Closing Arguments in "Cannibal Cop" Case; Jodi Arias Faces Jury Questions
WHITFIELD: Live pictures of the courtroom in the Jodi Arias trial. She'll be answering more questioning from the jurors as they ask questions about the murder of her boyfriend, something she admits to doing, although, she also says there are many accounts of what happened that night, but she doesn't recall. We'll keep you posted on it. Meantime, it's closing arguments time in the case of the "Cannibal Cop" case. He is the New York City police officer who prosecutors say was moving forward on a plan to kidnap, torture, kill and eat at least six women, including his wife. Defense lawyers argue he is harmless and just into quote "stupid, infantile story telling." Let's get some analysis now from legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, who is there. This is a very complicated. What is at issue here? Valle accused of plotting to do these things, but not carry these things out, though finds himself in court, right?</s>SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right. The real issue here is did he really plan to kidnap women, sell women, so that he could -- he and some other friends could eat these women or was this just some sick, dark, twisted fantasy that only existed in his mind? And those were the stories we heard today. I am in front of the courthouse and, I have to tell you, Fred, this was an explosive day in the courtroom. The defense attorney, a woman, really battling the prosecution in this case, led by another women, and they told such very different stories. The prosecution led with the fact that while this may have started out as a fantasy, he crossed the line into reality. And the defense countered, that is just not true. He had the world only in his mind. He never intended to commit any kidnapping, and this is just part of this sort of dark underbelly of the Internet, the sexual fetish world where a lot of people apparently exist. This web site, darkfetishnet.com, has about 38,000 users. And so the defense in this case, Fred, is saying you know what, a lot of people do this kind of thing, but this is all fantasy.</s>WHITFIELD: But the difference being that he was a New York City police officer and perhaps is he being made an example of, or is it being alleged that anyone whose identity would be revealed in carrying out the same kind of activity would be facing the same fate or sequence of events here in court?</s>HOSTIN: Certainly, Fred, the government is saying this is a New York City police officer who had access to a database where he could look up addresses, and they allege he did in fact look up an address on New York City federal database, so he's guilty of unauthorized access to that database. But they're also saying he went a bit further. Rather than just staying in the fantasy world, what he really did, the government allegations, he looked up addresses for real women, agreed to sell -- one person that lived in the U.K., New Jersey, Pakistan. And so, they're saying he crossed the line both as a New York City police officer, but just as anyone else, could cross the line into reality by actually planning and conspiring to commit kidnapping.</s>WHITFIELD: Sunny Hostin, thanks so much in New York for a very sordid case. Keep us posted on that. Meantime, another case that has the attention of this country. This in Phoenix, Arizona, the Jodi Arias case, a 32-year-old woman on trial for the murder of her boyfriend. Let's listen in as she answers more questions from the jurors.</s>JODI ARIAS, ON TRIAL FOR MURDER OF EX BOYFRIEND: He might think that's strange, and so part of that was an attempt to appear normal. Also, when I was with Ryan, I felt a sense of safety. He wasn't pressuring me for sex and I didn't think he was going to haul off and smack me if I said the wrong thing or did something that displeased him. But again, even with all of those things, I wasn't in my right state of mind during that time.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you in the fog when you were kissing Ryan?</s>ARIAS: Yes.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you agree that you came away from the June 4 incident rather unscathed? While Travis suffered a gun shot and multiple stab wounds, you only had a bump on your head, our bruise on your head, scrapes on your ankles and possible shoulder injury.</s>ARIAS: As far as making comparison, him versus mine. Yes, I would have to say that's a relatively accurate assessment.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, are there any other questions from the jury at this time? Mr. Nurmi, you may follow up.</s>KURT NURMI, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Ms. Arias, yesterday, you were asked about receiving the Book of Mormon from Travis. Do you remember that?</s>ARIAS: Yes.</s>NURMI: And you were explaining to us how you read a chapter a day of that book after you received it. Do you recall telling us that?</s>ARIAS: Yes.</s>NURMI: And there were some other questions about answers I guess that brought up the visits from the missionaries who came over to your house in palm desert. Do you recall that?</s>ARIAS: Yes.</s>NURMI: The basis of some of these questions really related to the law of chastity. Do you recall that?</s>ARIAS: That's correct.</s>NURMI: OK. Now, one of the things you talked about in answering these questions as it relates to the Book of Mormon, does that contain a sort of list of as it relates to premarital sex, of activities that are OK and activities that are not OK?</s>ARIAS: Not in the Book of Mormon. It's broad. It's not listed out in detail in the Book of Mormon.</s>NURMI: For example, it doesn't say oral sex is OK or not OK? It doesn't spell that out for you.</s>ARIAS: No, it does not.</s>NURMI: OK. You mentioned the missionaries being younger men. That came to your house, correct?</s>ARIAS: That's correct.</s>NURMI: OK. And this kind of dos and don'ts list, we'll call it, that wasn't in the Book of Mormon, do they give you anything of that nature?</s>ARIAS: No. I had pamphlets, but they didn't have -- as far as the law of chastity goes, that was not broken down. No.</s>NURMI: What they explained to you from your answers, it seems to be that you weren't to engage in premarital sex. Your take away of that was penile vaginal intercourse, is that accurate?</s>ARIAS: Well, I considered other forms of sex, but after gaining a sort of clarification from Travis and how he explained it, then I came to understand that vaginal sex was the ultimate, like, place to not go until marriage.</s>NURMI: And in terms of going to this place, meaning penile vaginal intercourse, after these missionaries started coming over, had you -- were you still encaging in sex after they came over and started telling you these things?</s>ARIAS: No.</s>NURMI: And part of what we heard in your questioning is that Travis served to provide you with elaboration, if you will, on the law of chastity. Is that true?</s>ARIAS: Yes, he delineated it more.</s>NURMI: So that kind of list of using oral sex as a continued example, is oral sex is OK or not OK, he kind of provided that checklist for you, right?</s>ARIAS: Yes.</s>NURMI: OK. And based on his teachings, if you will, you came away from that with the idea that the law of chastity only restricted penile vaginal intercourse.</s>ARIAS: During --</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sustained.</s>NURMI: After Travis taught you these things, what was your understanding of what the law of chastity prohibited?</s>ARIAS: The law prohibited vaginal intercourse between a man and a woman and that it should be saved for marriage. That was the black and white of the issue on that.</s>NURMI: OK.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, 32-year-old Jodi Arias there being questioned about her faith as it pertains to the sex she had with her boyfriend, who is now dead in this murder case. Let's bring in again criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson and CNN contributor. So, Joey, the relevance here?</s>JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, it's extraordinarily relevant. Not specifically what Mr. Nurmi's saying, but what the jury was talking about, Fredricka. It's his job, Mr. Nurmi, is her defense attorney, to attempt to rehabilitate her after what the jurors have asked her. The whole focus, what they're doing, the defense is putting it all on Travis Alexander. He was the deviant. He was the one who taught her about the Book of Mormon through his interpretation, was that certain activities were not prohibited. He was the one manipulating her and abusing her and coercing her. So the defense is attempting to make her the victim as opposed to what the prosecutor's doing, is saying, keep your eye on the prize, we know who the real victim is. So With regard to the relevance of his questions --</s>WHITFIELD: OK.</s>JACKSON: -- I think it would be very little. But with regards to what the jurors are asking, Fredricka, boy, they are right on point.</s>WHITFIELD: Joey Jackson, thanks so much. Of course we'll continue to watch the Jodi Arias trial. She is accused of murdering her boyfriend. Much more after this.</s>DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Helping people to walk again with mind-controlled machines.</s>MIGUEL NICOLELIS, NEUROSCIENTIST: So the person wears the robotic vest and he or she will use his or her brain activity to actually control the movements directly of this vest and the vest will provide some sort of tactile feedback to the person, like temperature, fine touch.</s>FRANCESCO CLARK, USED ROBOTIC VEST: It went from an idea that was impossible when I was first injured 10 years ago, to probable to inevitable.</s>NICOLELIS: In our lifetime, we will be walking New York and we will see a person walking the streets that could not walk before. I think in our lifetime, we'll see that.</s>GUPTA: Kind of gives me shivers.</s>NICOLELIS: Me, too. I've been waiting for that for 30 years. So I think we will be able to see it.</s>GUPTA: Neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, this Sunday, 2:30 eastern, only on CNN.