Drowning in a Pool of Lies?

What do I think the defense will argue in it’s opening statement?

Read my article on Orlando Magazine. See if it will take you as long to read as what Jose will say tomorrow.

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Feel free to add your thoughts.

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What's "the Matter"?

Today was a very strange day. It left us in a state of limbo.

Hurry on over to Orlando Magazine and read what Mark NeJame had to say…

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Feel free to add your thoughts.

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The Long and Winded Road

Jury selection is moving right along… slowly, but surely. What do we make of it? When will the trial finally begin?

Hurry on over to Orlando Magazine and take a gander at what I think…

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Feel free to add your thoughts.

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A Daughter's Scorn; A Family Torn

 What transpired in the courtroom yesterday, May 6? The outcome is that George and Cindy will be allowed to attend the entire trial, despite being witnesses. Why was the Rule of Sequestration waived in their case?

Find out here…

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Feel free to add your thoughts.

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That Smell

Ooooh that smell
Can’t you smell that smell
Ooooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you

- Lynyrd Skynyrd from “That Smell”

On June 27, 2008, Casey Anthony contacted her close friend, Amy Huizenga, about a peculiar odor emanating from her car. The message was clear, and it was confirmed during Amy’s deposition taken on February 14 of this year. Jose Baez asked her about it starting on page 32:

Q: Okay. Now, she sent you a text message in reference to the smell of the car; is that correct?

A: Yes.

Q: Okay. And that was on what date, do you recall?

A: I think it’s in here somewhere. I don’t know what day it was.

Q: I can help you if you want to look towards the date for your statement to confirm it.

A. That would be great.

Q: Okay. The 27th. June 27th.

As the interview progressed…

A: Okay. Yeah, the 27th is when she confirmed - - like, when she said it was. But there were definitely a day or two that she had been like, dude, my car smells and I don’t know what it is. Just, like, one of those - - I mean, I think everyone’s had the time you’re like what is that smell. I don’t understand. And she just said it smelled, like, you know, something had died in her car and she had no clue what it is. And I think it was - - she - - it was coming from the engine areaish is what she had said. And then when she - - you know, finally, it was - - she was letting me know she had found it was and that was a squirrel that she figured her dad had run over when he was driving the car.

Q: Let me ask you this - -

A: Yes.

Q: - - do you have any other text messages about the smell or was it just that one text message?

A: I don’t know. You have the text messages.

What’s so important about this exchange is the fact that Casey acknowledged the odor of death in her car, as confirmed by a text message written and sent by her. She also told Amy that the smell had been in the car for at least one day, perhaps two. Was this the start of attempting to pass the blame on to her father?

Q: Okay. Do you know if you spoke about it before the 27th or after the 27th?

A: Before, because the 27th was when she said what it was and there was at least a day, if not two days, that she told me about the smell.

We have now established that Casey freely admitted that the smell of death did, in fact, exist in her vehicle. This leaves us with two possible choices: Casey knew exactly what it was and she was working on an excuse to cover it up, or she had no idea what caused the foul odor.

Let’s fast forward a bit to Amy’s conversation with Cindy, after Cindy picked her up at the Florida Mall. Remember, Cindy called 911 that night and uttered those now famous words,  “I found my daughter’s car today and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.”

Within a week, she changed her tune. “It smelled like something had died in the car. I smelled it. I thought something had died in the car. I didn’t know what it was. It could have been a squirrel. It could have been anything. But when we opened the trunk and we saw the maggots in the trunk with all the pizza and stuff, it was a rancid smell.” (See: http://www.wftv.com/news/16981004/detail.html)

She also told FOX News, “Do me a favor, put a little piece of pizza or any piece of garbage in your car today and leave it shut up for 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 days in this heat and then come back to me in 19 days and tell me what it smells like.” (See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,389642,00.html)

What she did was a complete spin. It meant that the smell of death was not really death at all, it was pizza and other garbage found in the trunk that reeked so badly. She told the 911 dispatcher about the smell of death for one reason only: to quickly bring law enforcement to the house. She didn’t really mean what she said. Excuse me. Never mind. Except for one major issue. It wasn’t only the dispatcher she told that to.

Starting from page 52 of the deposition, where Amy dropped Casey off at Anthony Lazzaro’s apartment in Winter Park…

Q: Okay. And then where did you go?

A: I went to the Florida Mall with JP [Chatt] in his car because he wanted to go pick up the new iPhone that had come out while we were gone. And the Florida Mall is fun to walk around in so I tagged along.

Q: Tell me about the conversation when Cindy calls you. What happened - -

A: She called me and asked me - - you know, obviously stated who she was and then asked me if I had seen Casey or Caylee. I was, like, well, I just saw Casey like an hour and a half ago, but I haven’t seen Casey - - or Caylee in a while. And so she proceeded to tell me that, like, she needed to find her, that she was going to be in really big trouble. I believe she mentioned jail for some reason. I don’t recll what the reasoning was why she was going to be going to jail, but just seemed very important that she find her and that she hadn’t seen her in a long time. So that the car - - her car had been impounded for two weeks and that she just really needed to find Casey.

Q: Did she say anything about the smell in the car?

A: I don’t think she said anything about the smell of the car on the phone conversation. She said - - she did later in the car, but not, I don’t believe, over the phone.

AHA! I received an e-mail yesterday afternoon. A very nice person, who shall remain anonymous, wrote this to me:

I read the deposition of Amy. In it, Cindy states to her that the car smelled like a dead body had been in it. She says the same thing on the 911 call later. Then much later she says that she would have said anything to get the police there ASAP. I think saying that to Amy BEFORE the Police might come back to really haunt her.

She makes a very valid point. Continuing with Amy’s depostion:

Q: Okay. So then [Cindy] picks you up at the Florida mall?

A: Yes.

Q: You got in the car and then what’s the conversation like as you’re going to Tony’s house?

A: Well, first it was a, it’s nice to finally meet you because I had yet to meet her at that point. And she told me - - like actually then told me then the whole story of the car impound, that was when she told me about the smell.

Q: What did she say in describing the smell?

A: She said that it smelled - - it was the most horrible smell that she had ever smelled and that they were terrified that it was either Casey or Caylee in the car - - in the trunk until they got it open. But that was - - that her fear and she was barely controlling, like, emotion in saying that. Like, it was - - you could see that that was still something [t]hat she remembered being upset about that that thought was in her mind.

Q: Did she say she smelled the car or did she say George smelled the car?

A: Both of them. I believe they were boh there.

Q: Okay. So she’s telling you this on the way to Tony’s house?

A: Yes.

If it wasn’t the odor of death, what prompted George and Cindy to immediately think of Casey and Caylee’s well-being? Here are two snippets quoting George and Cindy’s own words from a transcript of the HLN program, Nancy Grace, dated November 17, 2008:

GEORGE ANTHONY: You guys don’t know! The person who was in the back of my granddaughter’s (SIC) car is not my granddaughter!

CINDY ANTHONY, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING TODDLER: My husband is a deputy sheriff. Years ago, he was a homicide investigator, as well. And the first thing he thought was human decomposition. I’m a nurse. I thought human decomposition.

It’s interesting, to say the least. Ooooh that smell!

Reference: Huizenga Depo 2_11

Without Prejudice

Casey Anthony’s defense team has filed a lot of motions; too many to some, but plenty of them have been denied without prejudice by the presiding judge. With prejudice and without are fairly cut and dry. With prejudice means that once a judge rules, that’s the end of it; dead in the water, leave it alone and give it a rest. In other words, it’s a final disposition. Without prejudice means that the present form is not good enough to rule positively on, but the motion can certainly be filed again after tweaking and rewriting it. In other words, similar, but not identical. It leaves a party free to litigate the matter in a subsequent action. That’s not to say the latter outcome would be any different, but it leaves the door open for further explanation and review. A lot of the motions ruled against the defense by Judge Stan Strickland were ordered without prejudice. In my opinion, one of the reasons why Jose & Co. wanted him off the bench was made clear after Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. took over. Many of those motions turned down by Judge Strickland were refiled. They expected the new judge to be more favorable in his rulings. Unfortunately for Casey, Judge Perry didn’t overturn a single one of them, so they did nothing to help her cause.

In light of Judge Strickland’s rulings, I want to discuss something that’s been weighing on my mind - without prejudice, of course. Actually, there are two things, the other one being George and Cindy and where they sit in the courtroom; but first, I come to Judge Strickland’s defense - not that he needs it or anything.

Of late, I have been reading comments on blogs, including my own; personal testimonials that praise Judge Perry for keeping this trial on track; that he is expediting the schedule. Consequently, and because of him, the trial will start on time - his time. That’s simply not true. Not to take away from him or his regimented structuring at all, but the facts in this case are, in fact, facts, and facts don’t lie. Just where has Judge Perry sped up the process as it relates to deadlines and the like?

On March 5, 2010, just over a year ago, Judge Strickland affixed his name to an amended order setting deadlines. It’s titled [the] AMENDED PROPOSED ORDER SETTING DISCOVERY, MOTION and HEARING DEADLINES and TRIAL DATE. On February 7 of this year, Judge Perry wrote his ORDER MEMORIALIZING STATUS HEARING. Please make a mental note that these are orders written by both judges.

Judge Strickland wrote: Depositions of law enforcement officers or employees shall be completed by September 30, 2010.

Judge Perry wrote: Depositions of Law Enforcement Persons: Defense anticipates completion of all depositions by the February 18,2011 deadline.

That’s a four-and-one-half month discrepancy, folks, and Judge Strickland stepped down six weeks after his deadline order. Who reset the deadline? Please understand that this, in no manner, disparages Judge Perry. This is a complex death penalty case and tentative deadlines are meant to be broken. Recently, a very prominent attorney told me, “So much misinformation is out there,” and this stretches beyond the mundane aspects of this case.

Another good example of this is Judge Strickland’s original deadline for the depositions of defense expert witnesses. The date he set was February 28, 2011. Judge Perry extended it a bit to March 11, 2011 for the final one - Dr. Werner Spitz.

On a side note, we now know Dr. Spitz will argue that Dr. G’s autopsy results are flawed. We will look more into this aspect at a later date, but meanwhile…

Judge Perry said, by hook or by crook, this trial will commence to start on May 9, 2011. It’s etched in stone, but lest you think that he is speeding up what the defense tries to set back, guess again. While Judge Perry keeps both sides on course, it was Judge Strickland who set the trial date of May 9, 2011. I show you Exhibit A, right on schedule:

I remember when I told readers of my blog that I was going to attend my first hearing. It was back in mid-October, 2009. Everyone told me to sit on the prosecution side. If you sit on the defense side, it means you support the defense. I said, no it doesn’t, this isn’t like a wedding, where friends of the bride and groom sit on their respective sides. Oh yes it does, I was lectured. Well, I’ve always been the independent sort, and I told them I will sit wherever I want. It so happens that upon entering the courtroom, the only seat available was next to George and Cindy on the, you guessed it, defense side. That awarded me the opportunity to say a few words to George when the hearing was over, and I’m glad I did. As a writer, I try to remain neutral, although it’s downright impossible at times.

Nowadays, almost all I ever read, over and over and over again, is that because George, Cindy and Lee sit behind their daughter, it means they have “thrown their granddaughter under the bus.” They are not interested in justice for Caylee. At all. That brings me to one very important thought. It’s actually two separate pieces of the whole, but I think it’s worth pondering. No, I am not setting this in stone; let’s just say it’s a fresh perspective that most people haven’t given much thought to, if any at all. Please keep in mind that keeping an open mind usually means everything is not always hidden behind Door Number One. Answers can come from anywhere, and they usually do.

Suppose the Anthonys are seeking justice for their grandchild, but they just don’t like the fact that the state of Florida wants to kill Casey. Hey, life is okay, but death? No matter what your child has done, and I want you to think hard and heavy about this, would you beg the state to kill your child? No matter what? If you honestly answer no, then you will you understand why they refuse to support the prosecution. THEY WANT TO KILL MY DAUGHTER!!! To be realistic, I doubt that you could execute your own child. I couldn’t, because…

Personally, I am against the death penalty. My beliefs are my own and so are my reasons, but if you ask me why I feel the way I do, I will gladly explain my position. With that in mind, has anyone EVER asked George and Cindy what their positions are on the death penalty? If not, what if they feel the same way I do? Why would they want to support the state by sitting behind them? I wouldn’t if it were my child, but she’s not, and it’s not my call.

Think about how you would feel as poison flows into your child’s veins. Without prejudice, of course.

Interesting day of discovery

More documents were released today concerning the investigation into the death of Caylee Marie Anthony. Some of the discovery is not very revealing, while other documents are. For instance, several TES volunteers described receiving phone calls from private investigators stating they were “calling from the Orange County Courthouse.” While misleading, they were not illegal. Cpl. Yuri Melich wrote in his incident report that an “investigation was conducted in order to determine if a private investigator working for the Casey Anthony defense violated State Statute by falsely impersonating an officer as per Florida State Statute 843.08.” He added that “there is insufficient evidence to prove anyone violated this statute.” Yes, several people complained the callers had misrepresented themselves, but by merely saying they were calling “from” the Orange County Courthouse failed to constitute probable cause that a crime was committed. I have to agree. I’ve made phone calls from the courthouse and by merely telling the other person I am calling from that location reveals nothing. I could be there for a hearing or something else.

What I did find interesting is that, while a lot of people believe Jerry Lyons is working alone, or that Mort Smith is still somehow involved, two new names surfaced. AHA! We can now add Katie Delaney, Gil Colon and Scott McKenna to the list. What would be intriguing would be if the SAO decided to seek the cell phone records from all of the PIs to see if they really did call from the courthouse as they claimed.

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161837/detail.html)

Julie Ann Davis

Julie Davis was a TES searcher who was a K-9 handler. Her dog was trained to find human cadavers. She searched the Suburban Drive area on September 7, 2008 along with Tammy Dennis, Karen Gheesling and Luther Peeples. Tammy Dennis was also a dog handler. None of the dogs alerted anyone to a body. She was clear in her memory of where she searched, and more signifiacntly, where she didn’t. She said she looked at the end of Suburban, across from the school, with her dogs. So did Tammy. They found nothing unusual. She also said she looked into the wooded are where the body was eventually found, but not with her dogs, that remained in her car at the time. Those particular woods were overgrown with brush and flooded, she told Cpl. Eric Edwards on February 3 of this year.

“Um, I got out of my vehicle, walked along the edge of the, the tree line there. Looking inside that vegetation ah, it was thick, but I could see through the thickness was a lot of water.”

One of her most significant statements she made was that it may have been very difficult to find a body. Many variables would come into play.

“It depends on the body if it was wrapped in bags whether or not that K-9 would be able to detect that.”

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161880/detail.html)

Cpl. Mark David Hawkins

Mark Hawkins was a longtime friend of Casey and her family. She often talked about visiting him in California, where he was stationed as a U.S. Marine. He knew her from their high school days together. After finding (alleged) samples of human decomposition, samples of Caylee’s hair and chloroform in the trunk of Casey’s vehicle, Hawkins came forward and offered to help in the investigation since he had knowledge of the victim and her family. He admitted that his relationship with Casey was only plutonic; that they had never been sexually intimate together. He said that they both agreed that they should just remain strictly friends. He was in the military and constantly being sent to different locations. Casey said she didn’t want a transient life for herself or Caylee.

“In late June/early July 2008, Casey and I were talking regularly, as I was keeping her updated on some medical issues of mine. She was worried about me and stated she wanted to come out to CA to see me, although there were never any solid plans made. A week or so later, Casey called me and was noticeably upset nd frustrated. She said she had something to tell me and couldn’t say it over the phone. She said ‘something happened’ a long time ago, but wouldn’t say what it was. Casey said she told her mother and brother whatever it was and they became angry & frustrated about it. I asked Casey what happened and tried to get her to tell me, she just saind, ‘Hey Mark, it’s just something I want to tell you in person’. I thought maybe there were some issues between her and her father or thought she was possibly upset about something else and she was just sort of dancing around it.”

In my opinion, this could have been the start of her accusation that her brother used to molest her. NCIS, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigation, sent Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Probationary Special Agent Ziva David - JUST KIDDING! NCIS sent Hawkins to Orlando where he agreed to be wired up by FBI Special Agent Steve Mackley. He met with Casey at her house on October 9 and 10, where she was under house arrest after Leonard Padilla bonded her out of jail. Casey never did make admissions related to the death of her child, although this was prior to Caylee’s body was found. Casey also told Hawkins her brother, Lee, knew most of the story about what happened to Caylee. She added she would tell him all about it one day. I doubt Lee was in on the murder, though, and he was never a suspect.

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161404/detail.html)

Anne Pham

Anne e-mailed Yuri Melich on February 1 of this year to tell him that on the morning Caylee’s remains were discovered the two of them spoke over the phone as the news broke. Laura never said anything about searching that specific area of Suburban Drive. In fact, it wasn’t until weeks or months later that she started claiming she searched there. Pham continued by saying that other searchers had no idea about Buchanan’s claim. Buchanan thought Roy Kronk was somehow involved in the murder of Caylee.

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161898/detail.html)

Dr. Barry Logan

Dr. Logan is an expert in toxicology and analytical chemistry for NMS Labs. He has been retained by Casey’s defense.He will argue that there is no standard operating procedure for the use of the equipment utilized by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He also states that the database was established with a total of four cadavers buried underground. There’s no demonstration that the findings would apply to human bodies that decomposed under different circumstances, such as in the trunk of a car. As an expert witness, he bases his opinions on several factors, one of which is that Oak Ridge is not a forensic laboratory, nor is it ASCLD-LAB qualified.

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161862/detail.html)

Dr. Timothy Huntington

Dr. Huntington concluded that the species of fly associated with the garbage bag in Casey’s trunk is unremarkable and of no forensic value. Also found in the trash was a single dermestid beetle larva that’s of no significant value. Of course, he acknowledged that the findings were open to revision and reinterpretation, but we are now seeing what some of the defense witnesses will testify to at trial. He continues by claiming that, given the conditions in the trunk, specifically increasded temperatures due to solar radiation, adult flies found in the trunk on July 16, the eggs should have not been laid before July 2. Of course, the two sides will be arguing over the insect evidence at trial. Big time.

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161900/detail.html)

(See: http://www.wesh.com/pdf/27161900/detail.html)

 §

In a minor setback for the defense, DNA tests on a laundry bag and shorts that were found with Caylee’s remains came back negative. It may have helped raise reasonable doubt. 

§

Depositions

Several depositions were released yesterday. One that was filed comes from the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office, where Dr. Jan Garavaglia works. In her September 28, 2010 deposition, she confirmed that the remains showed no signs of trauma. Nothing led up to the cause or manner of death. When defense attorney Cheney Mason asked her about other possibilities besides murder, such as playing with a plastic bag or drowning, she replied that because nothing was “reported immediately to the hospital or law enforcement to try to rescuscitate this person, or EMS, and this person is still found with duct tape on the face, I would still call that a homicide.”

I know many of us have already heard that revelation, and we may remember what Kiomarie Cruz said, too. Another deposition came from OCSO Deputy Appling Wells from his March 9, 2010 deposition. Kiomarie told him that Casey “didn’t really want the baby” and that she wanted to give it up for adoption. Cindy wouldn’t allow it.

Wells met with Cruz on July 19, 2008. She and Casey were friends from middle school and high school and they used to hang out in the woods across from Hidden Oaks Elementary School. She told wells that they used to go there to do adult things like fornicate and smoke wacky weed. “If Casey was to do something bad,” she told him, “maybe this is where she would put the baby.”

Jose Baez questioned him about Kiomarie’s mental health and Wells said, “I didn’t think that was an issue talking to her.”

Wells said that after Casey was first arrested, she was shocked and most likely “a little pissed off.” 

He discussed meeting with the Anthony’s neighbor, Brian Burner, about the time Casey borrowed his shovel. “She brought it back an hour later,” Wells said. “Nothing stood out as far as being something wrong.”

Later, he had a “police officer to police officer” chat with George looking for evidence that “someone, something had been buried” in the back yard.

Finally, and some in the media may find this a bit unsettling, Wells expressed his annoyance with the media throughout his deposition. He considered them to be obsessed with the story.”They’re just vultures,” he said.

(See: The Orlando Sentinel, March 11, 2011)

Either Way

While attending court on Wednesday, I noticed a big difference in how Casey’s defense presented itself as opposed to past hearings. It was a dramatic improvement. It was also the first time I saw Dorothy Clay Sims, the Ocala attorney who specializes in aggressive cross-examinations of medical experts. She joined Casey’s team in September of last year. We will be hearing much more from her as we approach the trial, I’m sure.

On Thursday, Judge Perry opened the hearing by admonishing the gallery. He reminded everyone he does not want to see any smirking or hear any snickering. This includes moans, sighs and any sort of reaction that deviates from quietly sitting still and behaving ourselves. One thing I admire about him is the manner in which he handles issues on the surface. He seems to be rather uncomfortable with singling any person or group out. I would imagine if and when it ever reaches that point, the person(s) on the receiving end won’t be happy.

Thus began the day filled with testimony from detectives, deputies, jailers and the two Anthony men. When I arrived on the 19th floor, I expected to see a good number of OCSO’s finest, and I did. The first one I noticed was Sgt. John Allen, the lead investigator of this case. We had warm greetings and a firm handshake as we crossed paths. If you recall, Sgt. Allen interviewed me in December 2009 and I’ve spoken with him several times by phone since then; the last call was made in November 2010 concerning an idiotic conspiracy being promulgated on another blog.

I have an awful lot of respect for Sgt. Allen for several reasons. He made me feel very comfortable during our initial meeting. He was professional and courteous. He knew how to ask the right questions and he allowed time to talk about other things of interest, some personal, but mostly about the case. For instance, when Casey was initially arrested and all leads pointed to finding a victim, he and over 100 law enforcement personnel continued to search around the country for a living Caylee. You could clearly sense his dedication, focus and concern. No one ever gave up hope until after her remains were found. What I walked away with that December day was a good understanding of the man and the challenges he faces every day. I recall how OCSO and other personnel were castigated by family members for not doing more to find Caylee, but I knew they were. All they wanted was the truth.

I also had an opportunity to speak briefly to Cmdr. Matt Irwin and Cpl. Yuri Melich. During a more lengthy break, I had a good conversation with another detective, Cpl. Eric Edwards. Great guys, all. Of course, nothing about the case was discussed. Actually, the police had to wait outside the courtroom for two days waiting to be called. It’s my understanding that during the entire time, they were in limbo. In other words, no working on any present investigations. Everything was on hold. It seems like so much wasted time, but such is the case when charges are filed and trials ensue. It comes with the territory.

Agents of the State?

Just like I wrote in my previous post, I do not intend to relate a play-by-play account of what transpired in the courtroom. I will proffer my thoughts on the overall scheme of events and what the defense was after. The day before, it was the Miranda warning. On Thursday, it was Agents of the State.

First off, I think the M.O. of a cop is pretty simple. Cops do what cops do. They investigate. They uphold the law. They do a lot more than that, but let’s just stick with investigating and upholding the law for now, especially when the defense questioned both job descriptions. I understand what Jose & Co. were engaging in and while Wednesday may offer them hope, I’m not all that sure about Thursday. Taking a look at one of the angles Jose pressed was how he took it personally when the detectives allegedly told George his daughter could have found a much better attorney. OK, fine. So what? As soon as Casey lawyered up, she wasn’t going to open up to authorities any longer. That’s a given. Who she hired meant nothing because any attorney worth his/her weight in salt would have severed direct communications with law enforcement personnel, so who it was and how good or bad the person was wouldn’t have mattered. Cops and criminal defense attorneys are like oil and vinegar. Anything the law wants to find out from that point on just ain’t gonna transpire.

Because police act the way they do, they usually try any trick in the book to find answers. That’s what private investigators do, too. Short of anything illegal, that’s the name of the game. If you ever watch COPS, you’ll know that any and all people involved in suspicious activity are questioned separately. More information is collected that way. In this case, detectives knew that George was once in law enforcement and, naturally, he would be a better fit when it came to collecting additional information. He understood the lingo. As for Lee… well, Lee is a different breed of animal, but I feel that law enforcement sensed his desire to pursue the field of investigative work. Whether he’s a cop wannabe or not, he created his own agenda. He sure played into their hands. Remember, Dominic Casey told him to work on becoming a PI. There were two willing family members with George and Lee. Where it gets tricky is when the OCSO detectives offered to pick up George and drive him to the county jail to see his daughter, knowing that Baez was out-of-town. That in itself is not a big deal, but it is sneaky. Still, it’s nothing illegal. Where it becomes an issue, in my opinion, is when the detectives told Jose under oath that driving George to the jail was not an official trip. It was only to help him find the truth.

Hold on for a second… Uh… Hmm. Not an official trip. It most certainly was an official trip for four reasons:

1. It was a county vehicle filled with gas paid for by the county.
2. It was tape recorded without George’s knowledge.
3. George was accompanied by two detectives and one FBI agent.
4. Everything law enforcement does related to an investigation is most certainly part of the investigation.

Astutely, Jose asked why they would tape record the trip if it was not part of an investigation. He asked if any of them had ever done the same thing for any other person. Was it done out of the goodness of their hearts? He also put one of his former attorneys on the stand. Gabriel Adam may have had a problem with attorney/client privilege, but he was quick to point out the strange goings-on at the jail that day. Why was he not allowed to see Casey until much later? Because the detectives were in the building, setting up an appointment with dear old dad.¹ In the end, she did not see her father that day, she listened to her attorney’s advice, but I still find something to be a little bit problematic. Why say it wasn’t part of any investigation when, in fact, it was? That’s what cops do, after all. Is it enough to win the motion for the defense? No, not in my opinion and I’ll tell you why. While little lies may come into play during the trial, at issue now is whether the Anthony family was surreptitiously swallowed up by law enforcement to, unwittingly, do dirty deeds at their behest. Did they become Agents of the State?

No.

As desperate as law enforcement was to find the answers, so were the Anthonys. On the stand, all members of the family said they would have done anything to bring Caylee home. This was long before she was found. As a matter of fact, here is a direct quote from George:

“I would have sold my soul to the devil to get my grandchild back.”

They were in complete agony, yes, but as far as I’m concerned, if the Anthonys were Agents of the State, those detectives were just as much Agents for the Anthonys. Yuri Melich and John Allen were the only security blankets the family had at the time, if not all of them, then certainly George. What those detectives did was what they do every day. Sgt. Allen summed it up nicely:

“We were doing this at their request but certainly anything that if we had got of evidentiary value we would have used it and turned it over to the prosecutors.”

Another potential issue is the letter Casey wrote to then Sheriff Kevin Beary. Did the detectives coerce George into convincing her to do it without Jose Baez’s knowledge? Even so, should it matter? No one twisted her arm, and the police had no direct contact. That’s why this “agent” thing is such a big deal to the defense. If they can link the police directly to Casey, it could, potentially, mess with attorney/client privilege. Sgt. Allen told Lee on numerous occasions that “she has an attorney, we can’t talk to her but you can.”

Will the defense win this one? I’m inclined to think not. Everything up to that point was done voluntarily, all players were adults, and they shared one common goal - to bring Caylee home. The Anthonys were willing to do whatever it took and, in the end, the bottom line is simple. The police work for us. Right?

§

One of the nice things about being able to sit in the courtroom is that there is so much more to see than what’s viewed on television. The added depth and dimension are huge advantages. Jose posed a hypothetical question to George. He wanted to know, if he was subpoenaed to testify in court next week, knowing that if he chooses not to attend, it would save his daughter’s life, what would he do? Linda Drane Burdick vehemently objected. The judge overruled and wanted to know George’s answer. He told the prosecutor it could be discussed in a sidebar after he answered the question. Jose asked him again. George replied that he would stay away from court and risk it all, including any form of punishment, if it meant it would save Casey’s life. He broke down on the stand and cried all the way out the door after he was excused.

Ultimately, the judge overruled the prosecutor again after the sidebar, but what you couldn’t see or sense on TV was the emotional state of the gallery at that precise moment in time. The cameras couldn’t show you the welling tears of some of the spectators. It was then that we really felt the agony inside of that man. It was real. For whatever you think of him, this is something we can never deny.

If the defense succeeds in acquitting Casey, one thing is certain. It will never be the same. As cruel and distant as she has become toward her family, who she ignores, she will most assuredly never, ever go back to Hopespring Drive and what she left behind. No, George, she may win, but you will never be able to go back. Either way, for you, Cindy and Lee, it will be a lose/lose situation. Caylee already lost.

I want to say hello and thank you to my courtroom friends on Wednesday and Thursday. I had planned on attending Friday, too, but I had other obligations that almost slipped my mind. Hello to Diana in Asheville! I wish we would have had more time to talk. To Gloria and Jim, I enjoyed our “lunch” together and I look forward to hearing from you soon. And to Melinda and Pam, I really, really enjoyed your company.

¹When Gabriel Adam was through testifying, including the cross-examination, Judge Perry took the unprecedented step of continuing to probe him about his visit with his client. This may not bode well for the State. Something got his attention.

Arresting Development?

 

There are two basic Miranda warnings. One is quite minimal and the other is more verbose:

• You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.

• You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand? Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand? You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. Do you understand? If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. Do you understand? If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand? Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?

The general rule is that the first one is just an announcement of your rights, whether under arrest or not, and the second one is primarily to cover the bases a detainee might encounter while in police custody.

We have rights under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but do we know each one of them by heart? Way back in 1963, Ernesto Miranda was accused of kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman. When brought in for questioning, he confessed. He was never told that he had rights at all. He was never told he didn’t have to speak to the police or that he could have had an attorney present. At trial, his counsel attempted to get the confession thrown out, but the motion was denied. In 1966, the case went before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled that Miranda’s statements to law enforcement could not be used as evidence since he had not been advised of his rights.

Since then, before any pertinent questioning of a suspect is done, officers of the law have been required to recite the Miranda warning. The above statements have the same key elements: the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. When you have been read your rights, you have been Mirandized.

Of great importance is the difference between being arrested and being questioned. When law enforcement asks you anything - anything at all, you have the right to remain silent. Period. Of course, this doesn’t include answering basic questions such as your name, address and other relevant information regarding your identity. Also, bear in mind that if you are not a suspect, the police do not need to Mirandize you.

At issue with Casey, and of great importance to her defense, is the precise moment when she shifted from being a person of interest (which could mean just about anything) to becoming a full-blown suspect involved in a crime. To be certain, prior to her being questioned, she was already suspected of stealing. That quickly changed when law enforcement learned of Caylee’s disappearance and possible kidnapping. What is so relevant at this point is the time investigators turned around and looked at her as a suspect. There are no clear-cut definitions; it is a gray area, but no doubt, police are trained to be suspicious of their own mothers, so after Casey told her first lie, the gloves came off and she became a prime target of investigation. What her defense did today was to paint her as a sitting duck, and there may be some weight to it. Were Orange County’s finest required to read Casey her rights before firing away, if just as a precaution? That’s what we are about to find out.

When Deputy Ryan Eberlin told defense attorneys on the stand today that he initially handcuffed Casey on July 15, 2008 and put her in the back of a patrol car - the “cage”, should he have read her her rights, right then and there? Remember, that would not have signified that she was under arrest. At that moment, the crux of the investigation was over a missing toddler, right? Yes, but Cindy had just showed him receipts that virtually indicted Casey of fraudulent use of her credit cards. She said she wanted to press charges against her daughter. It was at this moment the cuffs went on. Time to be Mirandized. She was a suspect in a crime.

This could be big. I have tried to maintain a decent semblance of neutrality throughout this trying case, although I will admit I falter at times, but I have got to admit that this could be problematic for the State. To be blunt, Jose Baez and Cheney Mason were very good in the courtroom today and I have to call it like I saw it. Give them their day in the sun, but don’t get in an uproar over my revelation, not quite yet, anyway. We don’t know how the judge will rule. There’s still much more testimony to come, but if he rules in favor of the defense, it means initial questions will be tossed. However, keep one important factor in the back of your mind…

Ernesto Miranda. Oh yes, his conviction was thrown out, alright, but he didn’t walk away a free man. Law enforcement still had tons of other evidence that was completely independent of the confession. When he was tried the second time, he was convicted again, and after his release, he was killed in a barroom fight.

Just remember, the State of Florida is still sitting on lots of other evidence against Casey.

§

There is much more I could address, but it was a long day. One little morsel of interest, I’m sure… Diana Tennis is no longer representing Dominic Casey. He is out of the woods, so to speak, and Ms. Tennis is free to say and write whatever she wants about the case.

Also, the State submitted two photographs into evidence. The defense objected, but Judge Perry overruled. The first one shows a happy Casey taken at OCSO Operations Center. The second one is walking out into the lobby to exit the building. Could the first one infer that she’s a mother not too worried about her toddler?

 

I’m going to bed. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow, I’m sure.

From the FRYE pan into the FYRE? Part I

Next month, two motions filed by the defense will be heard by Judge Perry. Because they are very important Frye issues, and of extreme importance to the defense, this post will focus on the motion about chloroform evidence. It will be in two parts.

PART I - The Frye Pan

Casey’s defense recently filed two Frye motions. The date reflects when they were filed with the Clerk of Courts. Both are stamped 12/30/2010.

MOTION TO EXCLUDE UNRELIABLE EVIDENCE PURSUANT TO FRYE, OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE, MOTION IN LIMINE TO EXCLUDE (CHLOROFORM)

and

MOTION TO EXCLUDE UNRELIABLE EVIDENCE (Plant or root growth evidence)

The state filed motions to strike, but today, I will just focus on the issue over chloroform. The other motions (defense and state) will come later, because in this particular one, there is much to discern, including a few errors. I will get to them, but first of all, what, exactly, is a Frye motion/hearing? Frye motions are generally held in limine, which means they are made before a trial starts. The judge then decides whether certain evidence may or may not be introduced to the jury. The Frye standard is a test to determine the admissibility of scientific evidence in legal proceedings. This standard comes from the case Frye v. United States (293 F. 1013 (DC Cir 1923) District of Columbia Circuit Court in 1923. Frye v. U.S. was a groundbreaking case that argued the admissibility of polygraph tests as evidence in a trial. Today, it’s designed to prevent both sides from unfairly exploiting expert testimony. Its intent is to assure that expert evidence is reliable.

In its motion, the defense cites Florida Statutes 90.401, 90.402 and 90.403, Amendments 5 and 14 of the U.S. Constitution, and Article 1, Section 9 of the Florida Constitution. Let’s take a look:

• 90.401 Definition of relevant evidence. — Relevant evidence is evidence tending to prove or disprove a material fact.
• 90.402  Admissibility of relevant evidence. — All relevant evidence is admissible, except as provided by law.
• 90.403  Exclusion on grounds of prejudice or confusion. — Relevant evidence is inadmissible if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of issues, misleading the jury, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence. This section shall not be construed to mean that evidence of the existence of available third-party benefits is inadmissible.
• Amendment V — No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
• Amendment XIV — All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
• Article 1, Section 9 — Due process.—No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, or be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense, or be compelled in any criminal matter to be a witness against oneself.

The first two Florida Statutes, I would imagine, were cited by the defense for the purpose of propping up the third, which questions the admissibility of evidence that may prejudice or confuse the jury. In the case of this motion, it’s chloroform evidence found in the trunk of Casey’s car the defense is questioning, specifically carpet and air samples.

After the preliminary introduction of the motion, the defense moved on to FACTS about the case:

FACTS

1. Miss Anthony is charged with First Degree Murder. The State of Florida has announced it’s [sic] intent to seek the ultimate penalty of death.
2. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted tests on carpet samples and air samples taken from a vehicle (Pontiac Sunfire) driven by Miss Anthony at or near the time of the disappearance of her daughter Caylee Anthony.
3. Dr. Arvad Vass reported in his preliminary and final reports that there were unusually high levels of chloroform found on the carpet samples taken from the Pontiac Sunfire.
4. Dr. Vass additionally states that the levels of chloroform are much higher than normally found in decompositional events.
5. This information prompted investigators to search the Anthony family computer for searches of chloroform, which yielded positive results for “chloroform” and “how to make chloroform.” The hysteria begins.

Before I delve too deeply into the motion, remember the defense cited the above as FACTS, not assumptions or speculations made by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Where it completely strayed from the truth is the final statement of fact, “The hysteria begins.” From there, it turned into a giant smoke screen. The defense went into, well, a defense mode, which is what is expected.

FACTS PART II: UNCOVERING THE FRAUD

In FACTS PART II: UNCOVERING THE FRAUD, law enforcement was accused of intentionally leaking information to the local and national media prior to “any official reports through the natural course of discovery.” I will acknowledge learning of the death smell from the news sometime in August of 2008, so there may be some merit to this particular aspect of the complaint. However, this information would have been released anyway, so it was not, by any means, an attempt to “either satisfy their own vanity or poison any potential jury pool” as the defense stated. Today, it’s two-and-a-half years later, and a fair jury will be seated in May come hell or high water.

What puzzles me at this point of the motion is how the defense contradicts itself. In FACTS PART II, they wrote that they traveled to Tennessee and took depositions from Dr. Arpad Vass and Dr. Marcus Wise. Both testified that the tests on the carpet sample were “qualitative” and not “quantitative.” One way to simplify this is to say it’s the motion in the ocean, not the size of the ship; but at the same time, no one is going to sail around the world in a canoe. That’s not to say flat out that the SS Casey is sinking, but it’s definitely listing. The smokesreen in this example comes from the statements that, “It should be noted that the Oak Ridge National Laboratory also took carpet samples from two Pontiac Sunfires… [and] one of the sample cars they tested ALSO had chloroform in the sample,” and “Dr. Vass, who is the author of the ORNL report is NOT a forensic chemist.” In my opinion, one not need be a forensic chemist to analyze chemical breakdowns. Dr. Vass could readily make analytical conclusions from tests of all kinds, and my guess would be that plenty of them have nothing to do with crime. Industrial spies, for example, have been tackling the secret recipe of KFC chicken and McDonald’s Special Sauce for years and years. That’s not forensics, but it takes real life chemists to break into the “Da Vinci Codes” of restaurant chain trade secrets. Who knows, maybe Dr. Vass could find out what’s really in Taco Bell’s beef. Now, that’s something that matters. Of course, it’s a civil matter, not criminal.

In the motion, the defense noted that the FBI Chemistry Unit in Quantico, Virginia, had tested four samples of the carpet and two of the four were “consistent with chloroform.” Dr. Michael Richenbach, Ph.D, told the defense during his deposition that “consistent with” means that the presumptive test results were positive, but the conclusive tests were not. Aside from all of the scientific mumbo jumbo, of which I will spare you the boredom, the point being made by the defense is, in a nutshell, that the results from ORNL and the FBI were different. Therefore, the results should be tossed out. In my opinion, the most consistent point to be made about this case to date has been the consistency of the two presiding judges, and ultimately, Judge Perry will leave it up to both sides to argue and let the jury take it from there. Laws around the country not only protect cross examinations, they encourage them, and this case is no different. The defense will have ample opportunity to shred the state’s evidence to pieces.

Here’s another interesting smokescreen, but I do not think the State, nor the judge, will fall for it. The motion makes it clear that “the other items tested by the FBI for chloroform (baby doll, steering wheel cover, and child car seat) all yielded negative results.” True, but the cab of Casey’s vehicle was separated from the trunk by a back seat. How much seepage should there have been? Police officers have been trained for years to detect the odor of marijuana in a car, and I’m talking about fresh, not smoked. It does have a pungent odor unlike anything else. While standing by the driver’s door, window down, would the officer smell it if it was tucked away in the trunk? No, probably not, but the nervousness of the occupants would be a sure sign that something’s not right. How much chloroform would it take to be overwhelming? I mean, it’s not even close to the smell of decomposition. Talk about pungent odors.

COMPUTER SEARCHES

Law enforcement ascertained that someone inside of the Anthony home searched for chloroform and chloroform recipes three months prior to Caylee’s disappearance. This is why it’s so important for the defense to crush this evidence, along with the air and carpet samples. This is highly incriminating. The defense wrote:

• Any forensic computer examiner including the ones in this case (Sandra Cawn and Kevin Stenger) will testify that you can never determine who ran what searches on a computer, especially when the computer is NOT password protected.

Okay, in and of itself, that may be true, but more about that in a couple of seconds. Incidentally, Cawn and Stenger work for OCSO and I think they know a thing or two about  computer forensics.

• The computer in question was in a “guest bedroom” and all family members not only had access to the computer, but also testified that they used the computer as well as guests who visited their home.
• Law enforcement cannot ascertain whether Miss Anthony was even home at the time the searches [were] run much less on the computer.

Now, had Judge Perry been born in the 19th century, the defense might be able to pull the wool over his eyes, but he wasn’t; nor was he born yesterday. Yes, of course the computer could have been accessed by anyone, but it is inside the Anthony home, and it’s a desktop, not a portable laptop, which could be moved around the house. By utilizing something simple, like a process of elimination, investigators can sift through a myriad of things, including time sheets. March 21, 2008, was a Friday - a work day. What time of day did the searches occur? I’ll bet you OCSO knows. If Cindy, George and Lee were not inside the house, it incriminates Casey, and with no other source, like a friend who has yet to come forward, her ship is really listing.

Here’s something the defense wrote that struck me as peculiar:

• The Oak Ridge National Laboratories (Some reports erroneously called them “body farm” perhaps for more shock appeal) reported unusually high amounts of chloroform in the trunk of Casey Anthony’s car.

What I would like to do is take to task the remark about erroneously calling ORNL a Body Farm for more shock appeal. In my opinion, the defense is trying to directly infer that the term Body Farm was something new and never used before. I assure you, that is not the truth. I can tell you I heard about the Body Farm long before I heard about the Anthony case and, as a matter of fact, thanks to my Gainesville friend, nika1, I am in the possession of a book titled, BEYOND THE BODY FARM, written by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. So what, you say? Yes, so what. The book was published in 2007, a year before Casey’s defense knew who she was. Jefferson & Bass (as Jefferson Bass) have written four novels about the Body Farm. The first one, Carved in Bone, was released in January 2006. In 2003, Bass & Jefferson released their first scientific book about it, Death’s Acre. To go further back in time, crime writer Patricia Cornwell published The Body Farm in 1994. She drew her inspiration from Dr. Bass and his work. As a matter of fact, he is recognized as the father of the Body Farm, long before Jose Baez was practicing law.

Why did I title this post From the Frye pan into the Fyre, you ask? Even the prosecution misspells…

MOTION TO STRIKE DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO EXCLUDE UNRELIABLE EVIDENCE PURSUANT TO FYRE (CHLOROFORM)

In the second part of this article about chloroform evidence admission, I will delve into the scientific and legal aspects:

PART II - The FYRE

This information prompted investigators to search the Anthony family computer [duh?] for searches of chloroform, which yielded positive results for “chloroform” and “how to make chloroform.” The hysteria begins.

The Tale of Laura and the Barbarian Princess

If any of you are familiar with Florence Virginia King, you are aware that she is an American novelist, essayist and columnist from Mississippi. Born in 1936, alas, she put down her pen in 2002. Almost all of her works written under her real name have been non-fiction. You may recall 1975’s Southern Ladies and Gentlemen. You may also recognize her from the historical romance novel, Barbarian Princess, written under the pseudonym Laura Buchanan. Ironically, she’s not the only writer of fiction with that name. Another Laura Buchanan entered the fray more recently; one who seemingly attempted to parlay her name into the bright lights of stardom, tossing good judgment to the wind. She failed miserably and turned out to be the Clifford Irving of the Casey Anthony saga. Irving, in case you don’t know or remember, became famous  - infamous is more like it - for using forged handwritten letters from reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes in order to convince his publisher into accepting a counterfeit “autobiography” in the early 1970s. Hughes came out of the woodwork to prove it was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. Irving spent several years in prison, but later managed to publish some best sellers, including two aptly titled books, Final Argument and Daddy’s Girl.

On October 24, 2009, Laura Buchanan declared, under penalty of perjury, that, “On September 3, 2008, I was a volunteer for Texas Equus Search.” On that fateful September day, she began her odyssey into the treacherous path of this unyielding monster that’s chewed up and swallowed its victims at will. As innocent as Casey’s first victim was, Buchanan’s not one of them, and whether her initial intent was righteous or not, her ship sunk. Today, she’s just another part of the ever-growing, Titanic-sized, Casey abyss.

“On September 3, 2008,” she continued, ”the team in which I was assigned went to Suburban Street in Orlando and searched the area near where the remains of Caylee Anthony were found… I personally searched near the privacy fence and worked my way towards and then beyond where the body was found… It is my opinion that the remains of Caylee Anthony were not there during the time of our search.”

How quickly memories change when facing someone as intimidating as an Assistant State Attorney; intimidating in the sense that they represent the will of the people, and no one is more fastidious than Linda Drane Burdick when it comes to truth and justice. From her first statement under oath to her last, Buchanan’s story wavered dramatically, especially under the skillful questioning of the seasoned prosecutor. Just how did this begin and where are we today?

First of all, by her own admission, she is a “virtual” emergency/law enforcement groupie. She gets high at the sight of flashing lights and blaring sirens. Riding around with the law had been a favorite pastime and after taking a class at the citizen police academy, getting involved became a hobby of sorts. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but at the same time, a lot hinges on where it takes you and how far you want to go. At the end of August, 2008, her husband was scheduled to come to Florida for job related training. She wanted to go far, so she tagged along. Of course, by that date, many people across the country and elsewhere were enamored by the “Tot Mom” story made famous by Nancy Grace and, mostly, by the shocking audacity and hollow gaze of this young and single mother in the news who would ever lose her child, let alone for a month. Caylee was special, too. No child could have looked more angelic. Her wide-eyed innocence and eager smile were plenty enough to melt the coldest heart. There is no doubt in my mind that Laura Buchanan, herself a young mother of three, was one of those who became overtly fascinated and now was her chance. In her mind, I’m sure she felt the same way as all the others, but something took over. Something or someone made her change.

It took around 13-hours to drive from Kentucky to Portofina Bay, the resort inside Universal Studios just south of Orlando. Texas EquuSearch was in high gear and thousands of volunteers had already joined in the search for little Caylee, but they still needed more help. She went to the TES command post the following morning. After her search, she and her husband went to Disney. While waiting for the monorail, she spotted a toddler who she thought was Caylee and reported it to Kid Finders (or OCSO) the following day. That led to her initial contact with Cindy when she called Laura about the sighting. Laura was quick to tell her she and several other searchers had a lot of compassion for the Anthony family. This is where the ball started rolling. It began the back and forth e-mails and phone calls between her, Cindy, George and Mark NeJame, who represented the Anthonys at the time. In one of her initial e-mails to NeJame, she wrote, “I’ve heard so many disturbing things, like George was molesting Casey when she was younger and started to molest Caylee..? That Caylee Could possibly belong to George and or brother Lee???” She also hoped that NeJame had given Cindy and George her e-mails. This message was sent on September 15. In my opinion, it, quite possibly, could have been where Casey got the rather bizarre notion to accuse her father of molesting her, or at least, to plant the seed. I would surely guess the Anthonys discussed the allegations making the rounds while she was home on bond that final month.

Correspondence went back and forth between Buchanan and NeJame beyond the point when the attorney and the Anthonys parted ways near the end of 2008. Meanwhile, she had begun communicating with Jose Baez soon after her supposed sighting. On October 9, Laura sent an e-mail to Jose at the Baez Law Firm. She mentioned being in Florida a month or so earlier and of spotting a girl who looked remarkably like Caylee while waiting to enter either the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. She lamented that deputies never followed up on her tip because they were no longer looking for Caylee. [This is not factual. While being interviewed by Sgt. John Allen in December, 2009, the lead investigator told me point blank that over 100 law enforcement personnel continued to search for Caylee all over the country up to the date her remains were found.] On Monday, January 12, 2009, she sent Jose this e-mail:

“I spoke with a person that I hadn’t spoke with in a while and she has told me some very strange information and I think we need to talk again ASAP… Oh my god this is horrible… [REDACTED]

By now, she was thoroughly ensconced in the mechanisms of Casey’s defense. So much so, that she sent him pictures of herself and one with her 5-year-old daughter. Life was good and she was getting more cozy with each passing day.

I can’t say for sure who started fishing first, but by all signs, it seemed that they both swallowed each other hook, line, and sinker. She had something for him and he coaxed her for more. She had become an integral part of Casey’s defense, only she had no idea about the massive freight train that was going to hit her; the Burdick Express. Maybe, just maybe, GULP, she didn’t look exactly where Caylee was discovered. No, not precisely.

There were several passages in Buchanan’s August 2010 interview with the prosecutor that immediately sent red flags up as far as I’m concerned, and it showed Burdick’s adeptness and professional flair. The first one dealt with Buchanan’s statement that she searched behind the Anthony home. That’s impossible because the Anthonys have a privacy fence that keeps their backyard, well, private. Totally so. There’s no gate that opens up to the beyond. The beyond, by the way, is nothing more than a private backyard in the adjacent development, also filled with homes.

The second one was a real laugher. She told the Assistant State Attorney that, while she was following the end of the privacy fence on Suburban Drive, she stepped on an alligator. Obviously, this woman has a wild imagination, wilder than any of the inhabitants of the Suburban Drive woods. I addressed the issue of gators early on, soon after I began writing about the case. Alligators generally live in or very close to bodies of water. By that, I mean lakes, ponds, rivers and swamps. Although the end of the woods where Caylee was found had been under water at the time of the searches, it is not in that state all year round, and that’s not very inviting to a gator. They like to remain dead still for hours with just the slightest movement of their eyes so their target isn’t aware they’re even there. Then they pounce. What Buchanan described was that the reptile was resting in the brush. That’s just not true. They want to see what’s going on all around them, so they lurk in the open or with just their eyes above water level. They take their quarry to the bottom of the water to rot before eating. Generally, anyway. I’ve been in the Orlando area for almost 30 years, and let me tell you, I have never stepped on one. Not only that, I WOULD NOT stand there waiting for the creature to run away like she said it did. I’d be gone in a flash - as far away as I could get. Also, there’s a school nearby. Snakes are hard to control, but gators? No way, not as much as they love to sun themselves in the open.

So, two of her stories have been debunked, and now, we come to the matter at hand. That would be the twisted TES report that somehow became a lie. Who instigated it, Baez or Buchanan? That’s the subject of another post, but a search volunteer by the name of Lori Fusco told investigators that she asked Buchanan if she was working for Baez. “She wouldn’t give me a straight answer. She wanted to know everything that I knew, which I didn’t know much. She kept asking me if I was in that area and if I was on a team with her which she should have known.”

How true, and in a recorded phone call with searcher and friend Ann Pham, Buchanan was questioned about her inconsistencies.

Ann Pham: The first one they showed me is legitimate. Right?

Laura Buchanan: Both of them are legit. Somebody else had that form before I had it because they (expletive) spelled my name wrong.

Ann Pham: Your name is signed at the top, Laura. That’s what I don’t understand. It’s got your actual signature and it matches the signature from the first form.

Laura Buchanan: I don’t know that I can’t explain.

Shades of forgery! Ultimately, several of her friends were convinced she wanted to be in the media spotlight, and at Caylee’s memorial service, she seemed more concerned about being on TV than she did about Caylee. Jose Baez was just hit with a new ethics complaint, according to the Florida Bar; quite possibly stemming from the comedy of errors regarding former Anthony attorney Brad Conway and those persnickety TES search documents. What a mess. Did Casey’s lead attorney allegedly misrepresent facts to the court? Time will tell, but it’s common knowledge that he has skated very close to the edge on several occasions, and so far, he’s managed to keep clear of falling through the ice. What about this time? It’s been harshest of winters, but Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow yesterday. An omen? No, and no karma moment, either, but will the ingratiating Laura Buchanan come to his rescue as spring rolls in? Not a chance. Today, she, too, could be facing charges, and she tells her friends she wishes she never got herself involved in this mess.

Good old Florence King. She said it best. “People are so busy dreaming the American Dream, fantasizing about what they could be or have a right to be, that they’re all asleep at the switch. Consequently, we are living in the Age of Human Error.” It sounds just like Casey’s defense. Back to square one. Where, oh where, will it turn?

A wealth of misconduct

Time and a Word by Yes

In the morning when you rise,
Do you open up your eyes, see what I see?
Do you see the same things ev’ry day?
Do you think of a way to start the day
Getting things in proportion?
Spread the news and help the world go ‘round.
Have you heard of a time that will help us get it together again?
Have you heard of the word that will stop us going wrong?
Well, the time is near and the word you’ll hear
When you get things in perspective.
Spread the news and help the word go round.

There’s a time and the time is now and it’s right for me,
It’s right for me, and the time is now.

- Jon Anderson & David Foster

To be quite honest, I had no idea my brain would smash into a brick wall, causing my writing skills to atrophy. My word! Or lack thereof.  To say my life was a bit topsy turvy the past two weeks is an understatement. Generally, when I sit down to write, I like to do it with nothing in my way. I like my mind free from clutter. My mind has been anything but that lately. Even today, I can’t sit still. Too many responsibilities. I anticipate this post will take hours to write - hours to focus, too. To give you an idea, here’s how I began my post last week before sickness and death took it all away:

When I arrived on the 23rd floor on Monday, a handful of people were milling about. Sure, there are always journalists waiting for the courtroom doors to open, but I’m more intrigued by the new faces I see each time I attend a hearing. Among them this time were two of the friendliest people I had the privilege to meet, Suzie Jane and Roger, who came all the way from the great home state of our 16th, 18th and 44th presidents, Illinois. We had a very nice chat before the doors opened for us to enter. They sat to my immediate right. We glanced around the room before the judge entered at 1:30 sharp. Meanwhile, I had time to boot up my old laptop computer and crack open my old-fashioned notebook - no, not the electronic kind - it’s a simple and powerless device consisting of two covers, front and back, with lined paper inside. The only thing digital about it is the hand-held digits, also known as fingers, I use to grasp the necessary recording utensil that must accompany the notebook in order to work; a pen.

Suzie Jane quietly wondered where Cindy and her friend were. I whispered back that she is sometimes late, but she should definitely show up.

When…

And that’s where it ended. My father was in the hospital, my mother got quite ill with a bad flu virus, and my aunt passed away. I had a medical procedure done and I’m a little sore from that. Can I pick up where I left off? I guess so, but what’s the point? The motions are old and somewhat stale now, old in the sense that they’ve been discussed in the news and on blogs. Instead, I’ll look into another brewing storm, unrelated to the Anthony case, or maybe it is. I guess it depends on the way the cards are falling. You’ll see.

§

In May of last year, I published a post about James Hataway, the young man sitting in the Seminole County Jail accused of strangling a woman. Fortunately, she lived. Hataway is also the prime and only suspect in the disappearance of Tracy Ocasio. They left a west side bar together on the night of May 26-27, 2009, and she was never seen again. I mentioned that I knew who he was because of a bar I used to frequent way back when, before I gave up my Bacardi & Coke days. Nights, actually. I never was one for drinking during the day. By golly, I have my scruples.

Daniel SaylorMcGuintty’s has been closed at least three years now, possibly four. He and several other skinhead types used to hang out there but I never socialized with them. No, my skinhead came naturally, and I never looked at myself as any sort of tough-guy punk like they did. One night, I was standing at the bar chatting with some of the other regulars. It was a slow night. Sitting nearby was a guy who eventually joined in on our conversation. I don’t recall what we were discussing, but we really seemed to hit it off. It turns out, he was the police chief of Windermere, a small town southwest of Orlando. He even showed me his gold-plated badge. I wondered why he would have been drinking so far away from where he worked, but he told me he didn’t live in Windermere. He commuted from Seminole County, where I live. Windermere is the wealthiest little town in central Florida, or, at least its residents are. You may remember the town because Chief Daniel Saylor’s police department initially investigated Tiger Woods’ accident. The department was criticized for not asking Woods to take a breath test when he was pulled from his wrecked SUV. Florida Highway Patrol eventually took over the case because all vehicular accidents are run through that agency. Tiger was later cited for careless driving.

I used to travel to Windermere all the time. That’s where one of my ex’s mother lives - inside Isleworth, the exclusive gated community where the mishap took place. The reason why I brought this up has nothing to do with Tiger, but it does have to do with police chief Dan Saylor, or should I say ex-police chief? You see, he was arrested on Wednesday and charged with giving unlawful compensation for official behavior, a second-degree felony, and official misconduct, a third-degree felony. I haven’t traveled there in years, but the town of Windermere had a reputation for writing tickets for going 1 mph over the posted 25 mph speed limit. It’s not a joke that the town hired hand-me-down cops, too. The word on the street has pretty much been that officers sworn to uphold the law had problems doing it elsewhere. Some were fired from prior positions, in other words. As it turns out, the police chief held no sterling record, either. According to the WESH Web site, records “show reprimands from the Melbourne Police Department dating back to 1991. He was suspended for lying to Melbourne police supervisors in 1994. The next year, he was given an unsatisfactory review for professional behavior. Then, three months later, he was suspended for 160 hours without pay and put on probation for a year for not being truthful during an internal investigation. Higher-ups noted that they considered firing him but gave him ‘one last chance.; During that one year suspension, Orlando police accused Saylor of soliciting a prostitute. Police pulled him over on Parramore Avenue. According to the incident report: Saylor first claimed to be giving the woman a ride, then admitted he had been at a strip club and employees told him where he could go to pay for sex. Windermere’s town manager, Cecilia Bernier, says the town knew about the investigation but decided Saylor was ‘good material for our chief.’ No charges were ever filed in the prostitution case.”

Scott BushIt’s very interesting, too, that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office had an ongoing investigation into him and the police department he ran. Just what were those charges related to? I mean, what do unlawful compensation for official behavior and official misconduct mean? Here’s where it starts to get ugly, and I mean UGLY! He’s good friends with a guy by the name of Scott Frederick Bush. Bush was arrested on Wednesday, too, and held without bond, charged with sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 years of age. This took place over a three year period, between 2000 and 2003. Here, we have a police chief allegedly granting several of his own officers time-off with pay and other incentives to stonewall the criminal investigation of an alleged sexual deviant who raped a child. Officer Irving Murr was handling the case. He was offered money, a promotion and a day shift to cover it up. According to Saylor’s arrest warrant, he destroyed notes related to the investigation and offered bribes to lie to FDLE. The FDLE special agent in charge, Joyce Dawley, said, “Chief Saylor used his position to hinder our investigation.”

Saylor was suspended from his job without pay and released on bond Thursday, but with one stipulation: He had to agree to turn all of his personal weapons over to authorities. The locks on the doors of the police station were changed and an OCSO captain was named the interim chief. More heads are expected to roll. Meanwhile, Saylor’s career is ruined, and rightfully so if he’s actually guilty. One thing cops can’t stand is a crooked cop. It gives them all a bad name. What’s worse is the fact that he shut down the investigation into his friend who is now charged with raping a child. Of all crimes, who in their right mind would do something like that, let alone a police chief or anyone else related to law enforcement, for that matter? It’s disgusting. Child molesters are the lowest of the low.

Bear with me for a moment, please. I’m veering off course. Do we recall the time, early on, when a lot of people had gut feelings that George and Cindy knew what Casey was up to? Why didn’t they act before it was too late? How could they not see what their daughter was capable of doing? Remember, I’m not talking about after the fact, this is before the crime. Today, the Tuscon murderer’s parents could be compared to George and Cindy in the same light. How could the parents of Jared Lee Loughner not know? Again, I’m not talking about after the fact. How many people never see something coming? Especially parents? In George and Cindy’s case, Mark Nejame was their first attorney. Then, he got fed up, left, and was practically deified. He could do no harm. Next came Brad Conway. Today, it’s Mark Lippman, and he seems to be keeping the family in check. After Conway dumped George and Cindy, his reputation in the public went up a few notches. In the case of the Windermere police department, it’s quite evident the political powers in charge are now in the same boat as George and Cindy. Why didn’t they see what was going on? Town leaders knew when they interviewed Saylor that he came with lots of baggage, yet they hired him anyway. That was back in 2002.

Remember, everyone is entitled to legal counsel, and that includes Casey. Who would ever want to come to her defense and why would anyone want to, for that matter? These have been some of the recurring questions made by many, and Jose Baez and the rest of her defense team have been vilified over and over and over because of it. They are evil incarnate! Yesterday, Daniel Saylor’s attorney was able to secure bond. What attorney in their right mind would be interested in defending an alleged crooked cop who squashed an investigation into the rape of a child? That’s downright disgusting, right? Well, his attorney downplayed the state’s case against his new client and urged the public to remember Saylor has only been accused - not convicted - of crimes. Sure, we’ve heard it all before. At the bond hearing, this attorney told the judge that Saylor should be released because he didn’t belong in jail. “He should be released and he should not be here. This is a travesty that’s occurred and continues to occur.”

Who is this attorney? Just who would want to represent a police chief that used his power to cover up a rape investigation against a friend? Who would it be? Why, none other than everyone’s favorite, Mark Nejame!

§

I want to thank everyone who stood by me during my family’s recent setbacks. I got some lovely, caring comments. Also, I received quite a few e-mails and submissions through this blog. I have not forgotten you, I just haven’t had much time to respond. I will. As the dust settles, I will get back into writing about the Casey Anthony case, too. There’s plenty to discuss, including lots of motions and the sanction against Jose Baez. I had a good conversation with a very nice gentleman at the last hearing. I want to say hello to Jim Barthiaume who was visiting from Michigan. It was a pleasure meeting you. Today, I will not be traveling down to the courthouse.

Thank you for your patience.

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.

Revolving Doors

In a case of what goes around, comes around, I wrote a post about James Thompson and Walmart last year, on October 8. Titled Does Not Compute, it focused on his description of running into Casey and Caylee at the Casselberry Walmart store on June 16, 2008, while on his lunch break. Normally, I would jump at the chance to find evidence proving that Caylee did not die sometime during the night of June 15, which has been the theory of many, but my goal was to just validate some things he claimed in his police report.

In my post from last year, I wrote this about Casey and Caylee:

If you recall, Thompson wrote in his statement to the Maitland Police Department that the two of them came into TechBay, his computer store, around June 9 of last year. He also wrote that he ran into them at the Casselberry Walmart store on June 16, the day after Father’s Day. This was the last day Caylee was seen alive according to law enforcement and state prosecutors. How fascinating, I thought. I live in Casselberry and shop at that particular Walmart. Not only that, but his computer store is in Maitland, right down the street from me on US 17-92. This was well worth looking into.

One thing immediately puzzled me. In his report, Thompson wrote that Casey was exiting Walmart around lunchtime, with Caylee lagging behind, while he was entering; yet Casey’s cell phone was nowhere near there at that time according to pings. She was at her parents’ house or very, very close by. Something was not computing in my head. The Casselberry store is 15 miles away,¹ while the closest one is less than half that distance from her house.² Both are on Semoran Blvd. Why would anyone go out of their way at lunchtime, especially when cell phone pings prove otherwise? Initially, I thought that, perhaps, her battery was dead, there were none available at the nearer Walmart, and an employee sent her up to the other store. But then, I went back and scrutinized her cell phone records and concluded that she chattered throughout the day except for about an hour, and it wasn’t until after 4:00 pm that she began driving north from Hopespring Drive.

So far, his story could be questionable because cell phone pings absolutely proved otherwise. There was no way Casey was in that vicinity at lunchtime, but lunchtime can be vague. In his police report, he wrote:

“Casey Anthony was coming out one of the interior Walmart doors as I was coming in. I recognized her immediately from the week before because she was the pretty girl who came into my store… At first I didn’t see Caley [sic] with Casey. I was going to ask Casey if she bought a monitor yet, but then I saw Caley in the background walking by herself about 10 feet behind Casey and having to open the big Walmart door by herself. The little girl looked angry and had a determined ‘I can take care of myself’ look on her face. I specifically remember feeling sorry for the little girl having to open the door by herself and wondered why her mom wasn’t helping her…”

Remember now, this is copied verbatim from James Thompson’s sworn police statement. I continued on my October post, after I had the opportunity to speak to him:

I asked him if he was sure he saw them on June 16. He was absolutely positive. I mentioned that on his written statement to police, he stated he saw Casey and Caylee at lunchtime, but on his interview with Bob Kealing on WESH, he said it was around 4:00 pm. That’s a big difference. He shot right back, though. He said when you own a store, lunchtime could be 4 o’clock. OK, I guess, maybe, in a stretch, but what about the doors that open outward? I told him I was over there last week shooting video and those doors slide sideways. He said this happened a year and a half ago. Actually, it was a year and four months ago, but I didn’t correct him. I asked him if the doors had been changed since then. He said, yes, there was a lawsuit over the old doors.

True, there was a lawsuit, but it wasn’t at that store. It took place years ago and it’s one of the reasons why Walmart changed their doors everywhere. To make a long story short, I proved that Walmart had sliding doors in place before June of 2008 from solid research on my part, and backed that up after one of my commenters supplied a link to a video of a gentleman walking to that precise store. No internal doors, either, and it seemed to have debunked his story. No cell phone pings registered near that store until 6:32 PM on the 16th, well after lunch, whether it was a noon lunchtime or 2:00 PM or 4:00 PM, which was conveniently changed in his rebuttal comments as I produced more information.

On October 10, James Thompson filed a lengthy comment on my blog. It was a privilege to publish his response and I must give him credit for that. He wrote, “Remember, I was an Officer in the Military and completed over 185 JAG investigations myself so I have an excellent memory and attention to detail better than most. My vision is 20/20 or better and I am smart so I know what I saw no doubt,” only there were too many discrepancies. You really should go read his response, but one thing he made very clear was that, “I only shop at the Casselberry Walmart so it couldn’t have been anywhere else.”

This leads me to a piece of evidence that was released in the latest discovery, and it’s rather intriguing. Someone I know felt it was important enough to e-mail me news that Casey did, in fact, write a check at Walmart on June 16, 2008. HUH?! You bet that’s important, and sure enough, I saw it for myself, but unfortunately, there’s no time stamp. All we get to see is Cindy’s bank statement showing that a check was written at store number 3782. In early June, one was also written at store number 1084.

Here’s the problem with store number 3782. It’s not the Casselberry store where James Thompson insisted he saw her. That’s store number 943 and it’s much farther north. Store number 3782 is located on Goldenrod Road, near Lee Vista Blvd., and very close to the Anthony home, where Casey’s cell phone WAS pinging until late in the afternoon. Based on my research, Casey could have easily “killed” time there while allegedly waiting for her father to leave the house. I have no proof of anything else other than cell phone pings. Of course, there is one other possibility - that it was Cindy who wrote the check.

My job is to bring you the truth, however it turns out. I have every right to investigate and question anyone I please in this case. I would never accuse James Thompson of lying because I didn’t get the impression he was. Instead, I feel he may have gotten his facts confused, and I pretty much settled it. To his credit, James wants justice for Caylee as much as any of us, but I would much rather the state have a credible witness on their side; one that the defense couldn’t rip to shreds over inconsistencies. If Caylee was seen alive at 4:00 PM or later on the afternoon of June 16, the state’s case will be on shaky ground. That means she was alive and alert, and she would have to have been killed around dinner time and in a very populated area. Rush hour. It would also prove that cell towers are liars.

♦

I urge you to read the two posts about James Thompson. I would strongly recommend that you read the comments, too. Below are two videos; one I shot of the store and the other one an unsuspecting young man’s video that proves no interior doors existed when Thompson claims they were there. No doors to push, either. Below those two are parts 1 & 2 of the drive time from Sutton Place, where Anthony Lazzaro lived, and the Casselberry store.

One final thought… In the latest dump, you see a lot of checks written to Target. Someone asked me why Target would cash checks like that. I called the Casselberry store because, like the Casselberry Walmart, that’s the Target where I shop. I told the nice person on the other end why I wanted to know and she promptly asked for my autograph. Just kidding. She told me it’s company policy to not ask for IDs unless the individual clerk finds a reason to. As long as the check is clean and it clears, the store accepts it without asking for identification.

The following video was shot in January 2008:

Two more to watch:

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)