The Jodi Arias trial, for the entirety of its epic four-month journey, has included many twists and turns and spectacular outbursts.
Now, we finally have a resolution of sorts, with Arias being convicted of first-degree murder.
Though a sentencing trial is pending (and the death penalty all but certain), undoubtedly followed by a decade or more of appeals, Valley lawyer Evan Bolick says there are clear winners and losers:
WINNER: Justice
Regardless of whether Jodi Arias is sentenced to death or a lesser sentence, the fact remains that justice has been served. The trial started with the acknowledgement that Arias had indeed killed Travis Alexander. The life of a young man was needlessly cut short, and Arias did everything humanly possible to avoid taking responsibility for her horrific and brutal actions.
LOSER: Jodi Arias
Arias clearly possesses two strong traits: arrogance and self-preservation. Perhaps she had been inspired or emboldened by the success stories of accused female murderers Casey Anthony and Amanda Knox, and hoped to parlay a “not guilty” or “manslaughter” verdict into greater fame or notoriety. Unfortunately for her, the jury did not buy Arias’ image-building.
WINNER: The right to a fair trial
The Sixth Amendment of our U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to a fair trial. The judge did not hesitate to dismiss jurors (as evidenced by the dismissal of three jurors from the bench) and generally, the courtroom itself never devolved into a circus atmosphere. Both sides received full opportunity to present exhaustive testimony and numerous exhibits that were scrutinized not only by the jury, but by interested viewers worldwide.
LOSER: The right to a speedy trial
The Sixth Amendment also guarantees the right to a speedy trial. Not only was the 4-month trial almost unbearably long (the similarly galling Steubenville rape trial that involved multiple defendants took only ¼ the time of the Arias trial), but Alexander had been murdered in 2008 – five years prior. That represents five excruciating years that Alexander’s family and friends had to wait to receive legal closure. Truly, no family should have to wait as long as the Alexander family for justice to be served.
WINNER: The media
This trial reached an unprecedented audience, thanks to cameras rolling live in the courtroom as well as a legion of reporters and journalists live-blogging or tweeting. A public audience is an inherently good thing for our court system, as public scrutiny is our greatest defense against abuse of the justice system. It has been quite some time since legal proceedings have enjoyed such a high profile. Hopefully, this trial has inspired the next generation of prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, psychologists and legal analysts to enter this field.
LOSER: The power of celebrity
It has been troubling to watch as the courts have been used by individuals of varying levels of notoriety to increase their standing in pop culture (see Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Rod Blagojevich and Lance Armstrong, to name a few). At these trials, waves of fashion and gossip reporters descend on the courtroom while the celebrity defendant generally receives a seeming slap on the wrist. It has gotten to the point where some wondered if it was still possible to obtain an emphatic conviction of a high-profile defendant. Fortunately, the Arias jury has responded with a resounding “yes.”
Bolick has provided legal commentary about the Arias case for several TV and radio programs.
