Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Casey Anthony's Mother and Brother on Stand
Aired June 24, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Live from Studio 7, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Suzanne Malveaux.
Let's get you up to speed for this Friday, June 24th.
Tears flow as Casey Anthony's mother takes the stand for a second day at her daughter's murder trial in Orlando. Cindy Anthony identified a photograph of her granddaughter Caylee today. It shows the girl on the ladder of the family's backyard pool. The defense is trying to bolster its claim that Caylee climbed the ladder and accidentally drowned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Mrs. Anthony, what does the photograph depict that you're looking at?
CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S MOTHER: It shows me attempting to go around Caylee as I usually did. We used to have Caylee sit once she got to the platform with her feet on the first step in the water, and then whoever was with her would get around that way. We would get in the pool before her and then receive her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Cindy Anthony also says that she is the one who looked up "chloroform" on the home computer. She says her dog was sick after eating a bamboo plant, so she looked up "chlorophyll," and that led her to "chloroform." Prosecutors say Casey Anthony used chloroform to knock out her daughter before suffocating her with Duct tape.
Notorious mob boss Whitey Bulger is expected to be extradited to Boston today. There, he'll face 19 counts of murder. The FBI finally captured Bulger and his girlfriend in southern California after 16 years on the lam. A Boston area real estate developer remembers a terrifying run-in with Bulger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BUCCHERI, EXTORTION VICTIM: Comes over with a .45, puts it to my head, and he says, "If you don't pay me, I'm going to kill you and your family."
He takes a gun out, hits me. He says, "Because you're a good guy and you're a stand-up guy," he says, "I'm not going to kill you." (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Agents say they found $800,000 cash, fake IDs, and dozens of guns in Bulger's apartment.
Forecasters in North Dakota are increasing their predicted crest for the Souris River by a foot. That means the river could rise six, perhaps eight, feet beyond the record level in Minot. Twelve thousand people have left their homes in Minot because of this flood.
U.S. terror investigators link Osama bin Laden to militants allied with Pakistan's spy agency. "The New York Times" reports Bin Laden's top courier had cell phone contact with the group Harkat-ul- Mujahideene. Its leaders have strong ties to al Qaeda and Pakistani intelligence, according to The Times, but the paper says the courier's phone produced no smoking gun that proves Pakistani spies helped hide Bin Laden.
The Republican-led House plans two votes today on the military campaign in Libya. One would green-light the Libyan operation for a year. The other severely restricts Pentagon spending on the NATO mission. Republicans are pushing to defund the NATO operation because they say President Obama hasn't complied with the War Powers Act.
And one more time, we're keeping a close watch in Orlando of the Casey Anthony murder trial. Again, Cindy Anthony, the mother of Casey Anthony, on the stand.
Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
C. ANTHONY: It looks like it could be a diaper.
LINDA DRANE BURDICK, PROSECUTOR: All right.
C. ANTHONY: Or a pull-up.
BURDICK: There's something coming out of the back of the shorts?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: That's why you're making that assertion.
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: And it is your testimony that she was wearing those pair of shorts in April of 2007. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am.
BURDICK: OK. You recognize in prior testimony and in this court that you've said that those pictures were taken shortly before her 2nd birthday, which would be August of 2007. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, Judge. Improper --
JUDGE BELVIN PERRY, ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: Overruled.
C. ANTHONY: Yes. I stated that it was, you know, several months before her 2nd birthday.
BURDICK: OK.
So, in 2007, based on the testimony that you've already given here this morning, Caylee was still wearing diapers?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: If I may approach the witness with a series of photographs marked RF, RE, RG, RH, RI, RL, RK and RJ for identification?
PERRY: You may.
BURDICK: (INAUDIBLE). We talked about this before.
C. ANTHONY: It would -- George, myself or Casey. It was mostly myself or George.
BURDICK: Who bought Caylee's clothing?
C. ANTHONY: Casey and I, and relatives and friends. I mean, typical. She got a lot of gifts and -- but primarily Casey and I did.
BURDICK: OK. Did you do a lot of shopping at Target?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am.
BURDICK: You recognize that the Circo brand on a lot of Caylee's clothing is a Target store brand. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, absolutely.
BURDICK: OK. Can you take a look at those photographs that have been handed to you and tell me if you recognize any of the clothing in the photographs? If there is something that you don't recognize, segregate that.
BAEZ: I'm going to object at this time. These photographs do not show clothing. They show tags.
BURDICK: Tags on clothing.
PERRY: Objection overruled. She's just looking at them for now. She's not testifying to them.
BURDICK: Do you recognize everything in all of those photographs?
C. ANTHONY: The only one I'm not certain of is RE. I'm not sure if that's a shirt or a dress. And I can't -- it looks familiar, but I can't say what it is.
BURDICK: All right. Put that one aside then.
What do you recognize the other items to be?
C. ANTHONY: Mostly tops and a pair of shorts. One pair of shorts that's Caylee's.
BURDICK: And where do you recognize them from?
C. ANTHONY: Her room.
BURDICK: Were those clothing items that were in Caylee's room in June of 2008 and maintained there by you until they were seized by law enforcement?
C. ANTHONY: I believe so.
BURDICK: So what size clothing did you have in Caylee's drawers?
C. ANTHONY: I had 2Ts. Those depicted 2Ts, but there was 3Ts, as well.
BURDICK: OK. Now, like many children, Caylee was a little bit stocky when she was a baby. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: And as she got older and more mobile, she began to thin out.
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. That process takes place or took place with Caylee sometime between the age of 1 and 2, and as she becomes even more mobile, as she approaches the age of 3. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: It would be fair to say then that there are clothing items that Caylee had that could last for as much as a year, even if she's growing taller. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am.
BURDICK: The shorts that we looked at, state's 314 in evidence, and the ones displayed in the video that we saw during your direct testimony, those were shorts that were kept in your house, weren't they?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am.
BURDICK: OK. When was the last time you saw them?
C. ANTHONY: Some time in 2008, towards the end of 2008.
BURDICK: Towards the end?
C. ANTHONY: Those shorts?
BURDICK: Yes. When was the last time you saw them before June 16th of 2008?
C. ANTHONY: Oh, you mean -- excuse me. I'm not sure. Are you talking about the pictures you just showed me?
BURDICK: Yes.
C. ANTHONY: OK. I thought you were talking about the pictures we just looked at. I'm sorry.
BURDICK: (INAUDIBLE) in the video that was explained during your testimony.
C. ANTHONY: OK.
BURDICK: Were those shorts kept at your house?
C. ANTHONY: Those particular shorts, I hadn't recalled Caylee wearing those shorts for some time.
BURDICK: The question was, were those shorts kept at your house?
C. ANTHONY: You mean every day? There were several pieces of clothing throughout Caylee's life that wasn't at my house every day.
BURDICK: Would that be because they were packed in some sort of diaper bag or backpack?
BAEZ: It calls for speculation. The witness has testified she hasn't seen the shorts in over six months. So the question is posed to ask her to speculate.
PERRY: Overruled.
C. ANTHONY: Can you repeat it?
BURDICK: We were talking about the fact that there were clothing items that you would have recognized as having been in the home because you washed the clothes or you bought the clothes --
C. ANTHONY: Right.
BURDICK: -- that were sometimes transported in a diaper bag or in a backpack.
C. ANTHONY: That's correct.
BURDICK: Correct? And then you had seen or had knowledge of that diaper bag or backpack being placed in your daughter's car. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, or my car. BURDICK: Or your car or your husband's car --
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: -- whenever you all might have taken Caylee somewhere.
C. ANTHONY: That's correct.
BURDICK: You had a change of clothes with you.
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. So do you have any recollection as to the last time you may have seen those shorts that are in the photograph that I handed to you, or that had appeared in the video that you indicate was taken in mid -- early-to-mid-2007?
C. ANTHONY: I'm sorry, can you repeat that one more time? I just want to make sure I get --
BURDICK: Sure.
C. ANTHONY: -- on the same page.
BURDICK: When was the last time you saw those shorts?
C. ANTHONY: Those weren't shorts that I dressed Caylee in quite a bit. I mean, there was quite a few things that I didn't dress Caylee in. And that outfit was not one of my favorite outfits.
And she had more clothes hanging in her closet than she did there, so unless Casey had her in them and I -- she may have worn them after, but I didn't see her that much after 2007. I don't recall -- I do not recall seeing Caylee in those shorts after 2007.
BURDICK: OK. The photograph and the video taken of her in the shorts was taken at your house. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am, it was.
BURDICK: So you would agree that it stands to reason that at some time those shorts were kept at your house?
C. ANTHONY: Yes. Like I said, they were at our house, but I can't say they were there every single day, yes.
BURDICK: OK.
The picture of the ladder that you testified about, how heavy is that ladder?
C. ANTHONY: I don't know the actual weight. I know it -- I can't lift it with one hand. I have to use two hands to lift it.
BURDICK: You would agree that it is nothing that Caylee would ever be capable of moving or manipulating on her own. Correct? C. ANTHONY: Correct. She could not.
BURDICK: How heavy is that sliding glass door that you showed us in the picture with Caylee touching the handle?
C. ANTHONY: You have to put a pretty good force to it to open it up.
BURDICK: Now, even though Caylee was 2, almost 3, the last time you saw her, she was a very compliant child?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, she was.
BURDICK: Would follow your instruction. Right?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. If you gave her direction, she would listen to you.
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am.
BURDICK: OK. And it was your testimony that you were very careful to give Caylee instruction about whether that's going outside or putting on any sort of life vest or climbing up the ladder of the pool.
C. ANTHONY: That's correct.
BURDICK: How deep is the pool?
C. ANTHONY: I think we went through this before. It's -- it could go up to four feet, but we don't fill it up naturally all the way to the top, so it's just a little bit under four feet.
BURDICK: Standing outside of the pool, can an adult reach in to retrieve objects in the pool if they are not at the edge?
C. ANTHONY: You have to be at the edge of the pool to reach in and get an object.
BURDICK: OK. If an object is not at the edge, but you are, can you reach in and retrieve it without getting wet?
C. ANTHONY: No, not unless it's within a few inches from the edge of the pool.
BURDICK: When was the photograph taken of Caylee at the sliding glass door?
C. ANTHONY: I can't tell you a month, but I would say it was probably the spring of 2008.
BURDICK: I also imagine that you would never permit Caylee to be left home alone at your house.
C. ANTHONY: Absolutely not.
BURDICK: One of the things that you testified on direct examination had to do with the incident that you discussed relative to the ladder being back on the pool and the side gate being open.
Remember talking about that?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, I remember. Yes.
BURDICK: It was your testimony on a prior occasion, would you agree, that there is absolutely no way that Caylee would have been able to open that gate?
C. ANTHONY: Oh, there's no way she could open that gate to the -- from the back yard to the front yard. There's no way.
BURDICK: And as far as the date of that ladder incident, you have in the past testified that it was in the week before the gas can incident, haven't you?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. Today, you say that that was the night of the 16th, but do you acknowledge that you've said it was the 17th or even subsequent dates during that week?
C. ANTHONY: Yes. I mean, when I was looking back -- early on I was asked about it, and I knew it was either the 16th over 17th. I knew it was in those first two days after I didn't see her anymore.
BURDICK: You said that you called George when you made that discovery.
C. ANTHONY: Yes, I did.
BURDICK: Did you call George from the house phone?
C. ANTHONY: I'm not sure if I used the house phone or my cell phone, but I did call George.
BURDICK: OK. Well, those would have been your only two options, right, the house phone or the cell phone?
C. ANTHONY: Correct.
BURDICK: And if George wasn't at the house, as a call to him would suggest, you would have only the option to use his cell phone --
C. ANTHONY: Correct.
BURDICK: -- to reach him.
C. ANTHONY: Correct.
BURDICK: OK. It's not like there was a work phone where you could get him at his security job. You had to call him on his cell phone.
C. ANTHONY: He had two phones. He had a work phone and his cell phone, and sometimes I did call him on his work phone if he didn't pick up on his cell phone or -- or he would call me, you know, from either or, depending on, you know, which phone he was using.
BURDICK: Do you recall if you left a message for him that day or did he pick up when you called?
C. ANTHONY: I know I spoke to him. I can't remember if I spoke to him after I had left a message or not, but I know that we had communicated.
BURDICK: You acknowledge, as well, that as it relates to dates in June of 2008, that you have already made other errors, specifically when you filled out your initial sworn statement. You indicated the last time --
BAEZ: Objection, Judge --
BURDICK: -- you had seen Caylee was --
PERRY: Just a second. Response to outside the scope.
BURDICK: Your Honor, we're talking about he, in direct examination, asked questions about specific dates. I'm attempting to get the witness to acknowledge that she has made errors on dates in June of 2008 in the past.
PERRY: Overruled.
BURDICK: Ms. Anthony, you recall that your first sworn statement to law enforcement as to the date that you last saw Caylee had an error. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am. I do. I'm aware of that.
BURDICK: You had indicated that the last time you saw her was actually a week prior to Father's Day.
C. ANTHONY: Correct.
BURDICK: And it was the video of her with your dad --
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: -- that refreshed your recollection as to the accuracy of that date.
C. ANTHONY: That's correct.
BURDICK: You said that you went to work and told some of the people at your office about the incident with you believing somebody was swimming in your pool?
C. ANTHONY: Yes. BURDICK: OK. You also told them about the gas can incident that was reported to the police on June 24th. Correct?
BAEZ: Objection, Judge.
PERRY: Outside the scope.
BURDICK: I'm not going to ask her questions about that. I'm asking about what she is reporting to her co-workers, since there was a question about, did you tell them at work about certain things that happened in June of 2008?
PERRY: Overruled.
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. Are you sure you're at work on June 16th of 2008?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, I know I was at work on June 16, 2008.
BURDICK: OK. Your time card reflects that you were at work on June 16th of 2008, does it not?
C. ANTHONY: I would imagine it would, but I haven't reviewed that time card in three years.
BURDICK: May I approach the witness with 318 in evidence?
PERRY: You may.
BURDICK: Have you located the entry for the week ending -- let me think -- 20?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. It shows you were at work on June 16th of 2008?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: OK. That's accurate?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: Are you sure you were at work on June 17th of 2008?
C. ANTHONY: Yes. Without looking at this I'm sure I worked June 17th.
BURDICK: OK. Every day that week --
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BURDICK: -- through the 24th of June when the gas can incident was reported?
C. ANTHONY: Yes. I had just come off vacation so, yes, I was back to work.
BURDICK: OK. That time card accurately reflects that June vacation, doesn't it?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, it does.
BURDICK: Your daughter Casey was home between August 22nd of 2008 and October 14th of 2008. Correct?
BAEZ: Your Honor, outside the scope.
PERRY: Sustained.
BURDICK: Did you have contact with your daughter aside from what was on the videos that were done at the jail?
BAEZ: Outside the scope, Your Honor.
PERRY: Sustained.
BURDICK: You showed us photographs of Caylee getting in and out of the pool. Did your daughter tell you that there was an accident involving the pool?
BAEZ: Objection, Judge. Outside the scope.
PERRY: Overruled.
C. ANTHONY: No, ma'am.
BURDICK: In fact, she continued to assert to you after July 15th of 2008 that the child was kidnapped by a babysitter. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: That's correct.
BURDICK: Those are all the questions I have on the issues presented, Your Honor.
Thank you.
PERRY: Redirect?
BAEZ: Yes, sir.
May I approach the witness, Your Honor?
PERRY: You may.
BAEZ: Mrs. Anthony, I'm showing you the photographs that Ms. Drane Burdick just showed you, state's RE, state's RF, RG, RH, RI, RL, RK and RJ.
Now, first off, those are just photographs of tags, are they not? You can see some of the garment, can you?
BURDICK: Objection. Leading. PERRY: Overruled.
C. ANTHONY: That's true on all but one.
BAEZ: OK. And are all of those garments pretty much knit-type garments, cotton material?
C. ANTHONY: All but one.
BAEZ: OK. Can I -- can you show people that it's not (INAUDIBLE)?
Now, that one that showed me, that is a jean material. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: Like a cotton -- there's pictures of jeans in the background, but that one's like a cotton.
BAEZ: And the shorts that Caylee was found in are jean-type material. Correct?
C. ANTHONY: They're a cotton-type material.
BAEZ: OK. The knit material is material that's much stretchier, wouldn't you agree to that?
C. ANTHONY: Absolutely.
BAEZ: OK. So, are Caylee's clothing -- does Caylee grow out of clothing that are of that rougher, thicker material a lot faster than they would of the knit material?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
BAEZ: And you also have kept lots of clothing from Caylee that she's outgrown, have you not?
C. ANTHONY: Oh, yes.
BAEZ: You haven't sold it all at yard sales?
C. ANTHONY: No. Most of her stuff we have kept.
BAEZ: OK. And a lot of this would be kept in Casey's room?
WHITFIELD: You're listening to the testimony of Cindy Anthony there. On the right of your screen, you're seeing Casey Anthony, who is the defendant in this case.
Cindy Anthony being asked about the clothing that the 2-year-old Caylee Anthony regularly wore, the kinds of clothes that usually stayed at the family home, as well as there were a lot of pointed questions about the swimming pool in the family back yard, about the ladder, whether a 2-year-old could lift that ladder, or whether it was something that adults only.
We're going to continue to monitor the developments in this murder trial taking place in Orlando.
Right now, we're going to take a short break and resume testimony right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Back to the Casey Anthony murder trial in Orlando. Still on the stand Casey's mother Cindy. Let's listen in.
PERRY: Anymore questions from the state?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just very briefly. Mrs. Anthony, the fabric in the shorts that you were talking about, the pink cotton?
C. ANTHONY: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shorts. Was that the same fabric as the shorts in the photograph? I believe it's 314 -- you can correct me if I'm wrong. But the one we saw that you said was taken in 2007.
C. ANTHONY: Yes. It's similar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sturdy cotton that has less give than a knit fabric?
C. ANTHONY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's all I wanted to clarify, your honor.
PERRY: OK. May Mrs. Anthony stand down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, judge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, ma'am. You may stand down.
C. ANTHONY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Cindy Anthony, the mother of Caylee Anthony, who's on trial for the murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony, Cindy Anthony off the stand there.
Let's bring in David Mattingly who is in Orlando, who's also been listening to these proceedings.
What did the defense accomplish by calling Cindy Anthony to the stand and talking about everything from the backyard pool to the clothing of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's important for the defense to establish from someone there in the home that the ladder was on the pool, that the gate was open which is what Cindy Anthony said. And then, they're talking about the clothing. We presume this is going to have something to do with the clothing that Caylee was found in when her body was found in the woods near the family home. At the moment, they have not made that direct point. But what we're looking at is them trying to bolster that the story they put out there that Caylee drowned in her death was an accident.
Now, certain times today, it is difficult to watch. This was a grandmother, Cindy, still very much grieving for the loss of her granddaughter three years later.
WHITFIELD: David, let me ask you the hold your thought. I'm sorry to interrupt you.
But now on the stand is Lee Anthony, the brother of Casey Anthony. We're going to listen in to that and then we'll talk with you again in a moment, David.
BAEZ: Your honor, I would like to publish to the witness and the jury state's exhibit 47, 79 and 80.
PERRY: You may publish.
BAEZ: Can you see that, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't see. Do you want me to do it or are you going to do it?
BAEZ: Thank you, Judge.
LEE ANTHONY, DEFENDANT'S BROTHER: Yes, I can see it.
BAEZ: Is that the white Pontiac Sunfire that you once owned?
L. ANTHONY: Yes, sir. It is.
BAEZ: OK. I'd like to show you photographs, state's 79. Do you see that, sir?
L. ANTHONY: Yes, I do.
BAEZ: Does that appear to be the trunk of your -- of the car you once owned?
L. ANTHONY: Yes, it is. I recognize the amplifier in the back.
BAEZ: All right. Give me a second. I'm trying to clear up the glare if I can.
(INAUDIBLE)
BAEZ: Just let them know which ones they want. They can find them.
BAEZ: OK. Can you see that now?
L. ANTHONY: Much better.
BAEZ: OK. Now, when you owned this car, was there a stain in the trunk of the car?
L. ANTHONY: There were a few, yes.
BAEZ: OK. Can you show with the illustrator just kind of circle on the screen where these stains were?
L. ANTHONY: OK. I specifically remember there being three. They were all outside of the --
BAEZ: Go ahead and mark on the --
L. ANTHONY: OK. They were all outside of the tire cover. There was one there, approximately. There was one higher up below the amplifier and then there was a smaller one just kind of on the side over here.
BAEZ: And were they there when you purchased the car?
L. ANTHONY: From everything I remember, yes. I remember seeing those numerous times throughout the time I owned it.
BAEZ: Did you have an occasion to stain the trunk of your car on any occasions? How long did you own it, again? I'm sorry.
L. ANTHONY: Almost five full years.
BAEZ: So, in those five years did you ever create any stains in the trunk?
L. ANTHONY: I'm sure I may have but I don't recall specifically making any of those three, but I do remember seeing them, you know, it was just normal to see those.
BAEZ: OK. Like to show you another photograph.
Is this a little better a view of the trunk?
L. ANTHONY: Yes.
BAEZ: Can you show us where --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exhibit number? State's what?
BAEZ: State's 80.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. I apologize.
BAEZ: Can you show us where on this photograph the stains were?
L. ANTHONY: Sure. See there. Right there. And then the other was off the picture.
BAEZ: Off the picture.
OK. And how long would you say those stains were there? L. ANTHONY: I don't know f sure. More often than not, longer than -- for the majority of the part that I owned them if not the entire time that I owned them.
BAEZ: OK. Now, they don't come up too well on these photographs, do they?
L. ANTHONY: No, they don't. No, they don't.
BAEZ: And but they were there when you would be able to see it, correct?
L. ANTHONY: Absolutely.
BAEZ: When you open the trunk?
L. ANTHONY: Yes.
BAEZ: OK. May I unpublish, your honor, if the jury is finished?
PERRY: You may.
BAEZ: Mr. Anthony, can you tell us when's the first time that you noticed that your sister was pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection.
(INAUDIBLE)
PERRY: You may.
WHITFIELD: All right. One more time, testifying here, Casey Anthony's brother, Lee Anthony.
David Mattingly, one more time, back in Orlando there outside the courthouse.
David, let me bring you back into the equation as they're carrying out these discussions. What is the focus of this testimony?
MATTINGLY: This testimony focusing on the trunk of that Pontiac Sunbird that Casey Anthony was driving and that prosecution believed that she put the body of her daughter Caylee in that trunk. What we're hearing, though, is from the family members -- we heard from the mother earlier about this and now Lee who drove that car before Casey did, that those stains in the trunk of the car several of them were there when they purchased the automobile and before Caylee went missing.
So the defense, again, is trying to show that this was an accidental death. There was no body in that trunk and this was not a case of murder.
WHITFIELD: Now, this is interesting because this is a day where nearly the entire family is on the stand there defending Casey Anthony, yet, at the same time, this family is torn over what took place three years ago.
Is the family in any way showing whether it'd be Cindy or even Lee, showing any kind of duress during this testimony?
MATTINGLY: Well, we do know that the family comes in every day. They all sit in the same seats. They're in the back of the room. They take a lot of notes.
At times, Casey's father, you can see him thumbing through a Bible that he usually keeps on his lap. Earlier today, he actually opened that Bible up and took out a picture of Caylee and was examining that before court got into session today.
Today is a very difficult day for them. We know that they're still grieving for the loss of their granddaughter and they're torn over their daughter being on trial for this. Their attorney clarifying statements he made earlier by coming out yesterday saying that they want get to the bottom of this and know what happened. They have not made up their mine about guilt or innocence.
But they do support their daughter. They love her and they do not want to see her get the death penalty.
WHITFIELD: David Mattingly, thanks so much, in Orlando.
We're going to take a short -- oh, we're actually going to listen in right now. They're resuming some testimony there of Lee Anthony. Let's listen in.
PERRY: Objection overruled.
BAEZ: Can you first tell us about the very first time you suspected that your sister was pregnant? Or noticed?
L. ANTHONY: Yes. It's hard to give an exact time but it would have been early -- early to mid-2008.
BAEZ: Now, you lived -- this was during the time that you were living in the home?
L. ANTHONY: Yes. I had not moved out at that point.
BAEZ: OK. And describe to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury how that occurred.
L. ANTHONY: How I saw Casey?
BAEZ: Yes, when you first saw Casey showing.
L. ANTHONY: OK. It would have been later at night. My -- our bedrooms are right next to the bathroom, so I would have -- I was waiting for her to get out of the bathroom and when I went in, when she was coming out, I could see her, you know, mid-section and it -- it was showing.
So, at that time, it struck me as odd because I hadn't -- I guess I just hadn't noticed it prior to that.
BAEZ: OK. And what did you do? What did you do with this information once you saw this? What did you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection.
PERRY: Overruled.
L. ANTHONY: I believe I made some kind of comments towards Casey that said like -- excuse me? What the hell is that? And she's just kind of waved me off. And then, the next time I would have seen my mom, probably the next couple of days, I recall asking her, is Casey pregnant? Looks that way to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection. Not responsive narrative.
PERRY: Sustained.
BAEZ: What happened next?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, relevance calls for hearsay.
PERRY: Overruled at this point, but the question should not elicit a hearsay answer.
BAEZ: We're not offering this for the truth of the matter, your honor.
PERRY: I don't know what's coming out, so approach the sidebar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to take a short break for now just as the courtroom is doing the same right there. Lee Anthony on the stand there, the brother of Casey Anthony, had been testifying about a vehicle that he had purchased and how it had stains on it at the time of purchase. The stains in his view had nothing to do with after the fact they learned that the child 2-year-old Caylee was missing.
We're going to take a short break for now and resume testimony right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Back now to testimony in Orlando. Lee Anthony on the stand there testifying in defense of his sister Casey Anthony who's on the stand there who's facing murder charges for the death of her 2- year-old Caylee Anthony.
Let's listen in to Lee Anthony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And was it known in your family or was it discussed in your family at all that she was pregnant?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, hearsay. Specifically specifying an individual, in your family.
BAEZ: Your mother --
PERRY: Sustained.
BAEZ: You mother and your father.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, compound question.
PERRY: Sustained.
BAEZ: Was it discussed with your mother that at this point that Casey was pregnant?
L. ANTHONY: Myself and my mother?
BAEZ: Yes.
L. ANTHONY: Prior to asking her a few months before -- no.
BAEZ: OK. And then after you talked to your mother about it and you confronted her --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection --
BAEZ: -- was there about a month later that you saw Casey again? Did she pick you up at airport or anything like that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It assumes a fact in evidence that he confronted anybody.
PERRY: Sustained. Rephrase your question.
BAEZ: Was there an occasion where your sister picked you up at the airport?
L. ANTHONY: Yes, sir, there was.
BAEZ: OK. And how was she showing when she picked you up at the airport?
L. ANTHONY: Far enough out to where I knew she wasn't just putting on weight.
BAEZ: I'm sorry?
L. ANTHONY: Far enough out to where I know she wasn't just putting on weight.
BAEZ: OK. Are you saying that she was -- she obviously looked more pregnant?
L. ANTHONY: Yes.
BAEZ: OK. And was this -- how long after you had already confronted your mother? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, assumes facts not in evidence.
PERRY: Sustained.
Strike counsel's comment.
Let's continue. Next question.
BAEZ: Yes, sir.
Can you give us a timeframe from when she picked you up at the airport to where you confronted your mother?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection. Assumes the same fact in evidence. I've objected twice.
PERRY: Sustained.
BAEZ: Did you have any discussions with your mother or your father about Casey's pregnancy when she picked you up at the airport?
L. ANTHONY: No, I did not.
BAEZ: During the time period between the time you confronted your mother and the time you had picked --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, judge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let him finish answering the question. Sit down.
PERRY: Mr. Anthony, do not answer the question until I tell you you can answer the question. Ask your question, Mr. Baez.
BAEZ: Yes, sir.
Were there any -- were there any discussions between the time that you confronted your mother and the time that you -- that Casey picked you up at the airport that had anything to do with Casey being pregnant?
PERRY: Any objections to that question?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rephrase, no, sir.
PERRY: You may answer.
L. ANTHONY: OK. From the time I confronted her with that until that time, we never spoke about it again. No.
BAEZ: OK. When you say again, what does that mean?
L. ANTHONY: Until just a few days before Caylee was born.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And are you saying that the very first time there was any discussion about Casey's pregnancy was other than the time you confronted your mother is just a few days before Caylee was born?
L. ANTHONY: That's the only time it was acknowledged to me that that was indeed the situation, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when Caylee was born, did you go to the hospital to see your sister?
L. ANTHONY: Regrettably, no, I did not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a little hurt. Just didn't want to be there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, irrelevant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why were you hurt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, irrelevant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you explain to us the reasoning behind why your actions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, irrelevant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, may I approach so I can explain to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you may.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: OK, while they're discussing that question with the judge, we're going to take a short break and then return on the other side hopefully with a pretty good explanation as to why that question is being challenged about why Lee Anthony was hurt about the fact that his sister, Casey Anthony, was pregnant.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Back to Orlando, and a very tearful, both Casey Anthony and her brother, Lee Anthony, who is on the stand, being asked about their relationship and being asked very personal questions through this murder trial. Let's listen in.
L. ANTHONY: Did not find it importantly enough to tell me, saw specially after I already asked. So, I was very hurt. And I didn't want -- I don't think that I wanted to believe it, you know. I'm sorry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. What do you mean they didn't want to include you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, (INAUDIBLE) someone else's.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you angry because they hid the pregnancy from you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, asked and answered, and leading.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained as to leading.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you need a moment, sir?
L. ANTHONY: I'm OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why were you angry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, asked and answered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are there other reasons why you were angry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, asked and answered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overruled as to that question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were there other reasons why you were angry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question calls for a yes or no answer, sir, other than the answer you have already given as to the other reasons, yes or no?
L. ANTHONY: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I could have just a moment, judge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no further questions. Thank you, Mr. Anthony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your time, we have five minutes until noon, and we are going to recess for lunch. But I ask that you do not discuss this case among yourselves nor with anyone else. Any additional instructions on behalf of the state?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or the defense. We'll be in recess until --
WHITFIELD: All right. They're going to be having a lunch break right now and the Casey Anthony murder trial there. The brother of Casey Anthony, Lee Anthony, very tearfully explaining how hurt he was upon learning that Casey Anthony was pregnant. We're going to take a short break for now, and have more discussions on where this case is going after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
