Jodi Arias Defense Team Rests After 38 Days of Testimony
Jodi Arias' defense team rested its case today after 38 days of testimony in the Arizona courtroom where she is on trial for the murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander.
But the prosecution did not rest. Prosecutor Juan Martinez immediately put a psychological expert on the stand who testified that Arias exhibited signs of borderline personality disorder. The expert also rejected testimony by defense witnesses who claimed she suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.
"She does not have post traumatic stress disorder," said Dr. Janeen DeMarte.
DeMarte told the court she had examined Arias and found that she showed behaviorial signs of borderline personality disorder, including what she said was a history of unstable personal relationships, inappropriate anger, feelings of emptiness, suicidal thoughts and transient stress related paranoid ideation.
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Arias, 32, is accused of kiling Alexander, 30, in his Mesa, Ariz., home in June 2008 with 27 stab wounds, a slit throat and a bullet to the head. She initially denied killing Alexander, but later claimed that she killed him in self defense. She could face the death penalty if convicted of first degree murder.
The marathon trial began in January and the defense spent 38 days putting on its case, including 18 days in which Arias testified.
Complete Coverage: The Jodi Arias Trial
Arias testified that Alexander had become increasingly sexually demanding and physically abusive. Her attorneys have called their own battery of psychological experts who testified that Arias showed symptons of domestic abuse and that she suffered from PTSD.
DeMarte, however, said that she saw no indication in her examination of Arias of PTSD.
The trial is expected to continue several more weeks before jury deliberations begin.
According to her testimony, Arias and Alexander dated for a year, and then slept together for another year after breaking up.
She killed Alexander after traveling to his Arizona home from where she was living in California. They had sex and took nude photos of each other that day. Arias claims Alexander exploded in a rage when she dropped his camera while photographing him taking a shower. He slammed her to the floor and she ran to a closet where she grabbed a gun he had, but the gun fired as he charged into her, she testified.
She claims she doesn't remember anything after that.
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