Flustered & floundering: The day Arias cracked

By Graham Winch

updated 7:54 AM EST, Mon March 04, 2013

NEED TO KNOW

Jodi Arias is accused of killing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander; she says she killed in self-defense
Her confidence melted this week as bulldog prosecutor finally wore her down with questions about slaying

Flustered & floundering: The day Arias cracked

Arias courtroom spectator: I fear jury is buying it

Atty: Jodi still hasn't established solid self-defense case

For most of prosecutor Juan Martinez’s onslaught of questioning, Jodi Arias maintained a tough and confident demeanor on the stand, but on Thursday, she crumbled.

Her teary admissions on the witness stand about brutally stabbing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander may be critical to whether she is convicted or acquitted of his murder. Arias claims she killed him in self-defense.

Her confidence fell away to emotion on Thursday when Martinez showed a picture of Alexander’s body slumped over in his shower to the jury. Martinez didn’t let up.

Martinez asked, "Were you crying while you were shooting him?"

"I don’t remember," replied Arias.

Martinez said, "Were you crying when you were stabbing him?"

"I don’t remember," said Arias.

Martinez asked, "How about when you cut his throat, were you crying then?"

"I don’t know," replied Arias.

During this exchange, Judge Sherry Stephens abruptly stopped the proceedings and recessed for lunch.

Arias said earlier in the trial her memory went blank after she shot Alexander, and that she didn’t remember stabbing him. On Thursday, Arias acknowledged she knows she attacked him with a knife.

Martinez asked, “Would you agree that you’re the person who actually slit Mr. Alexander’s throat from ear to ear?”

“Yes,” replied Arias.

Martinez asked, “Would you also agree that you’re the individual who stabbed him in the upper torso?”

“Yes,” replied Arias.

Martinez asked, “And according to your version of events, you’re doing this to this individual after you have already shot him, right?”

“Yes,” replied Arias.

Martinez concluded his cross-examination by replaying a television interview in which Arias said, “No jury would convict me,” and she noted that she said this because she was innocent, which contradicts what she said during direct testimony. Arias claimed during direct testimony that she said no jury would convict her because she planned to kill herself before the trial began.

Arias will be back on the stand Monday for defense attorney Kirk Nurmi's re-direct examination.

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