Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Cindy Anthony Breaks Down on the Stand

Cindy Anthony broke down on the stand today although according to reporters that were in the courtroom, the jury probably did not notice. The three 911 calls that Cindy made in July 2008 were played and the jury was following along with reading the transcript instead of witnessing the grief-stricken grandmother relive what began her family's nightmare.

For those who were in the courtroom or watching it on television it was painful. Cindy's emotion on the 911 call that she made immediately after overhearing Casey tell her brother Lee that Caylee had been missing for 31 days was so raw that you couldn't help but feel for this woman.

Meanwhile, Casey sat there and although at times, appeared to wipe tears away, it looked like she was more annoyed than upset.

Cindy Anthony was so overcome with emotion after listening to these tapes that she asked the judge for a recess. It disgusts me that the prosecution allowed her to sit there obviously suffering and not ask for her to be removed so she could go and compose herself.

The other tape that was equally as powerful (and damning to the defense) was the first call that Casey made from jail to her family. In this call she complains to her friend who is at the house that "all they care about is getting Caylee back". 

Wow. Of course I had heard this tape before (over and over again) but listening to it after Cindy Anthony's painful discovery that little Caylee has been "taken" and Casey hasn't seen her for 31 days, well...I can only imagine what the jury was thinking.

I will tell you what I was thinking, I sure hope that the prosecution can prove that she killed her daughter because this just shows how cold and heartless this young woman is.

So far, the prosecution has been following their timeline and now we have reached the "moment" where the world finds out that Caylee has been missing for 31 days. I imagine that her brother Lee will be called soon and hopefully, hopefully there will be some real "proof" that answers the mystery of what really happened to Caylee Anthony and punishes the person (or persons) that are responsible for this little girl's death.


Witness for the Prosecution

Cindy Anthony will be back on the stand today after a two day break due to the Memorial Day holiday. Saturday's testimony was visibly upsetting for Cindy Anthony who broke down several times when asked to identify pictures of Caylee's bed, playhouse and toys.

Imagine being Cindy or George Anthony who have been called as witnesses for the prosecution who is trying to prove their case against their daughter Casey. They have lost their granddaughter Caylee who was no doubt the joy of their lives. Their only daughter Casey is accused of her death.

Cindy has already testified that she believed Casey had a job, a nanny called Zanny and only a few weeks ago, stopped looking for the mysterious "Zanny the Nanny". Her heart is broken, she feels betrayed and as a parent I can only imagine how horrible her life has been the past few years since Caylee disappeared and was later found dead.

When your adult children disappoint you, it usually makes you re-examine your parenting. Many parents feel guilt but honestly many parents are too hard on themselves. If you feel guilt, you probably are not deserving of it. Although I am not a fan of any of the Anthony's, I do feel for Cindy Anthony. At times, it feels like this woman is being unfairly tortured by the testimony.

As I am waiting for the morning testimony to begin, it was just announced that the judge has allowed Lee Anthony to sit in the courtroom while testimony continues even though he has not yet testified. This is highly unusual as witnesses are not normally allowed to be in the courtroom until they have testified. This could be a reason for Jose Baez to call for a mistrial even though Lee, like other witnesses, has been deposed and if he tries to change his testimony, the defense will be able to object.

The morning testimony is about to begin with Cindy Anthony back on the stand. Updates later. 


Saturday, May 28, 2011

Saturday Testimony

It is a hot, summer-like day here in NJ, and to escape the heat I am in my air-conditioned home watching the Saturday testimony in the Casey Anthony trial.

Her mom Cindy took the stand this morning but right now, ex-boyfriend Tony Lazzaro is back on the stand. The judge allowed text messages that he and Casey exchanged after it became public knowledge that Caylee was missing.

In the texts Casey says she is the "most horrible person in the world" and admits she "lied to everyone" but does not know why.

She also texts Tony "if they don't find her guess who gets to spend eternity in jail?". 

Aside from faithfully watching this trial and catching up on what the "experts" think by watching nightly cable shows like Nancy Grace and Issues, I also am checking out comments left by people on news reports about the trial. 99.9% of people think Casey Anthony is nothing more than a sociopath and should die a painful death.

Probably 80% think that George and Cindy Anthony created this monster Casey by overindulging her and also feel that they may have helped to protect her from prosecution (unsuccessfully of course).

Back to the text messages. Tony asks Casey directly why she never told anybody about what was going on. When he finally spoke to her on the phone his first question was "where's Caylee?". She responded "I don't know". He angrily asked her how she could not know. He said the conversation went nowhere because she kept telling him she didn't know.

Tony Lazzaro felt betrayed by Casey, angry at her for evading the questions he had and finally out of frustration just ended the phone call. 

You have to feel for this guy. Casey was living a double life in a way. Casey was living with him and although he should have questioned why Caylee was no longer around, he didn't. Not that it would have changed anything or it implies that he had any responsibility in what happened but it is just strange. 

Cindy Anthony's testimony was emotional. She cried when asked questions about Caylee's playhouse and cried more when she was shown pictures of Caylee's bed.

I don't know what Cindy Anthony is trying to do with her testimony. She testified that she knew about Zanny the nanny for years but had never met her. On the other hand, she talked very possessively about Caylee. She described her last day with Caylee and told the story of the two of them swimming in the family pool. Casey had come home while they were still swimming and wanted to join them. 

Cindy told her no that it was time for Caylee to get out of the pool. Who's the mother? Cindy then directed Casey to go fetch a towel and help Caylee out of the pool. 

Although in later testimony Cindy seemed to make a point out of saying that she was "only the grandmother" when she would relay what Casey's plans were for herself and Caylee. These were some of the "lies" Casey would tell Cindy after the 16th of June. 

Cindy wanted Caylee home but insisted that she couldn't demand that Casey bring her home. I think the truth is that Cindy was overly attached to Caylee. Proof of this was that after Caylee hadn't been home for a few days Cindy began sleeping with Caylee's favorite teddy bear. That is a little weird.

One part of Cindy's testimony bothered me. Regarding babysitting Caylee, the way she explained her work hours, her husband's and Casey's alleged work hours, there always seemed to be someone to care for Caylee. Although she testified that she knew about Zanny, I remember early police questioning that she didn't seem to know that much about the mysterious nanny.

Cindy on one hand tried to paint a picture that Casey was wonderful with helping out around the house and although she didn't contribute financially; she never was asked to.

Cindy acted as if she believed everything Casey told her and never questioned if she truly had a job even though she appeared to catch Casey in many lies that said differently. With the previous testimonies of former boyfriends who all stated that Casey spent the night at their homes, sometimes with Caylee, I imagine that Cindy Anthony was not happy about her daughter spending the night away from home with her granddaughter. 

Another weird thing- they live in Florida. It is hot in Florida. Cindy Anthony says she did not find out until June 30th of 2005 that Casey was pregnant. Caylee was born August 9 of 2005. How did little Casey Anthony not appear to be pregnant to her mother who was a registered nurse?

REALLY??????? Her mother said she thought she had gained some weight or it was bloating due to her period. 

I don't know. Personally, I feel sorry for this jury. They are in court 6 days a week. They have to sit through long, tedious testimony and frequent sidebars. 

Now they have to figure out if Casey Anthony is capable of telling the truth. Personally, I don't think so. Personally I don't believe in blaming my actions on others. A narcissistic personality does that. Was Casey so overly indulged by her parents that she became this monster that is incapable of telling the truth? 

The biggest question is WHY. WHY DID SHE KILL CAYLEE? IF it truly was an accident I don't think that there would be a trial. 

The defense call it an accident that snowballed out of control. Do you think this jury will believe that this totally dysfunctional family is that screwed up that they would go to lengths to hide an accident? Would a loving grandfather who is despondent over his granddaughter's accidental drowning really use her death as a way to punish his own daughter by covering it up and placing the blame on her?

No doubt that the Anthony's are screwed up but c'mon- this is just beyond bizarre.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Can't You Smell That Smell?

This afternoon, the testimony was all about the smell. In between showing Casey the party girl by way of testimony from ex-boyfriends and acquintenances, the focus was on the car.

Yesterday several witnesses who had been in Casey's car after the 16th of June (Caylee's alleged drowning according to the defense) did not smell anything!

Today, the tow yard manager and George Anthony both testified to smelling a smell that they thought was a decomposing body.

Okay- let's stop right there. They later found out when the two of them opened the trunk that there was a bag of rotting garbage in the trunk but previous to that, both men smelled what they thought was a dead body.

Why did neither of them call the police? Didn't the tow yard have some kind of moral responsibility to do that, especially since the Anthony's did not respond when notified about the car being towed?

George Anthony, a former police detective, admitted to the tow yard manager that his daughter and granddaughter were missing but he didn't call the police either! HUH?????

Let us set aside the idea that George was a retired police detective. Once a cop, always a cop. This is what stinks to me. How about you?

Read more about today's testimony here

Prosecution Witnesses Paint a Picture

Old boyfriends and acquintenances of Casey Anthony testified yesterday as the prosecution continued their quest to prove that while Caylee Anthony was "missing", Casey lived the good life.

The behavior of Casey Anthony may have been typical of some 20-something young women but her behavior also shows someone who was quite good at lying and sleeping around.

While she was in the beginning of her relationship with Tony Lazzaro (who she was living with when her mother discovered her whereabouts) she and Caylee were also spending the night with another boyfriend.

This boyfriend testified that the three of them shared a bed several times a week! When asked point-blank by Jose Baez if he and Casey were intimate while Caylee was in that same bed sleeping, he said "no" but it was quite obvious that he was lying.

Ewww ewwww ewwww! Let the defense find character witnesses who can erase that picture. Having sex with a random boyfriend with your two year old in the same bed sleeping is really wrong.

The drama of the day was the exchange between George Anthony, who retured to testify about the gas cans, and Jose Baez. George held his own but you could tell that Baez was getting under his skin.

I predict a blow-up by George eventually. Remember when he had to give a deposition for the Zenaida Fernado Gonzales case? He got very irritated and did not hold in his anger.

What really bothered me was how the judge allowed George Anthony to voice his concern that Jose Baez was "baiting" him and trying to "confuse" him. The judge is obviously biased towards George and that I find disturbing. The rules should apply to all witnesses.

So far, the prosecution has only proved that much of Casey's behavior was slutty. Show me the proof that she is a murderer. Have not seen that yet.

Do you believe the defense's claims?

The prosecution seems to be ignoring the defense's opening statements that claim that Caylee drowned in the family pool on June 16. At one point, they are going to need to address it.

My only concern is that if the prosecution is going to produce witnesses for all 31 days before Cindy Anthony reported Caylee missing then this is going to be one long drawn-out trial!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Testimony Continues

After yesterday’s bombshell beginning from the defense, today was boring in comparison. The roommates of Tony Lazzaro (Casey’s boyfriend at the time of Caylee’s disappearance/death) testified that they noticed no difference in Casey’s demeanor and the prosecution showed that they (the roommates) all assumed that when Casey would leave the apartment in the morning that she was going to work.

They had met Caylee but said that Caylee never spent the night at the apartment.

Even Tony Lazzaro who began dating Casey in mid-May admitted that until June 16th he had seen Caylee on several occasions but had not seen her after June 15th.

Tony had asked Casey where Caylee was and always got the answer that she was either with Casey’s mother or with “Zanny”. What bugs me the most about Tony Lazzaro is this:

According to Tony Lazzaro, Casey was living with him as of June 16th and it never occurred to him that there was something wrong because he never again saw Caylee?

Was the sex that good that it slipped his mind that his girlfriend had a child?

Did it not occur to him that why was Caylee never with her own mother???

I asked my 21 year old son who formerly lived in an apartment that he shared with roommates on his take about the roommates of Tony Lazzaro. He and I agree that they would not think twice about where Caylee was because honestly, they wouldn’t be giving much thought to the business of their roommate’s girlfriend.

Both roommates did ask where Caylee was and both were told with Casey’s mother or with a nanny. They never gave it a second thought. That is very believable to me.

But Tony Lazzaro? Casey was living with you. He knew she had a child because he had met her. All of a sudden your girlfriend’s daughter is never around and she is never with her and that doesn’t bother you????

Okay. Enough ranting about this.

Television commentators are saying that the prosecution did well today. Actually, the vote was in favor of the prosecution but some commentators felt that the defense scored points today also.

I don’t know.

For a time I was losing interest after shot girl after shot girl was interviewed. The Fusion nightclub where Casey partied on Friday nights with Tony Lazzaro seemed to be a big point for the prosecution. Okay…I get it. Casey was out partying. The shot girls didn’t seem to even know Casey all that well and they testified that she never told them anything about her daughter being missing and didn’t appear troubled.

When Jose Baez asked one of Tony Lazzaro’s roommates if they were at the Anthony house on June 16th when Caylee drowned maybe he was going a bit too far. The judge allowed this question which was really surprising.

The neighbor of the Anthony’s who Casey borrowed a shovel from (for 1 HOUR!) said that he saw Casey’s car back into the garage. HE DID NOT SAY THAT HE SAW CASEY DRIVING IT!!!! HELLO? Did anyone else catch that?

Jose Baez didn’t either.

Tomorrow morning Tony Lazzaro will be back on the stand so that Jose Baez can finish cross-examining him. My take on Tony? He seemed a bit sarcastic and maybe even signs of a guy who may have genuinely liked Casey Anthony but now feels betrayed and disgusted by her.

I think he was one dumb guy. Why didn’t he see the signals that there was something “off” about Casey Anthony?

We will see what happens tomorrow.

Who's Up Next?

This morning the Casey Anthony trial continues.

After yesterday's disturbing revelations/accusations by Casey's attorney Jose Baez that not only was there no murder just an accident that spinned out of control and that Casey was a sex abuse victim, the majority seem to feel that this is just another Casey lie.

Could you imagine being a juror on this trial?

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe that those 12 jurors and 5 alternates know nothing about the case that started back in July of 2008 when Caylee Anthony was reported missing by her grandmother Cindy. All the drama and sensationalism that followed, the leaking of "evidence" and the trashing of a young woman (okay- not really trashing- she behaved badly) would make it impossible for people to not form an opinion.

It is the defense' job to create reasonable doubt. I am the minority here but Jose Baez did give me a few things to ponder. I am not saying that I believe Casey's abuse story. The jailhouse conversations between father and daughter don't appear to be those of someone who was in fear of her father- quite the opposite, she acted like a brat.

Is Casey Anthony the overindulged, spoiled, irresponsible mom or is she a disturbed victim of a dysfunctional family?

What really happened to Caylee? Will we ever know the truth?

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Do YOU Believe it?????

Wow. What an opening day in the case of Florida against Casey Anthony.

I watched as the prosecution opened this morning with a very drawn-out opening statement going day by day from the time Caylee Anthony was last (allegedly) seen by her grandfather George detailing what Casey did every day, what Cindy did every day and thought to myself I am glad I am not a juror!

Okay. I got the point. From the time Caylee was missing, Casey didn't report it and instead carried on with the "good life".

Problem is that aside from being able to prove that Casey danced and partied, the rest of the case is circumstancial evidence. Yes, Casey lied to the police. Casey lied to just about everyone that she has ever come into contact with. Does that mean she maliciously murdered her child? I just cannot say that it does.

Court broke for lunch and I anxiously awaited to hear from the defense. Nothing the prosecution said surprised me...I had heard it all before. The only interesting thing was how they chose to present their case against the "Tot Mom".

The defense started and as promised, floored us.

Casey didn't report Caylee missing because she had drowned in the family pool and her father had found her lifeless body.

Casey went along with her father's coverup because she was afraid that she would be charged with neglect.

No big bombshell that Casey is alleging that her father sexually abused her from the time she was eight years old. In my previous post that exposed Casey's jailhouse letters, she eludes to that realization. She names her brother as another molestor.

Wow Wow Wow

I watched a little bit of the commentators reactions to the defenses' allegations and I am surprised that not one commentator believes the defense story.

I have been "under the weather" the past few days with a miserable sinus infection. (I am telling you this so I can plead "not in my right mind")

I don't know but I can believe that Casey possibly was abused. Victims of sexual abuse can act the way that she has.

What I don't get is why George didn't attempt CPR or call 911. THAT makes no sense to me.

Maybe that is why no one believes this story.

Earlier in the day, when I posted the defense theory/story or whatever you want to call it, people overwhelmingly reacted the same. No one believes Casey Anthony's story.

I think it is perfectly believable that Caylee could have drowned in the pool.
I believe that the Anthony family is one screwed up bunch with more skeletons in their closet than the average family.

Do I believe that George and Cindy Anthony are the "poor, suffering parents/grandparents" and are innocent?

HELL NO! Not for one second.

George Anthony could not look Jose Baez in the eye when he was asked if there was any sexual misconduct between himself and Casey.

Body language doesn't lie.

George Anthony also could not look Jose Baez in the eye when he was asked if he was there was Caylee drowned in the backyard pool.

So, if I, a relatively intelligent woman who watches Investigation Discovery Channel faithfully, believes a part of the defense's story- what about the jury????

I predict a hung jury. I do not believe that the prosecution will be able to prove without a reasonable doubt that this child was murdered. The medical examiner could not say what the cause of death was. Homicide was possible only because of her age and because of the duct tape on the skull.

Okay. Enough rambling...I have weeks left to ramble about this case.

Take a second look at George Anthony's testimony. Do some research about sexual abuse victims. Jose Baez may be a better attorney than we all expected and Casey Anthony may be more than a liar.

This case just got a little more complicated.

Oh, btw. Johnnie Cochran was a fabulous attorney but I never for one second believed that OJ was not guilty. (don't know why I threw that in there but guess I just wanted to say that I am not drawn in by a good lawyer)

Defense Bombshell

Jose Baez was telling the truth! He did explain everything (almost) in the beginning of his opening statement. Why didn't Casey Anthony report her daughter Caylee missing?

Casey did not report Caylee missing because Caylee never was missing.

Caylee drowned in the family's backyard pool on June 16th, 2008. Oh and George Anthony knew that because he pulled her lifeless body out of the water!!!!!!!!!!

No one called 911. George IMMEDIATELY yelled at Casey for letting this accident happen and told her that she would go to jail for childneglect.

Jose Baez alleges that Casey had been sexually abused by her father George since she was 8 years old. According to her attorney, Casey grew up in an atmosphere where lying became her way to deal with the dysfunction of her life.

According to his opening statements, Lee Anthony (Casey's brother) did not deny to Jose Baez that he had attempted to molest his sister also.

The opening statement got very graphic at times with Jose Baez trying to emphasize the nature of the abuse Casey suffered.

The other bombshell was that the utility worker who found Caylee's remains actually had found the body earlier and was holding on to the body in order to make money off of it. Shocking allegations.

After an hour and 40 minutes, Jose Baez was done. Now George Anthony is the first witness on the stand...be back later with more details. wow wow wow

Monday, May 23, 2011

One More Day

Tuesday morning @ 9 a.m., opening statements will be made in the Casey Anthony trial.

As someone who has followed this disturbing case since I first heard about Caylee Anthony's disappearance, I can hardly believe that the day is finally coming where Casey Anthony's defense will have to explain why she didn't report her child missing.

Technically, it is the state who has the harder case to prove. This is a death-penalty case and personally, I think that is a huge mistake. The anger that people feel about the circumstances surrounding Caylee's disappearance and months later finding her skeletal remains touches so many. The horrible tragedy of a 2 year old child being discarded like trash touches anyone with a heart.

It is easy for us to sit back and judge Casey Anthony. Another young, unwed mother who is suspected of killing her daughter. There are many of them although their cases are not as publicized as the Casey/Caylee Anthony case. For whatever reason, this case drew national attention that had and still has people outraged.

Is there an excuse for Casey Anthony's behavior while her daughter was missing? The only thing that I could think of is that she was unaware that her daughter was missing. Perhaps the story is that she left Caylee in the care of someone else while she took a break from being a mother. We can judge her behavior all we want but just because she was out drinking and acting like many 20-somethings do, does that make her a murderer?

The defense doesn't have to prove who killed Caylee; they only need to prove that Casey didn't. If they claim that someone else was caring for Caylee when she disappeared, do they need to prove this person's existence? In my mind the answer is yes. If Casey's defense is going to be that she left her daughter in the care of someone else and then when she realized that she couldn't find this person and panicked and was scared to say anything- is that a good-enough defense?

I would say that all depends upon what kind of concrete proof the prosecution has. The "odor" of a dead body in the trunk of her car, for example. How do you explain that, if it can be proven that there is a stain and an odor of a dead body? Casey was the last person seen with Caylee. Caylee's body is found months later but prior to that, Casey's car is found and both of her parents (one with a police background and the other a nurse-both familiar with what "dead bodies" smell like) initially said the car smelled like a dead body had been in it. Explain that defense team.

Will this be enough to convict Casey Anthony? Certainly (hopefully) the prosecution has more than that to tie Casey to the disappearance and death of her child.

Will this be another OJ fiasco? Will an overly zealous prosecution "blow" the case? Many are outraged over the behavior of Casey Anthony while her daughter was missing but are we convicting her before we hear her side of the story?

Being American gives us the right to be innocent until proven guilty. No matter how we feel about Casey Anthony- she deserves this right also.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Jury is Set!

Twelve jurors- 7 women and 5 men and 5 alternates have been sworn in to serve on the Casey Anthony jury. The trial is (finally) set and sworn in.

Monday morning the trial begins. Jose Baez promises that within the first 5 minutes of his opening remarks, we will understand why Casey Anthony did not report her daughter Caylee missing.


I have a great imagination and being a soap opera fan, I cannot fathom a reasonable excuse why Casey Anthony did not report her daughter missing for more than a month.

If Zanny the nanny actually exists (which I am sure she doesn't) video and photos prove that while Casey allegedly was preparing to move herself and Caylee out of her parents home she was shopping for lingerie at Target and partying at nightclubs. There is no proof of any phone calls made to Zanny. There is no Zanny the nanny. 

Okay. Casey Anthony is a liar. Casey Anthony is a thief. Does this make Casey Anthony are child killer?

She left her parents home with Caylee. No one say them together or Caylee alive again. 

I am anxiously awaiting opening of this trial on Monday morning. See you then!


Friday, May 20, 2011

Can Justice Prevail?


Is the Casey Anthony murder trial doomed from the start? Day 10 of jury selection, 150 potential jurors interviewed and still no jury!

In today’s economy it is a financial burden for many to commit to sitting on a jury for a minimum of 8 weeks and being sequestered away from your family. That is only one reason why many asked said they could not be on this jury.

Reason number two was that this is a death penalty case. Several potential jurors said they were uncomfortable with the subject of the death penalty and were unsure that they could impose that on the defendant. 

Perhaps the biggest problem is the notoriety of the case. So many of us have seen the pictures of adorable Caylee Anthony. How many times have you seen the video of little Caylee singing “You are My Sunshine”?
Even if you are not a fan of Nancy Grace, if you live in Florida, how could you have not  heard about the “Tot Mom”? 

Even though those accused of a crime are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, the circumstances of this case make it very difficult to remember that fact. 

Caylee Anthony was missing for more than a month and her mother Casey did not report it. 

This is the first major red flag that would cause anyone to wonder why any mother would react the way that Casey did.

While Caylee was missing, Casey alleges that she was doing her own search for the 2 year old. Pictures show Casey shopping at Target (with stolen money) for lingerie and beer, partying and posing in suggestive positions with other girls and carrying on with her life without telling anyone that Caylee was missing!

Never mind the details of this case. If anyone recalls how this case started it is easy to form a quick opinion.
Personally, I could serve on this jury. Maybe I would not be going into it the right way but please, give me proof that Casey Anthony is not responsible for little Caylee being dumped in an empty lot with duct tape over her mouth and nose, weeds growing through her skeletal remains. I will listen. Explain why she did not report her daughter missing. 

The judge is sure that this case will finally begin on Monday. I sure hope so. Caylee deserves justice and it is long overdue in this case.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Day 9

Read into it all you want...everyone is. Today Judge Perry announced that he expects the trial of Casey Anthony to begin on Monday morning even if jury selection needs to finish on Saturday. He ideally would like to have several alternates but with 11 prospective jurors and time (and candidates) running out, he will settle for less than the ideal amount of alternates for the trial. Out of the 70 perspective jurors, there are about 17 left to question.

So it looks like Judge Perry is all business and determined to get this trial up and running and then after an extended lunch break, the judge announces that they will cut the day short and return 8:30 tomorrow morning!!

HUH???

Jose Baez was not in the courtroom when the judge announced this, Casey's other attorney, the more experienced Cheney Mason was and had no comment about this adjournment. Casey Anthony was crying as the judge made his announcement.

The speculation begins. Adjourning when they are behind in jury selection ?

Jose Baez says it is a "private" matter. Private to whom? 

Is there a plea deal in the works?

Is Casey Anthony having trouble with her attorneys?

Is Jose Baez having personal issues unrelated to Casey Anthony?

Is this a stall tactic on the part of the defense because the judge is hell-bent on starting the trial on Monday?

Why was Casey Anthony crying? The defense has been unhappy with the way jury selection is going. Both sides are not thrilled with the way the selection of the jury is going. Stalling the inevitable is ridiculous. Let's just get on with this already. Caylee Anthony deserves justice. It is long overdue.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Jailhouse Letters

While awaiting trial, Casey Anthony managed to strike up a jailhouse friendship with a fellow inmate. They became "penpals" sneaking letters to each other through a book. The inmate is now in federal prison on drug charges but the letters (some available here ) paint a picture of a very immature young woman.

It is hard to say if Casey Anthony realized that these letters could be found and used against her and because of that she purposely wrote them the way that she did or she is showing her true colors in the ramblings of these letters to a fellow inmate.

The letters pain the picture of someone who is very self-absorbed and as the jailhouse visits with her parents showed, she is self-absorbed. She always seemed to be more concerned about being locked up then where Caylee was.

In the letters Casey seems to "set up" her defense by suggesting that her brother Lee and quite possibly (she wasn't sure) her father George had fondled her at night when she was growing up. She talks about forgiving her brother but also questions why she is having nightmares about her father possibly abusing her when she was only in elementary school.

She rarely mentions Caylee and only says how she had planned to move out of her parents' home. She states how she had money saved up and purchased new "everything" so that she and Caylee could leave and start a new life away from her family. She sets up her story about Zanny, saying it was someone she knew for 4 years and in secret this Zanny was helping her to leave her family.

How was she saving money when she didn't even have a job??? 

She says the reason she didn't report Caylee missing is because to her, she wasn't missing. Zanny was in some unknown location waiting for Casey to be ready to leave her parents and set off on her own with Caylee.

She also says that Zanny wasn't responsible for what happened to Caylee. Okay, so who was?

When she got locked up she was angry with Zanny for not coming forward with Caylee. According to Casey, she had a plan that went wrong. The tension in the Anthony household was too much for her and she wanted to take Caylee and leave. She had told her mother about the abuse at the hands of her brother and her mother accused her of wrongdoing. She says that she has been betrayed over and over.

She really sounds like a rebellious and ungrateful teenager in these letters. The relationship and bond that she forms with this other inmate is just one sign that she is emotionally immature.

On an interview I saw today, Casey's attorney Jose Baez says that he doesn't want to say anything about Casey but he does say that she is a "very intelligent" woman and "very much involved" in how her defense is being set up.

Of course her defense attorney is not going to say that she is a stupid, immature woman but is he being truthful about Casey's intelligence?

Maybe Casey really is intelligent and conniving enough to have written these letters knowing that they would be used against her?



Day 8 of Jury Selection Continues

Jury selection enters day 8 and finding jurors who haven't formed an opinion on this high-profile case or will have a hard time being sequestered for up to 8 weeks is getting more difficult. Although as of late Monday 17 prospective jurors were found, none of them have been sworn in and technically, one or more of them can still be rejected by either the prosecution or the defense.

The cable news channels are having a field day with picking apart prospective jurors. There are already two jurors who have been in trouble with the law. One for possessing marijuana and the other a DUI. The debate continues on how favorable these prospective jurors will be for either side.

Of course Casey Anthony is under a microscope also. From her clothing to her demeanor, the focus is on how she behaves during this long and tedious process. Day one saw her unable to control her emotions. As time goes by, she has reacted with smirks, laughter, tears and the behavior of a spoiled child who doesn't feel like sitting still.  It will be interesting to see how she reacts once the real action begins.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Selecting the Jury Proves Tough




Tuesday opening arguments are scheduled to begin in the trial of Casey Anthony who is accused of killing her 2 year old daughter Caylee Anthony. There is one problem. The jury is supposed to consist of 12 jurors and 8 alternates but as of Saturday, only 8 jurors had been selected. The problem is that finding jurors who have not heard of the case is difficult. Why is this case in particular so well-known?

There are many reasons why. Firstly, when news that a 2 year old Florida toddler was missing and that she had been missing for a month without her mother reporting her disappearance, it made this case so much more disturbing.

Missing Persons of America is a popular blog that covers stories of missing children and adults all over the country. Children go missing every day and many are never found. The circumstances surrounding a child’s disappearance can vary from a stranger abduction to a custody dispute but in most cases, the parent reports the child missing. 

Casey Anthony  disturbingly went on with her life after Caylee disappeared, partying and spending stolen money. It was Casey’s mother who reported her granddaughter missing and this was only after she was able to track down her daughter and demand to know where Caylee was.

Because of the circumstances surrounding this case i.e. photos of Casey in compromising positions in clubs, the obvious family dysfunction in the Anthony home (reports of Cyndi Anthony being overbearing towards Casey) and Casey’s lies and refusals to cooperate with police, people were outraged.

The Caylee Marie Anthony disappearance got the attention of the public because it angered so many people. Cable shows like Nancy Grace ran with the story and exploited it for months. It was easy to do because Casey’s jailhouse conversations with her parents and brother gave interviewers like Nancy Grace much more to dissect. 

This case is the biggest murder trial in Central Florida’s history but it doesn’t end there. I think it would be hard to find anyone who hasn’t formed an opinion about this case even if they do not remember the names of the players, they have seen the pictures of little Caylee Anthony.

Jury selection resumes tomorrow and hopefully, the jurors will be chosen in time to begin opening statements on Tuesday. Speculation was that it would be hard to find people to serve in this death penalty phase trial and so far, that seems to be the case.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Casey's Defense - A Theory




Nancy Grace was all abuzz with the theory that Casey Anthony will be explaining her daughter Caylee’s death as being “accidental” due to Casey being molested as a child by either her father or her brother. There had been talk before Caylee’s body was even found that Casey had alleged that a family member had sexually abused her. 

The talk even got even crazier with people suggesting that little Caylee herself was actually fathered by Casey’s brother or father. DNA testing proved that neither Casey’s father or brother was Caylee’s father. Caylee’s father is unknown. 

How can being sexually abused as a child be a defense for murder as an adult? Allegedly, the “excuse” is that Casey accidently killed her daughter and was so in fear of her family that she made up a story instead of coming clean with the truth.

With all the proven lies that Casey Anthony has told how can anyone believe her claim of sexual abuse? Hasn’t her family been through enough? 

When someone accuses a family member of abuse, the damage to the reputation of the  alleged abuser can impact every area of their life. If George Anthony is not guilty (which I do not believe he is) will his fragile mental state be able to handle the accusation?

Let’s say that the allegations are true. That still does not explain the murder of an innocent toddler. If Caylee was killed accidently by Casey, why didn’t she come out with the truth? Why wait until trial?

Jose Baez is not an experienced attorney; records show that. Obviously he has taken this case for the high profile that it is giving him. Is alleging that Casey was so damaged by being abused by her father and that made her too scared to admit to killing her daughter really going to be his defense for the charge of killing her daughter?

Is this why Casey refused to see her mother the weekend before the trial began? Maybe Cyndi Anthony heard that her daughter was going to accuse her father publicly of abusing her? 

What a nightmare for the Anthony family. Your granddaughter has been murdered, your daughter is awaiting her trial to begin (a death penalty trial yet) and your daughter is going to alleged that it isn’t her fault because her father sexually abused her? 

Casey Anthony is a troubled young woman. No one can argue that. Even her own friends admit that Casey’s truth and the facts are two different things. Casey is a liar and has no respect for her family. She has stolen from them and put them through hell and it isn’t over yet. For the Anthony family, their hell is just beginning.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Jury Selection Continues - Day Two

The second day of jury selection in the Casey Anthony murder trial saw 50 prospective jurors be excused for various reasons.
Unlike yesterday where Casey Anthony cried as the judge read the details of the indictment against her, Casey instead held her tears in but instead got reprimanded by her own attorney for acting like "a 2 year old" which was caught on open court microphones.
Because of this indiscretion by the courthouse, the mikes were shut off and hearing the attorney's objections to potential jurors was more difficult.
Jurors are being chosen from nearly 160 miles away from where Caylee's remains were found in order to find people who were not tainted by hearing about this highly publicized case.
Honestly, don't you think they would need to go much farther away than Clearwater to find someone who hadn't heard about this case?
Unless you live in a cave, don't watch television, read newspapers, go on the Internet or listen to the radio, how would you not have heard about the Tot Mom or heard the name Casey or Caylee Anthony?










Monday, May 9, 2011

Picking the Jury

Today the jury selection began in what is called a trial to rival the sensationalism of the OJ Simpson trial which was considered the most publicized criminal trial back in 1995. The trial of Casey Anthony is the biggest trial in Central Florida's history and it is only just beginning.

Casey Anthony, 25, is the mother of Caylee Anthony, who went missing back in the summer of 2008 and whose skeletal remains were found a few months later less than a mile from her home.

The story of the missing Florida toddler pointed to the mother from day one. In the court of public opinion, Casey Anthony has already been tried and convicted. Here is some back story and you see if you agree.

Casey Anthony lived with her parents, George and Cyndi and her 2 year old toddler. Many sources say that the loving grandmother was overly attached to her only grandchild and this caused a lot of tension between Casey and Cyndi.

Some neighbors reported that the night before Caylee was last seen, Casey and her mother had a huge argument. Casey left the home with her daughter and as her mother Cyndi later reported, was going to go away for a few days with her daughter. No one ever saw Caylee alive again.

Casey and Caylee were living with the Anthonys and when they did not hear from their daughter or see their granddaughter, they tried to get in touch with her by telephone. Casey refused to come home and did not tell her parents that her daughter was not with her.

When Cyndi Anthony finally did track her daughter down, she demanded to know where her granddaughter was. After Cyndi got tough with her daughter, Casey finally admitted that she hadn't seen her daughter in a month and that the babysitter had taken her. Outraged, Cyndi called the police. Casey alleged that she had been looking for her child on her own in the month that she was missing. Unfortunately, she failed to tell anyone that her daughter had been taken and while she was allegedly "looking" for her daughter she was actually out partying as photos which later surfaced showed.

Casey had abandoned her car and when her parents went to retrieve it, her mother made the infamous 911 call in which she stated that it smelled like a dead body had been in the car. Cyndi Anthony later said that the smell had been from a pizza left in the trunk.

When questioned by the police, Casey appeared to be anything but a mom who was worried about the welfare of her child. She continually lied to the police and they caught her in several lies.

A media frenzy began as soon as the story hit the airwaves. People camped outside of the Orlando area home of the Anthonys, holding signs saying "baby killer" and harassing the Anthony family whenever they stepped outside of their home. 

Casey Anthony was eventually arrested and charged with her daughter's disappearance. While in jail, taped conversations between Casey and her parents and brother were broadcast on television programs like Nancy Grace . Nancy dissected every word that Casey said and publicly criticized the mother for her lack of concern for her missing toddler.

In September of 2008, the skeletal remains of Caylee Anthony were found less than 1 mile from the home that she lived in with her mother and grandparents. Although the death was ruled a homicide, it will be hard to prove that the child was murdered. The case is a death penalty case which means that the prosecution has their hands full.

They need to prove that Casey Anthony in fact murdered her child.

Casey Anthony was an unwed mother and in fact, her parents do not even know who the father of their granddaughter is. Casey simply told them that he had been killed in a car accident. It was obvious that George and Cyndi were providing both their daughter and granddaughter with a home and supported them both financially. Although they "thought" their daughter had a job, they were unaware that she had been lying about not having a job at the time of Caylee's disappearance. As a matter of fact, it was found that Casey hadn't worked in quite some time.

Casey allegedly had a nanny although neither of her parents had ever met the woman. Both grandparents admitted that they often helped care for their granddaughter. If Casey indeed had a nanny, who was paying for it? Casey had no job.

Casey also had a problem with stealing money from her family, most disturbingly, she stole money that was in a fund to pay for her grandparents nursing care. She had used her mother's credit cards without permission and had even stolen a friend's checkbook and went on shopping sprees for herself. As a matter of fact, she originally called 911 to ask the police to arrest Casey for theft. It was shortly after that that Casey admitted that her daughter Caylee was missing.

She alleged to the police that her nanny Zenaida Gonzalez had taken Caylee. She even went so far as to take the police to the alleged apartment where she dropped Caylee off. The apartment was empty and no one named Zenaida had lived there. She was unable to produce anything but a vague description of a woman that no one had met. 

As soon as this story hit the media, people were immediately outraged. What kind of mother doesn't report their child missing for 1 month? Had Cyndi Anthony not tracked down her daughter and demanded to know where her granddaughter was, how long would it have taken for her disappearance to be known?

There has been so much drama while this case has been waiting to go to trial. Within the Anthony family, George Anthony tried to commit suicide, both he and Cyndi were forced by deposition to testify in the case that Zenaida Gonzalez filed against Casey Anthony and with their granddaughter dead, they are standing by their daughter.


Casey has been proven to be a liar but is she a murderer? The State of Florida will have their hands full trying to prove this case. We will be back daily to give our opinion about the case against Casey Anthony a.k.a. Tot Mom.