Casey Anthony: How smoothly is jury selection going? And what about those tears? - Hal

Casey Anthony: How smoothly is jury selection going? And what about those tears?
posted by halboedeker on May, 9 2011 5:44 PM

How well did jury selection start in the Casey Anthony case?

WESH-Channel 2’s Bob Kealing said the scene outside the courthouse in Clearwater was orderly and there were no protests. Kealing estimated that two-thirds of potential jurors had been dismissed today because of hardship. Kealing said he overheard a young woman exclaim, “I’ve been excused. Thank God!”

On “In Session,” Orlando attorney Diana Tennis said she couldn’t believe they’d get through jury selection in five days. Legal analyst Sunny Hostin agreed that jury selection wouldn’t happen in a week, but also highlighted that Judge Belvin Perry was telling prospective jurors that the trial would begin next Tuesday. And Jean Casarez predicted the jury selection wouldn’t go late into the day because of Florida’s budget crisis.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.

WFTV-Channel 9’s Kathi Belich said jury selection would take at least a week. WOFL-Channel 35’s Holly Bristow said that last week she asked defense attorney Cheney Mason if a jury could be seated in a week. Bristow said Mason laughed and estimated that it would take several weeks in such a high-profile case.

In starting her report, Belich said, “A bombshell opened the trial. There was discussion of a possible plea, but Casey said no. She would have had to admit to every detail of Caylee’s murder.” Was that overstated?

WKMG-Channel 6’s Tony Pipitone said the judge asking about a plea deal at a trial’s start is routine. “It’s not that unusual,” Pipitone said. “Early on, she wrote in an affidavit that she rejected admitting to a crime that she didn’t commit, and she stands by that apparently today.”

In another WESH report, Aixa Diaz explained why Pinellas County was chosen for jury selection. She noted that the county is close to Orlando but in a different television market. Veteran attorney Jeff Deen suggested other reasons to Diaz: Pinellas County has cosmopolitan areas; it has a large retirement community; and the residents are familiar with headline-making crime stories.

Former Circuit Judge O.H. Eaton Jr., WESH’s legal analyst, said Pinellas County wasn’t good for the defense team because of a lack of minorities, especially blacks, in the jury pool. “The African-American experience in the United States with capital punishment is much different from white Americans,” Eaton said. “Naturally, the defense would like to have people on the jury who are skeptical about the death penalty.”

Anthony’s reactions were a recurring topic. On Central Florida News 13, Adam Longo said Anthony “cried frequently.”

WESH anchor Martha Sugalski contrasted mug shots of Anthony: one from 2008 and one from today. Sugalski said Anthony today was “tired looking and at times emotional.”

WKMG’s Lauren Rowe said “clearly the gravity of the trial finally beginning is starting to weigh on her.”

WFTV’s Belich said Anthony “the tears rolled for quite a while, but stopped when the judge talked about her daughter, Caylee, and when her remains were found.” Belich added that prosecutors complained about the crying and Perry told prospective jurors to ignore the emotions.

WOFL’s legal analyst Diana Tennis said of Anthony’s emotions, “In my experience. it’s very difficult to get your client to cry on cue, no matter how hard you try. I doubt they’re doing much about the tears. The soft green sweater and the hair, I think there’s some of that staging going on.” Of the crying, Tennis added, “I just think it’s hit that this is it. This is for real.”

In other Anthony news, Perry ruled that cutting-edge air tests on Casey’s car will be part of the trial. Longo called the ruling “another huge development.” Kealing said the state had “a scientific clean sweep” on rulings. WFTV’s Bill Sheaffer predicted the air tests would be “significant in this case because the jurors are going to look for that ’CSI’ factor and this is that type of evidence.”

WOFL put trial costs at $730,000, with $360,000 going to house, freed and transp0rt the jurors.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/05/casey-anthony-how-smoothly-is-jury-selection-going-and-what-about-those-tears.html