Casey Anthony Updates

It's been a while since I reported any updates in the Casey Anthony case.. I was so frustrated with waiting for the trial to proceed that I really started losing interest in following the petty defense motions and other technical crap that just prolongs the whole damned thing.

So here are a few things I've found recently on the case:

DA Adds New Names To Casey Anthony's Witness List
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Prosecutors have added the name of Zenaida Gonzalez to their witness list for the murder trial against Casey Anthony.
-click for article-

E-mail spat leads to new motion in Anthony case
A disagreement in the Casey Anthony case has led to an email spat between the defense and state prosecutors, who filed a motion Wednesday accusing the defense of trying to avoid complying with a judge's order.

The controversy comes after the court on Monday ordered Anthony's defense team to provide prosecutors with information about the subject matter of planned expert testimony. Since then, the disagreement arose about just how detailed that information needs to be.
-click for article-

New Casey Witnesses Come With Doubt, Cost
Defense Team Uses Up Investigative Hours Finding New 'Key' Witnesses
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Casey Anthony's defense team revealed this week it has new witnesses that could unravel the prosecution's claim Anthony dumped her own daughter in the woods, but finding those witnesses may be coming at a cost to taxpayers.

Anthony's lawyers filed a motion on Wednesday asking that Judge Bevin Perry approve funding for even more investigative hours.

Perry approved more hours in late October. Defense attorney Jose Baez requested 300 hours. Perry approved 30 hours at a cost of $40 per hour.
-click for article-

Casey To Be Offered Deal In Fraud Case

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Until now, Casey Anthony has never admitted to a shred of guilt, but Eyewitness News has learned there will be a plea deal in her check fraud case.

Casey still faces charges for murdering her daughter and the outcome of the plea deal could affect that case, as well.

Casey is accused of stealing her best friend's checkbook. She faces 13 felony charges for it, which, if not for this deal, could have landed her in prison for 65 years.

A plea deal in the check fraud case certainly could explain why the defense has not yet deposed the alleged victim, Amy Huizenga, and it explains why the judge is not demanding that the trial start first thing Monday morning. He was adamant about the case going on January 25, no matter what, and even mentioned a plea as a possibility in court during one of the last hearings.

Casey Anthony told murder detectives they would never trick her into a confession that she killed her daughter Caylee. That was the day she was indicted for first-degree murder.

Now, Eyewitness News has learned she will take some legal responsibility for allegedly cleaning out hundreds of dollars from the bank account of her ex-best friend, Amy Huizenga. The evidence is clear, including security videos, receipts and canceled checks, and Casey has paid back the $664.25.

The terms of the plea deal are not so clear and might not be until Monday afternoon.

“Would you be surprised if all of the terms were not hammered out before that?” WFTV reporter Kathi Belich asked legal analyst Bill Sheaffer (full interview).

“Absolutely. The defense in this case is not going to enter a plea to these charges without knowing what the situation is regarding adjudication of guilt,” he said. “There is some strong indication to me, from my experience, that a plea to these charges, if in fact there's an adjudication, may be an indication that the murder case may not go to trial."

Sheaffer says that's because the judge's ruling on whether to adjudicate or convict Casey of a crime, or withhold adjudication, would directly affect the defense's decision as to whether Casey would take the stand in her murder trial. If she were to have a conviction on her record, prosecutors could ask her about it and it would immediately affect her credibility in the eyes of the jurors.

“If this deal does not include a ‘withhold of adjudication,’ a decision has to have been made that we're not gonna put her on the witness stand,” Sheaffer said. “It is very early to start cutting yourself off as to how you're going to defend the murder case.”

Sheaffer says, if the defense has already decided Casey won't testify at her murder trial before it's even been scheduled, it could mean there's a possibility of a plea in the murder case, too.

Eyewitness News asked the defense's spokeswoman why the defense team has not deposed Huizenga yet and was told defense attorney Andrea Lyons said there would be no comment about that.

Eyewitness News asked the State Attorney's Office about a possible plea deal and the spokeswoman said the only discussions about the case will happen in court.

A hearing in Casey’s check fraud case is expected to be held Monday afternoon. That's where Casey will likely plead. Two motions in the murder case are also expected to be heard during that hearing on January 25. The murder trial is supposed to start this year, but no date has been set yet.

Casey Anthony’s death penalty attorney, who is an expert on death penalty cases, admitted on national television that she doubts a jury will clear Casey of her daughter's murder. Anthony's defense attorney went on a morning show again Thursday morning, talking about how the amount of publicity will prevent Casey from getting a fair trial.

“I'm scared for my client. I'm afraid that the fact that she's been pilloried in the press. I would liken this Meredith, to the Salem witch trials,” Lyon told Meredith Viera on the Today Show.

Defense attorney Andrea Lyon says she will keep trying to get the death penalty off the table, but she stumbled over her words when she said Casey didn't kill her daughter Caylee Anthony.

“It does put a lot of pressure on a defendant to plea bargain even when they didn't, when they didn't do it. She didn't kill her kid,” Lyon said.

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer (interview) says the evidence is what it is and that people have a right not to believe that Casey had good reason for not reporting her daughter missing for 30 days and to also not to believe her inconsistent story about leaving Caylee with a nanny who's never been identified.

"Quit whining and get to the defense of this case. The evidence is, the facts are what the facts are. If that is tried before a jury in Orlando, Tampa, New York City, or Timbuktu, the jurors are going to form their opinion based upon their view of that evidence," Sheaffer said.

Lyon has tried more than 130 homicide cases, defended more than 30 potential capital cases and taken 19 people through the penalty phase and, so far, she's won them all. However, Thursday, Lyon admitted she's not optimistic about her client’s chances.

"There’s always a presumption of guilt and the intense media scrutiny here, as far as I can see, has made it virtually impossible to get a fair trial and we’re rolling an even bigger stone up a bigger hill than you normally are," Lyon said.

Lyon seemed also to be doing damage control after Eyewitness News exposed her comments that female prosecutors are manly and that jurors on death penalty cases are killers, as she tries to sell her new book.

Andrea Lyon repeated the defense's mantra that the public won't find out until the trial why Casey is innocent, but, Sheaffer says, if they really had something convincing that could spring Casey from jail they would have brought it forward by now.

Casey Anthony’s high-profile death penalty attorney kicked-off the sale of her new book Tuesday.

Eyewitness News followed Andrea Lyon through each court hearing as she worked to build a defense that can save Casey Anthony from the death penalty for the murder of her daughter Caylee Marie Anthony.

Lyon's new book, "Angel of Death Row: My Life as a Death Penalty Defense Lawyer," which doesn't focus on the Anthony case, is now heading to store shelves. The book explores Lyon’s first case in which she defends a mother accused of murdering her child.

Casey Anthony’s Defense Team Loses a Round!

Blogger News- Jose Baez has lost his motion to have Leonard Padilla and his team thrown off the witness list for the prosecution in the murder trial of little Caylee Anthony’s mother.

Casey Anthony is being held in the Orlando County jail until her trial while being charged with first degree murder of her 2 year old daughter and the death penalty on the table if she is found guilty.

When Leonard Padilla and his team, which included Tony Padilla, Tracy McLaughlin and Robert Dick, got Casey out of jail on bond they were around her a lot and apparently they heard conversations that Jose Baez would consider to be damaging to their case since he went through all this trouble to try and stop their testimonies from being heard.

Padilla denies he even worked for Baez. He said in fact Baez didn’t want him to work for him. “As far as signing any paperwork to be part of the defense team, I never signed anything like that,” said Padilla. “Jose was very adamant. He did not want any of us working for him.”

Padilla did say that Anthony never confessed anything to him but his employees Tracy was in close company with Anthony and had insight into her mindset. “When the time comes I’m sure Tracy’s going to shed a lot of light on what kind of person Casey is,” he said.

Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland didn’t go along with Baez’s argument that the group was an extension of the defense counsel and covered by the attorney-client privilege. I say finally the judge has made a fair decision in this case.

In another motion the defense had filed for though Judge Strickland ruled in favor for was to allow the defense team access to the records of 32 searchers that searched within a couple of hundred yards of where Caylee’s remains were found. It is expected that the defense will use this to try saying that Caylee’s remains were put in the woods where she was found after Casey was jailed. He is hoping to find volunteers that will say they searched the area and did not see anything.

Tim Miller the head of Texas Equusearch explained before that the area where Caylee was found was underwater in November when his team of volunteers were searching and they did not look in that particular area. Miller has in fact released photos of the area during that time showing the area under water. Also the prosecutions office has testimony from a botanist stating that based on the plant growth in and around the remains found they would have had to be there at least for four months.

Casey Anthony's Father Storms News Conference

ORLANDO -- The father of Casey Anthony was so unhappy with his former attorney releasing photos of the scene where his granddaughter's remains were found, he stormed into the middle of a press conference Thursday.

Attorney Mark NeJame, along with his client, Tim Miller, held the press conference to talk about the photos. He also wanted to talk about defense attorney Jose Baez's efforts to force Miller, the head of EquuSearch, to make public the names of search volunteers.

In a legal motion NeJame filed Thursday, he said revealing their identities could "cause a chilling effect on future volunteers" who would want to help in searching for missing children. NeJame also released a letter he sent to the defense laying out his arguments for why EquuSearch should not be compelled to release their files.

In the motion, NeJame argues that none of the volunteers searched the area where Caylee Anthony's remains were found. The photos NeJame released Thursday showed the area where the remains were found were under water at the time of the search, on Nov. 7.

Baez has filed a number of motions, including one that tried to get EquuSearch to turn over maps, communications records and other information on searchers and their involvement with investigators. That motion was denied in January.

NeJame told the press he would hand out documents, disks of information and photos regarding EquuSearch's search for Caylee last year. He said the foliage in the search area was so thick, someone could be within inches of an item and not see it.

The defense has also filed a motion to make Miller a material witness. Judge Stan Strickland is expected to hear that motion in court on Friday at 9:30 a.m.

At one point George Anthony interrupted the news conference and demanded to talk with NeJame in private. After NeJame returned, he had no comment on the discussion.

In the press conference, NeJame said he doesn't object to Miller as a material witness, but continues to say that EquuSearch was acting as a private company, and was not hired by the Sheriff's Office.

Miller and NeJame have teamed up before. They recently held a press conference in Orlando to announce they would help in the search for missing Satsuma girl Haleigh Cummings.

During Friday's hearing, the defense wants to delay Casey's criminal check fraud trial until after the murder trial. They also want bounty hunter Leonard Padilla and his associates to not be able to talk about their conversations with Casey Anthony.

New Member Of Defense Team Has History Of Fighting Death Penalty

For the new member of Casey Anthony's defense team, the fight against the death penalty is a family affair.

Jennifer Lyon and her sister, Rachel, have teamed up to produce controversial documentaries covering media, race and their relationship to the death penalty.

In two documentaries produced by her sister, Jennifer Lyon has taken the position that the media unfairly portrays African Americans, and that stereotype contributes to people of color being dealt death sentences unfairly.

In a pair of documentaries produced by her sister, the lawyer who will lead efforts to keep Casey Anthony out of Florida's death chamber, said blacks and people of color are over represented on television as perpetrators of crime.

"All of those things are being sold as actually representative of what most African American and Hispanic people are," Jennifer Lyon said.

At the same time, Jennifer Lyon said television over represents the threat of crime.

"Crime has been going down for years yet it gets reported 500 or 600 percent more because of the 24 hour news cycle and the need to feed that entertainment beast," she said.

Experts in filmmaker Rachel Lyon's documentary entitled "Juror Number Six" suggest potential jurors may be biased against blacks and people of color based on those media stereotypes, and those biases result in people of color more often being sentenced to death.

Casey Anthony is not a person of color, but her defense team has cited negative coverage as one reason to move the trial out of Orange County. Lyon said her first priority is to convince the judge the evidence is not there to warrant the state seeking death.

Geraldo Says State Is Using Dirty Tricks and Damning Evidence in Anthony Case

Geraldo Rivera’s show on May 31, 2009 featured attorneys for Casey Anthony.

Linda Kinney-Baden, in New York, and Jose Baez, from Florida, answered questions and discussed the latest motion filed by Baez regarding the video of Casey Anthony in the medical unit at the Orange County Jail on December 10, 2008 when the remains of a child were found near her home.

Geraldo started out stating “Prosecutors have become twisted in their relentless pursuit of her life.” He went on to say he believed this is an “unprecedented move for a case of this sort.” Stating that he thought “Casey is most probably responsible for her daughter’s death,” Geraldo said the State is using every “dirty trick in the book,” including “manipulating witnesses.” He further stated the prosecutors are “leaking damning videotape and every deposition they can get their hands on.” This was his lead into the real issue of this segment with Anthony’s attorneys; the filming of Ms. Anthony’s reactions. Geraldo said Casey was maneuvered into the medical wing of the jail so “they could videotape her reaction to finding remains.”

Geraldo questioned Baez on his opinion as to whether he believed he will be successful in keeping this video from being released. Jose Baez stated he is using the “mode to keep video sealed” via a “suppression motion.” He went on to state that he “was at the jail trying to see Casey and was prevented from seeing her while they conducted this sham job.” Geraldo interjected with, “They denied her her right to counsel.” Geraldo stated he spoke with Baez the morning the remains were found and after Baez visited Casey that day.

Baez told Geraldo he was told he could not see Casey “until she was taken to medical and cleared.” Baez stated that he waited a lengthy period of time before he was allowed to visit his client while she was in medical. He said, “She thought she was being taken for medical treatment.” Geraldo’s comment was, “It seems so cheap with them releasing interviews.”

Geraldo then turned to Linda Kinney-Baden for her views on where the defense stands on the issue of the videotape. Ms. Baden stated that, “interviews were accidentially released” which “taints jury pool.” Ms. Baden further stated that as per media reports, “she (Casey) has no privacy rights.” Baden was emphatic in stating it’s untrue that inmates have no privacy rights. She seemed angered about the fact that while taping, someone “zoomed in on her (Casey) face while talking with her attorney and presented that as evidence that they were going to set out to the public.” Baden called this “outrageous.”

Geraldo’s legal analyst stated Casey’s contact with her attorney is “protective communications” and it’s “unethical” to tape. Her opinion was this “calls into question about the evidence in the case,” and the “Prosecutor must abide by the Constitution and uphold a person’s rights.”

Geraldo asked Baez to give his thoughts on the state charging Casey Anthony with Capital Murder. Baez stated he “does not think this is a death penalty case,” but “they (the prosecution) are aggressive with their public relations prosecution.” Due to the State’s tactics on this case, Jose Baez said they are, “mounting a strong defense and fight for her life.” Geraldo ended this segment with, “they are treating her as a serial murderer. I think it’s appalling.”

[FULL STORY AND YOUTUBE VIDEO OF SEGMENT]

Casey's Complaints against Jose Baez escalated

Anthony family Private Investigator Dominic Casey had filed a complaint against Jose Baez with the Florida BAR claiming that Jose Baez had told him not to call 911 if he found the body of Caylee Anthony.

Dominic Casey is the PI that was filmed by Hoover searching the area where Caylee Anthony was eventually found months later.

The procedure for complaints with the BAR is to first examine complaints at the "staff level". From there, if the complaints are not dismissed they are escalated to grievance committee. Which is now where this complaint against Baez is.

The grievance committee is a made up of attorneys and private citizens that investigate the charge to determine if there is probably cause that a bar ethics violation occurred.

If they find that to be the case the complaint will then graduate to the disciplinary process.

Meter reader Roy Kronk's actions drew scrutiny in the Casey Anthony case today.

Orlando Sentinel: Meter reader Roy Kronk's actions drew scrutiny in the Casey Anthony case today.

Anthony attorney Jose Baez deposed a sheriff's deputy, another meter reader and Kronk's former boss. Kronk tried to alert authorities in August with a tip about Caylee Anthony's remains. Another Kronk tip in December led to the discovery of the toddler's body. Casey Anthony is charged with the first-degree murder of her daughter.

"Baez will try to establish doubt that the remains were really there all that time," WESH-Channel 2's Bob Kealing said. "If he can, that would mean Casey Anthony could not have put them there."

WFTV-Channel 9 legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said Baez should not be doing these depositions without a death-qualified lawyer. "He [Baez] might miss something that could help Casey Anthony avoid the death penalty if she's convicted," WFTV's Kathi Belich said.

WESH raised the same issue in a report last week. "We're still waiting for Judge Stan Strickland to rule on whether he'll hold a hearing on the issue or not," Kealing said.


Kealing said that Baez gave no clue today on the identity of the death-qualified attorney that will be introduced later this month.

"Sheaffer questions whether Baez really does have a death-qualified attorney lined up to join the defense team as he claimed," Belich said.

WFTV said that Baez on Wedesday would question another deputy, a DCF worker and a Universal employee.

Defense Scheduled to Depose Universal Employee

Defense lawyer Jose Baez for accused child killer Casey Anthony confirmed via fax to media outlets of depositions scheduled for May 13th.

He will again question corrections officer, Lt. Tammy Uncer about actions at the jail on December 11th, 2008.

On Tuesday, the defense questioned Uncer for 'several hours,' which ended with attorney's wanting to know more said Baez. The notice released stated both deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office who responded to the discovery of Caylee's remains would be deposed.

The defense team may have bit off more than they can chew on the 13th with scheduling to also question an employee at Universal Studios.

Deputies Deposed By Casey's Defense

ORLANDO -- Casey Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, conducted more depositions Tuesday.

--->Listen To The Interview of Tammy Unser on Dec. 11, 2008

These depositions centered around Anthony's reactions while she was in jail the day her daughter's remains were found less than a mile from her home.

"She collapsed into the chair and started to, what appeared to be hyperventilating," Lt. Tammy Unser said. "She lost her breath. We told her a couple of times to take some deep breaths."

In one audio recording, there are the two people being questioned under oath.

Unser was with Casey that December day and took her to the jail's medical center.

Detective Philip Graves interviewed Unser about Casey's reactions.

After questioning, Baez said his client’s rights were violated.

“I don't agree with what happened. I don't think people should be treated that way. But unfortunately, I can't because of the things that are ongoing right now. It’s all going to come out in court," Baez said.

The trial is set to start in October. However, the defense is still waiting to see what evidence the state has and why prosecutors want to seek the death penalty.

Baez received about 700 pages from the state Tuesday, but said he doesn't think it's what he's waiting to see.

"They know what we want. They know how long we've been asking for it. If we’re not getting it, obviously there comes a certain point when cooperations ends and we have to ask the court to intervene," Baez said.

Casey Anthony's Attorney Wants Trial Moved to Miami

(CNN) -- Accusing local media in the Orlando, Florida, area of a "barrage" of coverage, Casey Anthony's lead defense attorney asked Monday to have her death-penalty case moved from Orlando to Miami, Florida.

"The overwhelming majority of the media's coverage of this case has been negative for the defendant," says a defense motion filed in Orange County Circuit Court. Anthony, 23, is scheduled to go on trial on a first-degree murder charge in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.

"The effects of the inflammatory and negative aspect of the media coverage in this case is best witnessed in the violent and harassing protests which have dogged the defendant and her family for many months now," the motion says.

Signed by Anthony's lead lawyer, Jose Baez, the motion says moving the trial far enough away from local media will "not end the coverage," which Baez said has produced thousands of articles and TV news reports, but will "have a chilling effect" on coverage.

Peter Odom, a defense attorney appearing Monday on HLN's Nancy Grace to provide analysis of the case, said, "All the defense has to show is that there's been extensive media coverage. That's a cinch."

"Secondly, that it will be impossible for them to find a fair jury pool," he added, referring to the Orlando area.

Baez cited a number of reasons in his request to the judge to move the case to south Florida, where he says it has been covered far less and there is a "large and diverse jury pool."

Local media in the Orlando area, he argued, have affected Anthony's chances of getting a fair trial not only in Orange County but in much of Central Florida. If the judge rejects his request to move the trial to Miami, Baez said Broward County, about a 45-minute drive north of Miami, is a second choice.

Casey Anthony's Lawyer, Jose Baez, Rejected By Florida Bar On First Try

His defense of a young mother charged with killing her toddler has transformed José Ángel Baez into one of the best-known lawyers in America.

For eight years after he graduated from law school, however, the board that screens prospective attorneys in Florida would not let him practice law. The Florida Supreme Court agreed with the decision, issuing an order in 2000 that cataloged unpaid bills, extravagant spending and other "financial irresponsibility" up to that time. Justices reserved their strongest condemnation for his failure to stay current on support payments for his only child.

His overall behavior, they wrote, showed "a total lack of respect for the rights of others and a total lack of respect for the legal system, which is absolutely inconsistent with the character and fitness qualities required of those seeking to be afforded the highest position of trust and confidence recognized by our system of law."

He worked instead as a paralegal for the Miami-Dade public defender and then taught Internet research to lawyers and started four business ventures, including two bikini companies. Before Florida Bar officials admitted him in 2005, he had to demonstrate that he had rehabilitated himself.

Today, as lead defense attorney for Casey Anthony — the Orange County woman charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter— 40-year-old Baez has become the sort of instant celebrity monitored by TV, newspapers, tabloids and the Internet.

He is a Bar member in good standing, his office spokeswoman reminded the Orlando Sentinel in a prepared statement. She also questioned the motives behind the newspaper story.

"Based on your questions and actions," she wrote, "this profile you are writing has nothing to do with Jose Baez's representation of Casey Anthony and appears to be a sensationalist persecution of a Hispanic lawyer who has been targeted by a newspaper lucky to find itself at the center of a national story."

The Supreme Court order, which the Sentinel found in public records, shows that nearly a decade ago, he could not satisfy the character and fitness standards Florida requires of prospective lawyers.

It identifies Baez by his initials, J.A.B. — standard procedure in cases in which prospective lawyers challenge their denial of a law license at the state's highest court. Using other public records and interviews, the Sentinel matched many details in the document to Baez, however.

For instance, the lawyer listed as representing J.A.B. was Manuel Alvarez, an attorney with the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office, where Baez worked at the time.

The office confirmed that Alvarez helped Baez with his Bar application. Supreme Court records show J.A.B.'s is the only case involving the Bar that Alvarez has handled in the state's highest court.

Alvarez would not comment, but Executive Assistant Public Defender Rory S. Stein said that Alvarez wrote a legal brief on behalf of Baez in 1998, the year after he graduated from law school. Stein called it "a friendly gesture" to a staff member who needed help with his lawyer application.

In an interview last year, Baez described his eight years out of law as a personal choice, saying he could earn more money in other fields. He would not be interviewed for this story but commented on the court order in the statement issued through Marti Mackenzie, his office spokeswoman:

"The ruling you claim that was made about a lawyer with the initials J.A.B. has nothing to do with Mr. Baez's current status as a member in good standing with The Florida Bar. Many people, including lawyers, have monetary misunderstandings, disputes and child support disagreements that have no effect on their ability to represent clients."

[more on this douche here]

Report: Casey Anthony Defense Team To File For Change of Venue

The defense team for Casey Anthony will file for a change of venue, hoping to get the high-profile case moved out of Central Florida, according to a broadcast report Sunday evening.

The legal team, headed by Jose Baez, will file the motion today in Orange County Circuit Court, WKMG-Channel 6 is reporting.

Prosecutors have been anticipating such a filing but did not know when it would come and don't know if it will come Monday, said Randy Means, a spokesman for the State Attorney's office.

Anthony is in the Orange County Jail awaiting trial. She is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony, whose remains were discovered in December, five months after Casey reported the girl missing.

The search for a missing Caylee quickly gained the attention of the national media, and the frenzy over the case has not subsided much since.

Attention was brought back to the case when the toddler's remains were found in a wooded area less than a mile from the house where she lived with her mother and grandparents in east Orange County. Even that discovery, like many developments in the case, was not routine.

Her body was found by a local meter reader, Roy Kronk, who said later than he had called in a tip four months earlier about a body in the woods in that area. A Orange County Sheriff's deputy, Richard Cain, failed to follow up on the tip sufficiently, according to an internal investigation, and he is in the process of being terminated. He is appealing that termination.

Baez is the subject of a two-part series by the Orlando Sentinel. The first story can be read here.

Casey Anthony Could Walk Away Free?

Attorney Jose Baez talked about several key parts of his defense of Casey Anthony during an exclusive interview with WESH 2 News.

"There is so much that is unknown, and we have to focus on all of it," Baez said in an interview with WESH 2's Bob Kealing.

Baez and other attorneys interviewed by WESH 2 said the woods where Caylee's remains were discovered are a central place in which much of the case could revolve.

Caylee was missing almost six months before her body was found. And, Baez said, "They don't know how Caylee passed away. They don't know when Caylee passed away."

Baez and other defense attorneys say prosecutors have not definitively tied Casey Anthony to Caylee's remains along Suburban Drive. They have to prove that Casey dumped the body there before entering state custody and that they remained there for almost six months.

"That's going to become one of the major battlegrounds in the case," said defense attorney Richard Hornsby.

Thomas Luka, an attorney for Casey Anthony's brother, Lee, agreed: "That would be one of the first things I would want to pursue."

Baez also questioned the forensic evidence in the case.

He plans to vigorously attack the single hair found in Casey Anthony's car trunk that prosecutors say is proof a decomposing body was in there. He said his own expert Henry Lee found 17 hairs in the trunk that showed no signs of decomposition.

Baez also will raise questions about the air test that a lab said showed evidence of human decomposition.

"It's not science that's fully accepted within the scientific community," Baez said "It's science that's not been verified. There's absolutely nothing to gauge this science by, so, therefore, it should not be used when someone's life is at stake.

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty in the case.

A spokeswoman for State Attorney Lawson Lamar said, "We don't respond to anything about this case outside the courtroom." (source)
Click here to watch video

YESSS!!!!! NOW SEEKING DEATH PENALTY!!!!

Defense attorney, Jose Baez, visited the Orange County Jail yesterday after the state announced they would seek the death penalty in their case against Casey Anthony.

According to official jail records, Baez entered the jail shortly after 8 p.m. and left at 9:15 p.m. Casey has not received any other visitors.

Around 4pm Monday, Lead prosecutor, Linda Drane Burdick, of the state attorney's office, filed the letter to seek the death penalty for Casey Anthony.

Baez is not qualified to defend Anthony in a death penalty case because he lacks the required credentials by the Florida Bar.

"This is not a death penalty case. We will do whatever is necessary to defend Casey Anthony from the State trying to take her life. We already have death qualified defense lawyers on our team and are prepared for a vigorous defense ... We plan on making this a whole tougher for the state now," said Baez.

Click here to read the State's Notice Of Intent To Seek Death Penalty

"Based upon additional information that has become available since the waiver of intent to seek the penalty of death filed on December 5, 2008, sufficient aggravating circumstances exist to justify the imposition of the Death Penalty," the filed letter stated.

Baez Files Motion for Phone Records

Going out on a limb here BUT it can't be easy for Casey Anthony's defense team. Casey's attorney, Jose Baez appears to have not found that somethin' special among the 5,000 pages of documents released.

On Friday, Baez filed a motion for additional phone records. Baez is requesting a judge to sign an order for 11 different cell phone companies to provide 'complete' phone records for the following:

Amy Huizinga, Casey Anthony's ex-best friend scammed out of $700. & up
Jesse Grund, Casey Anthony's ex-fiance.
Roy Kronk, the meter reader who found Caylee Anthony's remains.
Tony Lazzaro, the man Anthony was dating when Caylee disappeared.
Keith Williams, the dude who found bag of stuff animals on vacant lot where Caylee's remains were later discovered.
Richard Cain, the deputy who failed to searched the woods where Caylee's remains was later found.
Dominic Casey and Jim Hoover, the private investigators working for Anthony family.
Casey's family, the brother Lee, mother Cindy and father George Anthony.

Ooops, Corrections Officers Audio Recordings ACCIDENTALLY Released??

The three DVDs containing video, photo's, and cell phone records released by the the State Attorney's office included audio interviews with two jail officers. Prosecutors told WFTV news they accidentally released the audio recordings of the Orange County Corrections officers with Casey, on the day Caylee's remains were discovered.

Click here to listen to Lt. Tammy Unser on Dec. 11, 2008.
Click here to listen to Sgt. Billy Richardson on Dec. 11, 2008.

The officers said Casey heard the news on the radio in her cell and then officers took her to the medical clinic, where she watched the news on Dec 11.
The defense requested a Strickland to rule the recordings as private. No ruling had been made before the accidental release. The audiotapes were to be held until the judge ruled on a defense request to not be public.

The defense has not commented on the release of the two audio recordings.
Judge Stan Strickland was to rule on the audio files May 7.

Judge Stan Strickland Filed Complaint Against Jose Baez

YES!

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Jose Baez has been investigated by the Florida Bar before, but now sources tell Eyewitness News it's the judge in the case against Casey that's filed a complaint against Casey Anthony's own attorney.

Eyewitness News has learned Circuit Judge Stan Strickland is one of two people who have filed new complaints against Jose Baez. The Florida Bar says both investigations involve Baez's former private eye, Dominic Casey. He's the guy who was at the remains scene a month before detectives found Caylee.

It's very rare for a judge to file a complaint like this, but all judges are obligated as attorneys to report possible violations.
There's speculation the complaints involve the private eye's claim he was told not to call 911 if he found Caylee's body. But, shocking as it might be, WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer says calling 911 could've gotten Casey Anthony's defense team in trouble.

Circuit Judge Stan Strickland would not talk to Eyewitness News about his Bar complaint against defense attorney Jose Baez. Sheaffer, who served on a Bar grievance committee, told Eyewitness News the complaint would not automatically disqualify Strickland from the case.
Casey Anthony would have to make a strong claim that it jeopardizes her right to a fair trial, but Sheaffer wouldn't advise it.

"Casey Anthony should think long and hard before she files a motion to recuse Judge Strickland from this case because there are a lot of other judges out there that are less tolerant and patient with her attorney than Judge Strickland has been," Sheaffer said.

Dominic Casey told detectives he would've called 911 if he had found Caylee in November, but also that he was told not to call 911 by someone he apparently identified during an interview, which Judge Strickland sealed because it divulged defense secrets.

Sheaffer says no one is legally obligated to call 911 after finding a body and Casey's defense team would be legally obligated not to if it would incriminate her.
"He is prohibited by the rules of ethics from ever divulging that information," Sheaffer said.
Sheaffer said it would cost Baez his license and, for the justice system to work, it has to be that way.

"A client must know that there is one person that they can tell the truth to," Sheaffer explained.
Sheaffer believes the judge's complaint involves more than a defense instruction to Dominic Casey not to call 911. He says judges usually handle trivial issues with attorneys by holding contempt of court hearings in their own courtrooms.

But Jose Baez isn't alone. Eyewitness News also confirmed Wednesday that another lawyer wrapped up in the case is under investigation by the Florida Bar.

Brad Conway is the lawyer representing George and Cindy Anthony. Eyewitness News has learned Brad Conway was with Dominic Casey when Dominic Casey gave investigators information that Judge Strickland later determined was privileged to the defense. Eyewitness News is still working to find out the exact complaint in Conway's investigation. (source)

Anthony's Demeanor On Day Of Indictment

"Cool as a cucumber is the way to describe the way Casey Anthony handled herself with detectives after her arrest for first-degree murder the day of her indictment. They tried to apply subtle pressure to get her to open up about where Caylee was.

Instead, Casey complained, joked and laughed, including when the handcuffs were locked onto her wrists as she headed back to jail. It was the end of her unsettling chat with FBI and sheriff's investigators the day she was indicted.

Casey's greatest concern during the October interview, even though she claimed Caylee was alive and missing, appeared to be the media.

"Here's my question. I know this is a question that a lot of people have asked. The grand jury and all that, it's supposed to be secret, but it was released to the media right off the bat," Casey told investigators on October 14.

Detectives tried to get Casey to crack by talking about how tough it was for her father to testify against her that morning to the grand jury and by telling her how strong their evidence was that Caylee's dead body had been in the trunk of her car.

"We have more than speculation. We have a lot or else we wouldn't be to this point," FBI Special Agent Nick Savage told her.

"Mmmhmm," Casey responded.

"A lot," Savage restated.

But Casey stuck to the one consistent part of her story.

"I know in my gut. There's a feeling as a parent. You know certain things about your child. You can feel that connection and I still have that feeling, that presence," Casey told investigators. "I know that she's alive. Whether you have a bucket load of evidence downstairs that contradicts that and says otherwise or all you have is speculation or, or nothing at all."

Casey actually blamed investigators for not accepting her offer to talk.

"Nobody's taken us up on that," she told them.

Investigators tried again right then and there to get her to talk, but once again she backed down. "(source)

Watch here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Casey Anthony's Response To Caylee's Remains Found

Orange County Corrections Lt. Tammy Unser described how Casey Anthony collapsed in a chair after she saw WFTV-Channel 9 news report about child remains discovered near her home on Dec. 11.

"She never appeared to cry but continued to breathe rapidly," Unser told detectives hours after Caylee's remains were found on Suburban Drive. The wooded area is less than a mile from the Anthony family home.

The corrections officer said she escorted Casey Anthony to the medical clinic around 11:35 a.m. so she could view the TV and "see what was happening" before her attorney arrived. The mental health staff, Unser said, also would be able to watch her and offer services if needed.

"She walked into the medical clinic and immediately looked at the TV, which was on Ch. 9," Unser said in a taped interview. (source)

After she collapsed, her hands became sweaty and red blotches appeared on her neck. She didn't look at the TV anymore but she could hear reports about the body of a small child found near the Anthony home. "She definitely heard all of that," Unser said.

After 10 minutes, the mental health staff determined Casey Anthony had "had enough."

Unser escorted Casey Anthony to a conference room where a psychologist spoke to her. He wanted to make sure she wasn't going to harm herself, Unser said. Casey Anthony assured both Unser and the psychologist that she would not.

She requested a sedative and asked when her attorney was going to arrive. Unser told her that she assumed he was on his way

Casey Anthony asked Unser to sit with her because "she didn't want to be alone," Unser said.

She continued to breathe rapidly and talk fast. Casey Anthony didn't talk about her case, Unser said.

She did tell the corrections officer that she couldn't break down in cry "because this isn't real."

Then, Casey Anthony started talking about football -- the national championship.

Her attorney, Jose Baez, arrived around noon and met with her about 90 minutes.

Unser watched the two -- who met in another room. Unser told detectives that Baez "told her what he thought and what had occurred."

Unser saw Casey Anthony "break down" and cry, prompting Baez to ask for some tissues.

Eventually, she settled down and they took her back to her sell. She asked to take a shower -- she spent about 10 minutes in the shower, Unser said.

Casey Anthony reported the sedative had helped settle her stomach.

Unser said this was not typical behavior for Casey Anthony. She said the inmate had never requested a sedative before and rarely showed emotion.

Jail spokesman Allen Moore said this afternoon that jail officials would not comment on what was discussed in Unser's interview with detectives. (source)