Casey Anthony: Have you ever seen anything like this? - Hal

Casey Anthony: Have you ever seen anything like this?
posted by halboedeker on April, 1 2011 7:06 PM

Was there ever this much drama in the courtroom on “L.A. Law” or “The Practice”?

The furor this morning in the Casey Anthony hearing still had reporters talking tonight.

“The real headline here today are these ongoing, angry disputes over whether [defense attorney] Jose Baez is following court rules and how these disputes are devouring valuable court time,” said Bob Kealing of WESH-Channel 2.

WESH titled the story “Explosive Day in Court” and shared footage of Chief Judge Belvin Perry and prosecutor Jeff Ashton raising their voices.

“The lawyers bickered bitterly, and it didn’t stop until the judge threatened them,” WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Bob Opsahl said. “It might be normal for TV shows, but is it normal behavior for a courtroom?”

He put the question to reporter Kathi Belich. “I haven’t seen it,” she said. “I haven’t seen during the 15 years I’ve covered murder trials with Chief Judge Belvin Perry on the bench, even when Jeff Ashton was the prosecutor in those cases.”

Belich highlighted that Perry threatened to fine the opposing lawyers $100 each time they interrupted each or talked to each other. She said that WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer saw defense attorney Cheney Mason “make a vulgar gesture toward the prosecutor with his arm.”

“I’ve not seen anything like this in the 33, 35 years I’ve been practicing law,” Sheaffer told Belich. “The judge will either stop it or bankrupt them, one of the two.”

WKMG-Channel 6 anchor Lauren Rowe said the courtroom “got really testy in there today and we’re not even at trial yet.”

Reporter Tony Pipitone agreed and said the Ashton-Baez bickering reached the tipping point. Pipitone also explained the stakes. “The state wants Casey Anthony executed for the murder of her daughter,” Pipitone said. “The defense wants novel scientific evidence about human-decomposition odors and chloroform kept out of the trial. Now there were no decisions made today.”

After lunch, Pipitone added, that Baez and Ashton “were on their best behavior and no fines issued.”

The hearing will resume Wednesday, because Judge Perry said he didn’t the have money to bring staff in on Saturday, Kealing reported.

Cindy Anthony, Casey’s mother, testified today, and drew reporters’ scrutiny.

“Cindy Anthony took the stand again and changed her previous sworn testimony, saying that she now remembers being the one who put fabric softener strips in Casey’s car,” Kealing said. “She also admitted spraying it down with Febreze to mask the odor.”

In the personal details department: “As for Casey Anthony, she shared a couple of smiles with her mom,” Kealing said.

Belich said: “When Cindy left the witness stand, she mouthed, ‘I love you,’ and Casey mouthed, ‘Me, too.’ “

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/04/casey-anthony-have-you-ever-seen-anything-like-this.html