Casey Anthony: Is it wise to read her reactions? - Hal

Casey Anthony: Is it wise to read her reactions?
posted by halboedeker on June, 27 2011 8:57 AM

Casey Anthony seemed giddy this morning, WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Greg Warmoth reported.

But WKMG-Channel 6 legal analyst Mark NeJame said it was dangerous to interpret Anthony’s reactions, because of her partying after her child, Caylee, disappeared. Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry handed both the state and defense documents this morning, WKMG’s Tony Pipitone reported. Pipitone later reported that lawyers on both sides were reviewing a report from a forensic psychologist.

“You can see people are reading this report intensely. Apparently, it’s a substantial size packet,” NeJame said. ”Apparently the defense is wanting to bring somebody on that we’ve not known about until now.”

Anthony could be seen talking to defense attorney Cheney Mason. “There doesn’t seem to be any rancor or animosity,” NeJame said. Baez was smiling broadly.

The defense also filed a motion this morning seeking a mistrial and a trial with a non-death-qualified jury, stations reported.

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer focused on defense attorney Ann Finnell’s presence and wondered if the state was taking the death penalty off the table. Sheaffer said Finnell’s presence suggested they could be moving to penalty phase.

WOFL-Channel 35 legal analyst Diana Tennis warned that everyone might not know what was going on for a while. “We’re going to be reading the tea leaves all day long,” she said.

WKMG’s Mike DeForest said he had never seen Anthony smile so much as she did when entering the courtroom this morning.

“We’ve seen her smiling, just not in this trial,” NeJame said. ”They do appear to have a unified defense team. You see Cheney Mason and Jose Baez chatting away.”

NeJame explained that the psychologist’s report would be crucial to Anthony’s defense, because Baez had argued that she was a victim of abuse. “We look at the witness list, and there is nobody on that witness list to corroborate … her attorney’s opening statement,” NeJame said. “I think they’ve come to the realization that they need something if that’s going to be their continued theory of defense. … Without it, it’s a fatal flaw.”

What next? Stay tuned.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/06/casey-anthony-is-it-wise-to-read-her-reactions.html