about another sociopathic trait – Egocentricity & Grandiosity.