For those watching the Casey A. trial.....

[HaoZi]

On the skull issue, if she was indeed fully skeletonized it would be pretty pointless to open the skull. New technologies make it easier to see inside without damaging the object (paleontologists and anthropologists use some nifty machines when they can, and the newer "virtual autopsy" machines are looking promising). If she was able to easily see inside it and confirm a lack of breaks/fractures, she had no reason to go further in taking it apart. Removing the skull cap area is generally for removing and examining the brain and dura for evidence of damage, both of which would be gone if it was just a skull. A concussion would generally leave a blood stain on the bone itself, also visible without removal of the cap.

 

[klmno]

Donna, I tend to think that while in some jurisdictions, under the circumstances, maybe a ME would allow someone from a prosecution's office or defense team watch an autopsy, but there is no way anyone would let this guy because he is obviously incapable of "watching" a procedure and not trying to over-ride or control it. I have no doubt that when he requested to be there, their immediate reaction was HE!! NO!

I agree with you DJ_

Nancy- my comment wasn't a facetious (Sp) one- I really WOULD appreciate a good defense attny!! And I most definitely agree- our judicial system needs good attny for both defense and prosecution- not attnys flying by the seat of their pants- my big issue with them is more of our state laws- they use newly licensed attnys to be GALS and these people have no experience or real knowledge about raising PCs, much less difficult children because they are young, inexperienced in life in general, at most are newly married or engaged and don't even have kids over 90% of the time..

 

[Nancy]

Janet, no worries, I know you well enough to never to take offense at anything you say. I love reading your input and I agree with what you have said about this case. Trust me I know about incompetent attorneys who have a big ego and little talent. I also know it takes a very unique type of person to be a criminal defense attorney. Like the WFTV analyst said, they are a different breed. They have to have a very thick skin because they are up against enormous odds. They are villified and hated by most everyone until someone in their family gets into trouble and needs an attorney and then all of a sudden they understand. They have to be able to withstand the pressure and they have to passionately believe in the rights of everyone to a fair trial. I have heard just about every horrible thing said about them and been involved in many discussions with friends and family about cases where their opinions were formed before they heard all the evidence. I've lived with my husband after he has lost a case that he felt he should have won for his client and I've seen him agonize when a client is sentenced to jail.

Klmno, what kind of case is this and where do you live? You can pm me. He has handled cases all over the country and can probably refer you to a good atty in your area. It gets expensive for him to travel out of state as I'm sure you can understand, but he has done it many many times.

Nancy

 

[HaoZi]

I also know it takes a very unique type of person to be a criminal defense attorney.

Sure does. The Innocence Project has also shed some light on problems in the system. Hard to have a "fair trial" unless everyone on both sides follows protocol and does things honestly.

 

[Nancy]

husband's partner has worked on several cases for the innocence project and just recently helped get a gentleman released after many years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Nancy

 

[DammitJanet]

Nancy, one of the things that really irks me about this case with Casey is that I am darned sure that if she was the black woman from Fayetteville NC who sold her kid for drugs knowing the little girl would be killed, she sure wouldnt be getting this dream team. And this case happened not long after the Anthony case. It made it onto Nancy Grace too. I think some famous basketball player paid for the little girls funeral too. It was so sad but it will never get this level of attention and the mom or the guy who actually killed her will get the dream team defense. Do I actually want them to so that they may actually get off? No...probably not. I want them to go to prison for what they did. But still. Like someone said, the color of justice is green and maybe white...but then we are white and that wouldnt work for us either because we dont have the green.

 

[Nancy]

I remember that case very well Janet and I agree with you, justice is not equally divided. Perhaps we need to pay our public defenders more so that we can attract more competent ones to the field. Although criminal defense does not pay very well even in the private sector, except for these high profile cases that are backed by someone with wealth. And one must get the money up front because it's difficult to collect when someone is in jail. I'm curious to know who is funding Casey's defense now. Even if the lawyers are not getting paid they have to pay the experts.

Nancy

 

[HaoZi]

I think there was something about the funding in that FAQs link I posted. I know some of it originally came out of money she was given for her story.

 

[DammitJanet]

I know in my county, the PD's are divided up among the regular lawyers here in our local town. I know that may sound odd but we are fairly small so they just pull names from the local attorney's offices and that is who you get. So in essence even if you could have paid for one of the big names, you may get lucky enough to draw them for a public defender...lol. Now how they are paid, well, supposedly the defendant has to pay x amount but that is really nominal. I think Cory's fees for his felony case was somewhere around 300 bucks however she really didnt do a whole heck of a lot either.

 

[DDD]

Klmno, Casey was jailed long before the remains were located. Remember the taped visits with her parents where she is updated on what's happening with the search?

Now I'm going to slide just a little off topic (no intent to alter the thread) but this is funny to me in a sick way. Those of you who followed easy child/difficult child's post surgery felony conviction (nutshell..in jail post brain op and he's told he can go home if he signs a paper saying his guilty) and the VOP hearing with the same $#%^ State's attorney who wanted him sent to prison although
there were no criminal charges. The Judge allowed me to advocate and agreed with me that basically the SA's office had no basis. Here's the funny ending. My husband is a honcho with Rotary. At a meeting he held for club Presidents...guess who he met? Yep, the SA. Guess what else?? The attorney has now opened his own office as a DEFENSE attorney. I can't get over that but he is a bull dog and maybe he will save other's from getting wrongly labeled etc. Maybe what comes around does go around. DDD

 

[donna723]

Janet, that's how they do it here too. And one prosecutor covers several different counties.

 

[klmno]

They might do a little of that in the adult courts around here, but in this entire state it's the newly licensed attnys working in juvenile courts- no matter if it's for defense, prosecution, or as GALs. It HOOVERS and I'm more than tired and resentful that my son is here to be their learning experience and my life ends up being controlled by a PO, again always the "new ones" just entering the field with no life expereience to speak of, no kids over 2 yo, etc.

Casey's attnys are doing the best they can, I think, but with the resources they have, possible inexperience, Casey making some decisions, the prosecutions case and no evidence to contradict it, there's really only so much they can do. That being said, Baez (or whomever on the defense team) does need to stop pushing the judge's orders or they are going to end up in big trouble and it's not going to do Casey any good in minimizing her punishment.

But I've also heard speculation that the defense is intentionally trying to leave a little window open for an appeal on the basis of the defense attnys botching this trial. It's hard for me to believe the defense team would jeopardize their reputation to set that up, but who knows....

 

[donna723]

I think it's probably a combination of things. Baez is very new and inexperienced and seems to be egotistical and a bit arrogant too. He's made A LOT of mistakes. He's making the judge mad and I have a feeling he's not the person that you want to have mad at you! And then you have to remember that Casey has probably never been straight with them either - more than likely she's changed her story several times to her own legal team too. They probably don't have a clue what really happened, any more than the rest of us do and Baez has made statements and allegations that he now cannot back up. That kind of leaves him hung out to dry, flapping in the breeze and looking like a fool!

 

[Malika]

My own take on this is that Baez is not so much egotistical and arrogant (he may be in his private life!) as that he has nothing to go on, no real, solid case to make, and so he relies on breeze and bumptiousness to (unsuccessfully) cover this up... Ashton has lots of sensible, convincing facts and can afford to be much more serious and professional in his approach.

 

[Nancy]

Interesting morning. We now see how important discovery is on both sides.

Nancy

 

[klmno]

What did I miss? I got off work early and now am clueless- has trial stopped for the day?

 

[Malika]

Here's a resume from wftv!

Judge Perry listened for almost 25 minutes Monday morning.Prosecutor Jeff Ashton asked the judge that defense witness, Dr. Rodriguez, not to be called first because he wanted to read over his deposition again. Defense attorney Jose Baez asked the judge for sanctions against the state and said he feels they are unreasonable.Rodriguez was turned away at the witness stand after prosecutors complained that Baez planned to question him in a way he had not disclosed in court, which is in violation of Perry's pre-trial order. Perry then threatened to hold Baez in contempt of court.Perry ruled that testimony from Rodriguez will be delayed, per the prosecution's request. Perry then called a 45 minute recess, and when he returned, Perry recessed the court until Tuesday.

 

[HaoZi]

Isn't that same thing Baez has been doing that keeps p**sing off the judge?

 

[Nancy]

Yes the same thing. Judge Perry said he continues to ignore his rules and although he does not want to exclude the testimony because it would hurt the defendant, he is not opposed to doing that if it happens again and he feels it will be upheld. He was very upset but of course he showed remarkeable restraint and told Baez that he is considering sanctions against him and a referral to the Florida bar.

Nancy

 

[Oh Man]

The whole thing is just so sad.