It looks like the Jodi Arias case is about to head towards another mistrial. What is up with the justice system lately? First, Oscar Pistorius gets charged with culpable homicide instead of premeditated murder, escaping with only five years [or less] in prison. And now this.
According to a new report from Radar Online, another juror was dismissed from the panel this week because they were a fan of Nancy Grace. And as we know, jurors are supposed to be completely fair, unbiased, and partisan in their opinions – and being a fan of Nancy Grace is pretty much the opposite of all those three qualities.
Anyway, Juror Number 9 reportedly approached TV legal analyst Beth Karas in the courthouse hallway and asked her if she was Nancy Grace. Karas told the judge about the incident, and Juror Number 9 was called in to testify and describe the incident. There were already some concerns expressed about the suitability of this juror and her ‘odd behavior’, and she was immediately kicked off the panel.
Unfortunately, this now marks the second jury dismissal in two days, and the trial still has another three to six weeks to go. At this rate, the entire jury team will get dismissed and the case will get thrown out as another mistrial. So far, there are 12 sitting judges and only five alternatives left, but if the dismissal rate continues, those alternatives will be depleted very quickly. As Karas explains, “Two jurors in two days is not a good record. They only have five left, and several weeks to go.”
There is even less ambiguity in Jodi Arias’ case than there was in Oscar Pistorius’ case, and we can only hope that the United States legal system won’t let another criminal get off scot-free. Jodi Arias stabbed her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, twenty-nine times, shot him in the face, and slashed his throat – all in a premeditated act of cold-blooded murder. However, there was already a mistrial declared in May during the penalty phase, which explains this particular trial. But if there’s another mistrial? Well, Jodi Arias will continue to escape justice, just as Oscar Pistorius did.