Daily Updates in Caylee Case

[Carnut]

Inmates: Mom said she 'knocked out' Caylee with drugs

By Ann O'Neill and Mayra Cuevas-Nazario,

(CNN) -- A woman who befriended Casey Anthony in jail told investigators that Anthony confided she would "knock out" her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, so she could go out at night while the child slept, according to a police report.

The inmate, identified in the document as Maya Derkovic, of Ocala, Florida, told police in a jailhouse interview that she used to talk with Anthony through the jail's ventilation system. She said Anthony told her she regretted having a child so early in life, and gave three different versions of the events surrounding Caylee's disappearance.

Another inmate, Robyn Adams, of Altamonte Springs, Florida, told investigators that Anthony said she used chloroform on Caylee to help the child sleep, the police report said. The mention of chloroform is significant because investigators found evidence consistent with human decomposition and traces of chloroform in the trunk of a car that belonged to Casey Anthony after Caylee disappeared in June 2008.

Caylee's body was found six months later, in a trash bag and wrapped in a blanket in a vacant lot near the home of Anthony's parents.

Hundreds of pages of jailhouse letters and investigative documents released Tuesday afternoon provide a glimpse into the mind of a young woman who seemed to have a darting attention span and who found Jesus in jail, wrote about a troubled relationship with her family and dreamed of what life would be like when she went free.

They'd go on RV vacations, Anthony wrote Adams in a letter dating from 2008, when the two were being held at the Orange County jail in Orlando, Florida. She'd dye her hair red or blonde so nobody would recognize her. She'd write a book, maybe turn it into a movie.

Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, has said he did not oppose the release of the letters because they contained nothing incriminating. The defense team elaborated on his comments in a statement released late Tuesday.

The letters "reflect the natural desire for companionship when isolated for 23 hours a day, and clearly demonstrate Casey's unconditional love for her daughter Caylee," the statement said. "Despite these intentions, it is obvious in the letters authored by Robyn Adams that her sole purpose and only goal in corresponding with Casey Anthony was to create 'leverage to get out of prison early.'"

Adams gave her letters from Anthony to another friend, Tracey Neally, for safekeeping, according to the investigative reports. In her correspondence with Neally, Adams suggests the letters and notes might someday be worth something or lead to an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

"Thanks for doing something with Casey Anthony's notes, I certainly can't keep them in my cell with me since she is so high profile," Adams wrote Neally in a letter dated October 27, 2008. "I cry every day for my children and she is inviting me to Costa Rica??? "

Adams was convicted of drug charges in 2009 and is now serving time in federal prison.

Anthony has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and her lawyer, Baez, has said she had nothing to do with Caylee's death.

Written in a vertical, girlish hand, Casey Anthony's letters and notes include jokes, drawings and nicknames such as "Cookie," which is what she sometimes called Adams. And, they include scattered references to Caylee. But they offer no insight into how the 2-year-old died.

Anthony writes that she had planned to take Caylee and move away from Orlando but "my plans got beyond tangled" when a nanny wouldn't say where Caylee was.

"I had asked her to take Cays for a few days so I could put the rest of our stuff together, money I had saved, new clothes, new everything. That's why I waited to report her missing, because she was and wasn't. I would give anything to go back to that day and to not have let Caylee out of my sight."

When she mentions Caylee, Anthony often quickly moves on to other topics. Recalling photos she has of Caylee, Anthony writes, "Great, I'm going to make myself cry," and then adds, "Hmmm ... I wonder what I'm missing for lunch?"

In another passage, Anthony writes of a paternity test that showed a former boyfriend wasn't Caylee's father, adding "Joy to the world! I despise that loser and I pity him ..." She professes "unconditional love" for her daughter, saying that if it weren't for that love, she'd "end whoever is responsible" but does not elaborate.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about Caylee and wish that I could have protected her better," she writes on another occasion. "I tried my hardest and it wasn't enough."

She also writes about the difficulties of living with her parents as a single mother.

"My situation with living at home with Cays and my folks, staying home all day and going out at night looking for Mr. Right, same exact situation. I don't know one single mom who doesn't try to get their freedom regardless of how old they are."

She continues, "That's one of the biggest things that truly cuts me when I hear them talk about me as a mother -- I was a great Mom! And I love my daughter with everything that I have. I would give my life to have her back even for 5 minutes. It's so frustrating!"

Anthony had little good to say about her family, although she briefly expresses concern for her father following his suicide attempt, after Caylee's remains were found.

One passage is typical: "As far as my folks are concerned, it's only getting worse," she writes in a letter to Adams. "They're really good at putting on the supportive face/person for the TV, but behind the scenes, it's a daily battle. Ridiculous, unnecessary and downright shameful, but what are you going to do? I just have to keep my distance and hike up my Big Girl panties."

In one undated note, she said she was molested by a family member and questions whether she might also have been abused by another. She wrote that she felt she received no support from her family regarding the allegation.

"The Anthony family denies that there was any improper sexual behavior in their family nor was there ever a time when Casey told them of sexually inappropriate conduct," said Brad Conway, the Anthony family's lawyer.

In her letters, Anthony also writes about what it is like to be infamous and incarcerated. She bristles at being a curiosity for people on tours of the jail.

"Another day, another series of rumors and ridiculousness. The life of a celebrity, huh? Right. If only I were old and ugly, then they wouldn't care."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/07/casey.anthony.letters/index.html

[Carnut]

Judge takes himself off Anthony case

By Mayra Cuevas-Nazario and Beth Karas

(CNN)  -- The judge in Casey Anthony's murder trial took himself off the case Monday after the defense contended he was biased against her.

"Over the past 20-plus months, in between media interviews, guest appearances on television shows and press conferences, defense counsel has filed a litany of motions," Ninth Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland observed in an order recusing himself from the high-profile murder trial.

"At its core," the judge continued, "defense counsel's motion accuses the undersigned of being a 'self-aggrandizing media hound.' Indeed. The irony is rich."

The case has been reassigned to Judge Belvin Perry Jr.

"Judge Perry is a good judge; he knows the law," Cindy and George Anthony's attorney, Brad Conway, told CNN. "Stan Strickland is just as good and knowledgeable. He's also extremely patient. He lets you say what you have to say, then he rules."

Anthony is awaiting trial in Orange County, Florida, on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, who was 2 when she disappeared in June 2008. The little girl's remains were found near the Anthony home in December 2008.

Casey Anthony has pleaded not guilty, and her murder trial has been set for May 2011.

In a motion filed 12 minutes before the court closed on Friday, Baez accused Strickland of forming a "personal relationship" with blogger Dave Knechel, who writes under the pseudonym "Marinade Dave."

Knechel's blog includes made-up legal motions with titles such as "Casey Anthony must die!" "Caylee's murder: Premeditated and pretty stupid too" and "Guilty as charged."

Baez alleged that the judge called the blogger to inquire about his health and did not disclose the relationship with the defense. He also contends in court papers that the judge recognized Knechel at a court hearing and summoned him to the bench.

Strickland denies there was any personal relationship, saying in his order that he made only "infrequent sojourns into the blogosphere." He added that the blogger had criticized "those who came onto the blog for the sole purpose of bashing the defendant and her family." He said he thanked the blogger in open court for being "both fair and civilized."

Video of an October 19 hearing reviewed by In Session staff shows a bailiff pointing at Knechel. Off-camera audio reveals snippets of a conversation with the judge in which Knechel says people are reading his blog because he does a "good job, very simple."

Although Strickland denied wrongdoing, he acknowledged that repeated accusations of bias would be disruptive at a trial.

"Since the undersigned has now been accused of bias and wrongdoing, potentially each denial of a defense motion will generate renewed allegations of bias," Strickland wrote.

Conway recalled that when he first appeared before Perry years ago, the judge invited him into chambers and gave him two rules: "One, the train leaves at 8:30 a.m. Be on it. Two, be prepared."

Conway said that Perry assured him, "If you follow those two rules, you'll be fine."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/19/casey.anthony.judge.quits/index.html

[Sam]

I am still not feeling well but we are watching Star gate SG1. One of the quotes that was said was one Casey had on her my space. "With Power comes great responsibility." There was a little more but I did not catch it all.

[Carnut]

Key hearings this week in Casey Anthony's murder trial

By Jean Casarez, In Session

(CNN) -- Casey Anthony is back in court this week for crucial hearings that could determine whether she will face the death penalty, where her murder trial will be held next year and what evidence the jury will hear.

Anthony, 24, is accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, who was 2 when she disappeared in June 2008. Caylee's body was found that December in a vacant lot near the Orlando, Florida, home where she lived with her grandparents.

At this week's hearings, Anthony's defense attorneys will try to convince the judge to take the death penalty off the table. The defense team also is trying to keep some evidence it considers "gossip" away from the jury. And, the defense has asked to move the case to an area of Florida where there has been less publicity.

Rulings made on a tall stack of pretrial motions will likely have a significant impact on the trial, which is scheduled to begin on May 9, 2011. They will be decided by a judge who is a newcomer to the case.

Chief Justice Belvin Perry Jr. replaced Circuit Judge Stan Strickland last month when Strickland took himself off the case after the defense claimed he had improper communications with blogger "Marinade Dave."

"Miss Anthony cannot get a fair trial by an impartial jury in Orlando because of extensive, inflammatory, and prejudicial pretrial publicity in this case," the defense argues in court papers seeking a change of venue.

Other trial locations suggested by the defense include Miami's Dade County, Palm Beach County or Broward County. But during his first hearing in the case, Perry said the defense doesn't get to select the trial location.

Under Florida's open records law, prosecutors have released tens of thousands of pages of witness statements, forensic reports and computer and cell phone records gathered by police. Evidence includes dozens of photos of Anthony and her friends partying, text messages, 911 calls, witness statements to police and Anthony's letters and notes to fellow inmates at the Orange County Jail.

Aside from the regular release of documents, prosecutors have not tipped their hand. They do not comment to the media and they have not filed responses to any of the defense motions. But the hearings are expected to shed some light on how the prosecution's case is being built.

Meanwhile, the defense team led by Orlando attorney Jose Baez is fighting hard to keep the "party photos" out of the case, saying they are prejudicial and prove little.

The photos show Anthony at a nightclub and a residence in the Orlando area, dancing and drinking with friends. Automated dates on the images show only two were taken after the date Caylee disappeared.

Investigators retrieved the photos during a search of Anthony's computer. "The media has used multiple photos of Miss Anthony in order to vilify her and portray her as a 'party girl' whose lifestyle somehow indicates responsibility for her daughter's death," the defense says in its court papers.

In a related motion, the defense asks to exclude from the trial "hearsay evidence, gossip and innuendo." The defense specifically mentions television interviews potential witnesses have given since Anthony was arrested, as well as their sworn statements to law enforcement.

Both, they say, include gossip about Anthony that if allowed would prejudice the jury and violate her right to a fair trial.

The defense also is seeking to keep out of trial the 911 call Anthony's mother, Cindy Anthony, made on July 15, 2008, reporting Caylee missing, calling it "hearsay."

During the call Cindy Anthony screams that her daughter's car smells like a corpse.

Prosecutors usually argue under such circumstances that the law allows the jury to hear an "excited utterance." It is an exception to the hearsay rule, and it is allowed as evidence at trials because the statement can be considered spontaneous and therefore trustworthy.

Cindy Anthony was referring to the family's car. Evidence released so far indicates prosecutors are likely to argue that it was last driven by Casey Anthony and abandoned two weeks after Caylee was last seen alive.

Several legal motions challenging the death penalty allege that prosecutors are acting in bad faith.

One contends that prosecutors are seeking death against Anthony because she is a woman. The defense argues that focusing on Anthony's lifestyle before she was arrested is gender bias. The defense maintains that Anthony is facing more serious charges and harsher punishment than a man in the same position would receive.

"Women who are accused of violent crimes are tried not only for the facts of the crime, but also for their non-conformity with traditional gender expectations," the defense argues in its court papers.

The defense also alleges that prosecutors had sought the death penalty to bankrupt the defense and prevent Anthony from having the attorney of her choice.

The defense maintains that prosecutors had originally said they would not seek death in this case but reversed that position in March 2009 when they learned that Anthony had $205,000 for her defense.

The bulk of the money came from ABC News for the licensing of photos and videos, Baez testified during a previous hearing.

"The court has the authority to bar the death penalty where the prosecution exercises its discretion in bad faith, for impermissible motives and in order to prevent the defendant from exercising her constitutional rights," the defense argued in court papers.

The two-day hearing begins Monday. The first arguments will focus on non-death penalty issues. Tuesday's hearing will put the death penalty front and center.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/09/florida.casey.anthony.court/index.html

[Carnut]

Judge: Death penalty not sexist in Anthony case

By Jean Casarez, In Session

(CNN) -- Casey Anthony will face the death penalty, a Florida judge ruled, rejecting defense arguments that capital punishment in her murder case was sexist and unduly harsh.

Judge Belvin Perry Jr. also rejected defense arguments that prosecutors were seeking the death penalty as a means to bankrupt Anthony's defense.

The judge did grant one defense request -- that prosecutors disclose evidence supporting the aggravating factors they intend to cite if Anthony is convicted of premeditated murder and they ask jurors to return a death sentence.

In death penalty cases, jurors are asked to weigh aggravating circumstances that make a crime especially heinous against mitigating factors that favor the defendant, such as a lack of prior offenses.

Anthony, 24, is accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, who was 2 when she disappeared in June 2008. Caylee's body was found that December in a vacant lot near the Orlando, Florida, home where she lived with her grandparents.

Casey Anthony's trial is scheduled to begin on May 9, 2011.

The defense maintains that prosecutors had originally said they would not seek death in the Anthony case but reversed that position in March 2009 when they learned that Anthony had $205,000 for her defense.

The bulk of the money came from ABC News for the licensing of photos and videos, Baez testified during a previous hearing.

"The court has the authority to bar the death penalty where the prosecution exercises its discretion in bad faith, for impermissible motives and in order to prevent the defendant from exercising her constitutional rights," the defense argued in court papers.

Judge Perry denied the motion, saying that judges are prohibited under Florida law from interfering with the state's decision to seek death. Although one exception includes circumstances in which bad faith can be documented, Perry said Anthony's defense had not proven bad faith.

The defense also argued that prosecutors sought the death penalty against Anthony because she is a woman, and that focusing on Anthony's lifestyle before she was arrested is gender bias.

Defense witness Elizabeth Rapaport, a University of New Mexico law professor and author, testified that the lifestyles of white middle-class mothers charged with killing their children receive much more media attention than those of defendants in other cases.

Under questioning by Anthony attorney Andrea Lyon, a nationally know death penalty expert, Rapaport said a mother perceived as "deviant" by a jury has a more difficult time defending herself.

Anthony teared up when Lyon noted in court that despite her client's "party girl" reputation in the media, most of the witnesses have acknowledged that "Caylee was happy and healthy."

"Do you have any evidence that there is gender bias in this case?" prosecutor Jeff Ashton asked Rapaport in cross-examination. The witness responded that she didn't know much about this case and had only read a few press reports.

The defense argued that Anthony is facing more serious charges and harsher punishment than a man in the same position would receive.

Responding to Ashton's questions, Rapaport said that men who kill their children usually are acting in a rage.

Women, Ashton argued, tend to premeditate a child's killing and have underlying psychological issues. Cases in which women kill without evidence of psychological disturbance are rare, he added.

"In my 30 years" as a prosecutor, Ashton said, "this is the first time we have had the evidence for the jury to determine if death is the appropriate penalty."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/11/florida.casey.anthony.death/index.html

[Carnut]

Prosecutors reveal legal reasons they believe Casey Anthony should die

By Emanuella Grinberg

(CNN) -- Florida prosecutors on Thursday revealed a list of reasons they're seeking the death penalty against Casey Anthony, who is charged with killing her daughter, Caylee.

Under Florida, law, prosecutors need to raise only one of 15 possible aggravating factors to support their decision to seek the death penalty. Assistant State Attorney Jeffrey Ashton cited five circumstances, according to a document obtained by CNN affiliate WESH and other Orlando, Florida, media outlets.

In death penalty cases, jurors are asked to weigh aggravating circumstances that make a crime especially heinous against mitigating factors that favor mercy, such as a lack of prior offenses.

Among the legal reasons cited: Caylee's death occurred during aggravated child abuse, was especially "heinous, atrocious, or cruel," and was committed in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification," according to the document.

Caylee was also under 12 years old, and Anthony "stood in a position of familial or custodial authority over her," the document states.

Karen Levey, the court public information officer, could not confirm that Judge Belvin Perry Jr. received a copy of the notice. As of Thursday evening, defense attorney Jose Baez said he had not been served with the notice.

In a hearing this week, Perry ordered the State Attorney's Office to disclose the aggravating factors they intend to cite in a penalty phase if Anthony is convicted of premeditated murder.

Anthony, 24, is accused of killing 2-year-old Caylee, who disappeared in June 2008. Her body was found that December in a vacant lot near her grandparents' home in Orlando.

Defense lawyers have said that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty to bankrupt the defense and prevent Anthony from having the attorney of her choice.

The defense said that prosecutors had originally said they would not seek death in the case but reversed that position in March 2009 when they learned that Anthony had $205,000 for her defense.

The bulk of the money came from ABC News for the licensing of photos and videos, Baez testified during a previous hearing.

Anthony's trial is scheduled to begin May 9, 2011.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/13/casey.anthony.death.penalty/index.html

[Carnut]

Casey Anthony's Prison Letters Released

The Florida State Attorney's Office released about 5,000 pages of information related to the Casey Anthony case on Friday, including dozens of letters she received in prison, among them fan mail and notes from her father, MyFoxOrlando.com reported.

Each page of information can be used as evidence in the 24-year-old Floridian's capital murder case. Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.

Casey Anthony's father, George Anthony, expressed how much he missed his daughter in his letters.

"I hope and pray every day that you are doing alright," George Anthony wrote to her in November 2008. "You are my family no matter what."

In February 2009, a woman from Tennessee wrote to Anthony: "I am going to send you some money in the next few weeks.... If the media wants to hunt me down and ask why, I'll say because I believe in you.... You have a friend whom you have never met who believes in you."

Many letters express support, share prayers and Bible passages and include money or a promise of a financial donation to Anthony.

Another stranger writes: "Hey there, my name is Jovert, people just call me Joe though. I'm writing just to see how you're holding up, don't worry this isn't a hate letter or anything of that sort."

Not all the letters Anthony received were so supportive.

One stranger writes: "I would watch you (on TV) and get so angry because I could not figure out how you could be so cocky when I just knew you took your daughter's life."

Anthony's murder trial begins on May 9, 2011.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/25/casey-anthonys-prison-letters-released/

[Sam]

It really bothers me that it takes so long to go to trial.

[Carnut]

Caylee's family to square off in court on anniversary

By Beth Karas, "In Session"

Orlando, Florida (CNN)  -- Slain toddler Caylee Anthony's family will be stepping back in time in a Florida courtroom on Thursday, two years to the day after she was reported missing.

At issue at a pretrial hearing in her mother's murder case: the frantic 911 calls that Caylee's grandmother made when she learned that the 2-year-old had been missing for a month.

Cindy Anthony has been subpoenaed to testify at the hearing, which could determine whether the 911 calls she made July 15, 2008, will be played to the jury at the murder trial of her daughter, Casey.

Casey Anthony, 24, is accused of capital murder in Caylee's death and has pleaded not guilty.

The child's skeletal remains, including duct tape on the skull, were found that December in a vacant wooded lot near her grandparents' home in Orlando, Florida.

The trial is scheduled for next year.

Casey Anthony's brother, Lee, also has been subpoenaed. If Cindy and Lee Anthony testify, it will be the first time anyone from the family has taken the witness stand in Casey Anthony's murder case.

Prosecutors have said in court papers that they plan to use Cindy Anthony's first and third phone calls at the trial. The state has said it does not plan to use the second call because Casey was not present for it.

The first call was placed at 8:08 p.m. and the third at 9:41 p.m. Cindy and Lee Anthony may be asked to testify Thursday about the circumstances under which the 911 calls were made.

The family had not seen Casey or Caylee Anthony for a month. Cindy Anthony searched for her daughter on July 15 and found Casey with a boyfriend. Cindy Anthony confronted her about Caylee. According to court documents, Cindy Anthony had hoped to force her daughter to reveal where Caylee was by threatening to call the police.

The first call was placed at 8:08 p.m., according to court documents. Prosecutors say during that family confrontation, Casey Anthony acknowledged to her mother and brother that she had not seen the child for 31 days and that the Caylee was with the babysitter.

Cindy Anthony made the third 911 call at 9:41 p.m. "I found out my granddaughter has been taken," she told the dispatcher.

"She has been missing for a month. Her mother finally admitted that she's been missing. ... We're talking about a 3-year-old little girl! "I need to find her," she continued. "There's something wrong. I found my daughter's car today, and it smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car."

Cindy Anthony has said she believed the odor came from a rotting pizza or other garbage in the trunk. But the state says a sophisticated forensic test shows the components found in the air are consistent with a decomposing body.

Prosecutors say in their court papers that they intend to use the 911 calls to prove a "progression" of Casey Anthony's "fabrications" about what happened to her daughter. That progression led her to come up with the nanny story, they contend.

Anthony's defense says the calls are prejudicial, contain false statements and should not be played to the jury.

Cindy Anthony falsely reported that her daughter had stolen the car, but prosecutors say they don't want to offer the 911 calls for their truth of what was said.

Instead, they intend to show Casey Anthony's "responses" and "the circumstances in which the defendant 'created' the kidnapping story." Prosecutors contend that the "fabrications" show "consciousness of guilt."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/14/florida.caylee.casey.court/index.html

[Carnut]

Judge allows 911 tapes in Casey Anthony trial

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- Prosecutors can play tapes of 911 calls made by Florida murder suspect Casey Anthony's mother after she learned her granddaughter was missing, a judge ruled Thursday.

Anthony's mother, Cindy Anthony, admitted during a hearing Thursday in Orlando that she had made exaggerated accusations about her daughter in those calls in a bid to get police to her home. But Circuit Judge Belvin Perry ruled that Cindy Anthony was trying to use calls to police as a "ploy" to get her daughter to tell her what she knew about the missing 2-year-old Caylee Anthony.

Defense lawyers sought to have thrown out of court as hearsay, but Perry found the tapes were not being used to prove the facts of the case.

"Whether they are true or false really has no bearing," Perry said. "They were designed to elicit statements from the defendant in this case, to ascertain the whereabouts of the victim in this particular case."

Casey Anthony is charged with capital murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee's death. The girl was reported missing two years ago Thursday, and defense attorneys were trying to keep recordings of her mother Cindy's three 911 calls out of evidence.

Facing her daughter in an Orlando courtroom, Cindy Anthony said she told police "whatever I was thinking at the time to get them out there" -- including the claim, made in her first of three 911 calls, that her daughter had stolen a car from her.

"I wanted to speak to a police officer," Cindy Anthony said. "And I didn't think that if I said that she wouldn't take me to see my granddaughter, that they thought her and I might just be having an argument and think that I was some crazy grandmother and not come out and talk to me."

But she testified that she was in a panic after Casey Anthony told her that she hadn't seen her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in a month.

Cindy Anthony told police her daughter had stolen money from her and that she had asked Casey Anthony to return her car to her brother Lee, from whom she had purchased the Pontiac but never finished paying. She said she did not intend to mislead police with the calls, however. And by the third call, she told investigators that her daughter's vehicle smelled "like there's been a dead body in the damn car."

And Lee Anthony testified Thursday that he tried to get more information out of his sister while their "frantic" mother yelled at her.

"She was very angry," he said. "Her first reaction was she had a clenched fist and hit the bed my sister was sitting on and said, 'What did you do? We could have found her 31 days ago.' "

Caylee's skeletal remains were found in the woods about a quarter mile from the Anthony home in December 2008. Prosecutors say they plan to show Casey Anthony lied repeatedly about her daughter's fate, and that the 911 calls are a critical part of that progression.

The Anthony family had not seen the toddler or her mother since June 16, 2008. When Cindy Anthony found her daughter a month later, Caylee wasn't with her. Cindy Anthony threatened to call the police, hoping it would force Casey Anthony to say where her daughter was.

After two calls to the police, Casey Anthony admitted to her brother that she had not seen Caylee in 31 days and that she believed her daughter was with a nanny, Zenaida Gonzalez.

The third and final call was placed immediately after Cindy Anthony overheard what Casey Anthony told her brother. Cindy Anthony seemed to be agitated and excited as she told the dispatcher that her granddaughter had been missing for a month.

Cindy Anthony has since said that the odor emanating from the car could have been from rotting garbage. However, forensic examiners have concluded that Caylee's decomposing body was in the trunk of the car at some point in late June 2008.

Thursday's hearing was also expected to focus on a motion from the defense. It will ask the judge to modify a ruling by Judge Stan Strickland, who stepped aside in April. The motion concerns a review of documents from Texas Equusearch, a private company that assisted in the search for then-missing Caylee.

While Strickland's order allowed the defense attorneys to review thousands of documents created by Texas Equusearch, the attorneys were prohibited from taking notes during the review. The defense maintains the current arrangement is inefficient and it is seeking a more workable resolution.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/15/florida.casey.anthony.trial/index.html

[Sam]

Thanks Carnut.

[Sam]

Lawyer for Caylee Anthony's Grandparents Quits
Updated: 1 hour 41 minutes ago
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Lisa Flam

Lisa Flam Contributor
AOL News
(Aug. 16) -- The lawyer for slain Florida toddler Caylee Anthony's grandparents has resigned, saying false statements have been made about him in a defense motion.

Brad Conway announced his withdrawal from the case today, saying he can no longer represent Cindy and George Anthony. Their daughter, Casey Anthony, is accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Conway, who's been on the case for 19 months, told several news outlets today he's off the case because of an Aug. 9 defense motion that alleges he got special treatment in reviewing records that detail a search for Caylee in Orlando, Fla.

NBC's "Today" show said the records could answer whether a search team looked in woods near the girl's house and found nothing, only to have the girl's remains be found there four months later. If that's true, Casey Anthony's defense questions how she could have dumped the remains in the woods because she was under constant police surveillance at the time, NBC said.

Casey Anthony's lawyer has not been able to see the 4,000 pages of documents, "Today" said.

The records are owned by Texas EquuSearch, a volunteer group that searched for Caylee.

Conway denied getting special treatment in looking at the search documents. "I was given the same conditions that everybody else was," he said on "Today."

He said he had no choice but to leave the case.

"I've become a witness now to pleadings that have been misstated," he said. "As an officer of the court, I can't stand by and knowingly participate in something that is false."

In a statement carried by several news organizations, Conway said: "George and Cindy Anthony have done nothing improper, it is the failure of the defense to verify the facts alleged in their motion that forces my withdrawal."

Caylee's remains were found near the family home in December 2008.

Casey Anthony, 24, is in prison, awaiting a murder trial. She has proclaimed her innocence and blamed her daughter's disappearance on a baby-sitter.

Her parents have stood by her. Last week, Cindy Anthony questioned the forensic evidence that identified the remains as Caylee's and said there's been no evidence to prove her daughter is responsible for the girl's death.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/brad-conway-lawyer-for-grandparents-of-caylee-anthony-quits-case/19594990?icid=main|main|dl1|link1|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fbrad-conway-lawyer-for-grandparents-of-caylee-anthony-quits-case%2F19594990

[Carnut]

No more delays for Casey Anthony trial, judge says

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- The judge presiding over the case of Florida murder suspect Casey Anthony warned lawyers Monday to expect long days in her upcoming trial and no more postponements.

"This case must come to an end at some point. This case must be tried at some point," Orange County Circuit Judge Belvin Perry Jr. told lawyers at a status hearing Monday afternoon. Anthony's 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, disappeared more than two years ago, "and I know that everybody has placed this on their front burner," Perry said.

Anthony has pleaded not guilty to capital murder in Caylee's death. Jury selection in her trial is set to begin May 9, with opening statements set to begin a week later.

Perry told lawyers that they can expect proceedings to run six days a week, and he warned them that all aspects of discovery needed to be resolved in advance. There will be no "trial by ambush" in his court, he warned.

"How much time you get to sleep at night will be strictly on you," Perry said. "If you don't share things, then y'all are going to find a lot of evenings ya'll are going to be together, giving depositions, taking statements. It makes for a long next day."

Caylee Anthony disappeared in July 2008. Her remains were found after five months of intense searches and speculation.

Perry has ordered that jury selection in the highly publicized case will be held in another county, with jurors brought to Orlando when opening arguments begin. Defense attorney Jose Baez has repeatedly complained about pre-trial publicity and has asked the judge to limit the release of public records about the case, but Perry has refused.

More than 5,000 pages of documents related to the case have been released, including letters from Anthony's mother and both fan mail and hate mail from the public. Anthony has refused to see visitors, because the sessions would be videotaped and eventually released.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/30/casey.anthony.trial/index.html