On Day 18, Cindy Anthony, Casey’s mother returned to testify for the second time in her daughter’s murder trial on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick got Cindy to testify that certain items such as Caylee’s teddy bear, Winnie the Pooh blanket and two canvass bags have been missing from her home. These items were found when Caylee’s remains were discovered on December 11, 2008, near the Anthony family home, and prosecutors believe that they were removed from the home by Casey, who they say murdered the 2-year-old child.
Cindy also testified that in 2008, her hair was kept short and she has been coloring her hair for some time. She told jurors that Lee, her son, keeps his hair short and so does her mother. Prosecutors have said that the strand of unprocessed hair several inches long, found in the trunk of Casey’s car belonged to Caylee.
Shown a photo of Casey and Caylee wearing a pink shirt with lettering that indicates, “Big Trouble Comes in Small Packages”, Cindy testified that she had never seen the shirt at her home. When Caylee’s remains were recovered, prosecutors say, the lettering on the shirt was found near to her remains.
Drane Burdick also discussed the issue of duct tape in the Anthony’s family home which is central to the state’s case.
Cindy, perhaps still wanting to protect Casey, seemed only to recall that there was black duct tape in the home in 2008, although her deposition in 2009, appeared to be different. While recalling that silver duct tape had been used on Caylee posters at a command center in the search for the child, she told jurors she could not remember the origin of that duct tape.
Court watchers have said that when Cindy stepped down from the witness stand, she mouthed the words, “I love you”, to Casey.
The prosecution who will rest their case on Wednesday, also called Bobby Williams a tattoo artist to testify.
Williams testified that Casey came to ‘Cast Iron Tattoos’ on July 2, 2008 for a tattoo to be placed on the back of her left shoulder, having made an appointment about three to four days before. He told jurors that Casey appeared normal, happy and didn’t seem to be upset about anything.
Williams said during the time that he applied the tattoo, Casey was on the phone and when the procedure was finished, did not leave right-a-way. He said, pizza was ordered which Casey paid for. She left the shop after eating a couple slices and paying $65.00 for the tattoo.
Prosecutors have said that the “Bella Vita” or “Beautiful Life” tattoo which Casey had done 17 days after she murdered Caylee, was just indicative of the life she wanted to live.
Williams told jurors that Casey returned to the shop on July 15, to make another appointment for July 19, 2008, and again she appeared “normal and happy”. He said Casey made the appointment for herself and a friend for a matching tattoo, but the details had not yet been finalized. Casey told him on July 19, she would bring Caylee with her, Williams said.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Jose Baez asked Williams whether it is customary for people to get tattoos to remember loved ones that have passed on. Williams said, yes.
Earlier on Tuesday, prosecutors called Alinna Burroughs, another crime scene investigator at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to the stand.
Jurors were shown a number of photographs were Caylee’s remains were dumped, including aerial shots, and the proximity of the body to the Anthony family home.
Burroughs testified that she recovered several heart-shaped sticker books found in either Casey or Caylee’s room. She had not found any sticker books in the master bedroom.
The first witness called to testify on Tuesday was Catherine Theisen, an expert in forensic mitochondrial DNA and Chief at the FBI laboratory in Virginia.
Theisen’s said that the hair found in the trunk of Casey’s Pontiac Sunfire matches the hair mass found at the base of Caylee’s skull when the child’s remains were found in the woods. She also testified that the DNA profile of the hair in the car trunk matches Casey or Caylee. But she added that other members on the maternal side of Casey’s family–Cindy, brother, Lee and Cindy’s mother, could not be excluded as the source of the hair.
Prosecutors believe that Casey Anthony suffocated Caylee by placing duct tape over the child’s nose and mouth, around July 16, 2008. They believe that she drove around with her body in the trunk of her car for sometime, before dumping the body in the woods. Duct tape, found on Caylee’s skull was similar to what was found in the Anthony family home. Unusually large amounts of chloroform were also detected in the trunk of Casey’s car and several witnesses have testified to the smell of human decomposition.
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. They will begin presenting their witnesses on Thursday.
Casey, if convicted, could face the death penalty.
