ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A judge in the case against Casey Anthony will allow prosecutors to keep possible new evidence a secret from the defense for at least the next 30 days.
READ: Camera Sealed Motion To Delay Disclosure
Judge Stan Strickland signed an order Wednesday and said, if prosecutors need to keep it sealed for more than a month they have to tell him in writing why it's necessary.
Earlier this month, WFTV found out new information had come to investigators that could be damaging to Casey, but just what the information is hasn't been released.
FORECLOSURE PAPERS FILED ON ANTHONY'S HOME
Casey Anthony's parents may be losing their home on Hopespring Drive to foreclosure (read documents). It's the last place Caylee Anthony was seen alive and it has become infamous over the past two years for protests and fights.
READ: Foreclosure Documents For Anthony Home VIDEO REPORT: Anthonys Face Foreclosure THE PROPERTY: Details From Property Appraiser
The Anthonys face foreclosure despite the money that George and Cindy have made off the case, including getting paid $20,000 for an exclusive interview on CBS. And, even though they haven't made a mortgage payment since last May, five months after that they went on a cruise.
Over the last year and a half, the house has been the scene of some strange goings on. Cindy Anthony has squirted at people with a hose, the Anthonys have had shoving and shouting matches with protesters and Casey has been taken away amidst a mob scene, surrounded by people angry that she was allowed to live in the house she once shared with her daughter Caylee.
Inside, Cindy has said Caylee's room has been left exactly as it was the day she disappeared. Now, they might lose the house with all its good and bad memories.
Some neighbors feel it wouldn't be a bad thing.
"It's good if somebody would buy it. There's nothing wrong with the house. It's only if you knew. It's all in your mind," neighbor Kevin Co said.
The Anthonys bought the house for almost $91,000 in 1989 (property appraiser's listing), but court records show the Anthonys owe more than $115,000, plus interest, partly because of a second mortgage.
Cindy is on disability from her nursing job and George has been out of work almost since Casey's first arrest. Their son Lee's lawyer said Lee moved in with them last year to help them pay their bills, but right after that is when they stopped making mortgage payments and Eyewitness News has heard he's moved out.
Neighbor Kevin Co obviously doesn't know all the details of the Anthony's finances, but says he wouldn't feel sorry for them if it turns out they spent money on a cruise and other things instead of making their $785 per month house payments.
"That's not the right thing to do if that's the way they did it," he said.
One neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said if the Anthonys put everyone else's property values in jeopardy by being irresponsible with their finances it's not going to endear them to anyone in the neighborhood.
Still, an Orlando real estate agent told Eyewitness News the intrigue could be a selling point for some and others might want to help the Anthonys.
"I think there are so many followers of the family that they would step in and try to help the family and one way of doing that is make an attempt to purchase the house," Sarah Eagan explained.
ZENAIDA FILES WITNESS LIST
Zenaida Gonzalez, who is suing Casey Anthony for allegedly implicating her in Caylee Anthony's disappearance and murder, has filed a list of expert witnesses she might call to testify at a defamation trial.
READ: Zenaida's Witness List
Gonzalez was investigated in connection with the case after detectives found out she had been to the Sawgrass Apartments around the same time Casey says she dropped her daughter Caylee off there.
Casey said the name of the nanny she left Caylee with at the apartments was Zenaida Gonzalez.
A status hearing for the trial is scheduled for May.
IS CASEY'S DEFENSE TEAM RUNNING OUT OF MONEY?
Casey Anthony's team is made up of some of the most high-profile lawyers in the country and it's not a cheap case to fight.
BILL SHEAFFER: Analysis Of Defense Finances VIDEO REPORT: Casey's Team Short On Cash?
Tuesday, Eyewitness News reported another member of the defense team dropped out of the case, but former spokesperson Marti Mackenzie didn't say why she was leaving. Wednesday, WFTV reporter Kathi Belich heard from another lawyer who was told Casey and her family were too broke to pay anyone.
Eyewitness News was told the Anthonys and their lawyer, Brad Conway, were looking for a lawyer to represent Casey who was willing to forego getting money upfront. Longtime Orlando attorney Robert Buonauro told Eyewitness News on Wednesday the Anthonys and Conway wanted to replace Casey's defense attorney, Jose Baez, early on in the case.
Buonauro says Conway said Casey and her family were broke and, if he were willing to do without money upfront, there was the possibility of some sort of defense fund or book or movie rights down the road. Buonauro said no.
The defense team has just lost its second spokesperson, longtime public relations expert Marti Mackenzie. Some speculate it's because the defense is out of money. All she would tell Eyewitness News was she was being paid for her year of work, she was not under contract and that she quit for confidential, professional reasons.
WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer says a stronger indication that defense finances are in trouble is the fact that the defense has not really even begun to depose major witnesses in the death penalty case. He says depositions are labor intensive and expensive.
"There's too much on the line to pick and choose which depositions of the individuals you want to take," Sheaffer said (watch full interview).
Sheaffer also said the fact that Mackenzie and two nationally-known members of the defense, Linda Kenney Baden and Andrea Lyon, have written books could indicate an expectation that at least some compensation for work on the case would come from possible book or movie deals down the road about the case against Casey.
Eyewitness News was first to report that the ABC network paid Casey Anthony about $200,000 for all her photos and videos of Caylee about a year and a half ago. But Sheaffer said an experienced defense lawyer might charge almost that much to take on a case like this.
JUDGE DENIES STATE'S REQUEST FOR PRIVATE MEETING
Late Wednesday afternoon, Judge Stan Strickland denied the state's request for a private meeting with him, but he did give the prosecution options (read order).
JUDGE'S ORDER: Grants Part, Denies Part Of Motion
Strickland wrote in his order that the state can submit a written motion explaining what information they want to keep private and how long they want to delay sharing it with Casey's defense team.
At that time, the judge will review their request again and make a final decision.
KNIFE, SYRINGE PHOTOS AMONG NEW EVIDENCE
Prosecutors released pictures, documents and video Tuesday in the case against Casey Anthony, including WFTV video (watch our report about it) that investigators believe links the rare type of duct tape found over Caylee's face to the Anthony family.
EVIDENCE PHOTOS RELEASED 2/16/10 » Knife, Duct Tape | Car Seat » Syringe, Gatorade Bottle, Substances » Baby Doll | Steering Wheel Cover » Alternate Light Source | Miscellaneous Pics » Still Image From WFTV Video Of Tape
LEGAL ANALYSIS: Read Report | Watch Sheaffer Interview VIDEO REPORT: Photos Released In Casey Case
The CDs released Tuesday morning include the evidence WFTV discovered and prosecutors say helps link Casey to the murder weapon. Eyewitness News first took video of a piece of Henkel brand duct tape on a Caylee poster the Anthonys' put up shortly after Casey's arrest and the revelation that Caylee was missing (view still image from video | video); it's the same rare type of tape that was found over Caylee's nose and mouth.
Casey021610ductknife-06 Casey021610ductknife-06 » Click here for knife pics « The newly-released discovery also contains photos of evidence found inside Casey Anthony's car, including a knife. The photos show highly-magnified views of the knife and threads that appear to be stuck to the serrated edge.
That knife might have been used to cut the three pieces of that same brand of tape found layered over Caylee's nose and mouth. Prosecutors said in court last year those three pieces of tape killed Caylee.
The photos are not accompanied by documents to show whether the threads found on the knife's edge match the threads from the rare duct tape found over Caylee's face and in the Anthonys' home.
"The criminal evidence comes to us in little pieces, not giant pieces, and that's why the trial is going to be a trial of duration," WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said (watch full analysis).
Casey021610syringeplus-27 Casey021610syringeplus-27 » Click here for syringe pics « The photographs show the minute detail of the work investigators did to try to find out what happened to Caylee by putting evidence in Casey's car under the microscope and under what are called "alternate light sources."
The photographs show how the carpeting in Casey's trunk was removed and how the special alternate light sources were directed at several pieces of the carpeting. The laser lights can detect bodily fluids, such as blood. The areas that glow would get investigators' attention for further testing to confirm what's there and maybe who it's from using DNA testing.
Small pieces of the trunk's carpet were cut for testing, as well as small pieces of the backing on the carpet, even shreds of the fibers from the carpeting.
So far, 12,419 pages of documents in the case have been released.
Previous Stories: February 23, 2010: Foreclosure Papers Filed On Anthony's Home February 17, 2010: Is Casey's Defense Team Running Out Of Money? February 16, 2010: Legal Expert: Evidence Suggests Only Casey As Suspect February 16, 2010: Knife, Syringe Among Photos Released In Casey Case February 15, 2010: Attorney Leaving Casey's Defense Team February 12, 2010: Casey's Defense Wants Private Meeting Denied February 12, 2010: EquuSearch Attorney: Baez Motion Is A Waste Of Time February 5, 2010: Juror Surveys Call Casey's Attorney "Rat," "Jerk" February 4, 2010: Why Does Casey's Trial Keep Getting Delayed? February 4, 2010: Casey Case Prosecutors Want To Withhold Info February 2, 2010: Casey Anthony's Defense Misses Deadline
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