I had that thought too. Michael's a cruel man. Now that Terri's no longer around for him to abuse, Jodi could be in real danger. (Even a couple of Terri's nurses said that one reason they were afraid to anger Michael was because he'd take his anger at them out on Terri. If that's true, then I have to wonder how many times might he have taken any anger he had towards Jodi out on Terri too?)
If Michael really did beat and strangle Terri until she was brain-damaged, then he has no self-control at all and could easily snap again.
Plus, I suspect that Jodi "knows too much". If she ever does decide to leave, she'd better just disappear without telling him first and make sure he never finds her.
It's hard to have much sympathy for her, though. I suppose it's possible she may have believed his version of the story in the beginning then by the time she found out how cruel he was, she was already too afraid of him to leave. Or maybe she's just as cold and selfish as he is and they deserve each other. I don't know. Either way, she should've never shacked-up with a married man to begin with. Their 2 kids are the only ones I really feel sorry for now.
I think this is the most likely explanation. With the Schiavos, the old adage about "likes" repelling each other may be false. Watch over the next week or too and see if this "jail nurse" reports back to work. If he doesn't, we know there were immediate funds, not just the allure of longer-range "estate rights" he will now so covet.