Monday, June 22, 2009

The Autopsy Report: Casey Anthony's Defense Team Speaks Out

Friday, Judge Stan Strickland held a hearing out of courtesy to the Anthony family and listened to an emotional speech by George Anthony about the grief the release of the autopsy would have for his family. He did not want Caylee's memory "tarnished."

TARNISHED??? There is nothing in the world that could ever tarnish this little angel's memory. What the autopsy could do is tarnish the alleged murderer's reputation!

If you haven't done so, view the raw footage of the hearing supplied by WFTV. Note that after making his ruling to release the reports, Jose Baez got to his feet to request a 48 hour stay so the defense team could consider filing a motion of their own. Denied!

The reports were issued immediately and available to the public within the hour.

Autopsy and related reports, also courtesy of WFTV:

Examination
Skeleton Dispersal
Skeletal Remains
Examination of Bones

The Orlando Sentinel provided the following documents:

FBI Report Forensic Report

Forensic Report on Car Contents
We heard a little bit from Jose Baez concerning his reaction to the release. While not baiting intrepid reporter, Kathi Belich, and speaking Spanish to some reporters, he seemed unconcerned about the results but was a bit concerned about tainting the jury pool. Figure it out for yourself.
Video: Baez reaction

Today, we had some reactions from the defense experts. The Today Show featured a mini-debate between Werner Spitz and Cyril Wecht. Dr. Spitz, the defense forensic pathologist, stated that there was, "nothing that I know to put the lid on this, that tells you that there was a murder here. Everything, as far as I know, is in question." Concerning the duct tape itself, which he has yet to examine, he stated, "When I saw the body, there was no duct tape, there was no evidence of duct tape, there was no evidence of residual glue or adhesive on the bone, there was no evidence to support that conclusion."

I have to wonder if Casey's attorney, Jose Baez has set up his secure server so that his experts can an least view the photographs from the crime scene and autopsy? In the January 8 hearing, there was extensive discussion of the issue. Read the article

The Today Show also had Cyril Wecht review the autopsy report and he came to a totally different conclusion. According to Wecht, "This would be the most likely way you would expect an infant, a young child, to be murdered, namely suffocation. It's easily accomplished, obviously, and would leave no tell-tale marks."

Sprocket suggested that the State's Attorneys review Dr. Spitz's testimony from the Phil Spector trial that just concluded. I would also suggest that they also call Alan Jackson to get the skinny on Dr. Spitz. For those of you who did not follow the Spector trial and have no knowledge of Dr. Spitz, I suggest you read one of Sprocket's entries which reported his performance on direct examination and cross-examination with Mr. Jackson. Read the article

The other defense expert to chime in an opinion was Dr. Lawrence Kobilinski (formerly seen on Nancy Grace). Orlando Sentinel blogger halboedeker posted an article based on a Click Orlando broadcast today. Part of the article included the back-and-forth between Tony Pipitone and Kobilinski:

Jan Garavaglia, the Orange County medical examiner, determined that Caylee's death was a homicide.

Kobilinsky dismissed the finding. "It is not clear how the child died, and if we don't know how the child died, we really can't determine whether or not it was a homicide," Kobilinsky said.
Kobilinsky said there was no evidence of drugs in the child's remains.

But Pipitone noted that only hair and bone could be tested -- and so exposure to drugs couldn't be ruled out.

Kobilinsky noted Caylee's hyoid bone wasn't found and that would have been examined to see if there was strangulation. But Pipitone added that the hyoid bone in a child could be so soft that it might not break in strangulation.

And what of duct tape applied to Caylee's face before decomposition? "That indicates a homicide, not a suicide, not an accidental, not a natural death," Pipitone said.

Kobilinsky disagreed. "That is not necessarily the case," he said. "If, for example, the child died as the result of accidental trauma and then, subsequently, for whatever reason, somebody took the child and did whatever was done involving plastic bags and duct tape."

Yet Pipitone concluded: "Of course, that would be for a jury to decide."

So, my friends, we are getting an interesting view of the defense tactics that will come up in trial. I'm looking forward to your comments!


18 comments:

shari said...

Boy, the idea that the prosecution team here in Orlando should contact Alan Jackson about the "expert testimony" in the Spector trial is a great idea. Otherwise, I don't think they know what they are in for with Wecht, Spitzer, and LKB. Let's hope they are on the ball here in O town and read the blogs LOL! To say that this is NOT murder is ludicrous....2 year old children DO NOT end up bagged and taped and in the woods without some kind of criminal intent...

ritanita said...

Yup! Spitz didn't sound half so senile in the video as he did in the first Spector trial. I didn't have the chance to view the second one, but he tends to go senile on cross!

I have to (even if I don't want to) give kudos for Wecht for sticking up for the prosecution side. Of course, he's not being paid for it!

ritanita said...

I just heard this!

Jamie Floyd was just on HLN talking about what Spitz had to say today and she agrees with him!

Get this... she says she's spoken to sources "close to the defense" and that the defense believes the duct tape was PLANTED!

Anonymous said...

Jamie Floyd would agree with a pinecone if it was in favor of the defense.

Anonymous said...

Are there no other experts in this big old country who can give opinions/testify in high profile cases besides these same ones from the Spector trial? Give me a break. Where is the money coming from? Just amazing.

Anonymous said...

jamie floyd and the "expert witnesses"--they deserve each other! Spitz, Wecht, and Baden are in a contest to see which doddering old man will be the richest man in the graveyard. And what was the outcome of the criminal charge against Wecht in PA?

Anonymous said...

I am all for fairness on all sides, and the idea that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but it seems that these master game players, obfuscators and liars have made it hard to prove the obviously guilty guilty. Justice seems to be derailed by these paid testifiers over and over and they get richer and richer from their "expertise".

Truly, I think the system needs to be improved, maybe by some laws making their expert opinions more accountable, and these leeches and bottom feeders need to go back to their murky sewers and find another way of making an honest living.

zoz said...

All charges against Cyril Wecht were dismissed earlier this month after an appellate panel removed the original judge on the case after allegations of bias towards the prosecution, and the new judge determined that the search warrant used to obtain the "evidence" in the case was illegally obtained. Buchanan got a rightly deserved smack-down for this political persecution, just one of the many stains on the reputation of the DOJ during the abomination that was the Gonzales-Mukasey era. In the opinion of many unbiased legal experts, the charges against Wecht merited nothing more than a complaint to the Medical Ethics Board, if that.

Nora said...

Did you hear about the tattoo on Casey Anthony's back? This will be brought up at the trial because she had it done when Caylee was missing. The tattoo says "La Bella Vita" (the beautiful life). She also told the tattoo parlor guy that Caylee was with the nanny and she'd bring her in for her next appointment.

Didn't George Anthony work in the police dept.? If so, it is surprising that he's in such denial of the evidence against his daughter and ignorant of the law.

shari said...

George is soooo brainwashed by Cindy that I am surprised if he can spell his own name. He missed the chance he had to leave this family before all this happened..now he is stuck with them all. He was a cop in Ohio but no one has ever said why he is no longer a police officer. He was doing "security guard" jobs here at a swanky apartment hi rise and apparently lost that and now neither one of them work.
I notice also that we are not hearing too much more from Henry Lee lately. I wonder if he has bowed out of this case. No money...no opinion! Hired gun has beens. Baden really blew it in Spector.UGH!

Bill said...

I followed nearly every detail of the first Spector trial on court TV and the second on your Blog, Sprocket. Thanks for putting the information out here for us real trial buffs. I'm in total agreement having watched the Badens and Lees etc.....HIRED GUNS WHO SELL THEIR SOULS TO BE PAID TO SPIN THEIR PARADIGMS AROUND THE FACTS OF THESE CASES!

Nora said...

Shari - ditto on everything you wrote! I'm wondering if the defense will say next that Caylee committed suicide. There seems to me to be a thread of rage that runs throughout that family. Something not addressed or dealt with in that family. I think George is very sensitive and he cannot cope with any of this - I hope he is getting therapy. I don't think Cindy would go for some, though.

nd said...

Spitz said there was no duct tape on Caylee’s remains when he did the 2nd autopsy… lol, as if the state would leave the possible murder weapon or other evidence with the “body” when they released it to the family. We know Spitz has seen the autopsy photos with duct tape on the skull because otherwise he & Jose would be screaming about it.

ritanita said...

Nora, I think this family put the dys- in dysfunction.

nd - That was just a shtupid comment on his part. That's why he gets 5 grand a day!

Bill, those hired guns didn't do any good for Spector in either trial! The first jury tossed out their expert testiphoney and the second one finished the job.

Sprocket said...

I'll never forget the cross examination of Dr. Spitz in the second Spector trial.

To me, it appeared that Spitz was becoming senile, and hard of hearing. It was a real experience seeing Spitz become unglued on the stand over "GSR." Spitz insisted that he could see "GSR" with the naked eye. There are a lot of things that are emitted from a gun besides the bullet. There are microscopic particles (that can only be seen with a scanning electron microscope) and there are things that can be seen with the naked eye, such as burnt and unburnt powder.

The microscopic particles are officially called "GSR" short for "gunshot residue" and consists of particles of lead, antimony and barium. The ATSM (American Society for Testing and Materials) set standards for what constitutes GSR.

Spitz was yelling away, telling the prosecutor Alan Jackson that he could "see" GSR with his naked eye. That he saw it at crime scenes all the time! What Spitz was actually referring to was soot, not GSR.

Anonymous said...

The only ones tarnished in this bizarre case are the Anthonys, not beautiful little Caylee. The mother a sociopath, the grandmother a controlling shrew, the brother a bozo and the father not having a clue where to turn or who to support. This trial will be a joke from the family to the lawyers who don't care about anyone but themselves and the publicity they will receive from the high profile case. A circus.

Anonymous said...

Well, well. I guess Spector will have to share the fame and glory of being the most famous inmate with Charles Manson, who knows who will turn out to be the most talented artiste.

That was fast, putting him in a permanent place. I hope that soon someone from inside can make a report on his daily life, how he's dealing with it, etc. That prison photo already has him looking like a hardened con.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know where all the money is coming from to hire all these so called experts and how do George and Cindy manage to live quite well without working? Most people would be out in the street if they hadn't worked in a year.