Casey Anthony: How wise is it to anger Belvin Perry? - Hal

Casey Anthony: How wise is it to anger Belvin Perry?
posted by halboedeker on May, 20 2011 12:53 PM

Chief Judge Belvin Perry’s anger was the top story on noon newscasts.

He forcefully punished a female court observer who shouted out during the 11th day of jury selection in the Casey Anthony case. He sentenced the tearful woman to two days in jail for contempt of court.

“It was a wild, wild morning,” WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Greg Warmoth. “The outburst also led to a juror being dismissed on a day the judge was hoping to swear in a jury.”

Perry showed his fury, but what did he do? Perry threw his pencil, Warmoth said.

“Perry slamming down his gavel in an obvious show of frustration after he learned a juror talked to a detective,” WKMG-Channel 6 anchor Laura Diaz said.

WESH-Channel 2’s Amanda Ober said, “When he had to excuse the juror, he slapped his desk in frustration.”

WFTV’s Kathi Belich highlighted that the potential juror, when she returned after the woman’s outburst, “claimed she didn’t remember what the woman had said.” (The woman spectactor said of Anthony, “She killed somebody anyway.”)

The potential juror also said a “gentleman in all black” had talked to her and described the man as a detective. Perry excused the woman, then showed his anger. ”Certainly a frustration as we’re winding down and fewer and fewer possibilities for alternates in this case,” Belich said from Clearwater.

WKMG’s Mike DeForest said that Perry was “very, very, very angry” and added that the judge had hoped to swear in the jury at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

“We’re not sure that’s going to be able to happen,” DeForest said. “He’s running out of potential jurors to question. As it stands right now there are 17 people tentatively on this jury, and I say tentatively because attorneys for both the prosecution and the defense still have peremptory strikes that they can use to get rid of some of these jurors.”

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee. Perry has said he hopes to start the trial Monday in Orlando.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/05/casey-anthony-how-wise-is-it-to-anger-belvin-perry.html