Casey Anthony Murder Trial: Day 19 - T & T

by mom_in_il Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:28 am

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Casey Anthony Murder Trial: Day 19

Excerpt:

Things have not gone well between the defense team, the prosecution, and Judge Belvin Perry. Yesterday, the transcript of a bench conference from the end of the day on June 13 was published.

In it, Cheney Mason had a fit that Perry had announced to the jury that the defense case in chief would begin on Thursday, June 16. Mason told the judge to give an instruction to the jury that the defense was under no obligation to present a case. Perry refused, pointing out that Mr. Baez had been telling him that the defense would put on a case! Perry also told the defense that they were lying to him!

That's not a good thing for the judge to say, but I have to cut him some slack. The defense has made many representations to the court that turned out not to be true. Just go back to the hearings where Jose Baez told the judge that documents would be provided, and never were.

I'm sure there is more, but we aren't privy to most of it. To view the sequence of events that occurred, watch this video from WFTV beginning at 21:52.

Yesterday, Jeff Ashton announced that there were a few housekeeping details the prosecution needed to take care of. They need to introduce two additional sealed cans with carpet samples and deal with an item of judicial notice.

Jeff Ashton noted that, since the defense had no witnesses for Wednesday, he asked if these minor details be taken care of, Cheney Mason seemed to be in a high dudgeon that the prosecution would use part of the defense's first day of testimony (ironically, the third anniversary of Caylee Anthony's death) to their purposes before they rested their case. He told Ashton to either rest, or don't rest!

This meant that today, the jury will be hauled into the court for these things and then bussed back to their hotel.

Linda Burdick then made a comment to the defense team that, that, since they were coming back tomorrow (today), she wanted to be sure that she could take the defense at their word that they were not going to present witnesses! She stated she didn't want some "surprise" from the defense. She also asked for a list of witnesses. Cheney Mason said he'd get it to her tomorrow! You can watch the entire sequence here at 22:10.

More: http://sprocket-trials.blogspot.com/2011/06/casey-anthony-murder-trial-day-19.html