Nancy Grace of HLN paid an extended visit to our humble state recently, joining throngs of major media who have come to Arizona as a result of the horrific murder trial of one Miss Jodi Ann Arias, now 32, accused in the June 2008 slaying of former boyfriend Travis Alexander in his Mesa home. (Follow the trial daily Mon.-Thurs. at the live stream link below. Bookmark this page now for future use.)
Alexander was found by roommates days after he was killed; the twenty-something had been shot, stabbed and his throat was slit to his spine. Despite her attempts to cover her tracks, Arias is the only suspect and has admitted to the killing.
Nancy Grace has risen to substantial fame over the past decade as a result of her background in criminal prosecution, which led to her often over-the-top true crime shows and ultimately a stint on Dancing With The Stars in 2011. (Read more on that here.)
Jodi Arias Trial Live Stream: Nancy Grace in Phoenix, Celebrity Reaction, More
Much as she did with the recent Casey Anthony case, Nancy Grace has latched on to the Jodi Arias murder trial with a vengeance. Profiling the case every night for weeks now, Grace has been inviting friends of both Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander alike to come on the show and say their piece, which they are all too happy to do.
This isn't purely a Nancy Grace thing; it's an HLN thing. Dr. Drew Pinsky and Jane Valez-Mitchell have glommed on to the case, as well. Basically, if it's on HLN and its past noon in your respective time zone, you can expect it to be the Jodi Arias show all day, every day. It's almost sickening the level of attention the case is getting, but as it is unfolding in our relative backyard and drawing big names to the area, it is compelling.
Though it seems both the defense and prosecution are finally finished questioning Arias, the Jodi Arias trial is still far from over, so the Phoenix area can expect the high-profile TV personalities and national media outlet camera crews to stick around for awhile. Between the lurid sex details being exposed and the graphic photos and testimony detailing how Travis Alexander died, this case is as full of human interest as they come.
Jodi's weeks-long testimony finally wrapped on Feb. 28. The already-confessed killer spent day after day after day on the stand talking about everything from what she used to order at Starbucks (she remembers a fondness for strawberry frapps) to how unreliable her car was at the time of the murder. Of course, she doesn't quite remember stabbing Travis Alexander over two dozen times before slitting his throat, though she acknowledges the evidence clearly shows she must have done it.
She vaguely remembers the gun she pointed at Travis having gone off, she told the jury, but didn't know if Travis had been hit or not. (He had been shot in the head.) The main point of contention in this case isn't whether or not Jodi killed Travis, but rather that prosecutor Juan Martinez says it was cold-blooded, first-degree murder while the defense claims the killing was purely self-defense. Jodi admits having lied multiple times, almost at every turn after the murder, in fact, but claims she has told nothing but the truth while under oath.
Each day for the past several weeks, HLN has begun their Jodi Arias trial live stream coverage of the trial when Tru TV's coverage via "In Session" ends. Every night, Nancy Grace (and the others) have analyzed every bit of edited-down minutiae from the day's courtroom testimony that their respective hour-long programs allow.
Even Hollywood is reacting to the case in general, and not necessarily in Jodi's favor. Reality TV's Evelyn Lozada tweeted, "So over Jodi Arias! She needs to be thrown under the jail!"
Roseanne Barr posted a strangely truncated message on her Twitter account regarding the case, writing, "Jodi Arias should not have stabbed slashed and shot her boyfriend! She must have been stressed out! Going to bed now. Love to all!" (Stressed out? Remind us never to stress Roseanne out!)
Soon, the media attention will die down and the big names will go home. Hollywood will find a new daytime distraction. Nancy Grace will move on to the Next Big Case. "In Session" will cover other trials. Until a verdict is reached, though, and that could still be weeks away, the circus surrounding the Phoenix courthouse isn't going anywhere.
If you are following the case with as much interest as Nancy but can do without her screaming and histrionics (not to mention her "experts" arguing endlessly among themselves), you can tune into the Jodi Arias trial live stream here and just watch what actually happens, uncensored, live from the courtroom. Court is in recess on Fridays.
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