josemcyntire · @josemcyntire
6th Apr 2013 from TwitLonger
@HLNTV @Justice4Travis1 #jodiarias EXCLUSIVE SCOOP ON JUROR#5: Her name, where she is from & her thoughts on the trial.
WHO IS SHE:
- Meliha (pronounced Ma-LEE-hah) Omanovic
- 38 years old
- Stay-at-home mom
- Lives in North Phoenix
- Moved to Phoenix 20 years ago
- Bosnian immigrant
- Escaped civil war in what was then Yugoslavia
- Meliha met and married her husband in AZ
- Her husband is a truck driver
- The couple have a daughter
EXPERIENCE AS JUROR:
-Meliha has seen first-hand the effects of a horrific war in Bosnia. She was therefore very sensitive about and emotional when first observing the graphic crime scene & autopsy pictures of Travis Alexander. She cried for days.
-She enjoyed being a juror and had become use to going there everyday.
-The judge warned the jurors the trial could last until end of April, so they knew what to expect and are not anxious to leave.
-She maintains that she and the other jurors took and are taking the trial very seriously
WHAT GOT HER BOOTED:
-Allegation are that she described Travis' murder as "heinous" within earshot of other jurors when being questioned by the judge after Nurmi's mistrial motion. This caused the defense to deem her choice of words and outburst as something that could perhaps taint the other jurors. However, they were already suspicious of her being against the defense because a note got back to Nurmi that Meliha had joked about something while she went to lunch with the other jurors.
-The joke went something like this "for $300 bucks an hour, you think they could get us chairs worth sitting in". So aside from her "heinous" comment, it appears that her misconduct was also related to this joke.
WHAT NOW:
-Meliha maintains she will not give her take on trial until after verdict (I'm giving her another week)
-From now, she will be watching the trial from home (good call).
CONTACT:
Meliha Omanovic
20407 North 31st Place
Phoenix, AZ 85050-4768
Ph: 6027654512
Although I was first hesitant to post this bio on Juror 5, mostly to respect the privacy she asked for, I began to change my mind the more I saw her exposing herself to the media. Seeing her appear in court on Thursday sealed the deal for me. After all, her information is public record.
What does everyone else think? Is Juror 5 fame-hungry or really just a truth-seeker, looking to respect the process by not saying if she believes Jodi is guilty? Is she pro-prosecution or defense?