The Case Against Casey Anthony, Waiting for ID of Caylee Marie

Since a meter reader discovered the remains of a small child a short distance from the Anthony home, those who have followed the case have been in a waiting mode. It is an excruciating time. It is Caylee, but until a definitive DNA match is made, no official word will be released.

The Orlando County Sheriff's Department and the FBI have been processing the scene for five days now and there is yet no end in sight. There have been reports that the body was wrapped in a plastic bag and some type of linens which directed the OCSD to get a search warrant for the Anthony House.

THE DEFENSE

The defense team is apparently sticking to the "Zanny did it" theory. Baez representative Todd Black released a statement on Saturday stating that (Casey) Anthony stands by her claim that she dropped off her 2-year-old daughter with a sitter in June and never saw her again. That won't change if it turns out the skull and bones belong to Caylee. "Casey Anthony handed her daughter off to a woman in a park who was with another woman in a car." "Her position and the position of the law firm has been that she handed her child off. ... It would be difficult for a prosecution to absolutely tell a jury that Ms. Anthony is the one who injured the child."

How long this story will be in play would seem to depend on the forensic testing of the evidence found at the scene. George, Lee, and Cindy have already given exclusionary fingerprints and Casey's are on file from her arrests. Aside from the positive identification of the body, the fingerprint results from the black plastic bag and the duct tape found around the head will help to prove or disprove the theory.

Meanwhile, the defense experts are chomping at the bit to get their hands on the crime scene evidence and the child's remains. Judge Stan Strickland ruled at Friday's emergency hearing that it is up to LE to determine when they can take over the crime scene. The OCSD stated at the hearing that they could have it when they and the FBI were finished. As more and more pieces of evidence are found, the further LE has to dig into the soil to find the tiniest of bones, the slightest bit of evidence. The judge also ruled they could not attend the autopsy as the remains had not been officially identified by the FBI lab at Quantico, VA.

After Friday's hearing, we were treated to some pretty annoyed experts. Werner Spitz stated on Geraldo At Large Friday night that, "I have never encountered a situation where I was excluded by another forensic pathologist from doing an autopsy. I wouldn't be doing anything. I would be standing there watching. But I would be watching science and science can not be changed. Why can not I be allowed the same privilege as the state or county medical examiner? I think that's horrendous. I think that has never happened. It should not happen!"

(Thank you, Kitty Malone for the transcription.)

Dr. Henry Lee stated on Nancy Grace that Science is science. It should speak for itself, and it shouldn`t be manipulated. And if it can, then it`s not science. We have qualified people, the best in the business, reviewing this evidence so we will be able to actually verify it independently. And that`s all we`re asking for, nothing more. And we`re not even asking to hide it. We`re allowing them to observe whatever it is we do.

Defense entomologist, Timothy Huntington said the study of insects could determine the time of death, but he said "insect" evidence changes over time and insects could be compromising evidence right now. "The sooner I could get access to that, the better it is and the more accurate it will be,"

At today's hearing, the defense again brought up the need to see photographs of the crime scene now, rather than later. As the Orange County attorney pointed out, the photographers are still working the scene of the crime and are on their hands and knees in the dirt, documenting everything. She does not want to pull them from the active crime scene at this point. Judge Strickland agreed and told the defense they would have to wait to get the photos through the normal discovery proceedings. (See my notes about the hearing in the previous entry.)

At the outset of the hearing, the judge stated that the issue of a second autopsy was moot.

To sum it up, even though this is an unusual case where the defendant has been under indictment for murder before the discovery of the remains, the traditional rules apply. The defense will not be given a jump-start on the evidence. They will have to follow the rules of discovery as in any other case. They will not be allowed to examine the remains until they have been positively identified and turned over to the family.

George and Cindy Anthony

When the remains were discovered, George and Cindy Anthony were in California, having appeared the previous night on The Larry King Show. It's pure karma that Cindy Anthony stated on the program that there was no way that her daughter harmed Caylee. Throughout the program she sited various sightings of the child. She was in the mall in Orlando, she was in California, she had just been sighted in a a grocery store in Tennessee.

When the Anthonys returned from California, they were whisked away to a local hotel. They couldn't go home, it had become a crime scene. The house was thoroughly searched and van loads of evidence was removed from the house. VIDEO

While still in flight, it was announced that George and Cindy had retained a new defense attorney, Bradley Conway. With the departure of Michelle Bart, their second spokesperson, Conway has now also become the family spokesman. Since his appointment, the Anthonys have not made any public comment, except through him.

In a press conference, Conway read a statement from them.

"The last six months have been the hardest six months of our lives and we understand that the ongoing investigation and prosecution of our daughter, Casey, will consume our lives with conflict," Conway read from the statement. "Based on recent developments we are realistic but continue to hope and pray that these remains are not those of our precious granddaughter Caylee Marie."

Conway also broached the subject of possible obstruction charges against the couple.

Conway said he plans to meet with the lead prosecutor and detectives later this week to ask for full immunity for the Anthonys.

Conway admits the Anthonys have made conflicting statements in the past. They will be re-interviewed by investigators. He said, for the next interview they give to authorities, there will not be any conflicting statements.

That is a relief for those of us who have realized all along that what the Anthonys say on TV and to the investigators don't jibe. I'm sure there are many of us who will be anxiously awaiting for these new and improved interviews to become public record.


WFTV
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Larry King Live

The Case Against Casey Anthony, An Editorial by ritanita

Update!

Beth Karas has informed T&T that there was a communication error at In Sessions. Lee Anthony was not present at the hearing on December 11th. Thank you Beth. Sprocket
Please, A Little Respect for the Dead

I think that many readers here have been in a situation where a relative has died. There is a respectful funeral and polite reception. Then, the grieving relatives hurry over to the house of the deceased and, like a pack of vultures, pick the place clean of items of "sentimental" value.

That's how I feel about this time in the Casey Anthony case. It's a terrible time. The remains of a small child have been found a mere forty second drive from the Anthony residence on Hope Springs Drive. Those of us who have followed the case and have become emotionally involved in sweet Caylee's disappearance are waiting for a positive identification of the remains. We feel such mixed emotions about the discovery. We hope it is not Caylee and that somehow she is alive and well. We know realistically that it probably is Caylee. We hope that is her so that she will finally have a proper burial. We want to see the prosecution up the ante in their case against her mother.

This has been such a bizarre case and the press has been all over it from the beginning. Casey's parents, George and Cindy, have done their best to support their daughter by splashing themselves all over the news proclaiming Caylee to be alive and that their "investigators" are busy all over the country hunting down supposed "Caylee sightings."

George and Cindy Anthony have up until today taken their new attorney's advice and avoided the media. However, they and Kid Finders have announced a press conference for tonight at 7:30 PM.

The media, on the other hand, has descended on the house and reporters wait in front to interview whoever approaches. They are camped at the crime scene around the corner watching as the OCSD and FBI painstakingly sift through the entire scene for the tiniest bone, the smallest clue.

On one hand, I wish the press would decamp and let law enforcement do it's job in peace. On the other, it is comforting to me to know what is happening.

What bothers me the most right now is the new defense "Dream Team" and their current shenanigans. In the emergency court hearing on Friday, Judge Stan Strickland supported the prosecution's arguments that new Team Casey forensic pathologist, Dr. Werner Spitz not be allowed to attend the autopsy since the remains have not been positively identified. In an interview, Dr. Spitz proclaimed that this is the first time he has not been allowed to observe an autopsy. Sorry, Dr. Spitz, the judge was only following the law.

Last night, the entire team showed up at the crime scene and stood around for a few hours doing interviews and whining about not being allowed inside the tape to observe the processing of the site. Again, this team wants to get to the evidence before it is completely processed to insure that it is done correctly. They obviously think that the OCSD and the FBI don't know what they are doing.

The fact is, it is entirely normal and proper for law enforcement to process a crime scene and then turn it over to the defense. Dr. Henry Lee felt that he couldn't do a proper investigation because the scene will not be the same as when the remains were discovered.

Sorry, Dr. Lee! Don't you remember the Phil Spector case? You were able to go into the crime scene only after it was processed by law enforcement. You found some evidence and somehow lost it.

Of course, that was an indoor crime scene. In this case, the crime scene is a formerly flooded wetland area. To do a thorough job, the investigators have to sift through every inch of the scene to locate the tiniest of bones, the smallest clue. That is the nature of crime scene investigation. I am sure that, if the investigators were not to do the most thorough job possible, the defense would appear at trial and blast the OCSD and FBI for not doing a proper job! The defense team is making this all a lose-lose situation!

This is the point where I compare "Team Casey" to a pack of vultures. In my opinion, they are standing at the scene, the last relatives to get to the scene and have lost the "best pickings."

Please, "Team Casey," stay away until the work by law enforcement is done. Have respect for the little child whose body was unceremoniously dumped there in a garbage bag and duct tape over her face. That area is sacred ground. It is a place which should be treated with respect for the dead child.

Videos:

Jose Baez and his forensics team
Baez Looking For Answers
Linda Kenny Baden, Jose Baez

News Links:

CNN Find Caylee Blog
Fox35