ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — Head injuries, neck-breaking, internal bleeding, death, and chloroform were some of the topics that computer experts said, on Wednesday during Casey Anthony's murder trial, she was researching before her daughter disappeared. Wednesday marked day 24, including jury selection, of Casey's trial.
Casey is accused of killing her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony.
DAY 24: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 BILL SHEAFFER: Analysis Of Day 24 CASEY WALKS IN: See Images | Raw Video KEY PLAYERS: Judge, Attorneys, Witnesses, Casey VIDEO REPORT: Expert On Casey's Web Searches
Casey Anthony entered the courtroom on Wednesday, wearing grey pants and a peach colored button-down shirt. She had her hair pulled back.
Prosecutors said Casey might have thought she covered her tracks by deleting her self-incriminating searches on her family's computer, but Orange County investigators began uncovering her computer history.
Sandra Osborne of the Orange County Sheriff's Office was called by prosecutors to testify about photos and the Internet searches on a computer at Casey's home.
"In some cases that info could stay for years," Osborne said.
The experts testified that Casey's first chloroform search was done on March 17, 2008 around the time she found out she couldn't go to Puerto Rico with friends because her mother Cindy Anthony would not watch Caylee for her.
Forensics scientists testified this week that high levels of chloroform were found in Casey's car. Chloroform is a chemical that is associated with human decomposition, but the compound also can be used to render a person unconscious.
Osborne also testified that searches were done on the Anthony family computer for the name "Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez." Casey Anthony initially told authorities that a nanny by that name kidnapped her toddler Caylee. But the searches were not until July 16, 2008 -- 31 days after prosecutors say the 2-year-old first went missing. The same search was also done on a computer belonging to Casey's former boyfriend, Ricardo Morales, and didn't yield a hit for the name.
Under cross-examination, defense attorney Jose Baez pointed that though there were two user-created accounts on Casey's desktop, that didn't mean that no one else could have used the computer for the chloroform searches.
The investigators went to the developer of the software they were using to help them dig deeper.
John Bradley testified on Wednesday that after spending hours modifying his software for them he was able to detail Casey's deleted searches down to the second she did them.
"The state is setting the stage for premeditated murder by showing she was searching chloroform some three months before Caylee disappeared," said WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer.
Defense attorney Jose Baez accused the state expert of trying to profit from the case and asked him about searches that Baez argued were not relevant, such as one about household weapons.
"Did the investigators suggest to you that someone was making weapons at their house and that was relevant?" Baez asked.
"No," replied Bradley.
Prosecutors told the jury that Casey's parents were at work when the searches were done. Casey was pretending to work, but there is evidence that she would sneak back to the house once both of them were gone.
Baez did his best to destroy the damning affect of the state's computer expert's testimony.
However, prosecutor Linda Drane-Burdick dropped a bombshell about how many times Casey went to one particular website, which showed how to make chloroform.
"How many times was that site visited?" Drane–Burdick asked.
"According to the history, 84 times," Osborne said.
Caylee's bones were found in woods near her grandparent's home on Suburban Drive in December 2008, almost six months after she was last seen by Casey's parents, George and Cindy Anthony.
Prosecutors also called a police dog handler to the witness stand on Wednesday. Sgt. Kristin Brewer testified that her K-9 partner, Bones, was alerted to decomposition in the backyard of the home that Casey shared with her daughter and parents during a search in July 2008.
Another police dog handler, Orange County Deputy Jason Forgey, testified on Tuesday that his cadaver dog, Gerus, alerted on Casey's back yard and the trunk of her car.
"He gave a final trained alert in the southeast corner of the yard. There was a playhouse in the area," said Forgey.
The alerts were near a playhouse that Caylee got for her second birthday. Prosecutors believe Casey might have tried to bury Caylee's body in that area.
But Sheaffer said the back yard grave suggestion may affect jurors significantly.
"I think they're gonna be horrified that she would attempt to bury that body in the back yard where her parents live," said Sheaffer.
Prosecutors believe Casey couldn't bury Caylee, so she put the child's body in her trunk for days.
Neither K-9 partner was able to detect decomposition during a second visit to the Anthony home. When asked why, Brewer said that whatever had been in the yard was either moved or the odor dissipated.
On Tuesday, the defense got Forgey to admit he could not ensure the back yard alerts weren't false positives, but he testified to his own experience with the car.
"I smelled it, clear as day," he said.
Sheaffer said he believes testimony from the first handler was impressive and convincing for jurors.
"They're going to be impressed with the training and expertise of the dog that there's going to be little doubt Caylee's body was in the trunk and in the back yard of the Anthony home at some time in at least two locations," said Sheaffer.
Casey is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of lying to law enforcement. Casey could be sentenced to death if convicted of first-degree murder. She has pleaded not guilty and her defense attorney says Caylee accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool.
Previous Stories: June 08, 2011: Deputy: Cadaver Dog Alerted To Playhouse, Casey's Car June 06, 2011: Expert: Tests Show Body Was In Trunk Of Casey's Car June 04, 2011: Forensic Expert Testifies On Evidence In Casey's Car June 03, 2011: Day 20: Parts Of Casey's Car Trunk Shown As Evidence June 02, 2011: State Exposes Lie After Lie From Casey On Day 19 Of Trial June 01, 2011: Witnesses, Recordings Heard In Court Expose Casey's Lies May 31, 2011: Tears Shed As 911 Calls Play; Casey's Ex-Friend Testifies May 30, 2011: Cindy Cries During Testimony On Caylee, Casey Angered May 27, 2011: Witness: Casey Anthony's Car Smelled Of Decomposition May 26, 2011: Casey's Ex-Lovers, Friends Testify On Day 14 Of Trial May 25, 2011: Casey Friends Say They Never Knew Caylee Was Missing May 24, 2011: Casey Murder Trial Brings Tears, Blame And Shame
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