Motion Denied After Tempers Flare During Casey Hearing

http://www.wftv.com/news/23053460/detail.html

Updated: 4:43 pm EDT

April 5,2010

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Lawyers yelled in courtMonday during the latest hearing in Casey Anthony's murder case, but Casey sat expressionless, never cracking a smile and hardly saying a word to her lawyers. In the end, Judge Stan Strickland denied Casey's defense team their request.

CASEY HEARING: Part1 | Part 2
CASEY ARRIVES: Raw Video | See Images
VIDEO REPORT: Casey Attends Court Hearing
DOCUMENTS: Motion For Get Records | Response

Casey walked into the court room just ahead of 10:00am (raw video | images), wearing a striped button-down long sleeve collar shirt and dark pants. She sat next to attorneys Jose Baez and J. Cheney Mason.

Casey's lawyers fought for more information about the volunteers who searched for Caylee. They're looking for anyone who searched the woods prior to the discovery of Caylee's remains there.

Many volunteers have said the ground was covered with too much water, but Casey’s defense claims they found at least one person who claims EquuSearch still searched, but came up with nothing.

“Either because of laziness or sloppiness, this information hasn't been tracked down,” EquuSearch attorney Mark NeJame argued in court.

There were explosive accusations and angry arguments Monday morning.

“They're trying to kill Ms. Anthony. We're trying to save her life. We can't do that if we're handcuffed,” defense attorney Jose Baez said.

Casey appeared stoic in court as her attorney asked the court to force Texas EquuSearch to hand over documents related to the search for Caylee Anthony. Casey's defense wants information about the thousands of volunteers who searched for the toddler.

But the non-profit group doesn't want all of the volunteers' personal information made public and NeJame pointed out he already released information on 32 people who worked near the place Caylee's remains were found and offered Baez a chance to look at the rest of the documents, just not make copies.

“Judge, these documents are critical, we need them,” Baez argued.

Baez said the defense found a bombshell, an EquuSearch volunteer who claims to have searched the remains area months prior to the discovery, but wasn't on the list of 32. That man, Joe Jordan, doesn't believe Caylee's remains were in that area when he searched, but NeJame said Jordan's information was in the documents he handed over and he questioned, if the rest of documents are so critical, why Casey's attorneys haven't stopped by to look at them.

“It is beyond me, it is incredulous to suggest that there is this bombshell, that things have been hidden from them when they’re just still sitting in my office. Come by after court, pay a visit,” NeJame argued.

Baez did most of the speaking Monday; Casey's new high-profile attorney, J. Cheney Mason, didn't play a big role.

Late Monday afternoon, Judge Strickland denied the defense request, but said Casey's attorneys can still go and look at the documents and, if they flag something that could be important, they can go back to the judge and try to get that released. The judge, though, isn't going to blanket release all the documents.