Six defense witnesses took the stand, Wednesday, Day 25 in the Casey Anthony murder trial before Chief Judge Belvin recessed the court for the day, to participate in an unrelated meeting.
In an effort to undercut the prosecution’s forensic evidence, Karen Lowe, an FBI hair expert, the last witness to testify on Wednesday, told jurors she tested several items of clothing from Casey’s closet, but did not find any hairs exhibiting decomposition.
Lowe said she also tested debris from the trash bag found in trunk of Casey’s Pontiac Sunfire and pieces of the trunk liner for apparent decomposition, and again, those tests turned out to be negative.
A crucial piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case is a single strand of decomposing hair found in the trunk of Casey’s car which the state said came from Caylee’s body, believed to have been stored there for about three to five days before dumped in the woods.
On cross-examination, prosecution Jeff Ashton got Lowe to admit that between June 16, 2008 and July 15, 2008, she didn’t know where Casey was living. Prosecutors believe that 2-year-old Caylee Anthony was killed around June 16, 2008. The toddler was not reported missing until 31 days later.
“So you don’t know if she was living at the house where the items (of clothing) were collected?”, Ashton inquired.
“No, I do not”, Lowe replied.
Before calling Lowe to testify, the defense opened the day by calling Maureen Bothrell, a forensic geologist with the FBI to the stand.
Bothrell testified that she examined the shovel that Casey had borrowed from a neighbor, along with 22 pairs of Casey’s shoes. She told jurors that, although three pairs of shoes contained soil, none matched the soil found at the site from where Caylee’s body was recovered.
When cross-examined by Ashton, Bothrell conceded that, because soil was not present on a shoe, it did not mean the owner was not present at a particular location.
Madeline Montgomery, a forensic toxicologist for the FBI, was the second witness to testify on Wednesday.
Montgomery said she tested hair samples found on Caylee’s remains, but found no evidence of drugs. She tested for a total of 11 drugs, Montgomery said.
On cross-examination by Ashton, Montgomery told jurors that she had no way of testing for chloroform. Also, hair is not the best source to show exposure to drugs.
Next up was Dr. Michael Sigman, a chemistry professor from the University of Central Florida.
Sigman testified that he had undertaken tests on two samples of air pulled from the trunk of Casey’s Pontiac Sunfire. The first sample, one liter, displayed the presence of gasoline, but he said this was not surprising, given the location of the air sample. A much smaller sample of air was also tested.
Sigman told jurors that the air in the car trunk was re-tested and on that occasion, gasoline, chloroform and other chemicals consistent with household products were found.
On cross-examination, Sigman admitted that he did not test the air samples using the best method, but utilized only the equipment that was available to him to do so.
“Your sampling tells you what was in the air, not where it came from?”, Ashton inquired.
“Correct”, Sigman responded.
Ashton also pointed out that Sigman had conducted the air sampling tests four days after the spare tire and carpet had been removed from the trunk of Casey’s car.
Asked whether there was an odor emanating from the trunk of Casey’s Pontiac Sunfire, Sigman confirmed that there was.
Susan Mears, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office crime scene supervisor, was recalled briefly to the stand.
Mears told jurors that a Gatorade bottle containing a syringe and a plastic shopping bag from World of Disney store were found approximately 7 inches away from where Caylee’s remains were located.
A forensic chemist from the FBI, Dr. Michael Rickenbach testified he tested several items recovered from Casey’s car, for chloroform.
Rickenbach told jurors that samples of a child’s car seat, a steering wheel cover and doll, all tested negative for the presence of chloroform.
On cross-examination by Ashton, Rickenbach did concede that there were small amounts of chloroform found on the doll. He told jurors that as a control test, he was unable to obtain a doll of the same make and manufacturer, but nonetheless, borrowed a similar doll from a co-worker and conducted the test. As in the case of the first doll, small amounts of chloroform were also found on the second doll, Rickenbach testified.
Small amounts of chloroform were found in the Gatorade bottle within which a syringe was contained, Rickenbach said. These items were found near Caylee’s remains recovered from a wooded area off Suburban Drive near the Anthony family home.
Prosecutors have charged Casey Anthony with first degree murder in the death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee. They believe that she poisoned the toddler with chloroform and placed duct tape over the child’s nose and mouth, before dumping the body in the woods.
Casey’s defense attorneys have claimed that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool and George Anthony, Casey’s father covered up the crime. The defense has also said that their client was sexually abused by George, and her brother Lee.
Casey, if convicted, could face the death penalty.
