Jodi Arias' memory loss and constantly changing stories of how her ex-boyfriend was gruesomely killed are a result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and acute memory loss, an "expert witness" for the defense claimed Thursday.
A photographer from California, Arias is charged with the the grisly first-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in June 2008, when she allegedly stabbed the 30-year-old man 27 times, shot him in the face twice, slit his throat and left his bloodied corpse crumpled over in the bathroom shower of his apartment. Arias' fate depends on whether the jury believes she killed Alexander in self-defense, as she contends, or was actually a jilted lover exacting jealous revenge, as the prosecution argues.
After an almost unprecedented 19 days on the stand, Arias finally stepped down to make way for the defense's next phase of the trial, which is expected to focus on at least two "expert witnesses" who will testify that factors such as PTSD and domestic abuse explain her memory loss and numerous lies.
A psychologist and self-advertised "expert witness" on PTSD, Richard Samuels said he met with Arias 12 times following her arrest and analyzed her murder case file , her journal entries, and news stories on the case. He also said he tested Arias for PTSD and acute memory loss with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory test and another unspecified test for PTSD. He testified that the print out showed Arias "responded in an accurate and honest manner during these tests."
Samuels testified that his review of the case and Arias showed she was "depressed" and "in denial" after she killed Alexander, claiming that's just what caused her "mental condition."
"A large percentage of individuals who are in such settings do not remember or have cloudy or foggy memories of what has transpired," Samuels explained, according to The Associated Press. "We are more concerned with survival."
Arias has tried to explain away many of the inconsistencies in her stories by claiming her memory was foggy the day Alexander died. Arias has wavered back-and-forth between providing surprisingly acute details surrounding the murder to claiming she has little to no memory of certain pieces of the case, such as the actual act of killing Alexander, saying her memory of the fateful day has "huge gaps," according to The Tri-City Herald.
Samuels testified that Arias suffered acute stress disorder following the harrowing incident. He said that disorder eventually evolved into PTSD.
"When a persons engages in an activity that is opposite of what they stand for ... can create in ones mind a psychological wall," Samuels said, The Huffington Post reported.
"She was not able to tell her family about what happened. She was not able to tell anybody about what happened. And this is a classic symptom of an acute stress disorder."
Arias has already admitted to lying about Alexander's death to just about everyone. She first claimed she was never at Alexander's home the day he was killed, then when DNA evidence proved she was lying she said masked intruders killed him, and finally, years later she backtracked to admit she killed the victim, but now claims it was in self-defense, saying he attacked her in the shower, forcing her to fight for her life. She claims she lied so often because she was "ashamed" she killed Alexander in self-defense and because she was afraid of revealing the details of their sexual relationship.
Samuels testified that people who are afflicted with dissociative amnesia may only be able to recall small scenes of the actual trauma, and may also feel a "sense of detachment."
Arias has claimed throughout the trial that she only remembers small pieces from the day she killed Alexander, including stabbing him almost 30 times and slitting his throat from ear to ear.
"Perpetrators of horrible crimes can also develop post-traumatic stress disorder for having acted as the source of the crime," Samuels said.
Samuels' testimony purporting Arias' PTSD arrives a day after prosecuting attorney Juan Martinez consistently poked holes in the defendant's version of Alexander's deaths, noting how meticulous she was to immediately begin covering her tracks and evading authorities just minutes after the killing.
"Everything that we've talked about that has anything to do with the crime ... you somehow, in this fog of yours, manipulated," Martinez said.
Martinez said Arias wasted no time in trying evade authorities after Alexander's killing. He drew attention to her behavior in the hours following his death suggesting she was planning out her alibi "immediately" - trying to clean up Alexander's home, calling Alexander's phone and leaving a message, dumping the alleged murder weapon in the desert, throwing away her bloodied clothing, and then driving to visit a man in Utah for a romantic rendezvous. Arias even played the part of concerned friend days later when police found Alexander's body, calling authorities, friends, and even her Mormon bishop, as she tried to find out what police knew and whether "anybody was onto you," Martinez contended.
After Samuels is done testifying, the defense is expected to call another "expert witness" to the stand, Alyce LaViolette, an expert on domestic abuse who has experience as in criminal trials. LaViolette has authored books on domestic violence, and delivered a speech about post-traumatic stress disorder at a 2011 conference for military families called, "Why Do People Hurt the Ones They Love?",Fox News reported.
Arias faces the death penalty if convicted. Judge Sherry Stephens recessed court proceedings until Monday at 1:30 p.m. EST.
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