I've managed to move on and now I am seeing the aftermath of Casey's not guilty verdicts. As is my personal preference, I am limiting coverage to the various lawsuits and financial issues that she will be facing for the near future.
On August 25th at 9:00 AM, there will be a hearing in which the prosecution will present the costs of the investigation. If you go back to the sentencing (part 1, part 2) Judge Belvin Perry laid out the lies Casey told to investigators and stressed the resources that LE put forth to find a missing child based on those lies. As we learned from the fraud hearing, there were fees attached. The last we heard about that was the hearing where it was discussed with Judge Stan Strickland. How much Casey would have to pay fell by the wayside as the murder trial loomed.
Next, Casey has to face the civil suit filed by Zenaida Gonzalez in 2008 for defamation. John Morgan served a subpoena to Casey and her civil attorney, Charles M. Greene for her to do a deposition on July 19, 2011 at his offices. Yesterday, he filed an emergency motion asking Judge Jose Rodriguez to allow him to take her deposition in the jail prior to her release. He based the motion on the fact that it has become known that it is likely that Casey will leave the jurisdiction upon her release and possibly adopt a new name and new appearance.
Her attorney has stated that he objects to the motion and that he considers it a"publicity stunt" that is "abusing the court process." He said he would not attend the deposition unless ordered to by the judge.
Next up is the TES motion filed by Tim Miller on July 12. In it, he is asking for reimbursement for the expenditures made in the search for Caylee Anthony. Although the amount he is asking is not in the motion, Mr. Miller has stated on various programs that the expenses ran about $112,000. He also stated that he is asking for an Internal Revenue audit of his books to back up his claims.
The motion is based upon the representations made to him by the Anthony family when he traveled to Orlando to assess the situation. Some key points he made in his motion were that:
P. 4, #25: Based on Cindy Anthony's request, Mr. Miller travelled to Orlando, Florida and met with CASEY ANTHONY, her parents, Cindy and George Anthony, and CASEY ANTHONY's attorney, Jose Baez, to determine whether or not TES could help with the search for Caylee, and whether it should dedicate its limited resources to the case.
P. 4, #26: Mr. Miller met with the Anthony family, including CASEY ANTHONY, Cindy and George Anthony told Mr. Miller, in the presence of CASEY ANTHONY, that Caylee was still alive. CASEY ANTHONY did not correct, question or otherwise comment on the representations made by her parents, Cindy and George Anthony, that Caylee was alive. In fact, CASEY ANTHONY likewise told Mr. Miller that Caylee was alive, and asked him to please bring her back.
There are over 40 paragraphs in the suit and well worth reading. TES is suing on two counts, FRAUD and UNJUST ENRICHMENT.
Jose Baez' opening statement to the court will come back to slap Casey if Mr. Miller and TES prevail in this suit:
P. 8 #55: CASEY ANTHONY gladly accepted the benefits conferred upon her by TES knowing, all the time that her daughter was deceased and that the search for her daughter was unnecessary, particularly to the extent that searchers were looking for a live child.
I was listening to InSession when Leonard Padilla announced that he is considering suing Casey Anthony for $200,000. Another one jumps on the bandwagon.
Finally, let's not forget that Casey has a tax lien against her for about $70,000 in unpaid income tax for the $200,000 she earned in 2008 by selling her daughter's pictures and videos to ABC.
This video of Tim Miller was posted on YouTube on December 15, 2008. Within the first couple of minutes, Miller again reviews the reasons he called off the searches. The area they wanted most to search, on Suburban Drive, was flooded. Mr. Miller, in his interview with the State says the same thing (p. 8). He clearly indicated that, if Caylee's remains were there, a search could easily destroy them or force them into the underlying soil.
Regardless of those facts, the defense went on an immediate rampage to get the TES records to prove that the area had been dry and searched. To do that, they petitioned the court twice and were rebuffed twice by Judge Stan Strickland for not filing their motion in a proper way.
By July 16, 2009, the defense manage to file a motion (link unavailable) which asked for TES records in the vicinity of Hidden Oaks Elementary School. At a hearing on August 27, 2009, Casey's then attorney, Todd Macaluso, made the following statement:
As Your Honor knows, the body of Caylee Marie Anthony was found very close to the Anthony home, and the body was found in a wooded area that if one were to search for a missing child, this is the first place you would go search. There is substantial evidence that we’ve discovered, and that’s been set forth in our brief, Your Honor, that the body or the remains of Caylee Anthony were placed there after Casey Anthony was locked up in the Orange County Correctional Facility. There is substantial evidence, and that proves, Your Honor, her innocence. That’s exculpatory evidence, it proves that somebody else placed the remains in the area where it was ultimately found.
Macaluso indicated that the evidence they would unearth would be exculpatory because it would prove Casey is innocent. He argued that if a person volunteered to search for a missing child and found the child, the remains, or evidence, there would be no expectation of privacy because the person would be a material witness.
In later motions, the defense claimed that they had two witnesses, Laura Buchanan and Joseph Jordan who would testify that the area was searched by them, that it was dry, and that there were no remains there. Later, Jordan was interviewed twice by LE (#1,#2) where he indicated that he had mid-identified the area where he searched and that he hadn't searched that location, since it was under water at the time. Laura Buchanan, the second witness, seems to be making herself scarce and has yet to be deposed by the State.
At that time, TES attorney Mark NeJame offered the names of 32 searchers who were within 50 yards of the area where Caylee's remains were discovered. Judge Stan Strickland ruled that the area relevant to the defense's argument would be so limited and that the defense could examine the other documents under the terms proposed by Mark NeJame.
In the hearing on July 15, Judge Belvin Perry did not address the TES issue in open court. The prosecution, defense, and NeJame met for a substantial period of time at the bar and when it concluded, Perry announced that Baez was withdrawing his most recent TES motion and that NeJame could file a motion to quash the motion based on bad faith. The defense would have until August 25 to review the documents with a special magistrate and would be able to take notes. They were to tag files which the special magistrate (a former judge) would copy and bring to the court for in camera review. The judge also said that he would not rule on the tagged files until after a hearing on the motion to quash.
In this motion, ordered by Judge Perry at the July 15 hearing, NeJame outlines the entire history of the TES battle with the defense team. Dates and information here and above were taken from this motion. I've added a few dates in for myself as I feel they may be relevant.
September 18, 2009: a member of the Baez Law firm made an appointment to review the documents
Prior to the appointment, NeJame learned that they were planning to send "The Presentation Group" to copy all the documents from all the files. Baez cancelled the appointment.
October 15, 2009: NeJame's office contacted Baez to ask when he would pick up the 32 files. When asked to fax them, NeJame chose to have them hand delivered to Baez' office.
November 23, 2009: Baez files a new motion for a subpoena duced tecum based on the information provided by Joe Jordan and Laura Buchanan stating no body was found.
March 10, 2010: NeJame responded by pointing out that Joe Jordan was one of the 32 searchers whose records were provided to Baez, Laura Buchanan searched the area on her own, hence no official record.
April 5, 2010: Judge Stan Strickland denied the motion.
Although not in the motion, I would like to add these two:
April 16, 2010, 4:48 PM on a Friday afternoon: The defense files a motion for Judge Stan Strickland to recuse himself.
April 19, 2010: Judge Stan Strickland issues an Order and recuses himself from the case.
I have always wondered if the TES issue was one of the reasons that the defense wanted Strickland off the case. They wanted all the documents and weren't happy at all with Strickland's rulings on the issue.
April 23, 2010: Jose Baez and Cheney Mason appear at Mark NeJame's office to inspect the documents. Here are snips from paragraph 12, p. 9 of the motion.
...The office of the undersigned counsel also learned that when the meeting was scheduled, Mr. Baez had to leave within two hours from the start of the meeting to go to another appointment.
...With the $12 prepaid throw down by Mr. Mason and Mr. Baez' limited schedule, it is patently obvious that there was no real interest or good faith attempt to review any of the document that counsel for Casey Anthony has claimed were important.
...This is entirely consistent with the fact that it took them from August 22, 2009 until April 23, 2010, to finally get around to even coming by to peruse the documents...a full seven (7) months and twenty seven (27) days later.
In addition, during the inspection, the attorneys tagged files of searchers from 300 yards away to 8 miles away, clearly outside of the parameters they were given.
It's patently clear to me that, from the get-go, Baez and whichever attorneys were on the team at the time wanted ALL the documents. Since their original motion specified a specific search area and the defense agreed in August, 2010 to the solution provided by Strickland gave them everything they asked for.
Even now, they want another try at fishing in the TES pool of searchers, without any limitations.
This comes about now, even with Cheney's press conference on June 21, 2010. NeJame includes this portion in the motion:
Uh, yeah, it's been, the public has been made to believe that these people searched the exact area, um, where the body was, or tried to and couldn't. The fact is they didn't try to, and they didn't, they weren't there, and it was impassible at the time. So there's a lot of people who are mistaking things of what happened back in the summer of 2008 and what happened in the Winter of 2008.
If you pry apart the message, Mason said:
The searchers either tried to or were unable to search the area where the body WAS.
It was impassible at the time.
NeJame then went on to use this quote as the basis of his argument for bad faith on the part of the defense.
18. a. The defense took seven (7) months and twenty seven (27) days to review the files located at the undersigned counsel's office.
b. The defense stated in several of their motions that Joe Jordan was part of the search team that searched the exact area where Caylee's remains were found and that his name was not turned over to the defense in October 2009. The defense's position regarding Mr. Jordan formed a substantial part of the basis for their request for the records of the other searchers.
c. Laura Buchanan was named in several of the defense's motions as being another searcher who was in the exact area where Caylee's remains were located... It is not only unrealistic but it is ludicrous to expect TES to keep track of or to even have knowledge of the searches that volunteers conduct on their own and not under TES's guidance or supervision.
d. ... The defense only took two hours to review the same documents compared to the many hours up to several day (sic) to review. Instead of following the order which requires them to request an in camera review by the Court.. the defense filed a motion to Reconsider Certain Prior Rulings by a Disqualified Judge. The defense is clearly operating under bad faith and looking to harass the volunteers.
e. ... Mr. Mason's statement on June 21, 2010 blatantly and clearly contradicts the position they have held for the last 11 months. (bold face mine)
There are NeJame's reason for asserting bad faith. For me, the bad faith seems to come more from the fact that the defense never showed much interest in tagging any additional searchers who could help their case. They flaunted the judge's ruling and turned it into a ridiculous farce.
Nejame winds up his motion by going back to Mason's statement in the presser.
19. ... it is patently obvious and apparent that the defense knows the conditions of the area, and that they are no longer in need of the names of any searchers to verify this information. Furthermore, since the defense has become aware of this information, the original thirty-two (32) volunteer names that were turned over in October 2009 are no longer relevant and any further inquiries of any additional names would be a fishing expedition made in bad faith. (bold mine)
Now, let's get to the defense's Response To Motion To Quash The Court's Order which was published last night. As WFTV has now published links, we learn that it was filed at 4:54 PM yesterday. Here is where we find an awful lot of CARP!
The motion is filled with vituperative language at every turn and has whole sections which do no more than sling mud at Mr. NeJame. There are four "Exhibits" which mostly do more of the same.
The first argument the defense puts forward is prefaced by the following:
1. It is apparent that counsel for TES has chosen to not understand the clear and direct theories of defense with respect to his client's "searching" for the victim. This is really a simple proposition that everyone else seems to grasp.
Baez then explains the defense theory. Here are some snippets of it.
If any evidence exists of persons searching the specific area where the remains of the child were found, and no such remains were then present, but obviously showed up later at the same spot, then significant questions arise as to when and how the remains were placed in that location. It is the Defense position that Casey Anthony was either in custody or under such relentless and continuous public scrutiny that she could not have placed the remains of her child, where discovered, any time after the Texas Equusearch searches. (bold mine)
The final TES efforts at Suburban Drive were in early November. As Tim Miller stated in the video, the exact area where they were found was still not searchable due to the flooding. A quick study of the State's forensic botanist would show them that he estimated the body had been in the same location for a minimum of 3 months based on the plant growth through holes in the bones. In addition, there are other reports that stated that the body had been disarticulated in that location. I won't go into the gory details, but the position of the bones clearly demonstrated that. In addition, bones were located at a pretty good distance away from the bag. There were bones covered by soil that had to have been there when there was rain to wash the soil onto them.
Of course, somebody could have placed the body there. However, the fact is that from the time hurricane Faye hit until shortly before the body was discovered, the site was under water. In addition, Baez later differs from Todd Macaluso who claimed that would prove Casey's innocence, he did admit it did not rule out Casey as the killer. In that case, he would really know some truth of the matter from his client. Even he and his investigators have yet to find "Zanny" and LE hasn't found her either!
In his second argument, he pushes to justify having all the records by stating that some Equusearch searchers did search other places on their own. He wants the ability to contact them and ask.
By paragraph 3, he starts to throw accusations at TES and Mark NeJame:
Texas Equusearch has professed to have a desire of trying to help, and trying to seek the truth. Yet, when it comes down to inquiries about what evidence there may be regarding the search, they have taken a consistent position of obstruction. It may well be that it is more the influence of Texas Equusearch counsel for his own privateand personal reasons, more so than the organization itself. (bold mine)
In paragraph 4, Baez states that
4. Counsel for TES...apparently acknowledges that it is the position of his client that their records do not indicate any searchers in the immediate area where the remains where found. If that is the case, then it is patently absurd for them to take an obstructionist position of trying to suggest or, for that matter, for the prosecution to suggest, that the remains were there the whole time and just simply not discovered.
Again, Baez needs to read the scientific reports, or check with his own experts on this. It seems to me that before he continues this endless battle, he needs to consider what they all have to say about how long the remains were in that location.
Paragraph 5 brings up a problem. Baez states that the defense theory was based on information received from Buchanan and Jordan. Yet, months before this, Macaluso used the same theory in open court! He then states that the defense had discovered two witnesses who said the area was not under water. That would again be Jordan and Buchanan. As I've said countless times, Jordan no longer agrees with that. Haven't they read his interviews? That leaves one deposition-shy witness!
By paragraph 6, he is discussing topography and the fact some areas were under water and some were not. Also,
Moreover, at the time of the TES searching, much of the area was so overgrown that it could not be seen from the road right away and, thus, a person walking along there could not even tell whether the critical area was actually underwater or not.
I would assume that Tim Miller and his crew as well as any others who might be searching the area would go off the "road right away" to check the area!
In paragraph 7, Baez tries to get around Cheney Mason's strange interview after the hearing. VIEW Baez states that in the depositions of State witnesses who searched the area had not been to the exact spot and that is was
... because the overgrown conditions made it basically impossible.
I read some of the interviews with some searchers. I'm not sure if they are the same ones the defense deposed, but I recall them talking about not searching there because of the water. I have to wonder if the defense has more information that they only searched along the "right away"!
Next up, Baez turns to the "right to privacy" issue. It's pretty much the same as he has said before, and I haven't heard any judge rule that it was a problem with that. He also indicates again that NeJame allowed Brad Conway to look at the documents. Again, I don't recall Strickland having a problem with that. Baez says something here that varies from what Mark NeJame has stated more than once:
That is that he allowed an attorney, not related to the Defense of Casey Anthony, to view al14,OOO pages of documents, making whatever notes and conclusions he wanted to do, and then allowing the State to do the same thing. (Bold mine)
Baez then refers the judge to Exhibit A, an affidavit from Cheney Mason. He gives his version of events during their review of the documents in April and insists he was quite polite!
There follows a discussion of the boxes they were unable to view and then goes on another rant about Brad Conway being able to review the documents. We all watched the hearings, we know what NeJame told both judges about that review. Yet, Baez has to toss in some inaccuracies yet again!
There were no issues of privacy raised then; no indications that that lawyer was restricted from having copies or making notes; no indications that that lawyer had to pay cash in advance to look at the files. Where is the "bad faith" now?
From this point on, the motion goes into a major slam-job on Mark NeJame and is full of accusations which have absolutely no relation to the issues discussed in the motion. There are additional exhibits to back up the claims.
Entitled: Does TES counsel. NeJame, have an ulterior motive behind his efforts to thwart the Defense?
I won't even dignify this part by a major discussion. This is truly the CARP part of the motion.
Paragraph 12 accuses NeJame
-of soliciting George and Cindy as clients. -doing a media blitz (just to say, he did that to improve their image) -did not file any motion to protect them from the protestors -represented them on TV (hello, Brad Conway doesn't do that?) -made media comments in front of the Anthony house -tried to undermine his (Baez') representation of Casey and take the case over -asked to join the defense team (Baez turned him down due to lack of experience)
Baez utilizes Exhibit C to demonstrate this. You have to read this stuff to believe it! It's a copy of e-mails sent to Beth Karas prior to the July 15 hearing! Talking about leaks! The bulk of the information is an letter sent to NeJame and a reply.
The fact is, with all this CARP, one has to rely a great deal on credibility. Who do we believe, Mark NeJame or Cindy Anthony? Mark NeJame or Jose Baez. You pick.
The next CARP is the issue of conflict of interest. In this, Baez refers to Exhibit B. It's an unsigned letter from George and Cindy Anthony dated February 12, 2010 to NeJame, rescinding their waver. Again, ask the credibility question! Gee, can I rescind my waiver I signed with the insurance company and ask for more money?
The end of that particular paragraph ends with
This can under no circumstances be considered a knowing and voluntary waiver. Furthermore, after George and Cindy Anthony withdrew their waiver. Mr. Nejame falsely claimed thatthe waiver is "valid and cannot be recanted." This court cannot allow Mr. Nejame tocontinue in this matter given the obvious conflict of interest. Furthermore, it is the defenses position that Mr. Nejame is using this case to further promote his owninterests.
Pot, call the kettle!
The last accusation is that, oh my goodness, Mr. NeJame consulted with crime writer David Lohr about the possibility of ghost-writing a book! Baez even includes a transcript of a phone interview between NeJame and defense PI Jeremiah Lyons. The most interesting aspect of the interview, Exhibit D, is that Lohr claims NeJame told him Casey was offered a plea-deal for 10 years! There are statements from NeJame in this WFTV article.
Baez ends his motion by playing nicey-nicey with Judge Perry.
15. This Court, after having reviewed the history of this case, with respect to the subject ofTexas Equusearch documents, has crafted a method and announced intentions, by his Order, to allow a proper investigation of the Texas Equusearch documents under the control of a Special Magistrate (Jim Glatt). This process will eliminate all questions regarding the Defense's entitlement to full discovery, eliminate questions of impropriety, eliminate bickering between counsel, and allow this case to proceed on in an orderly fashion, respecting the due process rights of the Defendant, Casey Marie Anthony, as well as her Constitutional entitlements to the effective assistance of counsel and the Supreme Court Mandates, recognizing that "Death is Different". The TES Motion to Quash should be denied, summarily.
The fact is, were the judge grant the motion to quash, the defense would see no more of those documents!
This has been quite a day in court. Tempers flared, complaints were made. It was a showdown. Blogger ate my article!
Towards the end of the hearing, in his rebuttal to Mark NeJames, Baez placed all blame of defending the case on the documents. He wants them, and he wants them all. They are critical to the case. "They" are trying to kill Casey Anthony and "we" are trying to save her life! Judge Strickland pointed out that this hearing is not before a jury, but there are a lot of people on TV watching!
And so we were.
This was a very long hearing and, according to Mark Eiglarsh on InSession, it could have been wrapped up in five minutes.
Apparently, Baez had contacted Joseph Jordan's attorney who said he would bring in his client as a witness. Jordan never appeared.
Jose Baez opened the hearing by stating that he had two arguments for the SubpoenaDucesTecumhe had filed. First, the documents in question were subject to ducestecum. He then asserted that Texas Equusearch was conducting business in Florida and even opened an Orlando chapter, and was clearly an agent of the state. Finally, the documents are in Florida.The defense had discovered 4 additional searchers that had not been provided by TES. They were Laura Buchanan, Joseph Jordan, Danny Iberson, and an unknown K-9 officer from Panama City (referring to Cpl. Edwards interview with Jordan).
Baez went on to say that there were many photographs and videos taken at that site and others which showed searchers. After a very long pause so that everybody could view the pictures, Baez said that there was a great deal of materiality in the pictures and finding the names of the people in them. As an example, he showed Judge Strickland one with Danny Ibison with his dog taken with Detectives Melich and Allen. When asked by the judge how he knew they were all TES people, Baez pointed to the caption in the picture that said so.
For me, the most astounding thing Baez said in the hearing was:
It just takes one person to believe that those, that the remains of Caylee Marie Anthony, were placed there after Casey Anthony was locked up in jail, to reach a reasonable doubt, which of course would, require Ms. Anthony's acquittal.
Alas, if there were true, the defense would have a slam-dunk case!
Baez then got into the meat of his argument.
He brought out TES form #08895 and pointed out that the signature at the bottom was illegible and that the name of the team leader was cut off of the top left-hand side.
There was a cure for that problem, just shoot an e-mail over to NeJame's office and ask for the name!
He also said that he learned Joseph Jordan's name through Laura Buchanan who possessed forms that weren't in the package.
It would seem that Ms. Buchannan must have contacted the defense since they didn't have her name.
Jordan had searched the area along the stockade fence and found a baby blanket and cooler that Ibison was sent to check out. Baez pointed out those items were found in the area near where the remains were found. Unfortunately, the two didn't go into the woods due to water.
Hello! If they didn't go into the wood where Caylee's remains were found due to water, why are we here today?
Baez then dropped his personal "BOMBSHELL". Jordan had sent an e-mail to Allen and Melich just after the remains were found. It said he thought the body could have been placed there after they searched. The State didn't include it in disclosure! They didn't call Jordan in and interview him at the time. Baez started talking Brady (disclosure) violation and Linda DraneBurdick got up to object, since Brady violations are not part of the motion.
Baez then moved on to complain that Tim Miller wasn't on the witness list. Mark NeJames objected that this issue isn't relevant to the motion.
Judge Strickland reminded Baez that they were discussing the motion to modify the TES order.
Jose Baez then offered "several" actions:
1. Compel the State to subpoena the documents 2. Grant his motion
After a bit more irrelevancy concerning Tim Miller being on the witness list, Baez then stated that the court is allowing Mr. NeJames to say what is relevant to the defense. He allowed Brad Conway to view the documents! He allowed the media to view the documents!
Baez then argued that when the original order was made, he NEVER thought he'd find other names. These documents are CRITICAL to the defense. Somehow, this ended up being an issue that Ms. Anthony was unable to face her accusers.
Let me think, not having all 4000 names means they can't call them all and ask if they were at the site, and if they were, to be confronted in a court of law if they didn't find the remains?
Baez then explained that it's possible that people who searched elsewhere may have talked to others who were there at TES meetings, or wherever.
Isn't that heresay?
Again, Why isn't Miller on the witness list? Why are THEY going to Texas to meet with him? Why is he traveling back here to meet with detectives?
I can answer that! You haven't done his deposition yet!
Strickland interjected that the State doesn't ask him who to put on their witness list, that it's who they intend to call.
Baez argued this yet again. I was waiting for him to get back to his own motion!
Strickland reminded Baez that witness lists and discover aren't the same thing.He told Baez to continue.
Baez went back over details, the map with the blanket and cooler. They were in the area, you know. Baez indicated there just may be other "bombshells" out there.
Finally, it was Mark NeJames' turn to speak. He stuck to the topic, thankfully. He pointed out that he had agreed to present Tim Miller for deposition. The defense never bothered to schedule him for a deposition since August 27, 2009. He said he didn't understand how the defense could say he was unavailable.
NeJame then went through the information he listed in his motion. He went through how he allowed Conway to review the information first out of respect for the Anthony family. He wasn't allowed to take pictures or write anything down. He tabbed the items to be released. He offered the same opportunity to Baez, who didn't show up, just sent a copying company to do the job for him against the court ruling. NeJames spoke up for the volunteers who did now want their information made available to subject them to threats, lawyers, bloggers, etc.
NeJame first raised his voice as he said:
And how they can jump to this ridiculous conclusion of these "bombshells" when they haven't even taken a moment, I mean, not even a 5 minute inquiry, to inspect the 4000 documents, if they're all that important, is beyond me.
He also read from the defense motion that the defense had said that the court had placed a "burden" on them to go to NeJames' office to inspect the documents. He ranted on a bit more about this and the "burden" it was for the defense. He compared the 10 minute walk to his office to the time the defense had spent on TV interviews and drives to the TV stations.
Suffice it to say that I have never seen Mr. NeJames so exercised! His voice kept getting louder and louder as he voiced his opinion of the defense team's efforts to identify important, crucial even, material for their cause.
Finally, he shouted: COME BY TO MY OFFICE! AFTER COURT! as he looked towards the defense table. At that point, the judge commented and Mr. NeJames apologized to the court. Baez just smirked.
Nejames then went back to the TES form signed by Joseph Jordan. NeJames pointed out that it was unclear if the copy provided to the court was one copied by his office or by Baez' office.He also pointed out that they could have seen the original at his office if there were a problem. He also noted that the form also included people who searched with Jordan and some had phone numbers. The defense could have contacted them. In essence, there were more than 32 names released to the defense.
He also addressed the issue of Laura Buchanan. She searched Blanchard Park and her document wasn't part of the 32. TES could not know that she was at the other site. Nejames also pointed out that hers was an unsworn statement which he readfor the record.
NeJames cleaned up a few details we've already heard in his motion (including the details of Longo's notice to Baez that he hadn't seen the documents) and sat down after saying that this motion was in very, very bad faith and that the defense's problems with the documents were due to laziness or sloppiness by the defense team.
In his rebuttal to NeJames, Jose Baez stated that the reason that they hadn't done the deposition with Tim Miller was that they didn't have all the information they needed until they had the proper documents on which to base a proper inquiry of him. He went on to complain that finding Mr. Jordan, finding Ms. Buchanan, finding the others, is very important information that is critical to their case. He repeated that the map he showed the judge of the blanket and cooler was taken very near the place where Caylee's body was found. He complained that the documents are in no particular order, one page doesn't relate to another. (Funny how Conway and DraneBurdick could do it.) He was outraged when he insisted that he and his people could not do a proper job if they went in with no pen (holds up a pen), no pad (holds up a pad of paper), and flag them for NeJames.
NeJames objected to this since it was a re-argument of what was heard the first time.
Baez stated that the 32 people whose documents were released were being called and warned that the defense would be calling them.
NeJames objected that this was information not in evidence. Baez countered with... like Mr. Longo's statement?
Baez then went on to claim that NeJames was injecting himself voluntarily into the case and holding news conferences.! Nejames objected that there was no relevancy. Baez sites a press release inviting reporters to his office where he stated there was standing water where the remains were found.
Strickland pointed out that he was commenting on the evidence and NeJames spoke next. He explained his role as attorney to TES and was obviously not pleased with Baez's terms that he "injected" himself into the case. He said Baez' statements were "dismissive" and "incorrect".
Strickland then pointed out that this was not in front of a jury and that he wasn't concerned although there were millions of people watching! Judge Strickland sure knows how to get to the heart of the matter.
Baez got up and started pacing and talking again. Smack down from the judge was that he (and NeJames, probably) were just griping.
As the judge calmed the tension level in the courtroom, Baez stated that the facts were clear. He believed that they are entitled to the information and that there was no privacy issue since Conway had inspected all the documents as well as the State. He pointed to information he was getting a year late (Joe Jordan's e-mail). He asked why anyone would have a problem with his uncovering "the truth"! Add on lack of cooperation! Everyone is out to get the defense (in my own words).
I must say, this is good defense attorney rhetoric here...
Here is my favorite line from Mr. Baez He states that...
...they're trying to kill Ms. Anthony, and we're trying to save her life here, and we can't do it if, if we're handcuffed at every twist and turn we take!
Baez suggested that the defense get all the documents UNDER SEAL. He could copy all the documents and get any clarification of documents by going to NeJames' office. Baez stated that the defense hadn't leaked any sensitive information in the case. (As in the photos of the remains). The defense has a good track record on this.
NeJames quickly replied that the judge had already done the balancing act on the issue and that they had not seen any new case law cited in the motion. He indicated that the release of information does and could cause harassment of people who were nowhere near where Caylee was. He essentially said the judge had already ruled on the system that would work the best. The door had been open for many months and was still open. He also added that he wouldn't want the state to pay the financial portion of his motion.
With this information, the discussion of the motion ended.
There was other discussion involving a motion Jose Baez had filed to unseal the Joseph Jordan audio tape which was acquired illegally. The judge had not read it yet, although there was some discussion about it.
Linda DraneBurdick indicated that if the judge ordered it unsealed, it would force the States' Attorneys to commit a 3rd degree felony.
Cheney Mason mentioned something about a decision that it would not be so. DraneBurdick responded that if there was such a ruling, she would like to see it. Nothing was decided about the issue in court today, I'll spare you the details until we see the motion and hear the arguments.
JUDGE RULES ON MOTION
Late this afternoon, Judge Stan Strickland denied the defense motion. In his decision, he stated that:
Having now reviewed all of the exhibits submitted, this Court sees no reason to modify its original Order of August 27th, 2009. the files are still available for review at the office of Mr. NeJames, and, if flagged for review and no agreement can be reached, this Court remains able to schedule an in camera review followed by a ruling.
Mark Monday, April 5, on your calendar. Judge Stan Strickland has set that date to deal with the defense motion to get all the TES records.
In the past, I have reviewed all the motions dealing with the issue. Most pertinent is the article I wrote on March 15. It's a good place to do one's homework before viewing the hearing.
The first searcher Baez claims to have "found" is Joseph Jordan. The other searcher is Laura Buchanan, who claims to have searched the area on September 3, 2008.
With the recent document dump, we have learned a great deal about the Joseph Jordan situation. In his first interview, Jordan stated that he had never searched with Laura Buchanan, even though Mort Smith, the defense PI had presented supposed TES paperwork stating so. Mr. Joseph decided to record the interview because something wasn't right to him about it. He then called the States' Attorney office and reported his actions. The recording was subsequently placed under seal by the court. None of those involved pressed charges against Jordan.
Jordan also indicated that Ms. Buchanan had called him and identified herself as LE from Kentucky and had searched with him. She encouraged him to call Jose Baez. He asked her not to call him again. Apparently, it was Buchanan who provided his contact information to the defense.
In NeJame'sreply, the most important part concerning the issue is that
10. That a meeting was scheduled with a representative from Mr. Baez' office approximately 6 months ago to review and inspect all the 4,000 searcher records. This meeting was cancelled by counsel for Casey Anthony and no attempts were ever made by the defense to reschedule, although the documents have remained available throughout....
Here, NeJame goes into more detail about Baez' cancellation of the meeting to review the TES documents. Baez had hired a company called The Presentation Group to photocopy all the documents. That option was absolutely not in Judge Strickland's order!
NeJame also indicated that Joseph Jordan's name most certainly was on the list of 32 searchers.
Again, I highly recommend reading his well-written motion to appreciate what we may hear on Monday! The hearing is scheduled for 10 AM.
As I look at the motions filed by the defense last week, I am sent on a trip into the past. I find myself looking at old motions and old interviews. I find it fascinating to look at where the current motions are coming from. By doing a little research, the maze that forms the defense seems to come into focus.
On September 10, Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick filed a Motion to Compel Reciprocal Discovery. This motion was in response to a speech made by Casey Anthony's attorney Todd Macaluso as he began to argue for his motion to have Tim Miller certified as a material witness in the case in order to peruse the TES records of the searches around Hidden Oaks Elementary School.
Macaluso stated:
As Your Honor knows, the body of Caylee Marie Anthony was found very close to the Anthony home, and the body was found in a wooded area that if one were to search for a missing child, this is the first place you would go search. There is substantial evidence that we’ve discovered, and that’s been set forth in our brief, Your Honor, that the body or the remains of Caylee Anthony were placed there after Casey Anthony was locked up in the Orange County Correctional Facility. There is substantial evidence, and that proves, Your Honor, her innocence. That’s exculpatory evidence, it proves that somebody else placed the remains in the area where it was ultimately found.
On September 17, Jose Baez fired back a response to the motion stating that:
5. The defense is not in violation of their obligation under the reciprocal discovery rule by stating in court that Caylee Anthony's remains were deposited after Miss Anthony was incarcerated because the defense logically interpreted the State's own materials disseminated in their voluminous discovery to support Mr. Macaluso (sic) contention. In addition, much of what has been learned regarding the timing of the depositing of Caylee Anthony's remains has come from depositions taken to date.
In short, the defense claims that it has a different interpretation of material submitted by the State. It does not have any independent information to offer in discovery. When the defense filed the motion for Tim Miller, it included a number of appendices to support it. It is to these appendices that Macaluso referred when he stated that "there was substantial evidence" that was "set forth in our brief."
I went back to the brief and it's appendices and read what it contained concerning LE interviews and other discovery. Then, I went back to the original interviews and reports to see what the defense was not referring to. I came up with the following:
According to the defense, Wray spoke with Sergeant John Allen and Special Agent Scott Bolin sometime in October, 2008. From reading the entire transcript, I tend to believe that the interview took place on Suburban Drive sometime after the remains were found since her visits to that area seemed to be the focus of the questioning.
The closest I can come to gleaning that she knew the condition of the remains site comes where she states on p. 33 of the interview (discovery page 6404) that she had been all the TES searches and took pictures, which is against TES rules and that she and her husband had visited the same site other times:
SB: Let's start with number, the time number three. Was it, was the water getting deeper or less, or do you recall when that was?JW: Uhm, I think it was getting, it was getting deeper. Because the most rain we has was in October.
If she is to be believed, the site wasn't dry in October, the month when Casey was arrested for the last time. Wray also indicated there was a lot of rain in October. To me this content, if it is to be believed, would put lie to the area being dry then!
What the defense may be looking for in the TES records is information that Ms. Wray was indeed a team leader with TES and officially searched the area where the remains were found. I can't see anything she said to support that the body was not there.
The defense included one page of Deputy Cain's December 18 interview with Yuri Melich and John Allen. Cain was the officer who responded to Roy Kronk's call on August 13, 2008. The key quote from the page included in the motion was:
RC: Uhm, I went into the woods, kind of stepping on the, where I could step without falling into the water. It was kind of, I believe there was a, another couple bags around it. And I reached down, lifted the bag up. It was pretty heavy. But when I lifted it up it tore, you know the bottom. All leaves fell out, some sticks...Uhm, and I took my baton out and kind of poked around. I didn't see anything. And went back out to Suburban.
That would indicate that the area was still wet and he didn't find a body. Unfortunately for the defense, a complaint was lodged against Deputy Cain and there was an investigation.
The results of the investigation were included in a letter dated March 30, 2009. (pp. 5273-4)
The letter was adressed to Cain from Captain Larry D. Krantz, Office of the Undersheriff, Professional Standards Section.
On August 13, 2008, you were the primary deputy sheriff dispatched to investigate suspicious items in a wooded area described as a bag possibly containing bones. You were directed to an area by Mr. Kronk, but you failed to locate any items described by Mr. Kronk. You allowed Mr. Kronk to depart the scene without seeking any assistance from Mr. Kronk to locate the suspicious items. You failed to thoroughly investigate the call for service which ultimately delayed the discovery of the remains of Ms. Caylee Anthony...
On December 18, 2008 during a sworn interview regarding questions involving your employment with the Orange County Sheriff's Office you were untruthful when you said, after Mr. Kronk pointed out a suspicious bag in a wooded area, you picked it up and the bottom fell out. You later acknowledged you did not pick up a bag during your contact with Mr. Kronk.
I find the defense extremely disingenuous here. First of all, Cain's interview stated that he had to be careful not to step in the water. Then, they used Deputy Cain's interview of December 18 to buttress their argument that Cain had located a bag that did not contain the remains. Unfortunately, Cain lied and eventually was forced to resign. Some proof!
Keith Williams was the young man who, based on a psychic's report went to what we now know was the remains site and found a bag of stuffed animals and clothes approximately 30 yards from where the remains were found. He stated that the items in the bag were in good condition and seemed suspicious to him considering that a little girl was missing.
The deputy who came out to assist was Richard Cain. According to his interview, the part posted with the motion, he deputy (then unnamed) was very dismissive of his find. It should be noted that Williams took that bag from the site and brought it to the Anthony home. The Anthony's rejected the bag and Williams went back to the site and called LE. When Deputy Cain came out, Williams took the bag from the trunk of his car, not from the actual site where he found it.
In the full interview, Williams gives more specific information:
KW Yeah, I pulled it out of the trunk and I handed it to him and said, "Look, this. I found this right over here and there's other stuff over her, if, you know, I, I think you should look" and I also explained the whole psychic and the whole story.MR Okay. What did he do with the bag?KW He, uh, he held it, he told me the bag looked, looked too deteriorated for it to have been it and, uh, right when we process of, you know, right when this everything, right when our conversation ended, he, uh, he tossed it back in, in the woods. pp. 5463-5464
As far as I can tell, there is no proof that the body wasn't there.
Still looking for the information that Mr. Macaluso and the rest of the defense team found so compelling that the court should immediately declare Casey Anthony innocent, I turned to the next interview snippet I found in the appendices. I found a blog entry by Criminal Report Daily blogger David Lohr from Discovery ID. The only pertinent thing I found was that he had been with the TES search team behind Hidden Oaks Elementary School where the organization had conducted a sweep of the area.
This brings me to the topic that has intrigued me since the remains were found. The remains were located just behind the last two houses on Hopespring Drive. Across the street are more woods and a cyclone fence. Further down the road is the school. When the press and searchers describe the area behind the school, I tend to think of the area at the far end of Suburban Drive. The last interview cited in the motion was that of Kiomarie Cruz, who is hailed as having figured out where the body was dumped first.
In the appendix to the motion, there is a section where Kiomarie describes the location where they used to hang out as:
Um, well first of all there's tons and tons of shading. Not a lot of people know about this spot unless you're a teenager or a kid...And most of the kids don't come down here now because I guess they have the fences and I didn't know about that...
The area she is describing has fences. The site where Caylee was found doesn't have fences. As we all saw from photographs of the site where Caylee was found is certainly not conducive to socializing and hanging out. So, I went back to Kiomarie's interview from August 18, 2008 and found a complete description of the place they hung out:
...Um, then Jessica showed us this hiding spot behind Hidden Oaks Elementary School. And back in the day there was no fences put up here, there was just ah, like a dirt hill and you can go back there with your bicycles and there's two different spots back there where we used to hang out at...
Here is a Google Earth map of the area. The remains were found in the lower left-hand corner. The area described by Kiomarie is obviously at the end of Suburban where there is a dirt road and trails. The area is fenced and there is a gate across the end of the road, as in Kiomarie's description of the area. I don't know how information about behind the school relates to whether or not Cayee's remains were just off Hopespring Drive.
Finally, the defense documents cited Dominic Casey and his own search of the area in November. At this point, Mr. Casey is a total mystery. We know he poked around the area and there are various opinions as to how near or far he was to the actual site. The State will depose Mr. Casey in November and perhaps we will get a clear story from him then!
WESH is reporting that Judge Strickland denied the defense motion to keep Leonard Padilla and his people from testifying at trial or giving depositions.
In his ruling, Judge Strickland indicated that the language in the agreement was vague as to the nature of "privacy" and indicated that the parties to the agreement seemed to be in agreement as to what it meant.
Strickland cited the definition of privacy as:
...the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person's private life... Article 1, Section 23 (Fla. Const.)
He also indicated that the services rendered by Padilla & Co.
...would appear to encompass only general responsibilities normally associated with security, ie.e., preventing unwanted intrusions, and providing protection from threats of physical violence as detailed by George Anthony.
The section of the decision which clinched it was the fact that
... the agreement states, inter alia...
This agreement does not create a relationship in so far as that (sic) the parties fo the second part are in no way hired by or represent the firm or the defendant. (Privacy Agreement, August 19th, 2008, p. 2)
The language referenced above would seemingly negate any agency agreement under 90.502, Fla Stat.
It would seem that Jose Baez was defeated by his own language and his own witness.
Judge Stan Strickland has ruled on the first of three motions that remained unresolved at the end of Friday's hearing.
In the hearing, Tim Miller's attorney, Mark NeJame had indicated that Tim Miller was willing to offer to have Miller turn over information pertaining to 32 searchers who had searched within 200 yards of the actual crime scene and come to Florida to give a deposition in the case.
Theses offers have been encompassed in the ruling.
In addition, the defense will have the opportunity to examine the documents pertaining to the other searchers in NeJame's office. The court will also appoint a monitor, at the defense's expense. NeJame will also have the right to monitor the review.
If the defense is able to identify any other searchers who were
"in the immediate proximity of where the remains of Caylee Marie Anthony were found, said searchers may be presented to the Court for an in camera review and inspection so that a decision can be made by the Court to determine materiality, relevance, and possible disclosure."
The defense will not be permitted to take notes or photograph the information. The judge will have to approve any disclosure or release made about any of this information.
Casey Anthony is responsible for all expenses, which must be paid in advance.
While this is a "victory" for the defense, it is also a victory for TES. The judge, in his ruling, agreed with NeJame and what we see is what NeJame asked for.
What is best here is that Judge Strickland limited any additional searchers to the immediate proximity of the crime scene, although he does not give an actual distance.
Watch T&T for updates on the other motions still being considered by Judge Strickland.
While I'm here, let me tell you about one of my favorite blogs about the case. Check out Marinaide Dave's Mindblogging. He has a wonderful take on the case!
I made a promise to do my homework and post information about the motions to be heard at the hearing Friday, August 21, 2009 in Judge Stan Strickland's courtroom at 9:30 AM. It's so much more interesting to know what will be discussed in the courtroom and makes it easier to follow the arguments.
I started with Tim Miller and the motions for Texas Equusearch and was taken all the way back to January and the original Subpoena Duces Tecum which was filed January 7, 2009. The one-page motion asked for:
a. Any and all records relating to searches for Caylee Marie Anthony in Central Florida.
b. Any and all records of volunteers who assisted Texas Equusearch during their search for Caylee Marie Anthony.
c. Any and all photographs and video recordings of said searches.
d. Any and all communications between Texas Equusearch and the various law enforcement agencies involved in the search for Caylee Marie Anthony.
e. Any and all maps denoting the specific areas that were searched by Texas Equusearch.
At the hearing on January 8, Judge Stan Strickland noted that there was nobody from EquiSearch in attendance at the hearing. State's Attorney Linda Drane-Burdick pointed out that the court had no jurisdiction in Texas. She didn't know if EquuSearch would be willing to turn those records over to Baez.
Jose Baez explained that TES worked with the Sheriff's Office in the searches. The judge stated that TES might just give the information to them if they requested it. He told Baez he was free to subpoena them, but that they are located in Texas. The judge no ruling on the motion and would take it up again at the January 30 hearing.
...The Amended Application for Subpoena Duces Tecum is critically flawed in that it has failed to state or make a requisite showing that TES is a material witness in the case... (3)
A Subpoena Duces Tecum of the items requested by the Defendant, through her counsel, would be immaterial and irrelevant. None of thousands of searchers, who volunteered with TES, were ever at the exact spot where Caylee Anthony's remains were found. (5)
"... All that is required is that the subpoenaed materials be relevant to the investigation being conducted and that the subpoena not be overly broad or burdensome. A proper subpoena is one that is properly limited in scope, relevant in purpose, and specific in directive so that compliance will not be unduly burdensome. (6)
TES is a non-profit organization... It does not have the time, money or resources to pay for and provide the Defendant with all of the items requested. (8)
If this Honorable Court is inclined to grant this deficient application, TES respectfully requests that Defendant provide TES with adequate and sufficient advanced funds... and that the funds have come from a permissable source. (9)
The following day, Judge Strickland ordered the following ruling:
The Court does not have jurisdiction to order a subpoena duces tecum as requested. The defense must avail itself of the Uniform Law to Secure the Attendance of Witnesses from Within or Without a State in Criminal Proceedings to accomplish this task. This would require the defense to show that the witness is material, and that has not been done in the instant pleading...
Strickland also declared that the defense had shown insufficient evidence that TES was an agent of the State.
Nearly seven months later, we are preparing for yet another discussion of TES and the information they may possess in regards to the search for Caylee Anthony. Casey has obtained a top-notch death penalty lawyer, Andrea Lyon and the motions filed for this hearing are replete with citations of applicable law and all the "bells and whistles" that were sadly lacking from Jose Baez's motions.
The new motion for a Subpoena Duces Tecum has an impossibly long name and is four pages long. It is accompanied by a Memorandum of Law to back up the assertion that Tim Miller is indeed a material witness in the case. There are twelve appendices which provide additional information. It varies from excerpts of Joy Wray's interview with the police to duty rosters of the officers who assisted in the search. This is the way the motion should have been presented in January!
Instead of being the fishing expedition, the defense has limited the information requested to the area around Suburban Drive and Hidden Oaks Elementary School.
What strikes me most of all is that the defense has finally put out exactly why this information is so important.
9. The above-mentioned documents and information are material to Ms. Casey's (sic) capital murder charge because they directly pertain to the timing and manner of the arrival of the remains of Caylee Marie Anthony at the site where they were discovered.
What remains to be seen in Friday's hearing is whether or not Tim Miller will be certified as a material witness in the case, whether he was acting as an agent of the State, and whether he will have to provide all the information the defense wants. I look forward to seeing Mr. NeJame go to battle with Baez and Lyon.
I'm working on part 2: Leonard Padilla and his crew...
New motions were filed last week by Casey Anthony's defense attorneys, Jose Baez and Andrea Lyon.
The first motion that caught my eye was the one which asks for Tim Miller, head of Texas Equusearch, to be certified as a material witness. In the motion, Jose Baez and Andrea Lyon requested documents:
1) Any and all records in its possession relating to its searches of the area in and around Suburban Drive and Hidden Oaks Elementary School, Orlando, Florida; 2) Any and all video or photographic records of its searches of the above area; 3) Any and all maps, charts, diagrams, drawings, and other pictorial representations relating to its search activities in and around the above area; 4) Any and all records of communications between Texas EquuSearch, its employees, members, and volunteers, and law enforcement made during the period of its search operations in Orlando, Florida; and 5) Any and all names, phone numbers, and other contact information of any employees, members, or volunteers with Texas Equusearch who may have searched the area in and around Suburban Drive and Hidden Oaks Elementary School, Orlando, Florida:(pp. 3-4)
The motion further stated the reason for needing this information:
9. The above mentioned documents and information are material to Ms. Casey's capital murder charge because they directly pertain to the timing and manner of the arrival of the remains of Caylee Marie Anthony at the site where they were discovered. (p. 2)
Along with the motion, a Memorandum of Law, a 17 page document in support of the motion, was filed along with appendices of supporting information which is 39 pages long.
At the same time, Baez and Lyon furnished a completed form for Judge Strickland to sign certifying Tim Miller as a material witness.
It is quite obvious that having a new attorney in the lead has brought about well-prepared motion concerning Tim Miller and TexasEquusearch. The first motion filed in January was extremely vague, the second motion, also filed in January, was slightly less vague by limiting the search area to "central Orlando." In a January 30, 2009 ruling, Judge Strickland denied the motion as written. Now, nearly six months later, we have a proper motion.
It remains to be seen, of course, if the motion will be granted. Now that the defense has jumped through the first hoop by requesting Miller be certified as a material witness in the case, the defense will still have to prove that TES was working as an agent of the state. Baez and Lyon provided their "proof" of this in the appendices, by showing that there were police officers scheduled to assist in the search and a $5000 donation to TES by the OCSO.
At the heart of this motion is the defense's search for reasonable doubt. They are desperately trying to prove that Caylee's remains had not been at the Suburban location when TES searched the area.
On December 11, Tim Miller had the following dialogue with Nancy Grace.
TIM MILLER, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH: Nancy, if you recall -- and I got a lot of criticism for calling the search off the first time, but we actually lost a four-wheeler back in this same exact area that one of the volunteers was on the four-wheeler and water went totally over it. And the next day is when I called the search off, and it`s the best choice I ever made because if you recall back then, I said, You know what? If this little girl is under the water and a horse steps on her or a four-wheeler goes over or even a person steps on her just thinking it`s some type of debris underneath the water, then we`ve jeopardized any future search efforts.
And then when we came back the second time, this water where she was found -- and I actually went right back to the scene with investigators a couple of hours ago. But this water was still high when we came back the second time. And a neighbor actually said it was about a week-and-a-half ago or two weeks at the most when the water receded enough that you could see anything there.
So this is an area that we tried to search. Weather conditions just would not allow it. And I will never, ever regret calling the search off at that time because we could have done far more damage than good if we had...
GRACE: Tim, I remember that very night -- I remember talking to you about that night on the show, asking you why you pulled out. And you made it very clear that you were so afraid that in all the water -- it was feet deep -- that you were afraid if Caylee`s remains were there, they would be ruined or scattered and would never be found. And boy, were you right, Tim Miller. You never made a better call in your life.
It would seem that TES never searched the specific area where the remains were found. Based on the information supplied in Appendix B of the documents provided to the court, Baez is relying on an interview between LE and Joy Wray in October, 2008. It's and interesting and confusing read, but one worthy of your attention. Joy Wray Interview
In one part of the interview, which appears to have taken place on Suburban Drive, Wray states that when she was there, there was water (pages 29 to 30). I find it interesting that Baez and Lyon didn't bother to supply those two pages.
After reading Ms. Wray's interview, I can't imagine her being a reliable witness for the defense. Read the interview to see if you agree with me.
The defense will also have to have their scientific experts who have placed Caylee's body at that location for many months. Then, that's another story.
Will the defense be able to raise reasonable doubt that Caylee's body was in it's final location? It will be interesting to see where the latest motion takes them in their quest!
I watched the coverage of the Texas Equusearch search for the remains of Caylee Anthony this weekend. It was heartening to see so many people engaged in the search through some miserable terrain. I was so saddened by the lack of results. This little girl needs to be brought home for a proper burial and unfortunately, that is not likely to happen any time soon.
"We can bring in the entire military and there's still a small chance that she would ever be found," EquuSearch founder Tim Miller said.
I also followed the controversial search Monday by Leonard Padilla in the Econ River in Blanchard Park.That search also yielded no results. However, it did manage to host yet another confrontation between the Anthony's and Leonard Padilla. You can watch the raw video here.
Watching that video made me decide, for once and for all, that I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
I've had enough of the Anthony family dysfunction. Let them rant and rave, steal posters, accost people whenever they want. Let Cindy go on talking about the "live search" and the victimization of her precious daughter, Casey.
I've had enough of Casey's attorney Jose Baez, who seems to relish the limelight a bit too much for someone who is defending a first degree murder case.
I've had enough of trying to figure out how many phantom Zenaidas can dance on the head of a pin!
I am waiting for more documents to be released so I can read for myself.
I am waiting for pretrial motions to be made.
I am waiting for a fair jury to be impaneled.
I am waiting for the trial to take place.
I am waiting for full testimony about the forensics in the case.
I am waiting for witnesses to tell the truth on the stand.
I am waiting for the defense to make their case.
I am waiting for a fair verdict from an impartial jury.
T&T is always happy to make a correction, if warranted, upon request. Correction requests or demands received from a lawyer will be referred to our counsel and will, unavoidably, slow down the correction review process. We consider corrections to be a matter of journalistic integrity and not legal compulsion.
I've managed to move on and now I am seeing the aftermath of Casey's not guilty verdicts. As is my personal preference, I am limiting coverage to the various lawsuits and financial issues that she will be facing for the near future.
Posts
