Jodi Arias more ‘concerned over image’ than consequences

PHOENIX — The detective in the Jodi Arias case said the convicted murderer was more concerned about her own image than over consequences of the crime during her initial arrest, according to an interview with Fox News.

In the interview, the then-detective Nathan Mendes, talked about Arias’ behavior after he arrested her at her grandparent’s California home.

“My initial impression of her was she didn’t even seem concerned at all… The whole case was bizarre. Especially her demeanor.

“Even when we booked her, she wanted to make sure her hair looked OK. Things like that were not sitting well with us,” he told Fox News.

Investigation Discovery is currently airing a three-part mini-series Jodi Arias: An American Murder Mystery.

Arias was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2008, but the case has been renewed in the public eye due to the mini-series.

In 2008, Arias was convicted of murdering her lover, Travis Alexander, in Mesa.  Her 2013 trial became a media circus as details of their relationship and the violent crime scene emerged. The courtroom saga was broadcast live and spectators traveled to Phoenix to line up to get a seat in the courtroom.

In 2015, a judge gave Arias a prison sentence of life behind bars.

Mendes told Fox News he was “surprised” at the sexual relationship Arias had with Alexander and other men.

“For a lot of folks, that was the first time they had seen someone’s sexual exploitations plastered all over the media. And that was shocking for a lot of people. You read about it, and you certainly hear about it. But in her case, it was just put out there.”

The former detective recalled seeing Arias rapidly change her demeanor during a four-hour police interrogation after her initial arrest.

In one instance, she could be seen laughing, singing and doing a headstand against a wall after a prosecutor left the room she was being questioned in. Before that, she was sobbing in front of the prosecutor.

“At the time, we were watching it from the next room,” Mendes said. “She was trying to burn off stress. That was an indicator of stress. When people are put under a lot of stress, that energy has to go somewhere — so you do see a lot of bizarre things in the interrogation room.

“She was kind of rambling. But the whole yoga scene was a little strange to me. I’ve seen some strange things, but that’s up on the top.”

Mendes said Arias was “motivated to kill” Travis Alexander.

He said he believes Arias didn’t want to share Alexander with anyone else.

“I think she had come to the realization that Travis wasn’t going to settle down with her and that she wasn’t willing to share him with anyone else or have him date or marry anybody else.

“It had to be Jodi,” Mendes said. “I think that’s what prompted a lot of this. She wasn’t willing to let him go.”

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