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

[klmno]

I think he told Baez on Sat. that he's going to wait until the end of the trial to decide if he's going to hold him in contempt of court, too. I think he already would have except, as the judge pointed out, he doesn't want it to damage Casey's case. No doubt she'll have an appeal due to her defense team.

I would never have the patience to be a judge!

 

[DammitJanet]

I dont think the judge is pleased at all. I would not want to be in Baez's shoes at all when this is over.

Did you hear how he tried to slide another one in at the last minute too with some other witness late Saturday afternoon? Gee, does he really want to go sit with Casey in jail? I have heard rumblings that they have some little love affair going on but that is just too much...lol.

 

[HaoZi]

"Incompetent defense" is pretty SOP on the first appeal in Florida (not sure about elsewhere). They generally toss in plenty of other stuff as well, but that one shows up a high percentage of the time. It usually doesn't fly by itself most of the time, but in this case... I wouldn't be surprised.

A more personal relationship, if proven, I think would be enough for "unprofessional conduct" or some such (don't quote me on that, I know FL capital appeal stuff but not the FL bar stuff). Likely just rumor.

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh I think its a rumor because of the way they both sort of smile and light up when looking at each other. Personally I think she does it because thats how she always works her manipulation on men particularly but people anyway.

 

[klmno]

This is starting to remind me of the OJ Simpson case....

 

[DammitJanet]

I know.

 

[Marcie Mac]

Every day I have been listening and didn't think it could get worse than Saturday - and it did, today.

No offense to the Garden Lady this morning (forget her name) but at some point, one has to acknowledge that when you no longer can think on your feet quickly, you should give up being an expert witness. Nothing against her age and qualifications but she sure was a ditz on the stand unless she was doing an explaination at the board in her profesiorial voice. And her "Well, it was there for only two weeks, to it could have been there more than two weeks, and when asked about a hip covered in 4 inches of muck (aka humis), could THAT have been two weeks, and she says, well, it could be, a dog could have buried it.

And the guy on trace DNA - totally unprepared because he either couldn't remember conversations, what he read, didn't read anything, wasn't told about a report, and at one point says, well, I didn't know - my wife had relayed the message to me what I was supposed to do. If you heard a slap, that was the palm of my hand on my forehead.

And then the jailhouse last minute interview with the girl who was with Casey in jail whose little boy had drowned and the grandfather found him - had me going hmmmm = talk about coincedence. Then I remembered reading Casey's letters to another inmate where she mentioned that she thinks her brother may have molested her, and thinks now that her father may have as well. Would like to know the timeline of the girl in jail with the drowning story, and the letters to the inmate. Thats a lot of coincedence with a girl who spins tales with a little bit of truth and a lot of fiction, or is it just me?

Will be glad when this trial is over - am getting a little on the obsessed side with it

Marcie

 

[donna723]

They said that this other girl was in jail for driving on a suspended license when Casey was first locked up. This girls child had died in a drowning accident in a backyard pool and had been pulled out by the grandfather who started CPR and called 911 but the child died anyway. This had happened quite a while before, a year or so earlier. But the story is so similar to what Casey claimed happened in her case that they're thinking that she may have told Casey about it or Casey may have been told the story by another inmate and Casey then used this and elaborated on it to come up with her own story about what happened to Caylee. Apparently that's how she came up with a lot of her "stories", she'd take some little bit that she heard or something that happened to someone else or even just a name, like with the imaginary nanny, and then elaborate on it, adding details, and spin and spin.

I don't know about anyone else but I thought that today was a fiasco! Baez was lambasting and bullying his own witnesses and they either did him no good whatsoever or they turned on him completely.

 

[Marcie Mac]

You know what I found REALLY REALLY erie? The put a picture of this girl next to one of Casey's mug shot, and omg, they look very much alike - only difference that the girl looked a lot worse for wear.

You would think that the last witness would have been deposed by her attorneys - maybe they would have realized that there was a really close relationship between he and the prosecution's witness and that maybe that guy wasn't the expert they were looking for.

I wish the defense would start using the other attorney even though I think he is very adverserial and arrogant - they are going to get a mis-trial with Baez. If I was in that much doo doo, I sure wouldn't want an attorney like this.

Marcie

 

[susiestar]

I haven't caught up with all that has happened this week, but I am furious that the defense is being allowed to act in such bad faith. Regardless of what their client says, they have a duty to be sure that they are not lying hwen they speak. The little tactic of asking if paternity tests were done to see if George or Lee fathered Kaylee - timed to be the LAST THING the jury heard before lunch was totally underhanded. As several commentators said, if the tests were done doesn't matter - the results matter. PERIOD.

Also the whole Vasco guy thing infuriates me. He didn't have the number then, had never spoken to them, and now his life will always be ruined. I hope he and zenaida g are able to sell their stories, maybe write a book about how their entire lives were altered by one lying monster who murdered her daughter and get a ton of $$ because they won't be able to have jobs otherwise unless they change their names!

There is NO WAY a defense team with the funding that these people have does not have the ability to learn that the guy didn't have that number back when he supposedly spoke to George. in my opinion this alone should cast doubt on everything the defense says - it totally should destroy their credibility.

AT this point the defense could bring in a smoking gun and the person who used it and that person could give every detail of the death and I would STILL believe that Casey was guilty. Simply because the defense has done so many things in bad faith and outright lied so many times.

The defense has deep pockets to pay for things. The taxpayers are paying. All the witnesses, scientists, assistants etc.... are mostly being paid by the public. The judge must approve expenditures but if he denies much it is grounds for appeal so he likely isn't denying much of anything simply because the media spotlight to pick up any inequities.

Early in Casey's incarceration some of the tapes seemed to imply that Baez didn't want Casey to tell her parents antyhing about what she knew. in my opinion he was setting it up back then to get himself a national court case that would be all over the tv. I would NOT be surprised if he quit the law and lived off of proceeds from books about this for a while. I certainly hope and pray that he is disbarred for the things he is pulling during this trial.

I feel so BAD for the parents. They did all they knew to do. maybe therapy early on would have helped Casey, but seriously, how many difficult children are helped by it? ONLY the ones who want to use the tools to do good things. No way would Casey do that so therapy would have been a waste most likely.

One news guy was on an elevator for a twenty three floor ride with george and cindy. He made a comment about how he was sorry they had to go through all of this, and they said thank you. Then they held each other and cried for the entire ride. cindy has seen a lot of life as a nurse. NO WAY would she be with George if there was any truth to the sexual abuse/incest koi or the garbage about George covering up a pool accident. in my opinion that elevator ride said it all.

I do have to admire Cindy for still being able to tell Casey she loves her. She mouthed it to her as she left the witness stand. All Casey did was look pi**ed and shake her head no a little bit.

Killing the baby was bad enough, but what she is doing to her family shows that she is the monster her high school classmates said she is.

 

[susiestar]

This isn't from this week's events, but I find it fascinating. in my opinion she knows exactly what she is showing the camera. The defense has worked with her to try to get her to show grief, remorse, whatever - they would be nuts to NOT have someone try to work with her on this. Casey isn't capable of it, in my opinion. Caseye ven comments that the letters to her from men are sweet - ick. I didn't get the impression she was referring to letters just of support, but mroe the types of letters from the men who would want to date/sleep with her after all this. THat last is just my impression though.

But the thing that really made an impact was the shots of her giggling and laughing as they experts discuss decomp and trash. Given that this is in the context of her dead child, NO WAY would a good mother be able to laugh about that. What does it say to you when she is laughing and covering her mouth during that, esp when for most of the trial she has either no expression or an angry expression oh her face?

 

[Malika]

Personally I don't quite take that perspective, Susiestar. How appropriate would anyone's emotions seem to be if they were being viewed all day long by millions of people? I used to know someone who laughed at the most inappropriate moments, when something sad or difficult was being talked of - it must have been a nervous reaction. Someone can be accused of murder, going through hell, and still laugh. I have no psychological training and don't understand much about disassociation but I imagine it plays out like this; numbing of feelings, going through the motions of normality. None of it tells us anything about what is really happening for this young woman. Trial by TV... It's a strange thing - and I have got as caught up as anyone is watching it all.
By saying this I don't mean that I think Casey is "innocent". But what I have seen is that when she did (to me) display absolutely genuine emotions of grief, few people were satisfied by that, either! They accused her of faking, of playing to the jury, etc. So she really cannot win.
What on earth happened...? I suspect she loved the child as far as a profoundly narcissistic and immature personality can, really was unable to mother her properly, put her own selfish and pleasure-bound desires ahead of the child's welfare and drugged her with chloroform so she could go out and enjoy herself. It all went horribly wrong and of course she covered it up - that seems to me entirely consistent with the kind of person she is. She may well also be sociopathic and so not feel the things that people usually feel or respond the way people usually respond.
But of course I don't KNOW. And she may have pre-meditated the child's death. I just don't find that as plausible or likely but... life is stranger than fiction.

 

[1905]

Baez is thinking he's some type of celebrity now, posing for pictures with women out in front of the courthouse. That is so unprofessional! He didn't know he was posing with 2 ladies from Nancy Grace's staff, they showed the picture of him, all smiles with his arms around them both. Every day I say I am not going to watch this, and I woke up thinking I want to see George's mistress take the stand today.

I feel so bad for the Anthony family! They lost the light of their lives and their daughter is throwing fuel on the fire for all the world to see. To blame George for sexual abuse? It's heartbreaking. That older woman "expert" on "leaf litter"...it was painful to see her on the stand.
The defense has nothing, I hope the jurors see it.

 

[HaoZi]

The judge must approve expenditures

The judge has no say in what the defense spends - only what he will allow shown in court. If she's using him as a public defender (as opposed to pro bono) then the funding comes from FJAC.

 

[donna723]

At first I was going along with the theory that she was using chloroform on Caylee to keep her quiet and out of the way while she partied, and then something went wrong. And she probably had used chloroform on her before for that reason. But then, when it came out that the duct tape had been placed over her mouth and NOSE, I have no doubt now that it was premeditated murder! Putting duct tape just over her mouth might have been an attempt to keep her quiet in the trunk of that car. But to deliberately put it over both her mouth and nose so she couldn't breathe, that's murder.

 

[Malika]

Yes, but has it clearly been established that the duct tape was placed BEFORE death? My watching of the trial has been patchy and I don't recall evidence on that.

 

[donna723]

I may be wrong here, but I don't think they could tell if it was put on befoe or after. But like Dr. G said, why put it on after she was already dead? Makes no sense ... no reason to.

 

[Malika]

Well, it makes sense if one is trying to simulate a kidnapping.

 

[DammitJanet]

Yes, but...the tape was put on in June, thus killing the child, thus premeditation. People think it takes a long time to premeditate a murder, it doesnt. It takes just a few seconds. It takes long enough for you to think...oh, maybe I shouldnt do this. If she could walk into the garage and get the duct tape or get the chloroform or even search for chloroform, that is premeditation.

I also couldnt believe the plant lady who said that maybe a dog buried bones or even maybe coyotes...if you happen to have coyotes! Ugh. How about alligators...lmao. Maybe large snakes lady. Maybe she should have done a bit of research on the locale.

 

[DDD]

Watching the television coverage everyone is saying that the Defense "has" to put Casey on the stand to give proof of the opening statements. Obviously, very obviously, I am not an attorney but I don't believe that any defense attorney would make up a story like that. So I'm assuming that Casey told Baez that is what happened and he decided to run with it accepting it as truth. Even if it were the truth which I don't believe it to be, there's no way to prove it.

To me having Casey testify would be the nails in her coffin because of all the previous testimony that shows her habitual lying etc. etc. So I'm thinking if he has enough for reasonable doubt why wouldn't he say "due to x, y, z, a, b, c evidence it is apparent that Casey Anthony did not have cause to kill her little girl, evidence indicates that she has never shown any form of abuse etc. etc. and therefore she has chosen not to take the stand which is her legal right". The Jury is not allowed to hold it against a Defendant if they do not take the stand. They will be wondering, as we all wonder, what really did happen but they are charged with deciding that she committed premeditated murder and that may not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Just wondering. DDD