Casey Anthony: Did She Dump Caylee’s Body?

Maybe…or maybe not? Her defense team said today that it has more than a dozen new witnesses that support the claim that their client did not place her daughter’s remains in the woods.

What do you think?

From WESH:

Defense attorneys said they have 15 to 20 people who searched the exact area where Caylee Anthony’s remains were found but found no body.

In the past, Texas EquuSearch volunteers have given sworn statements saying that the area in question was under water and there was no way to figure out what was there.

Defense attorney Cheney Mason said the names of the witnesses will be given to Judge Belvin Perry on Friday.

Casey Anthony: Investigative Money Gone?

Cheney Mason has provided additional insight into a request from the defense team asking for more funding for investigative hours.

From WESH:

This week, defense attorneys filed a motion asking Judge Belvin Perry to double the amount of investigative hours permitted for review of new evidence. The request would total up to $12,000.

In May, Perry set a cap of 300 hours for in-state investigators and 100 hours for out-of-state investigators. The new request asks for an additional 300 hours.

On Wednesday, Anthony defense attorney Cheney Mason told WESH 2 News the hours that were originally approved have already been used.

“Investigators have used (them) up. We just need more, that’s all,” Mason said.

Casey Anthony: Potential Defense Witnesses Found?

Casey Anthony’s defense team claim that they have found volunteers who searched the area where Caylee’s body was found that were not previously identified.

From WDBO:

“Scores of people have been telling us, all day long, that they’ve been on Suburban Drive,” said defense attorney Jose Baez.

Suburban Drive is the street where Caylee Anthony’s body was discovered.  Volunteers could bolster the defense theory that the body was not at the crime scene during searches and, therefore, must have dumped there by somebody other than Casey.

“It’s significant and you want to talk to them,” Baez said.

Casey Anthony: Defense Team to Review Search Documents

The defense team for accused murderer Casey Anthony will be reviewing Texas Equusearch documents this morning with the hopes of finding a credible volunteer who searched the area where her daughter’s remains were found, but that nothing was discovered at the time.

From WESH:

Prosecutors already have several sworn statements from volunteers who say that the area was submerged, increasing the likelihood that the remains were placed there before the rains came and Casey Anthony was locked up.

Defense attorney Richard Hornsby said the defense hopes to argue that a third party put the girl’s remains in the woods.

“That’s what the defense is banking on: third-party DNA and DNA still being there. It rebuts what prosecutors have been saying the whole time,” Hornsby said.

Casey Anthony: DNA Tests to be Done in US

Casey Anthony’s defense team filed a motion Friday to allow Dutch experts to do additional DNA testing but have been told by Judge Belvin Perry that testing must be done in the US.

As reported by CBS News, Perry said that he did not feel comfortable with allowing evidence to leave the court’s jurisdiction.

PS: Off topic…what’s up…no one checked out my Disneyland post

From CBS News:

In a newly filed defense motion Casey Anthony’s lawyers argued that Richard Eiekelenboom’s Dutch lab, Independent Forensic Services, has sophisticated technology not available in most U.S. labs.

Defense attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason also argued that all 15 Florida based labs were directly affiliated with law enforcement and therefore were potentially biased against the defense, the paper reported.

“In order to conduct truly independent forensic testing many lawyers have relied on experts from areas of academia or former law enforcement to test evidence and draw away from the inherently biased approach of law enforcement only testing,” the motion states.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry said he was inclined to grant the testing request but did not feel comfortable with allowing evidence to leave the court’s jurisdiction.

Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton agreed with the court saying that the prosecution had no power to compel witnesses from outside of the country to testify.

Casey Anthony: Defense Requests DNA Test

Casey Anthony’s defense team has requested DNA testing on a bag found at the discovery site of remains of her daughter Caylee as well as the shorts that it is believed that Caylee wore.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Defense attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason say they want DNA testing done on a canvas bag found at the recovery site and “shorts the State of Florida believes was worn by Caylee Marie Anthony,” according to the motion.

The defense also asks that the items be tested by its DNA expert Richard Eikelenboom of the Dutch-based Independent Forensic Services.

“Mr. Eikelenboom is world renowned and highly regarded as a pioneer in the field of touch DNA, an area that could prove useful to the defense,” the motion states. “Many laboratories in the United States have not mastered this technique, thereby placing a severe restriction on its [the defense team's] ability to find an expert with this expertise.”

Casey Anthony: More Depositions

Casey Anthony’s attorneys are preparing to depose Orange County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant John Allen, one of the two lead investigations in their client’s case.

From My Fox Orlando:

“We go through the entire history. We want to know what they did and what they did not do, who they talked to, what people said and every time we do this we learn more and more things that’s frankly beneficial to our case,” said Mason.

Through depositions and the discovery process, Cheney Mason says the defense has learned that Sgt. John Allen secretly recorded some conversations with Casey Anthony’s dad George.

“Is that legal?” asked FOX 35 reporter Holly Bristo. “It isn’t for police to do it. You and I can’t do it but if they’re in an official investigation they can record whatever they want,” Mason replied. “Would they need a special warrant,” we asked. “No they do not,” said Mason.

“Can it be used it court?” “Yes it can,” said Mason.

Casey Anthony: Attorney Talks Quran Burning

Not on topic of the trial, but Casey Anthony’s attorney, Cheney Mason, is speaking out about the possible Quran burning in Gainesville, Florida tomorrow.

From WDBO:

Orlando attorney Cheney Mason wrote an open letter Governor Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Mayor Craig Lowe to address the negative attention Florida has received because of the proposed Quran burning in Gainesville.

In the letter, he asks state leaders to step in and execute their constitutional obligations by enjoining Pastor Terry Jones from carrying out his mission to burn hundreds of Qurans on Sept. 11.

Casey Anthony: …and the Drama Continues

There’s a great article on the Orlando Sentinel Web site today which looks at the legal drama that is the Casey Anthony case. The writer focuses on lawyers battling back and forth and the overall public outrage with the case.

It’s amazing the drama we’re seeing here. I know that everyone who keeps up knows of the soap opera nature of the trial. What keeps you coming back? Are you more interested in what actually happens in the trial…or what will be the next “over the top” antic we’ll see?

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Sometimes, between the noise of media appearances, post-hearing press conferences, court filings and personal attacks, it’s easy to forget this case is about the murder of 2-year-old Caylee Marie and the life of her mother/murder suspect. The vitriol may subside for the moment after Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry last week called the various parties to a private conference to “discuss the tone of recent pleadings,” according to court administration spokeswoman Karen Levey.

Often it seems much more like a clash of egos in a case the public can’t seem to get enough of. The cast of characters features some of Orlando’s most experienced legal minds – and some of its most ambitious.

Casey Anthony: Defense Doesn’t Want Evidence Details Released

Here’s a quick update: the defense filed a motion this morning which opposes the release of documents that would reveal what evidence the team and its experts are looking at.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

The objection, filed today, states Casey Anthony and her attorneys “object to any preliminary release to the news media, or other public, of the records relating to intended inspection of tangible evidence.”

Today and tomorrow, Casey Anthony’s defense team and a series of high-profile experts are reviewing evidence collected in the murder case and held by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Anthony’s attorneys, Jose Baez and Cheney Mason, left the Sheriff’s Office around noon after spending several hours with experts there reviewing evidence.