Moving On... From Psychos to Psychics

After my last post, which touched on psychos and psycho-babbling on the Internet, I thought I’d shift gears and share what supposed psychics had to say to Crimeline, OCSO and ACISS about Caylee Anthony’s whereabouts within days and weeks of her publicized disappearance in mid-July, 2008. This list is only for the last two weeks in July. Of course, she was last seen a month earlier, but at the time of these reports, she was merely listed as a missing child. No one actually knew she was already deceased. A lot of us had our inner-feelings, but only the psychics knew where she was and whether she was still alive… or not…

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 06/26/2008

The first notion that something would be amiss came from an unknown caller in what’s described as an intuitive informational tip. The caller said (s)he believed it may be the location of a child. “The barn by the house…” Whatever, someone should look between the barn and the house. The barn was too close to the house.

Updated on a Web site on July 22, the medium said (s)he had no interest in a monetary award.

On the 23rd, it was updated again: There is a place called “The Barn” in Sanford. I don’t know if this is the place. The space between the building looks similar to what was seen, whatever that was supposed to mean.

Just so you know, The Barn is not a short distance from the Anthony’s home. We’re talking about a 45 minute drive, less, of course, as the crow flies, but crows didn’t snatch Caylee away.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/18/2008

To start things off after the fact, the caller said she felt as if the grandparents, George and Cindy, were Caylee’s “real” parents. The toddler would just cry and cry for her grandparents and Casey couldn’t take it any longer. She couldn’t accept that Caylee felt closer to her grandparents than to her. The caller said that she killed Caylee because she thought she was an inadequate mother.

The child is dead, she said, but the death was not intentional. It was out of anger and accidental. The psychic could not see how she died or where Casey hid the body.

She warned the police that they could never leave the mother alone and to keep questioning her. They needed to lead her to believe they were on Casey’s side; that they knew how hard it was to raise a child when Caylee loved her grandparents more. This tactic would lead Casey to crack and confess. She would then lead police to the body.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/19/2008

Here, we have a psychic who reported that a male pedophile sexually assaulted Caylee, ruptured her, and threw her body to alligators. I hate to be so harsh and descriptive, but this is what the report says.

The perp has a round face, blue eyes and straight, light hair parted on the left side that hangs partly over his forehead to the right. Caylee was wearing shoes that were scuffed on the front and sides, a top with puffed sleeves and a tucked front that billowed out over white shorts to her knees. Her bloodied shorts would be found in the bottom drawer of a chest.

There is a separate report dated 7/24 that is a duplicate of this one.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/20/2008

This one is very interesting. She didn’t call herself a psychic, she said she was a medium. She learned about the case from her daughter and had not read or watched any news segments on the disappearance. She had a dream that Casey wrapped Caylee in several layers of garbage bags that were set out with the trash. Close, but no cigar. She also said that the child had something pink in color, possibly clothing. She also saw a shovel being borrowed.

Although compelling, it’s not unusual to see a girl wearing pink. It’s not strange that a shovel would be involved in disposing of a body, but borrowing one is something to note.

Psychic: Donna Hayes - Date: 07/21/2008

Donna said she worked with the Hopkinsville, Kentucky police department. She noted that Detective Scott Mays could advise authorities of her work. She reported that Caylee is with a dark-skinned male, slender to medium in build and about 5’9” - 6’0”. He is either a boyfriend or a real “close” friend of the mother. She advised the tip line that the child was in a wooded area near a small metal shed building like an electrical box.

Psychic: Luke Phillips - Date: 07/21/2008

Luke indicated that the child was adopted under the table with the help of Good Shepherd Services in Orlando. He believed that Casey had to do this because of her strong feeling of harm coming to Caylee. When he was called, he said he had felt she was in North Carolina, near Columbia. After speaking to Sgt. John Allen, he was more precise about his thoughts in a follow-up e-mail. Working with Anam Caillte, a non-profit international organization dedicated to the search and discovery of missing children, he emphasized that there was a connection with a church/religious group, Good Shepherd Services, which is a mere two miles away from the Anthony home. Not only was he specific about the organization, he cited the Gaston, SC area off I-26 and SC Hwy 176, Plantation Estates Lane (SC-5-9-354).

Which state was it, NC or SC? Neither, actually.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/21/2008

Here, the tipster advised authorities that they saw the news story on the Today Show. While watching the show, an inner voice said that police were looking in the wrong place. They should be looking in a swamp. DO NOT, I repeat, do not let the grandmother, Cindy, talk to Casey. Check the grandmother’s vehicle! “She knows!”

The psychic advised that there was never any mention of Caylee’s father or his parents. Police have the wrong person in custody! This person got a bad feeling when George was seen on TV clutching Caylee’s teddy bear. Police should take this person seriously because they have had feelings on other cases and have been right in the past. This tip should be taken seriously!

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/21/2008

This tipster brought the Lord into the equation, along with a suspect named David. Hmm… more fuel for the conspirators? The Lord told her in a dream that the suspect, David Rafferty, killed the child. He was under the age of 45 and had long, dirty brown hair. His glasses were outdated and he was wearing a red t-shirt with a bar and grill logo on it. He lived in a trailer on his mother’s property. Caylee was buried in a plastic bag behind or near his trailer. His mother lived in a light yellow and white house. The child’s mother did not know the name of the city and state the suspect lived in, but she believed it was probably local to where Caylee lived or where she went missing.

Psychic: Nadine McLachlan - Date: 07/21/2008

Nadine had a dream that Monday without knowing anything about Caylee. Her dream showed a countryside with a red brick bridge. The child would be found under the bridge in the water. She was wearing a plaid dress with red in it and white socks with pink on the top. She realized on Tuesday, when she saw Caylee on the news, that she was the little girl in her dream.

Psychic: Candice Casey - Date: 07/22/2008

Candice said she saw a vision that Caylee was in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, whether in the town or the lake itself, I don’t know. She said a male from the father’s side molested Caylee and that Casey told her mother, who chose not to believe her. Casey wouldn’t tell the police the truth because no one would believe her. Casey is only protecting her daughter and knows where she is. Duh? This paternal relative is shorter than George, stocky, with white hair and somewhere between 50-60 years old. That eliminated me. I’m bald. Of course, it won’t take a psychic to start an ugly rumor. Just a psycho.

This tipster was also specific. She said that Putnam was the street name and a young couple, Carrie and Phil would live there. It would be an older one-story building, with an older window, on a single-lane driveway. The house would be in a field with pretty red flowers. The family would work with hay, there would be no animals or vehicles, and the couple would have no other children.

Psychic: Jenn Cooper - Date: 07/22/2008

Jenn Cooper sent Cpl. Yuri Melich an e-mail. She said she hadn’t slept a wink for 3 days because she was having dreams while awake. She stated there was nothing in it for her except that the precious little girl to be returned home.

It was very important that police run a polygraph on Casey asking her which state her daughter had been taken to. They needed to run through the alphabet starting with A. “Is Caylee in Alabama?… Alaska?” And so on. There are 51 states and 26 letters in the alphabet. I’ll let you figure the algorithm out.

Jenn stated that Casey would not be able to lie about a timeline if the states were called out alphabetically. Casey was also covering the whereabouts up because she had been threatened not to say or people would kill her. Please don’t let this become another Madelaine McCann story!

She admitted she could be wrong, but there were several people (possibly Latino) involved.

Don’t forget to ask Casey about her Myspace blog on June 7, too. It was an open admission to what Casey was going through - something really, really bad. There was something very dark going on in Casey’s life around June 7 and she had put herself in a dissociative state of mind to kill the pain.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/22/2008

The caller said she was a psychic. She had a vision of Caylee with one man and one or two women traveling in a dark-colored SUV. They were now in Raleigh, NC at a place between 225 and 275 Raleigh Road Parkway West. They would only be there for a few days and would then travel to Winston, NC.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/22/2008

This one was not a psychic. Instead, the caller said police should talk to a psychic by the name of Tiffany Martin, living in Pleasant Hill, California.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/23/2008

The caller said that Caylee may be buried underneath her grandparents’ house.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/23/2008

This one is called The Miracle Call. The caller said that when they put water down on a table, they saw a miracle, just like Christ turned water into wine. Hmm. They saw an old-fashioned glove like an oven mitt, then the grandpa appears; then there is an image of a big person and a smaller person near grandpa’s house (or at the house.) When the caller said more water was thrown on the table, they saw a man with a big head and a small girl near some high rock. On the third day, more water was thrown on the table and they saw a woman who looked like the grandmother, that she was near some water where there was a cave and high water. Cindy was then seen with the man with the big head. No Caylee this time. Ahhh, here’s the clincher… If you’re in Miami looking up at Orlando, which must have meant north, there will be the man with the big head on the right side and there is a fancy woman who lives in Miami and they may have the child.

Huh? All that, and all this caller could say is “may” have the child. What a cryptic letdown! No wonder this caller gave no name.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/23/2008

The caller believed Caylee was still alive, but not for long. Uh-oh. Casey knew where her daughter was, but she was too afraid to say so. An ex-husband/boyfriend was a trucker and they were heading north on I-95! He would kill Caylee if Casey spilled the beans. He was dangerous and probably a drunk. Tips would come in from sightings on trucks stops along the way. Walmarts, too. There must be something to this Walmart stuff. The suspect was with Caylee and no one else and was using Caylee as collateral to get the mother back. Oh yes, the tip about Atlanta Airport? Sooo not true.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/23/2008

The caller said the little girl was dead and there was a man involved. Caylee was placed into the trunk of a vehicle. Casey and this unknown man were going to bury Caylee but the man told her she couldn’t bury her daughter in the back yard because it would be the first place police would look. The caller said Caylee should be wearing turquoise colored shorts and a red shirt.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/23/2008

The caller believed Casey was hiding Caylee and was playing the “no body, no case” game. This one was a bull’s-eye and it rang true until Casey had her “Oh no” moment..

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/23/2008

This caller stated that they had had dreams about Caylee. The person believed that the suspect was deceased and that Caylee was buried in the grandparents’ back yard, near some sort of concrete square.  This caller also said that the grandmother might not be completely sane and that she knew more than she was saying.

Keep in mind that this is how rumors start, but the psychic wasn’t all wrong. I’ll leave it to you to figure out what it is, but to be fair, media helicopters had hovered over the back yard by that date, and Cindy was struggling with protesters in her front yard.

Psychic: Debbie Valenti - Date: 07/23/2008

This was her first call. She said that Casey was insecure about the relationship with her own mother. Caylee was crying for her grandmother and Casey got frustrated. She hit Caylee until she died. Police needed to keep after her and she’d crack under pressure and tell the truth.

Psychic: Andrzej Nikodemowicz - Date: 07/23/2008

This one, I’m going to quote. Marta Abdusattarov spoke to a psychic in Poland and this is the gist of an e-mail and two text messages Marta sent to law enforcement through the course of the day:

“I have a contact with the case. The girl is alive and feels good. She is in the house on the hill. Pay attention to the yellow car. Around the house there is no palm trees, only leaf trees south of Daytona in the middle of Florida.” Well, it is called central Florida for a reason. “In the house by the lake from its north side. She was going road or Interstate 4. It’s a place that I can show if there are people that are interested to talk about it. There is a woman that drives light yellow car. The vision is not clear. Mother of the child is scared but it’s all about the girl. She is in Lakeland towards Hillis Blvd or Hillis Dr by the lake. And can I explain more of someone who speaks Polish will call me. For now, that is all. Thank you for your trust.”

Psychic: Debbie Valenti - Date: 07/24/2008

Debbie again stated she was a psychic and wanted to offer her understanding of the little girl who was missing. She gave her phone numbers and asked authorities to call her. Did they call her back? I don’t know, I’m not a psychic.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/24/2008

Here’s a real nail biter… The KKK has Caylee in Luce Dale, Mississippi near Hwy 98. They paid for her and use children in their satanic cult rituals.

Hey, I’ve been in Mississippi and traveled on 98. Someone I know - and have NEVER met - lives in Mississippi, too. Does that mean anything?

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/24/2008

Here’s an unknown caller with a different idea. This person had a “gut” feeling that Yuri Melich needed to interview all of Casey’s male friends. History proves that children are abused or killed by fathers and boyfriends. Casey was covering for someone and sending police on a wild goose chase so the culprit could get out-of-town.

Psychic: Alice Taylor - Date: 07/24/2008

Alice was rather good because she had a simple message. She sensed that Caylee was smothered and she saw the toddler in the marshes not far from her home. “A bit of a drive” kind of threw it, though.

Psychic: Lauree Coleman - Date: 07/27/2008

The Lord revealed to her that Caylee’s body was not far from the home in an industrial park at the dead-end and to the left of a wooded area. Her body would be found in a sink hole or pot hole filled with water.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/25/2008

The caller stated the male responsible for kidnapping Caylee was about 20-30 years old and that he was her father. The suspect has long, sandy colored hair. They were driving a white colored or light blue colored 4 door vehicle. Earlier, Casey and Caylee went with this man to New York and he owed Casey money. He also had a firearm and he was going to pay Casey the money he owed for child support after taking care of business. Since Casey didn’t want her daughter around this sort of activity, she left Caylee with another woman (no name given) to watch her. The suspect took Caylee from the babysitter before Casey had a chance to pick her up. Caylee was still alive at this point and she was near Hoboken, New Jersey.  Did this psychic see a happy outcome? Well, there was another male who was thought to be the son of the babysitter and that would help out with the situation, so, yes, Caylee would be found!

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/25/2008

This one believes Casey was into drugs and she owed the dealers way, way too much money. They threatened to kill her daughter, so Casey took her to a family relative in New York to keep her safe. No name, address or relationship was established.

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/26/2008

The psychic caller believed that the police should look at fibers on stuffed animals found in the trunk. Casey buried Caylee in her favorite park where they always used to go. She killed her because she couldn’t afford her.

And last, but not least, we have…

Psychic: Unknown - Date: 07/27/2008

Our final psychic called authorities and stated that George and Cindy had a fresh concrete slab poured 10 days earlier in their back yard. Now, here’s a real vision, as in watching news about the case on television. The caller said Caylee’s remains were in the concrete slab. Not under it. In it. Caylee had died of heat exhaustion in the car while Casey and her boyfriend were getting drunk in a bar. George and Cindy covered up the death for their daughter. This caller was emphatic about having psychic abilities.

♦

Well, there you have it. Have at it, and this is just part of the onslaught of psychic tips that came in prior to Caylee’s body being discovered. Do you really want me to write about the months of August, September, October, November and December? I hope not, because I predict they will all be similar to these.

I imagine if we took snippets from each psychic and spit them out, we could come up with something not far from the truth, but the problem is, what pieces go with what parts? As is the case with Nostradamus, it’s easy to give him credit after the fact. If he was so good at predicting the future, how come no one has predicted something that hasn’t happened yet, based on his writings? Nope, it’s only after an event occurs that people credit him. No one sensed what was about to happen to Caylee, either. No one.

Thank you, Gracie34. It was your far-fetched, strung-out ideas that inspired me on this one.

A lot of lawyering, a lot of frustration

I arrived at the courthouse about a half hour early, early enough to breeze through security and go up to the 23rd floor. That afforded me ample time to have a good conversation with one of the senior reporters covering this story before others arrived. We talked about several issues related to the case, and one of the topics dealt with journalists and bloggers. There are a lot of crazy nuts out there, this person said, and because of where he and other media people work, be it a newspaper, network or local TV, cable or radio, there is a shield that protects them from harassment and stalking. Not so with bloggers. Bloggers are out in the open and ripe for attack, especially if they identify themselves like I have. In this, there’s no envy; instead, it’s more like a bit of empathy and compassion. Earlier this week, a letter was received by the court via U.S. Mail that attacked this blogger and the media folks were aware of it; some, but not all. It’s safe to say it went absolutely nowhere except the file that holds all correspondence related to this case, such as the letter from Joy Wray sent to Judge Stan Strickland before the nut jobs came out en masse. Fortunately, media people recognize when something is newsworthy, when it’s junk, and when to never give psychos their day in the sun. That letter came straight from a psycho; too cowardly to sign a name, let alone a real one, as if it would have mattered in the least. This is the type of correspondence that never makes its way to a judge. Instead, it collects dust in perpetuity.

Red Huber walked in and sat down in a chair. There are sofas and chairs outside the courtroom, more so on the 23rd floor, for people to relax before or after court proceedings. Sometimes, attorneys are interviewed there. I asked Red about cameras in the courtroom. He said he was the official photographer in the media pool, meaning that he is the only person who has a hand-held still camera. It’s quite a fancy one, I might add, but he is an incredible professional. I asked him about cell phones. He told me he caught an unnamed TV journalist holding up an iPhone (or something similar) while a hearing was in progress. He called on a deputy and the deputy warned the person that if something like that ever happened again, they would be barred from the courthouse. Red Huber is very proud of his work, and rightfully so. Imagine a low-res cell phone image plastered on a station’s Web site. That would have gotten the network affiliate in a bit of hot water because it’s not something Red would ever take credit for.

The media folks were called to file into the courtroom and as we did, the reporter said blogs are becoming more interesting and pertinent, and he makes it a point to read them, including mine. It’s part of the job now. That was encouraging.

We entered the courtroom before any of the attorneys, so when they meandered in, all at once, we said our hellos to both the prosecution and defense. I had a good feeling that Ann Finnell would make her debut and she did. I think it’s important to remember that the opposing sides seem to only be that way in the courtroom, not that they do an awful lot of socializing together outside, but I sensed a more relaxed attitude and an almost warmth that dissolved once the sides took to their stations and donned their battle gear, which was nothing more than notebooks and pens. Oh yes, this is the 21st century and I know Jose has an iPad. One of the first things I noticed was that video monitors all around the courtroom were turned on for a change. That was great because it afforded us a good view of the proceedings. In some of the video footage you got to view, you probably saw some of us looking up. That’s why. They were hung above us. We could actually see the faces for a change.

When Casey walked in, flanked by officers of the court, she was noticeably thinner. Her hair was pulled back tightly in a bun and she seemed to have a sad, blank stare, from what I could see before she sat down and faced forward. Within a minute, George and Cindy shuffled in and took their seats in the second row. Their attorney, Mark Lippman, sat directly in front of me. Cindy wore a burgundy colored blouse that complemented George’s lavender colored shirt.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. arrived on schedule, although I was a bit disappointed he was 4 minutes early. Oh well, my late Grandfather Landis was always punctual, and like him, sometimes early. God knows, I’d rather be early than late.

The judge wasted no time getting the hearing under way. The first order of business was the MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION. Jose stood and walked to the podium. This is a motion Casey’s defense has fought for more than once, and it’s been shot down each time. Today was no exception, but I sensed a little more desperation in Jose’s voice. It was either that or a combination of frustration and exasperation. Personally, I don’t care what Casey eats from the commissary. I don’t fret over her personal mail and phone records, but inquisitive minds want to know, and because it’s the law, there’s no bending it - or in this case, Bent, as in Bent v. Sun Sentinel. Jail records are under the control of the legislative branch, not judicial. This time, Jose spent the brunt of his argument on mail from family, friends and strangers. He cited the case of the city of Clearwater (City of Clearwater, 863 So. 2d at 154) where it was deemed that private e-mails stored on a government computer are not automatically public record. In other words, private documents are not necessarily public record by virtue of their placement on an agency-owned computer.

OK, fine, but there’s more to it. When the attorney for Orange County Corrections got up to speak, she stated that she was merely there looking for clarification; that the county had no real dog in the fight, but she saw a problem. Here is where I have seen the defense go in the past, and it’s one of the reasons why some of the motions are lost, in my opinion. The county objected to the mail issue because the motion didn’t request it.

The Orlando Sentinel attorney then took center stage. One of the questions I posed to Red Huber before the hearing began was about this motion. I asked him if this was pooled, too, so all media outlets would share in the costs of any and all proceedings. He said, no, this is solely the Sentinel’s job. The attorney reminded the Honorable Judge of his ORDER DENYING MOTION TO SEAL JAIL VISITATION LOG RECORDS, back on June 7. There, the judge wrote:

The Court agrees with the County that a criminal defendant’s desire to “maintain the confidentiality of visitors” in a high profile case does not qualify as a lawful exemption. As mentioned supra, the Defendant’s Motion does not provide any statutory exemption or legal authority for the Court to “seal” documents that constitute public records.

Instead, the counsel for the defense entreats the Court to judicially create an exemption in this case. The Court is unable to acquiesce. Any exemption from the Florida Public Records Act must originate in the legislature and not by judicial decision.

Friday, Judge Perry took the Bent decision into consideration, but he only denied the Motion for Reconsideration at this time, and those were his precise words, which leads me to think the door is not completely closed. There is no doubt the Bent issue will be argued for years to come, but he did settle the matter of audio recordings. He said he will treat Bent as if it is final. In other words, audio recordings will remain under wraps. All other jail correspondence will be accessible to the public. So it shall be written, so it shall be done.

§

The judge brought up the JAC motion and Ann Finnell stood up and walked over to the podium. She is a rather stately woman, but not statuesque by any means. In my opinion, she appeared to be a quintessential professional, and she was. She had a certain elegance and a homey warmth about her, if that makes any sense. She looked like she would be a wonderful mother, aunt and grandmother, although I know nothing about her personal life. Well, hardly anything.

It was during this back and forth the judge became most animated, although he didn’t direct it at Finnell, in particular. It was the entire defense, but that’s because the course of the conversation really opened up into other areas, such as TES, which had nothing to do with her. Jose and Cheney piped in and it seemed to frustrate her a little. She made it clear she was not involved at all in TES documents at one point, but prior to the confusion, Judge Perry asked her about the 384 hours the court approved for Jeanene Barrett. She said that at least a half to a third of those hours had been exhausted. She said she needed at least another 100 hours. The judge said he wants to first see how the hours had been utilized before giving her more.

He asked her about the 300 hours given for private investigators. This is when Jose responded. He said he needed an additional 300 hours. The judge said he realized some of those hours will remain under seal, but where did they go? Jose said that many TES searchers didn’t want to get involved. The judge was pretty clear about all those searchers. The defense is not to go on some sort of fishing expedition. “You’re not to go drilling for oil when there’s no sign of oil anywhere.”

The majority of searchers were nowhere near the remains. He said he had provided them a special master. They were given the right to read the records and take notes. Jose said the defense had made over 1,000 phone calls and talked to 150 who were in the area. The “area” was confusing because there was no clear definition of what constituted the Suburban Drive vicinity. Cheney Mason said a lot of searchers looked on their own; that they had uncovered people from leads and some people who did not report everything to TES. Even so, some TES records were not clear. He questioned whether Texas EquuSearch kept bad records or whether they hid info on purpose? Here is where the judge made his succinct statement du jour:

“I am not going to write an open check. I am just not.”

Ann may have been rightly frustrated because it was at this point she said her motion was not about TES. It was about mitigation, such as medical history and school records. The judge interjected. “Miss Finnell, I’ve done a few capital cases.”

He turned to Cheney and asked him if he was planning on sticking around for the penalty phase, if Casey’s convicted. Cheney nodded and said yes.

Throughout this exchange, I looked up at the monitor to see the looks on the attorneys faces and that of Casey. Quite clearly, she was shaken. This was, shall I say, a bit more vibrant and enlightening and here she was in the thick of it. Sticking around for the penalty phase. Oh my. She seemed distressed to a certain degree. We’re coming to the end of the year and May is on its way. Time is running out.

When the dust settled, the new attorney continued. She made more requests, and in the end, Judge Perry approved some things and denied others. Her travel expenses from Jacksonville will not be covered. If she wants to send an investigator to Ohio, try phone calls first. There are investigators in that state that will work at JAC rates and not have to fly from Orlando or anywhere else. For each request, he wants to know the reason why he needs to spend taxpayers’ money. He said he’d be happy to take ex parte material into consideration and under seal. (Ex parte is generally a judge meeting with one party and not the adversary.)

The JAC attorney got up and rebutted. He said that the penalty phase funds may be premature at this time, but the judge disagreed. In the matter of capital cases, the cart comes before the horse, he said. With regard to psychiatric evaluation, he awarded $2,500 at this time. He said the standard exam may not be enough at the JAC rate. He approved $500 for copies and an additional 60 hours, or$2,400, for a private investigator. Most of all, he said he remains open for more expenditures, but he needs to know where all the money is going now and where it’s been going.

In several instances, I noticed that the defense does not come prepared. The judge asked how much money was spent on public records, for instance, and Jose didn’t know. At some point, he said something that caused a stir in the gallery. Sitting on the other side, someone roared in laughter. Jose turned to look, but the person was quickly silent and lost in the crowd. In my opinion, this was very rude. This is a murder case and not a joke, no matter what that narcissistic person thought of him. No one should ever laugh in a courtroom unless the judge prompts it. The murder of a child is a very serious matter. To be honest, I felt a little for Baez. The day wasn’t going his way and he told the court of the endless, almost thankless, hours the entire defense has been working. It was their life, and he was emotional about it. It did lighten up, though, however brief.

Judge Perry granted Linda Kenney Baden’s request to withdraw from the case, but not before he asked if there were any objections.

“I liked working with her,” Jeff Ashton exclaimed.

“Pardon?” Judge Perry asked.

“I liked working with her,” Ashton repeated. That brought out a few light chuckles, but here it was a lighthearted statement and the laughter was not made out of ridicule.

“Mr. Baez, it sounds like Mr. Ashton has objected,” the judge retorted.

“Yes, it does,” Baez joked.

§

Linda Drane Burdick asked for and received a 30-day extension on depositions. Some of the witnesses are difficult to track down. The defense is having the same problem. One of the things I’ve noticed about Judge Perry is his flexibility. As stern as he is, he’s very giving and in some cases, willing to bend.

The judge then reminded Ann Finnell that the deadline for listing all penalty phase witnesses is November 30, a mere month away. All of the state’s experts have not been deposed yet and that deadline is November 19. A Frye hearing was brought up. Jeff Ashton said he wants to sit down with the defense and go over what is new and what is old science. A Frye hearing is used to determine if novel scientific evidence is reliable enough to be permitted in court. It can also apply to testimony from psychologists and psychiatrists, not just forensic experts.

There was a brief exchange between Cheney Mason and Linda Drane Burdick that became somewhat heated. It was over some of the TES records still being held by law enforcement. Burdick explained that the defense had ample opportunity to look it over when their experts were in town back in July. Of course, the defense said they had never received property forms or receipts and Burdick begged to differ. Oh, the frustration of it all! The judge gave the defense two weeks to settle the matter. He then asked the state if all evidence had been disclosed. If not, everything must be disclosed by January. This means that there will be no surprises weeks before the trial is underway. The defense should have everything in its hands by the first month of 2011.

Before the judge gave the attorneys a rather stark speech, I must say that this was the first hearing I’ve attended where Linda Drane Burdick came across loud and clear. It was my observation that she seemed more agitated and direct, and certainly, more animated than I had ever seen her before. With that, the judge stated that if the depositions are not done on time, the court will set dates and he will make sure they are not convenient for either side. He said he will start running the case at his pace, so everything had better be ready come January.

“All the posturing has been nice, but come January, it will be according to my schedule.” And that means the schedule could be at midnight. If there are people unwilling to be deposed, by golly, the court will make them comply. Judge Perry means business.

§

A somewhat odd thing occurred near the end. The gentleman next to me started to breathe deeply. When I glanced his way, he was sound asleep. To me, this had been an exciting day, one filled with many highs and lows. Just like in church, the judge gave a great sermon, but I guess there’s always a chance that someone will be napping in the crowd. The hearing lasted two hours, as I expected, but I’m used to them by now. He wasn’t, obviously.

As we got up to leave, an attorney was loudly castigating one of Orlando’s best known journalists about dumb questions. It wasn’t pretty. I gravitated toward Ann Finnell. I had a message for her from her niece or cousin, but darn if I didn’t write it down. Instead, I had a senior moment and I asked her if she would be attending the next hearing. She said she would, and I said I would remember next time. She asked me how I knew it was really a relative and I said because I know her real name and she told me you would recognize it. She was more than friendly and open. She’s every bit a class act and you could tell that she’s a very caring person. Who better to handle a penalty phase? If Casey is found guilty, she’s in good hands. Anyway, it’s her cousin, and I’m sorry. I’ll make sure I get it right next time, and that will be on November 29, at 1:30 PM. I’ll be there. I need to set the record straight.

Get Bent

Dura lex sed lex. That’s Latin for “the law is hard, but it is the law.” Such will be a lesson learned by the defense in the courtroom today, I’m afraid.

What was scheduled to be a status hearing has turned into one of greater magnitude, and one that Casey must attend. She hasn’t appeared in court since the July, when her mother and brother took the stand over the admission of Cindy’s 911 calls.

While the status of the case will still be discussed, two defense motions will also be heard, and that will include counter motions filed by the JAC and the Orlando Sentinel. Defense attorney Ann Finnell recently filed a motion that asked Judge Perry to set a cautionary budget for costs she expects to incur to properly represent Casey prior to a sentencing phase; to be prepared if she is convicted of capital murder. The next motion will once again ask the judge to reconsider prior rulings over the public’s right to see Casey’s jail records, including phone calls, visitor logs and commissary purchases.

I don’t want to venture a guess about the money issue. The defense is requesting an additional $12,000 for investigative work on top of the money their mitigation specialist is asking for. This is too tough to guess, so I’ll focus on the issue over the disclosure of certain records.

First off, let’s make it clear that the defense is once again asking for more than the judge needs to give. In the MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION, the defense cited a recent ruling by the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Bent v. Sun Sentinel, which ruled that jail “audio recordings of the defendants’ phone calls are not public records subject to release.” What this did, in effect, is put a temporary end to releasing phone calls, which are recorded surreptitiously for security reasons. On the other hand, the ruling did not address any jail logs whatsoever. This means who called, when and how long they spoke, are not subject to the ruling.

Right now, Casey has “three Standing Objections of Abuse of Florida Statute Chapter 119.01 complaining of the release of public records,” according to the Orlando Sentinel’s motion. The Sentinel went on to suggest that this defense “essentially asks the Court to shut down the media and the public’s statutory and constitutional right to public information.”

The Sentinel continues to argue that neither the public nor the media “are required to show a legitimate interest or purpose in order to obtain public or judicial records.” Here, I have one slight qualm with the Sentinel’s mention of judicial records. The jail does not fall under the judicial branch, and for that reason alone, the judge cannot rule in favor of the defense. He has made it abundantly clear he holds no power over the legislative branch, which governs this sort of disclosure. Timoney v. Miami Civilian Investigative Panel, 917 So. 2d 885, 886 n.3 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005) stated that “generally, a person’s motive in seeking access to public records is irrelevant.”

Judge Perry has, on more than one occasion, stated that he was not going to reinvent the wheel, meaning he will not rewrite Florida’s Public Records Act, which we recognize as Florida’s Open Government in the Sunshine law. Today, he will rule the same way he has in the past. There is no doubt that jails and prisons in Florida will comply with the Bent v. Sun Sentinel ruling and keep recordings locked up for the time being, but I am certain it will work its way up to the Florida Supreme Court and beyond.

The defense believes that the disclosure of jail records will deny her the right to a fair trial. I disagree and so does the Sentinel. Although I don’t care about Casey and her orders of nachos, I find it hard to believe her phone log, visitor log and commissary purchases would prejudice a jury. Instead, perhaps the defense should halt all post-hearing press conferences and ask the court to place a gag order on this case. The judge might be willing to comply.

§

Veritas vos liberabit! See you in court.

The loud bark of low heeled derelicts

Last Tuesday, Cindy Anthony e-mailed Local 6 News saying she would give away a pair of Caylee's shoes to a nonprofit organization called Children of Love Foundation, which, primarily, donates shoes, food and clothing to orphans in Central Florida and Honduras. What a mess that simple e-mail created. After WKMG announced the news, the trolls came out in droves, like a festering cauldron of abomination boiling over.

Here's what went down. It's based on factual information interspersed with my opinion, so decide for yourself. Cindy knows a woman who works at the Walgreens Pharmacy near her residence, on the corner of Narcoosee Road and Lee Vista Boulevard, in southeast Orlando. As a matter of fact, the two women have known each other for years, including before Caylee's disappearance. Cindy's acquaintance, Doris Patalano, is affiliated with Children of Love. When she found out about the shoe drive, Operation Barefoot, the group had planned for Saturday, Cindy said she would do what she could to help generate local generosity. This meant contacting the media, something Cindy has never shied away from. What unfolded was a pity.

First off, Cindy can be a pariah. We all know that. She's not the most beloved mother in Orlando or anywhere else. Neither is her daughter, but that's another story. Cindy has been known to contact the press to stir up the works, so her reputation is far from sterling. Think rotten pizza smell and her blatant spinning of words. OK, fine, but remember, she lost her own flesh and blood, and no matter what any of us think of her, it's still very painful. What ensued reminded me of the 'boy who cried wolf' syndrome, so when Cindy tried to do something righteous, it came out wrong, as usual. She, more than likely, told Doris she would contact one of the media outlets and the woman thought it would help tremendously. Cindy thought about it later and decided, on her own, to donate a pair of Caylee's shoes. What a marvelous idea! Only it wasn't. To some people, everything she touches turns to crumbling dirt, and that's a shame.

As soon as word got out, all "heel" broke loose and the laces became untied. What started out as, more than likely, an innocent gesture turned ugly very quickly. Suddenly, the pharmacy got nasty and threatening phone calls. The nonprofit foundation got the same treatment and more, including despicable e-mails from some very vulgar people. Trust me, I know who some of those trolls are because they admitted it on a very open and malevolent site, where they plotted this nefarious plan of attack. One person with many phony names compounded by more of the same appears larger than the truth. What they decided to do was astonishing, and just about as stupid as the Salem Witch Craft Trials of 1692. They body slammed Doris and the foundation. Hard. They said if she or her damn organization accepts a pair of shoes or anything else from George and Cindy Anthony, they wouldn't just boycott the pharmacy and foundation, they'd bury them. They'd get the word out that Children of Hope is evil, rotten, and deserves to be driven out of existence. Not only that, but CVS would be more than happy to take their money for all of the psychiatric and antipsychotic medications they are prescribed, not to mention drugs for IBS and other maladies brought on by their own self-destructive doings. Of course, they finished their tirades the same way they do everywhere they squat - JUSTICE FOR CAYLEE, as if justice is theirs and theirs alone to give.

Initially, the poor foundation was beside itself. It had no idea the world was filled with so much hate, particularly against one person; two, if you count George. Fearing for their own safety, the group almost called the whole thing off. Fortunately, sound minds came along and sanity prevailed. In the end, the shoe drive was successful. George and Cindy dropped off six pairs of shoes and a bag of socks, all new, that will help orphaned children. Lots of other people did the same, ignoring the persevering pestilence that permeated the Interwebz.

The sad part about this is that a small clan of people can almost disrupt a good cause. Did Cindy set out to help Children of Love or was it more along the line of trying to make herself look good; to help rehabilitate her ailing reputation? It may have been a bit of both, but so what? In truth, most of those caustic complainers do not live anywhere near Orlando, nor will they ever give an ounce of help or hope to the foundation or anywhere else. What they set out to destroy was a complete farce. How dare they try to take shoes, clothes, and other items away from hundreds of children in need because of their hatred of one woman. What rotten souls they are. If ever there were a line of shoes called Cads, they would be filled by these worn out, low-down heels.

Another One Bites The Dust

"With regret, I am forced to resign as George and Cindy Anthony's attorney. The defense motion filed on Aug. 9, 2010, contains allegations that are not, in fact, true. As an officer of the court, I cannot stand idly by knowing allegations involving me have been misstated. I am now a witness to an inaccurate legal pleading filed in our court system. As such, I cannot continue in good conscience as a legal representative. George and Cindy Anthony have done nothing improper, it is the failure of the defense to verify the facts alleged in their motion that forces my withdrawal. I will continue to support the Anthonys, will continue to attend hearings and the eventual trial, and most importantly, I will continue to search for the full truth regarding the killing of Caylee Marie Anthony."

- Brad Conway wrote in his  letter of resignation

George and Cindy Anthony's attorney, Brad Conway, will no longer represent them. The move is a result of a motion filed by Jose Baez & Company in the never ending dispute with Texas EquuSearch.

First reported on the WESH-TV Web site, Conway appeared on the NBC Today Show to make his announcement. Regrettably, he said, he had to withdraw as the attorney for Casey's parents. On the network program, he claimed that the defense made false claims and he denied that he was granted full access to TES files. There were several misrepresentations, he added. He said he was given the same treatment as Baez and Cheney Mason regarding the roughly 4,000 pages of documents from TES volunteer searchers. Now, he feels he may be called as a witness for the defense. 

Brad Conway has been a good friend and trusted counsel to George and Cindy. I've had several talks with him and he's an all-around good guy. I understand the defense fighting for their client, but this is one more glitch in the case. This team of attorneys has taken out one of the best judges in the Ninth Circuit Court, and now, Brad Conway. Believe me, I know precisely how they sting.

There is much bad blood between the defense and Mark Nejame. To try to put things in some sort of perspective, New York City is big enough to handle lots of high-powered attorneys. Orlando is not. While Jose Baez is way out of their league, Cheney Mason and Mark NeJame are, next to John Morgan, two of the most powerful attorneys in this citified town we call Orlando. I am beginning to think there isn't enough room for both of them, and neither one is going to budge. Shades of Tombstone, this one may turn out to be a verbal gunfight in the courtroom. Call it the O'Casey Corral. Unfortunately, Brad Conway just got caught in the crossfire, and the bullets haven't even begun to fly yet. Who's next?

Creepy Cryptic Casey, Part 2 Revisited

This is an article I wrote and published 12 August 2009. Because someone sent a printed copy to Casey at the jail and it was released in the discovery documents yesterday, I decided it might be worth another look. You will find it HERE. You need to go to page 177-179 to view the scanned pages. Thanks, Snoopy. She’s the one who found it last night and alerted me.

Also, bear in mind that we know more today than we did last August. Some people don’t believe Casey was smart enough to conjure up a scheme like this. Others believe she was. I just presented some rather odd coincidences. Some people believe in them and others don’t. This is for you to discern.

At the bottom of this post are 2 videos titled Driving Miss Casey. I had to break it into 2 parts because of size limits on YouTube. In a nutshell, I took a ride down Chickasaw Trail to Hopespring and Suburban Drives. Included are a real time trip from the Anthony house to the woods, a real time trip from the end of Hopespring to the abandoned house the PIs scoped out, a trip to Lee’s old place, and the famous Amscot parking lot with a bonus shot of the dumpster. You can read the article first or last, but I really do want you to read it because it should prove to be thought provoking.

CREEPY CRYPTIC CASEY, PART 2

In January of this year [2009] I wrote an article titled, Creepy Cryptic Casey. It was there that I mentioned the two dwellings at the corner of Suburban and Hopespring Drives. The last two lots on the east side of Hopespring are numbered 4709 and 4701, respectively. In the house next to the end lives Zenaida Almodovar. In the corner lot lives Peter Gonzalez. Some could safely surmise that by combining parts of the two names you come up with Zenaida Gonzalez. Is this merely a coincidence or is there more to it?

Images can be enlarged by clicking them

In that January article, I wrote, “Some people love to play mind games. They bask in the unfounded superiority they feel they have over you. They love to tell riddles. Casey was good at that.” I continued by including something she said to Lee in response to one of his questions:

LEE: What do you think, where do you think. You think Caylee’s ok right now?

CASEY: My gut feeling? As mom asked me yesterday and even Jose asked me last night, the psychologist asked me this morning that I got through the court, um in my gut she’s still ok. And it still feels like she’s close to home.

What was most unusual about Casey’s statement was that she was absolutely right. Caylee was very close to home as we later found out, and it is here that I am going to expand on those words by showing you evidence that could, quite possibly, shed more light on why the state of Florida charged her with premeditated first-degree murder. As puzzling as Casey tried to be, did she hand out clues and truisms at the time of her initial oral and written statements to investigators? Was she telling the truth? In some cases, I allege that she was absolutely telling the truth.

On her first written statement to law enforcement, dated July 16, 2008, she said something that appears to have come from her mother. Cindy told her (and deputies) that she hadn’t seen Caylee since June 9. Casey wrote the same thing on her statement. She also wrote that she hadn’t seen her daughter in 31 days. Obviously, June 9 to July 15 add up to more than 31 days and later the confusion over the date was remedied by the Father’s Day video taken on June 15. What is extremely interesting and telling to me is one thing she wrote in particular…

“… between 9am and 1pm…”

Could that be true? Oh, I’m not talking about the time George said he saw them leave the house together on June 16. I’m looking at the time Casey wrote, between 9 and 1. Take a good look at where Caylee’s body was found:

Caylee’s body was found behind Zenaida’s and Gonzalez’s properties by meter reader, Roy Kronk. Look at the two addresses again:

4709

4701

Casey kept insisting that Zenaida Gonzalez had her. What are the two house numbers and who lives there? Where was Caylee found?Between 9 and 1. Incidentally, this information, like the Zenaida MySpace page, was right under our noses all along, and it came from akfhome27 when she left a comment on my YouTube video of Suburban Drive. The video can also be viewed on my blog.

Are those nothing more than mere coincidences that can readily be shrugged off? One could easily think so, except I have one more thing to show you. This one came to me by way of Laura, a frequent contributor here. Wait until you get a load of this…

Laura Googled 8905 Suburban Drive and this is what she came up with…

At first glance, it really seems innocuous enough, but look at that number again. 8905. Wasn’t Caylee’s birthday on Sunday, August 9? Wasn’t she born in 2005? Isn’t that 8/9/05? Isn’t that where the body was found?

Driving Miss Casey Part 1 (YouTube link)

Driving Miss Casey Part 2 (YouTube link)