WESH explains why Jose Baez is here to stay

Casey Anthony: WESH explains why Jose Baez is here to stay

— posted by halboedeker on July, 29 2010 6:17 PM

Jose Baez’s money troubles continued to fascinate local TV stations tonight.

WESH-Ch. 2 headlined its Baez story “Foreclosure Fallout,” a follow-up on the station’s Wednesday report about Baez facing foreclosure on his Kissimmee home.

But the main point of Bob Kealing’s reporting tonight was that Baez can’t withdraw as the attorney for Casey Anthony. She is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.

“I would be shocked if Judge [Belvin] Perry let anybody withdraw now,” criminal defense attorney Jeff Deen said in offering analysis for WESH.

Kealing and Deen pointed to new law passed in reaction to the Anthony case. The law aims to prevent a private attorney from leaving a case when a client becomes indigent.

Deen explained: “If you start out with a private lawyer and you pay that lawyer, and then you go to the court and ask that the state pay your costs, if that lawyer now tries to withdraw, it’s not permitted by statute anymore that the person would get a state-appointed lawyer.”

The law went into effect July 1, meaning that Baez’s window for getting out had closed. Kealing said that Baez had not responded to requests for comment.

WFTV-Ch. 9’s Kathi Belich took stock of Baez’s Kissimmee home. “It’s a very nice house with a screened pool and a fireplace in a gated country club community,” she said.

She highlighted that his monthly mortgage payment is $4,500, but he hadn’t paid it since August 2009.

“But that didn’t stop him skipping his client Casey Anthony’s hearing on June 21 because of his vacation in Paris,” Belich added.

Baez told WFTV off camera that the house isn’t on the market and that it’s a personal matter, Belich said.

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer agreed it’s a personal matter. “He just appears to be a person having financial difficulties,” Sheaffer said.

WFTV anchor Bob Opsahl told viewers about the fallout from another foreclosure story. ”Casey’s parents, George and Cindy Anthony, were able to save their home from foreclosure in near record time,” Opsahl said.

“Since then, we’ve received dozens of calls and e-mails claiming Bank of America gave the Anthonys preferential treatment.”

But a bank spokesman said the Anthonys’ loan modification was handled in a normal period of time, Opsahl added.

Coming up: The defense on Friday is expected to depose Jesse Grund, Casey Anthony’s former fiance, and meter reader Roy Kronk, who found the toddler’s remains in the woods near the Anthony home.

WKMG-Ch. 6 tonight focused on the Kronk deposition and previewed what might be coming. The station said that in 1997 Kronk told Kingsport, Tenn., police they could find stolen items in a wooded area. But police didn’t find them, WKMG’s Mike DeForest reported.

“According to sources, Casey Anthony’s defense team finds it odd that Kronk would call police twice to two different wooded areas,” DeForest said. “Sources say the defense may use the Tennessee police report to challenge Kronk’s credibility and raise reasonable doubt.”

Kronk’s attorney said there was no need for a response to the WKMG report and said Kronk had done nothing wrong, DeForest added.


http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2010/07/casey-anthony-wesh-explains-why-jose-baez-is-here-to-stay.html

Defense Has More Questions For Grund, Kronk

http://www.wftv.com/news/24449679/detail.html



Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys plan to question several people Friday. Casey's former fiancé Jesse Grund and his father are scheduled to be in court.

At one point, Casey's parents asked detectives to investigate Grund as a suspect after Casey allegedly told them she did not trust him.

Former meter reader Roy Kronk, who discovered Caylee's remains, will also return for more questioning.

Baez Interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/24451409/index.html

Mason Interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/24451512/index.html

David Evans - Kronk's Lawyer Interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/24451551/index.html