Casey Anthony: Defense claims success on finding searchers; Mark NeJame calls comment ‘preposterous’

Casey Anthony: Defense claims success on finding searchers; Mark NeJame calls comment ‘preposterous’

posted by halboedeker on November, 29 2010 6:26 PM

What was the biggest headline in the Casey Anthony case today? I’ll pick one from outside the status hearing.

Anthony defense attorney Cheney Mason told WESH-Channel 2 that the questioning of Texas EquuSearch volunteers was paying dividends for the defense. Mason estimated that 15 to 20 of 75 volunteers questioned said there was no was body at the spot where Caylee Anthony’s remains were later found. Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter.

Mason’s point suggests that someone else deposited the toddler’s remains after her mother was in jail, WESH’s Bob Kealing explained.

Mason said he will give the list of witnesses to the court Friday, Kealing added.

But Kealing also quoted “one source close to the investigation” who is “highly skeptical of this new defense claim of all these witnesses that they’ve identified.”

And Mark NeJame, attorney for Texas EquuSearch, told Kealing that Mason’s comment was “preposterous.”

WESH, WOFL-Channel 35 and WFTV-Channel 9 highlighted Chief Judge Belvin Perry’s decisions during the status hearing. The defense must give the prosecution all the notes, photos and videos taken by defense experts. But Perry rejected the prosecution’s request to get the financial records for defense experts.

Later WFTV-Channel 9’s Kathi Belich asked defense attorney Jose Baez what the defense paid its experts before the defense ran out of money. Baez said the information was client-business dealings. “We do know that the defense spent almost $200,000 before taxpayers started picking up the tab for Casey’s defense,” Belich added.

In another report, Belich look at prosecution’s expenses. She reported that the state attorney’s office says prosecuting the case has cost $42,000 after two years, but that figure doesn’t include prosecutors’ salaries or the “very high” investigation costs of various agencies.

Belich also noted that the defense seemed to be backing away from any attempts to discredit Roy Kronk, the meter reader who found Caylee’s remains.

The defense said it might have been “premature” to suggest that Kronk be investigated as a suspect, Belich reported.

WESH showed Baez telling reporters, “A lot of it is premature. After looking at certain things, we may not want to address some of them until a later time.”

But Perry warned Baez that “all most motions must be heard by the end of the year or possibly not at all,” Kealing explained.

There were the personal bits, too:Kealing highlighted the “new hands-on approach” that deputies were using to escort Anthony into the court. She had tripped this summer and chipped a tooth at the courthouse.

WOFL’s Holly Bristow said that Anthony “walked into court today wearing a bright orange shirt with her hair pulled back and a smile on her face. Her mom, Cindy, sat two rows back.
Noticeably absent: Casey’s dad, George.”

WFTV anchor Martie Salt observed, “Casey looked like she was having a good time in court today.”

Kathi Belich agreed, “She was laughing with one of the defense staffers when the lawyers were all up at the bench talking to the judge. At one point, she seemed to catch herself and put on a more serious expression.”

The color of Casey’s blouse was a recurring topic on the channels. Belich described the shirt as peach-colored.


http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2010/11/casey-anthony-defense-claims-success-on-finding-searchers-mark-nejame-calls-comment-preposterous.html