The Pyrrhic Victory By: Edie Morse

The Pyrrhic victory...

“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” - Virginia Woolf

“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” - André Malraux

Theirs was a pyrrhic victory... the corruption, the lies, and the misery that Judge Sherry Stephens (JSS) allowed the convicted murderer & her unethical defense team (JA & Co.) to commit over the past several years will not be remembered kindly. JSS and JA & Co. saved the brutal butcher's worthless life. But, at what cost? I'm not talking about the over $3 Million taxpayer dollars squandered on Jodi Arias, for her defense costs alone (not including the Court Costs, the Prosecution Costs, the Security & Transport Costs for over 120 "visits" to the Courtroom by the butcher, thus far, following the hung jury, in May 2013). I'm talking about the cost to the reputation of our criminal justice system, when an incompetent, biased, and corrupt judge undermines the truth and justice.

Jodi Arias smirked & smiled, hugging her unscrupulous defense team; Maria "Smuggler" De La Rosa's face nearly shattered, her smile cracked so loudly; Jennifer Willmott smugly rode off into the sunset, until she roped Troy Hayden into regurgitating her propaganda (i.e. she knew there was a stealth juror, but figured that was Juan Martinez's problem, if he didn't know it); and, Kirk Nurmi skulked out of the courtroom crowing about his "victory" in saving the sordid & squalid life of a cold-hearted, sado-narcissistic, savage killer who stabbed Travis Alexander 29 times (9 times in the back); she sawed & slashed his throat, nearly beheading him; and, then she dragged his dead corpse back to the shower, and shot him in the head, in her final hateful act of vicious annihilation. Was the self-proclaimed "Goddess" smiling her evil, defiant "Gotcha' Brat" sneer, when she stood over his dead body that she had mutilated like a blood-sucking vulture?

"Victory"? I don't think so... In point of fact, the "mot juste" would instead be a "Disgrace". What was the so-called "judge", JSS, thinking over the past two years, as she did almost everything but hand over her robe & gavel to JA & Co.? JSS let the convicted butcher set the time-table for the sentencing phase, although that was in violation of the AZ Victims' Bill of Rights. JSS pandered to Skank in secretive "ex-parte" meetings, outwith the presence of Juan Martinez & the Alexanders, in violation of the AZ Code of Judicial Conduct. JSS even violated the US Constitution by conducing the sentencing phase trial proceedings in secret... sealing over 120 documents; sealing many hearings; and, even doing what no decent judge ever does:-- letting Skank testify in a closed, sealed hearing, shutting out the public & the media... i.e. this was the stuff of fascist regimes, not criminal trials conducted in the USA.

When Jodi Arias, Kirk Nurmi, Jennifer Willmott, and Maria "Smuggler" De La Rosa, decided that they were almost ready for final penalty re-trial, then JSS relented and deigned to commence the Voir Dire process in October of 2014. Did it matter to this callous judge that the victims' lives were put on hold, and that they were forced to wait for over a year and seven months, before they could even begin to see justice done? NO. Did it matter to this foolish judge that Jodi Arias is a pathological liar & money-grubbing control-freak, who was exploiting social media in order to taunt the Alexanders & run fraudulent financial scams? NO. Did it matter to this reckless judge that JA & Co. were spending taxpayer monies like there was no tomorrow? NO. JSS may be a nice lady... fun to have over for Margaritas & Quesadillas, but she is no decent judge. Jodi Arias has gamed the system, until she broke its' neck, much like she did Travis Alexander's.

What occurred in the aftermath of the hung jury, last 2013? Where do I start? One could write an entire book to enumerate Skank's attention-getting scams:-- she started June 2013 with "Social Media-Gate", vomiting that she was wrongfully convicted & that she would go free on appeals... hence beginning to sell her worthless junk-"art" that isn't fit to use to wipe toilets; she started selling her cheap, ugly "Justice4Jodi" plastic wrist-bands, only purchased by the brain-dead, hence I suspect her Auntie $hrew has cartons of them left in her basement... perhaps she can re-cycle them. Then we had Skank's bogus "JAA Appeals Fund" scam, although the killer has exploited an "indigent" status, bilking the AZ taxpayers. We were treated to "Book Club-Gate"; "Use Travis' Name to Torment the Alexanders-Gate"; "Hepatitis-C-Gate"; "'Sheriff Joe Don't Treat Me Right'-Gate"; "Fire Kirk Numi-Gate"; "Amicus Curiae-Gate"; "St. Jude's Donation-Gate"; "Smuggle-Gate"; "Pro Se-Gate"; "Private Investigator-Gate"; "Tamper with Travis Alexander's Computer-Gate"; and, over a dozen or so "Mistrial Motion-Gates", etc. etc. etc. ... so ludicrous in their arguments, that even this hapless judge had to turn them down. Skank threatened to have Juan Martinez murdered if she got the Death Penalty:-- let us just hope that she's called off her attack dogs & rescinded her fatwa death threat against the prosecutor, now that she's "won" Life.

All this coddling & babying of Skank by JSS??? My goodness gracious. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy... all of whom had IQs superior to Skank... would all doff their hats to the self-professed "Goddess".:-- What other convicted murderer in modern history has been so able to manipulate a gullible, amateurish judge and a disreputable defense team into doing her bidding? What "magic touch" does this psychopath employ in order to have gamed the system, such that the law was trampled asunder; the truth about her buried; malicious lies manufactured to trash the victim, Travis Alexander, as well as the prosecutor, Juan Martinez, allowed to triumph when they should have been scorned ; and, corruption run rampant, such that eventually, even a stealth juror was permitted to de-rail the process? JSS needs to take a good, long look in the mirror... and, she needs to be honest with herself, for a change... because, she's failed miserably, and whilst she might fool the AZ media shills; and, she might fool her colleagues in the AZ judiciary; and, as a result, she might fool the AZ voters too, in 2016 when she's up for re-election-- but, she doesn't fool the rest of us. And therefore, having failed the victims, she needs to come clean:-- she needs to release everything that has been sealed to-date, and she ought to resign from office. She has no business being a judge. Perhaps, she can seek a career as a social worker, and can help Jodi Arias, in Perryville Prison, becoming her Agony Aunt, since Auntie $hrew will have probably "made off" with whatever $$$ are left in their revolting JAA Appeals Fund shelter shell-game.

Jodi Arias is thrilled to death (or should I say, to have avoided "death"):-- she beat Juan Martinez... but, she only did so, because the judge was incompetent & prejudiced in favor of JA & Co. ... and because her defense team acted in an unethical manner. What luck! Skank didn't "hit the jackpot" by trapping Travis Alexander into marriage... so she gutted him to death; nearly decapitated him; and then, shot him in the head, for good measure. She did "hit the jackpot" with JSS, however. Was there any special treatment that JSS did not grant to Skank? 'Tis true, that Nurmi's Perpetual Motion Machine didn't always churn out the best quality of motions, and hence, when JSS took his "mistrial motions" off-line, they were denied. But, when Nurmi wouldn't take "NO" for an answer in the courtroom, JSS caved into his whims.. making certain that he could malign everybody in sight whilst mendaciously painting Skank as "victim":-- the truth was turned upside-down & inside-out. JSS can't make good decisions "real-time":-- That may be okay in Traffic Court, where fixing parking tickets for pals, ain't such a big deal, albeit unethical-- but, it's disastrous in a criminal court judge, who is expected to make good decisions, "on-the-spot"-- because, we're dealing with justice for the victims of heinous, depraved, and cruel crimes. Jodi Arias brutally butchered Travis Alexander. She is entitled to a fair trial... but, not a biased one to her benefit... and yet, that's exactly what JSS gave to her, as a gift tied up nicely with a golden ribbon of rigging. Does JSS believe Skank's story that she is a "Goddess"? If so, I'd like to see the proof of her immortality? Show me the meat! Not the beefcake... nor, Skank's nauseating cheesecake!

Is there any silver-lining to this travesty of justice which has unfolded in JSS's courtroom, the People's courtroom, over the past few years? By now, my friends, you all know that eleven (11) out of the twelve (12) jurors found for the Death Penalty. You all are aware that one stealth juror, a corrupt, stupid woman, was a "hold-out", refusing even to participate in the deliberations. In the final stage of this ungodly mess, JSS tripped-up & fell, yet again, and thus, she betrayed the very trust of her office as a sitting judge:-- the Foreman had sought out the judge, JSS, and advised her that the belligerent, recalcitrant juror was refusing to participate in the deliberations. He advised JSS-- even providing evidence & facts-- that she would not discuss it... when asked what it would take, in theory, to find for the Death Penalty, this hateful juror would not even answer his question. Worse, she would not even explain to the other 11 jurors why they should vote for Life! Any decent judge would have replaced a juror who violated the law by refusing to engage in deliberations with an alternate. There can be no meeting of the minds without engaging with other people in discussing a case at-hand! It's one thing to stand on principle... that, we can all appreciate. It's quite another issue when a juror sits back and purposely undermines the course of justice, by obstructing a jury deliberation. Standing on principle can be admirable, when there are valid arguments to uphold one's position... By contrast, not listening, not talking, and, not participating is criminal.

JSS needs to come forth and provide an honest explanation to the public as to why she did not replace the stealth juror with an alternate. ... Did JSS really get the result she wanted? Life for Skank? Did JSS rig the entire sentencing phase such that the convicted murderer, JA, would not get the DP? At the final stage, when 11 intelligent jurors, who did their duty, and were prepared to find for the DP, did JSS simply decide better to allow a venal juror to "hold out" and scupper a fair & just verdict, because in so doing, JSS's appalling mis-management of the sentencing phase would then never come under scrutiny by appellate courts? ... JSS slapped those 11 jurors in the face, by refusing to act rightly for a fair deliberation, just as she has done to the Alexanders all the way along ... Remember, had Jodi Arias gotten the DP, then she was entitled to automatic appeals; and, JSS's adjudication over this nightmarish trial would have come under the magnifying glass... and, methinks JSS would not have come out looking so good to her judicial colleagues in the higher courts. JSS can tell herself that she is Lady Bountiful-- but, as we've seen over the course of the last year, neither the AZ Court of Appeals or the AZ Supreme Court agreed with her self-aggrandizing self-assessment:-- i.e. they slapped down her illegal, unconstitutional decision permitting Skank to have a secret trial, in violation of the US Constitution.

JSS is NOT GOD. She is a publically-elected official who owes the citizens of the State of AZ; the victims, the Alexanders; and, the 11 jurors who struggled to do their duty, an explanation. These are the questions that need to be asked of JSS and answered by this deplorable judge, vis-a-vis Skank's stealth juror; JA & Co.'s possible "relationship" with this dishonest juror; and, her own shameful in-action:--

(1) Why did you allow a stealth juror, whose ex-husband had been prosecuted by Juan Martinez, to make the 1st cut, much less the 2nd cut, and god forbid, the final cut? What measures did you undertake to ensure that the Voir Dire process was clean & proper?

(2) What was this stealth juror's relationship with Maria "Smuggler" De La Rosa, a shady so-called "mitigation specialist" who has exceeded her brief, by reportedly smuggling contraband in and out of jail, for Skank, and, who has become the convicted psycho-butcher's pal... via aiding-and-abetting Skank in running her business from Estrella jail... and also, by leaking sealed information to her cronies-'n'-shills in the media? It has been reported that this juror's off-spring is a "friend" with Cougarlicious' off-spring. Were you aware of this?

(3) Did you ask the prosecution & the defense teams if they had any "relationships", past or present, with any of the prospective jurors, during the Voir Dire? If not, why not? Did you care-take to make sure that the prospective jurors & their spouses did not have an "axe to grind" with one side or the other?

(4) Trial watchers noticed that Jodi Arias was having "eye sex" and "smiling" at a particular juror, during the last few weeks of the re-trial. Were you aware of this? If not, why not? It is usual for a convicted murderer, during the penalty phase to have made a "connection" with one of the jurors, and wouldn't this be the cause for concern by the judge?

(5) When the Foreman came forward with evidence to demonstrate that the stealth juror would not even deliberate, why wouldn't you replace this corrupt juror with an alternate? Are you aware that alternates exist to replace a juror who falls ill; or, who cannot continue to deliberate due to an unforeseen eventuality (e.g. accident, death in the family, etc.); and/or, who has violated their rules of engagement (e.g. by refusing to participate in deliberations)? If not, why not?

(6) After the Foreman came forward to express his concerns that the stealth juror was biased, and refused to even discuss the case, weren't you at all concerned that jury tampering might have taken place by JA & Co.? After all, JA & Co. have defrauded the court with lies, perjurious charlatan-witnesses, false affidavits, trumped-up allegations against Juan Martinez, Det. Flores, and, the Mesa, AZ police... Wouldn't you have had any such suspicion about jury tampering, and for the sake of justice, wanted to replace an un-cooperative juror, rather than disrespect those 11 jurors who were trying hard to do right by the justice system? Why did you ignore the plea of the 11 conscientious jurors?

(7) What is your sentiment towards Jodi Arias? Your lame-brain supporters claim that your gross negligence & favoritism towards the convicted psycho-butcher has been calculated to avoid "appeals" in the future. However, isn't a judge's job to uphold the law; to be impartial & fair; and, to do right by ensuring the rights of the defendant, the victims, and, the public alike, are all respected-- and that when the scales of justice are not balanced, but instead, tipped in favor of one side over the other, that right cannot be done, and injustice occurs? Are not you obliged to act rightly, by the law, and then when the defendant files their appeals, as all convicted murderers will do anyway, to let the appellate courts deal with it?

JSS has undermined the course of justice. She allowed an unsavory juror, who refused to do her duty, to remain on the jury, even after having been advised by the Foreman that this slimy juror was in violation of the law, by refusing to deliberate. These entire last few years have exposed JSS's incompetence, her bias, and her corruption. Jodi Arias "won"-- but, it was a pyrrhic victory-- for it was not done fairly... it was not done rightly... it was done in an under-handed, illegal, and, dishonest manner. Rumour has it that the stealth juror will be investigated. That's appropriate, but it does not go far enough. JA & Co. need to be investigated for jury tampering. And I'll go further:-- the AZ Commission on Judicial Conduct should be asked to conduct a thorough examination of JSS's conduct over the past few years, in order to determine whether or not that she deserves to be sanctioned, or even asked to resign for judicial misconduct. In my opinion, if JSS had any honour at all, then she would do the honorable thing and sentence Skank to LWOP, and then, she would step down from public office. She will never be able to hide behind her robe of office anymore... for she has disgraced the bench.

As for the 11 jurors who voted for the DP... I commend them for doing their duty. They did not believe JA & Co.'s fraudulent "Trash Travis - Pity Jody - Malign Juan Martinez" BS scam... My thoughts & prayers have always been, and always will be with the Alexander family, whom I hope will take some comfort in the fact that these diligent, honest jurors told the world that they did not believe Jodi Arias, and that their beloved brother, Travis Alexander's reputation has been fully exonerated in the eyes of the world... Juan Martinez and Det. Flores and Dr. Janeen DeMarte did themselves proud and they can hold their heads high. ... And alas, as far as JA & Co. are concerned, they can crow all they like about their so-called "victory"-- but, they are not honored or respected by those of us who care about the Rule of Law and who care about Justice. And, Jodi Arias? She can smirk all she likes, until the day she dies... she can hide behind her lies... nobody will care once the trial is over and she is sentenced and frog-marched off to Perryville prison... for like us all, she is mortal and she too will die someday. She is no "Goddess"... nobody decent ever wanted to marry her... and, nobody decent will ever have anything to do with her again, here on earth, in this life. Travis Alexander's spirit has prevailed... He is beloved by many good people who have come together to fight for Justice4Travis.

Note:-- On April 13th, 2015, JSS will sentence Jodi Arias to LWOP or LWP, and this nightmarish trial will be over. LWOP is the only rightful sentence for JSS to give some peace of mind to the victims, the Alexanders. If crimes were committed during the sentencing phase, may the perpetrators be brought to justice. A Pyrrhic victory, an ugly one was done... a tragic day for our criminal justice system. Alas.