Casey Anthony: How did Caylee skull animation go over? - Hal

Casey Anthony: How did Caylee skull animation go over?
posted by halboedeker on June, 10 2011 7:30 PM

A forensic anthropologist’s animated video of how duct tape could have fit Caylee Anthony’s face produced strong reactions this afternoon.

Jackie Fell of Central Florida News 13 described the video as “a picture of a smiling little girl and then it morphed essentially into a skull.” News 13 reported that juror No. 5 stopped watching the video and Casey Anthony mouthed her disgust.

WKMG-Channel 6’s Tony Pipitone said he looked at the jury when the video was shown. “It was clear they were watching every second of it. It lasted about four to five minutes,” Pipitone said. His take: Juror No. 4, who has trouble judging others, had a forlorn look. Juror No. 5 stopped watching after a while, then looked toward the defense table. Casey Anthony kept her eyes downcast.

But WESH-Channel 2’s Bob Kealing said that Anthony turned angry when the video by Dr. Michael Warren was shown a first time, away from the jury. Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in Caylee’s death.

Prosecutor Jeff Ashton described the video as fair and necessary to the case. Defense attorney Jose Baez called the tape “disgusting” and “a fantasy.” Baez pushed for a mistrial, but Chief Judge Belvin Perry denied the motion.

WKMG legal analyst Mark NeJame said Perry made the right decision and compared the video to a vehicle-accident reconstruction. “The tape is an issue, it got in, and the judge made a proper ruling,” NeJame said.

WFTV-Channel 9’s Kathi Belich noted that the defense got Warren, the video’s maker, to acknowledge he has no idea where the tape was in relation to Caylee’s nose and mouth.

WOFL-Channel 35’s Holly Bristow also reported that Warren “manipulated” the tape up and down the face, and nobody knew for sure where the tape had been. “They just know where it was on Caylee’s remains after she was found,” Bristow said. Bristow said the superimposition of the girl’s skull in the photo was “not nearly effective as I thought it was going to be — I thought it was going to be much more haunting.”

In the unnecessary department, WKMG offered its own re-creation of Caylee Anthony’s skull, modeled on a different photo of the toddler. “What you’re seeing on the screen right now is nearly identical to what jurors saw today,” reporter Mike DeForest said. “Jose Baez fought vigorously to keep this out, and to keep a re-creation similar to this one away from the jury, because he argued that it would just unfairly prejudice them and play with their emotions.”

It played with my emotions: WKMG, you went too far. You didn’t need to offer that gruesome touch, which detracted from your overall reporting.

Another unnecessary touch: The station did its own re-creation over the photo used in court. Why, oh, why?

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/06/casey-anthony-how-did-caylee-skull-animation-go-over.html