ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — Several key witnesses testified on Wednesday, day 18 of Casey Anthony's murder trial, including her brother Lee Anthony and lead detective in the case, Yuri Melich.
Just before 8:30am, Casey Anthony entered the courtroom. She was wearing a white long-sleeved button down shirt and dark grey pants. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
DAY 18: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 BILL SHEAFFER: Analysis Of Day 18 CASEY WALKS IN: See Images | Raw Video KEY PLAYERS: Casey, Lee, Lawyers, Witnesses VIDEO REPORT: Lee Anthony Testifies
Orange County Detective Yuri Melich listened to his first recorded interview with Casey during his testimony on Wednesday afternoon as it was played for the jurors.
"After about 7 o'clock, when I still hadn't heard anything, I was getting pretty upset, pretty frantic, and I went to a neutral place," Casey is heard telling Melich in an audio recording.
After hearing how Casey tried to mislead Detective Melich, they heard yet another story she told to Sgt. Reginald Hosey, the first night, about her mother trying to take Caylee away from her.
"Were you advised by Casey Anthony that she didn't want her mother to have contact with her child that evening?" Hosey was asked.
"Yes," Hosey replied.
However, WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer says the pivotal moment of the trial could be when Casey's brother, Lee, told the jury what she said when he asked why they hadn't seen Caylee for 31 days.
"I told Detective Edwards that she said, I'm paraphrasing, 'Because maybe I'm a spiteful b****,'" Lee said.
WFTV reporter Kathi Belich immediately looked at the jurors for reaction. One or two of them turned to Casey right away, and then one by one several others looked at her. Casey sat staring coldly back at them.
Sheaffer says Lee appeared credible and not vindictive over Casey's allegations of sexual abuse. Sheaffer believes his testimony had great impact on those jurors.
"I don't know if they can ever look at her the same again," Sheaffer said.
The sight of her brother appeared to shake Casey a bit in court Wednesday morning, as she wiped away a tear.
Lee began his testimony describing how he'd searched downtown bars for her when their mother, Cindy Anthony, couldn't find Casey or Caylee. Lee said he eventually resorted to phone calls.
"Did she hang up on you?" asked prosecutor Frank George.
"Numerous times, yes," replied Lee.
Later, Lee testified that when Casey was finally located she refused to tell anyone where Caylee was.
"Did you offer to go get Caylee that night?" George asked.
"Yes I did. I said, 'I could go get Caylee,' my roommate at the time could go get Caylee. In my mind there was no reason why someone couldn't go get Caylee that night," Lee said.
"You asked your sister, 'Why won't you allow us to see Caylee?' What was her response?" George asked.
"I told Detective Edwards that she said, 'Because maybe I'm a spiteful b****," replied Lee.
Lee talked about his own frustrations with Casey's lies and her relationship with their mother.
"She told me my mother had numerous times thrown it in Casey's face that Casey was an unfit mother for Caylee and that Casey says 'Maybe I am,'" Lee stated. "I went on to say that my mother had also referenced Caylee as being a mistake, but the best mistake Casey's ever made."
The defense started the day cross examining Casey's former best friend, Amy Huizenga, who painted Casey a troubled girl at odds with her mother and wanting to free herself of her parents.
Defense attorney Jose Baez questioned her about drinking and about the possibility that she was Casey's romantic rival, at times, dating her ex-boyfriends.
"Are there any other boyfriends of Casey's you either went out with or moved in with?" Baez asked.
"Objection!" yelled a prosecutor.
The jury will not hear about Casey's criminal record, at least for now.
Prosecutors decided to drop a motion to tell jurors about Casey's six prior felony convictions for check fraud. However, they may re-visit the issue.
The motion was filed on Tuesday after Baez asked Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, about lies that Casey told. Prosecutors had not even mentioned them.
The convictions stem from the shopping spree Casey took with her friend Amy Huizenga's stolen checks.
Sheaffer said he believes Baez has made a novice mistake in a life or death case and that defense attorney Cheney Mason should take a bigger role as the much more experienced counsel.
"It was a terrible blunder on the defense part, we should see more of Mr. Mason, and less of Mr. Baez. Mr. Mason would not have made this mistake," said Sheaffer.
Casey is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony. If convicted, she could receive a death sentence.
The defense claims Caylee accidentally drowned in her grandparents' pool. The prosecution says she suffocated after having duct tape placed over her mouth.
Court will resume at 9:00am on Thursday.
Previous Stories: 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 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