Casey Anthony’s defense attorney Jose Baez dropped a bombshell Tuesday afternoon when they began their opening statement, telling jurors 2-year-old Caylee accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool on June 16, 2008, and that George Anthony, Casey’s father initially covered it up.
Anthony is charged with first degree murder in the death of her daughter Caylee and prosecutors have asked for the death penalty.
Baez told jurors that, in Florida, drowning is the number one way children die, but this case is different because of the uniqueness of the Anthony family –“a very dysfunctional family with secret things, ugly things, things that people never speak about.”
Baez said when Casey saw George holding Caylee in his arms after she drowned in the family pool, she grabbed her and began to cry.
“Look at what you’ve done,” Baez claimed George said to Casey. “You will go to jail for child neglect for the rest of your fr***ing life.”
Baez told jurors “this is not a murder case, not a manslaughter case. Caylee’s death was covered up,” Baez said.
In trying to explain why Casey did not report her child missing for 31 days to law enforcement, Baez suggested that she had been sexually and emotionally abused from as early as 8 years and so, had become used to hiding her pain, pretending as if nothing was wrong.
“She (Casey) forced herself to live in a world she wanted to, not thrust into,” Baez said. “You will hear all sorts of bizarre behavior, but Casey was raised to lie.”
Baez told the jury that George had begun to touch her inappropriately from a young age, and that it escalated. He said too that Casey’s brother, Lee, when he was a teenager had attempted to touch Casey, but it didn’t go as far as George. He claimed that when Lee was confronted, he said he would talk about it when the time is right.
Asked by prosecutor Jeff Ashton whether he had every sexually molested his daughter, Casey, George when he took the stand, replied, “no sir.”
“Have you ever committed any sexually inappropriate acts in front of your daughter?” Ashton asked George Anthony. Again, he replied, ” no sir.”
“Did you dispose of your granddaughter’s body?” Ashton asked. George replied, “no sir.”
“Did you obtain duck-tape and place it over your granddaughter’s mouth?” Ashton asked. “No sir,” George replied.
Casey shook her head repeatedly from side to side, as George responded, as if to suggest that his testimony was not truthful. At times she broke down in tears.
Judge Belvin Perry recessed the court around 5:15 pm on Tuesday. The trial will resume at 9:00 am, on Wednesday at the Orange County Courthouse.
