Accused murderer Jodi Arias' 11th day on the witness stand was dominated by testimony about sex and memory problems.
Less than five minutes after the first-degree murder trial in Phoenix resumed for its 48th day, Maricopa County prosecutor Juan Martinez called out Arias for failing to remember details of the case. "Do you have a problem with your memory?" Martinez asked.
Trial-watchers have heard the veteran prosecutor ask Arias that same question multiple times since cross-examination began last week.
"I don't think I have a problem," Arias replied.
Arias, 32, is on trial in the June 2008 slaying of her ex-lover Travis Alexander inside his Mesa, Ariz., apartment. She faces the death penalty if convicted. She testified last week that she shot and stabbed Alexander in self-defense after he attacked her. Alexander had become increasingly violent and sexually demanding, she testified, and she claimed to have caught him masturbating to a picture of a young boy. The prosecution contends she murdered Alexander in a jealous rage.
Tuesday's first reference to Arias' questionable memory came during questioning about her high school boyfriend, Bobby Juarez. Arias testified she had visited a library in 1998 to use a computer. Arias said she snooped into Juarez' Hotmail email account, then confronted her former boyfriend about messages she had read.
"In your personal dealings, you don't waste any time do you?" Martinez asked.
"No, I'm a procrastinator," Arias replied.
Arias appeared confused by some of Martinez follow-up questions, prompting him to ask, "Are you having problems understanding?"
Arias replied: "Sometimes, because you go in circles … You're making my brain scramble."
Martinez' aggressive questioning and posture was a distraction, Arias said, adding, "I'm not having a problem telling the truth."
Later, Martinez played several video clips from Arias' 2008 interview with the CBS news show "48 Hours." In one of the clips, Arias said she was "angry and outraged" that Alexander was killed. "I cannot imagine what his family is going through," Arias added.
At the time of the interview, Arias was telling investigators that two intruders had killed Alexander. She later changed her story, saying she killed him in self-defense.
Martinez then entered into evidence a message Arias left in a guestbook at Alexander's memorial service. The message read, in part: "Travis, you're beautiful on the inside and out."
Martinez asked: "So you think somebody who masturbates to pictures of little boys is beautiful on in the inside, right?"
The prosecutor was referring to Aris' earlier testimony in which she alleged she had once caught Alexander masturbating to a photo of a little boy.
"I don’t think that aspect of him is beautiful at all. I think it’s sickening," testified Arias.
"He hated those parts of himself. It's not who he wanted to be ... I believed that he could get better ... I believe he had aspects of himself that are beautiful and ugly, just as I do," Arias said.
JODI ARIAS TRIAL PHOTOS: (Story Continues Below)
Travis Alexander - Jodi Arias Crime Scene And Trial Photos
Questioning by Martinez turned sexual when he asked Arias about a recorded phone sex conversation with Alexander that was previously played for the jury. Martinez drilled into a discussion of Arias talking about the merits of the sexual lubricant K-Y Jelly.
"You introduced the K-Y into the relationship to make it more sexually enjoyable, right?" Martinez asked, saying Arias was neither shy nor innocent when she got together with Alexander.
"Yes," Arias replied.
Martinez questioned Arias' earlier testimony that Alexander sometimes made her feel like a prostitute. Arias elaborated Tuesday, saying, "When he [ejaculates] on my face and throws candy my way, [it] kind of makes me feel like a prostitute."
Martinez then entered into evidence a text message that Arias sent to Alexander, saying she wanted to give Alexander oral sex and have him ejaculate on her face.
The line of questioning ended shortly thereafter, with court recessing early. Arias, according to her attorney, was not feeling well. Court is scheduled to resume at 12:15 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, when the cross-examination of Arias will resume.
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