The Jodi Arias case presents a case whereby Jodi Arias was under prosecution for the murder of Travas Alexander, who was her boyfriend (Flynn, 2013). It was alleged that Jodi butchered her boyfriend following an abusive sexual relationship between them. Oscar Pistorius case, on the other hand, is about the prosecution of Oscar Pistorius, who allegedly shot his ex-wife, Reeva Steenkamp. For the case involving Jodi Arias, self-defense was used while in Pistorius case, two types of defenses were used. These included involuntary action and putative self-defense.
Usually, different defenses are used depending on the case in question. For the putative self-defense, Pistorius alleges that he fired the shots with intent to shoot an intruder. According to the accused, he claimed to fire the first shot when he heard steps moving towards the door of the lavatory, assuming that the intruder was coming out. However, according to examination, it was evident that Reeva must have been trying to open the door to the lavatory when she was shot for the first time (Harvey, 2013). On the other hand, Pistorius used the involuntary action defense by stating that he did not have any intention when he fired the shots.
In the case of Jodi Arias, she is alleged to have had a childhood that was full of violent abuse from her parents since the age of seven (Holder, 2013). As such, her alleged sexual mistreatment by Alexander was just an addition to her childhood abuse. She had testified that her sexual life with Alexander had turned out to be emotionally as well as physically abusive. She also said that he had slammed her on the floor, as well as taunted her. She also testified to have been kicked by Alexander before she could put her hand out. As she confessed, Jodi Arias killed Alexander in self-defense after their relationship became intolerable.
The role of Justification and excuse in the Jodi Arias and Oscar Pistorius cases
In both the Jodi Arias and Oscar Pistorius cases, excuse and justification played a significant role in determining the defense, as well as the outcome of the cases. For example, Jodi excused herself that she killed her boyfriend on basis of self-defense. In her justification, she blamed the whole issue on her childhood abuse. On the other hand, Pistorius’ case portrayed the use of justification and excuse in that Pistorius shot her girlfriend on the excuse that he was shooting an intruder in their house. In the real sense, if there had been an intruder in the lavatory, Reeva would not have moved towards that side.
The outcome of Jodi Arias Case
Following the examination and cross-examination of the murder of Travas Alexander, the jury gave a verdict that Jodi Arias was guilty of first-degree murder (Holder, 2013). Even though there were several disagreements about the type of penalty that would be accorded to Arias, she was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment.
The outcome of Oscar Pistorius Case
The case of Pistorius and the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva, ended when the ruling indicated that Oscar was guilty of culpable homicide, as opposed to murder. In addition, Oscar Pistorius was guilty of shooting in a hotel. For these reasons, the ruling judge pronounced a five years jail sentence for Oscar.
Reference List
Flynn, T. (2013). The role of the use of justification and excuses in criminal cases. Journal of case analysis, 20 (3), 551-552.
Harvey, C. (2013). What’s Disability Got to do with it? Changing constructions of Oscar Pistorius before and after the Death of Reeva Steenkamp. Disability & Society 30 (2), 299-304.
Holder, T. (2013). Defense Fails: Why Jodi Arias Was Convicted Of Murder. Case analysis 9 (7), 1-3.