News

Casey Murder Trial Brings Tears, Blame And Shame

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — George Anthony was the prosecution's first witness on day 12 of Casey Anthony's murder trial on Tuesday. Casey is accused of killing her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee, and dumping the body in the woods near her parent's home on Suburban Drive.

Circuit Judge Belvin Perry called the court to order around 9:00am on Tuesday.

DAY 12: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 BILL SHEAFFER: Analysis Of Day 12 CASEY WALKING IN: Raw Video | See Images CASEY CRIES: During Prosecutor Statements | Defense RAW VIDEO: Casey Anthony Cries In Court INSIDE COURTROOM: Casey, Parents, Attorneys GEORGE, CINDY ARRIVE: See Images | Raw Video DEFENSE ARRIVING: See Images | Raw Video TEAM COVERAGE: Day 12 Of Trial

Casey walked into the Orange County courtroom at 8:50am on Tuesday, wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt and she had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her parents, Cindy and George Anthony were present.

Casey cried throughout the opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense on Tuesday. However, Casey was most emotional after lunch when her attorney, Jose Baez, stated to the jurors that Caylee Anthony was never missing, but drowned in her family's pool.

"How in the world can a mother wait 30 days to report a child missing? It's insane. Something's just not right about that. The answer is relatively simple. She never was missing. Caylee Anthony died on June 16, 2008, when she drowned in her family's swimming pool," Baez stated.

Baez claimed that George Anthony said to Casey after finding Caylee allegedly dead in the pool, "Look what you've done! You're mother will never forgive you! And you will go to jail for child neglect for the rest of your freaking life!"

Casey's attorney said that George covered up Caylee's accidental death.

Baez also stated, "On June 16, 2008, after Caylee died, Casey did what she's been doing all her life, or most of it, hiding her pain. She went back to that deep, dark place called denial to pretend as if nothing was wrong."

Casey's attorney said she was abused by her father as a child and alleged that Casey's brother made advances toward her and was given a paternity test to see if he was Caylee's father.

"She could be 13 years old, have her father's p**** in her mouth and then go to school and play with the other kids as if nothing ever happened," Baez stated to the court.

All those secrets eventually led to the cover up of Caylee's drowning, attorney Jose Baez said.

"You will hear about a family that is dysfunctional," Baez said. "Ugly things. Secret things."

Baez said Caylee and her grandmother, Cindy, swam most of Father's Day on June 15, 2008, and suggested that Cindy forgot to pull up a ladder that prevented the toddler from climbing into the pool on her own. Baez suggested that Caylee slipped into the pool the next day when no one was looking.

The distraught family panicked and didn't call police, he said.

"Casey should have called 911. That's what she's guilty of she's, not guilty of murder. This is not a murder case," Baez said.

Baez also said Tuesday in opening statements that Casey loved her daughter and was a good mother.

During a lengthy opening statement, Baez said George Anthony planted duct tape matching the brand later found over Caylee's mouth in a way that would implicate Casey.

"George Anthony took certain steps to make sure he was as far away from this situation and that Casey would end up taking the blame for this," Baez said.

Baez also blamed the police department for botching the investigation, alleging they wanted to feed a media frenzy about a mother killing her child instead of investigating a mundane drowning.

Police "had murder on their minds. This couldn't be an accident," Baez said. "You'll find that professional police work took a backseat in this case. We were more concerned about the public than doing their jobs."

Casey's father, George, was called after the defense wrapped up its opening statements.

George was asked by prosecutor Jeff Ashton to describe Caylee's childhood. He also asked George to describe Casey's daily routine as a mother and what Caylee's favorite movie was.

"Lady and the Tramp was a fantastic video to watch," George said.

Ashton also asked George, "Have you ever sexually molested your daughter Casey Anthony?"

"No sir," he replied.

Earlier, only minutes into the prosecution's opening statements, Casey became visibly upset, nodding her head and then crying.

Prosecutor Linda Drane-Burdick began opening statements, describing Casey's home life, and her life with Caylee. Casey wiped away tears as Drane-Burdick began describing the last day that Caylee was seen by her grandparents.

The prosecution described a day-by-day account of the disappearance of Caylee and detailed dozens of lies that led up to the discovery of Caylee's body.

Drane-Burdick offered a timeline of Casey's whereabouts based on cell phone records. The timeline stretched from the time Caylee was last seen by her grandparents on Father's Day 2008 until her remains were discovered by a meter reader in the woods near her home in December 2008.

Baez claims that meter reader Roy Kronk hid Caylee's body in the woods.

Jurors were shown images on a screen of a photo of Caylee taken on Father's Day alongside an image of the little girl's skeletal remains.

"It is time to tell the story of a little girl named Caylee," Drane-Burdick said

Casey waited a month before telling her mother that Caylee had disappeared, and only after her parents, George and Cindy, recovered from the towing lot a car with a foul odor that Casey had been driving.

Drane-Burdick asked jurors, between descriptions of how Casey spent her days shopping, visiting friends and hanging out with her boyfriend with no signs of her daughter, "Where is Caylee Marie Anthony?"

The prosecutor described Casey's appearance as a hardworking single mother as an illusion.

She also described Internet searches conducted on a computer at Casey Anthony's home that showed queries for chloroform, neck-breaking and alcohol.

"Casey Anthony ... appeared to be ... a loving mother, trying to provide support for her daughter," Drane-Burdick said. "But as the evidence in this case will show, that was an illusion."

Drane-Burdick said that no one else other than Casey had a motive to kill Caylee.

The prosecutor said that Caylee died from three pieces of duct tape that were taped over her nose and mouth by her murderer. Drane-Burdick also said that Caylee's body was dumped as if it were a piece of garbage.

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer called Drane-Burdick's opening a "masterpiece" that detailed nothing but lies from Casey's fictitious job to an imaginary nanny.

It all culminated with the state's theory of what actually happened to Caylee. The trial has attracted national attention, and dozens of people lined up in the early morning hours to be one of the few spectators allowed into the courtroom. One spectator, Brett Schulman, says he arrived at the Orlando courthouse at 4:00am.

The line to get inside courtroom 23-A was wrapped around the Orange County Courthouse by 6:00am. The first 50 people got tickets to see the case against Casey unfold.

Some had pen and paper, and were ready to take notes.

"We're both law students, so looking forward to taking notes and tips for when we practice," said spectator Brenna Egan.

"This is one of the most important things to come to Central Florida and I wanted to be a part of it," said Schulman.

Two women, who waited three hours for their tickets to see Casey, flew in from New York and planned their summer vacations around the trial. They've been following through the Internet and national coverage since 2008.

"It caught my attention from the get-go. I think the little girl went missing, saw that and she was so beautiful and everything that unfolded after that is intriguing," said spectator from New York, Colleen Militello.

The first 50 people who got their tickets also received a sheet outlining the rules they'll have to follow while in the courtroom, including no gestures or facial expressions.

At 4:50pm, Judge Perry recessed the court for the day. Casey's trial will resume at 9:00am on Wednesday.

Jurors will hear testimony six days a week, taking Sundays off. Jurors were picked from Pinellas County and transported to Orlando where they will be sequestered for the duration of the trial.

Casey has pleaded not guilty and claims a babysitter kidnapped Caylee. She is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and four counts of lying to law enforcement. If convicted, 25-year-old Casey could be sentenced to death.

Previous Stories: May 23, 2011: Legal Analyst Previews Casey Trial Opening Statements May 20, 2011: Casey Anthony Back In Orange County Jail May 20, 2011: Details On Jurors For Casey Anthony Trial May 20, 2011: Casey Jury Sworn In, Opening Statements Start Tuesday May 20, 2011: Woman Yells "She Killed Somebody" During Casey Trial May 19, 2011: Judge Plans To Swear In Casey Jury On Friday May 18, 2011: Baez Says "Private Matter" Led To Early Court Dismissal