Before the gas cans were taken, George Anthony had left duct tape on one of them, and according to him, the returned cans had no duct tape. It had been found abandoned in a parking lot and towed two weeks earlier. The decomposition of a human body is a very unique and recognizable smell to anyone with experience with it, and the manager testified that he has had that experience. George Anthony also claims familiarity with the stench through his time as a detective.
Judge Belvin Perry questioned the probative nature of these messages, and suggested they would be excessively prejudicial, so the prosecution withdrew their attempted introduction of them. For the full story of this testimony, go here. It was Cindy who finally reported Caylee missing a month after she last saw her, and her testimony focused on that month. The explanations involved a nanny named Zanny who was taking care of Caylee while Anthony attended work meetings, as well as a car accident during an outing in Tampa.
Another explanation was that they were staying in a hotel with a wealthy suitor. Hopkins said he knew Anthony from school, but had no children and had not introduced Anthony to a nanny for Caylee, as she had claimed. Several other aspects and details of her stories about him were also untrue, including their relationship, his job, and where he lived.
Testimony included a description of a statement and interview given by Anthony after Caylee was reported missing, in which she claimed Caylee had been kidnapped by the nanny introduced to her by Hopkins. Investigators were unable to find the nanny described by Anthony. Anthony claimed she did not come to the police after the kidnapping out of fear. She also said the hair from the trunk of the car contained a mark she had only seen in hairs from decomposing bodies—that is, hairs still in the scalp when the body started decomposing.
The DNA present in the hair shaft was also tested, but this was not DNA that can be linked to a single individual either. While hair ripped by the root can still contain nuclear DNA, the shaft of hair such as that found in the car contains only mitochondrial DNA.
Unlike nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA does not change between generations, but is passed directly and intact from the mother to the child. The analyst described a particular band on the hair as consistent with decomposition, but this observation is based only on her experience, and is not a proven correlation. Other interesting forensic evidence brought up included air samples taken from the car, which showed signs of gases consistent with decomposition, as well as chloroform, which is what the prosecution says Anthony used to kill her daughter.
After hearing from multiple witnesses describing an odor of decomposition in the car, the jury heard evidence from experts regarding the same odor. A trash bag was found in the trunk and ruled out by technicians as being the source of the odor recognized by witnesses; a highly trained cadaver dog alerted on the trunk, indicating that a body had been stored within; and the jury heard from Arpad Vass, a forensic anthropologist conducting research at the body farm on decomposition.
Vass performed chemical tests on air samples from the trunk, carpet samples, the spare tire cover, and scrapings from the wheel well of the car.
He testified that these results indicate only decomposing remains could account for the odor in the trunk. He also testified that there were high levels of chloroform present in the samples—an important fact to the prosecution, which claims Anthony used chloroform on her daughter before smothering her. Duct tape was found over the mouth, holding the jaw bone to the rest of the skull.
Chief medical examiner Dr. While potentially disturbing, and therefore prejudicial to a jury, Judge Perry allowed this evidence because of its importance in the case. Entomological evidence is the most accurate indication of time of death once the body has decomposed. Judge Perry denied the motion and the defense would begin presenting their case that today.
Blood might have been found from the decomposition of the remains in the trunk among the fluids released, if there was a hole in the bags the prosecution claimed the remains were wrapped in.
The examiner also described the lack of conclusive DNA evidence on the duct tape found on the remains. The trial continued with testimony from forensic pathologist Werner Spitz, author of what many consider to be the authoritative text on medicolegal death investigation.
The reversal comes a day after Casey's arrest for allegedly stealing and cashing checks from a friend, with the angry crowds demonstrating outside the Anthonys' home contributing to the decision. What can I say? Anthony will again be released after other parties combine to post the bond on September 5, although she will return to jail by the end of the month. The unsealed indictment also charges her with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of providing false information to law enforcement.
In response, Casey's lawyer, Jose Baez, says his client's actions will become clearer at trial: "I sincerely believe when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, now I understand, that explains it. October 24, Forensic reports from an examination of Casey's car are released.
The reports note that a hair strand discovered in the trunk is "microscopically similar" to those found on Caylee's brush and showed "characteristics of apparent decomposition. The bones are found in a bag in a wooded area less than a half-mile from the Anthonys' home by utility worker Ray Kronk.
It is later revealed that Kronk had sought to convince police to search the area back in the summer. The Orange County chief medical examiner reports that the bones showed no evidence of trauma and that Caylee's death is being ruled a "homicide of undetermined means.
George is reported to be "despondent and possibly under the influence of medication and alcohol" when he is located at a hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, along with a five-page suicide note.
April 13, Prosecutors announce their intention to pursue the death penalty. Although earlier court papers indicated that the death penalty would not be in play, the new notice of intent cites "sufficient aggravating circumstances" to justify its imposition. The trial begins with the prosecution's opening salvo of Casey being a party girl with no use for a young daughter, as evidenced by the month spent shopping and drinking during Caylee's absence.
Those remarks are soon eclipsed by Baez's stunning opening statement which asserts that Caylee drowned in the family swimming pool and that George sought to cover up the accidental death. The lead defense lawyer also alleges that George had molested Casey, thereby igniting her habit of lying to cover up the pain and that Kronk, the utility worker, had found Caylee's body and planted it in the woods. Taking the stand as the first witness, George denies that he ever molested his daughter or knew anything about Caylee's drowning.
Simon Birch, the manager of the towing company that impounded Casey's car in June , testifies that he had encountered multiple vehicles with dead bodies during his three decades in the business and that the smell from Casey's car was consistent with those past experiences.
The identity of Caylee's father hasn't been publicly identified. July 15, Just a few weeks before Caylee's third birthday, Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, called police in their hometown of Orlando. Cindy said her daughter and granddaughter had been missing for a month -- and while she'd located her daughter, her granddaughter was nowhere to be found. July 16, At first, Casey Anthony told police that she believed her nanny had her 2-year-old daughter, and that she'd been searching for her.
Police quickly determined that there wasn't a nanny involved and that Casey's story about the last time her daughter was seen was false. Casey, 22, was arrested and charged with child neglect. July As police investigated Caylee's disappearance, a key piece of evidence comes into play: Casey's Pontiac Sunfire. When Casey's mother called police to report Caylee missing, she noted that Casey's car smelled like "there had been a dead body" in it.
Days later at Casey's bond hearing, a deputy testified that a cadaver dog trained to picked up the scent of human decomposition alerted him to the trunk of the car.
October Raising additional questions for police was Casey's behavior during the time she said her daughter was missing. Authorities described Casey as continuing to hang out with friends, partying -- and getting this tattoo, which means "Beautiful Life. She pleaded not guilty. December Many people, both locally and nationally, followed the case and searched for Caylee.
On December 11, skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near the Anthony home by a utility worker. On December 19, authorities announced the remains had been identified as Caylee. Pictured here is a memorial for Caylee where the 2-year-old's remains were found. May With prosecutors deciding to pursue the death penalty, jury selection began in the Casey Anthony trial on May 9, Spectators in the courthouse are pictured here as they wait for the trial's first day to begin on May 24, May Jose Baez, lead defense counsel for Casey Anthony, presented a different story during his opening remarks: he said Caylee Anthony was not murdered and was never missing.
Baez stated she died on June 16, , from an accidental drowning in the Anthony family's backyard pool. June During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Casey used chloroform on her daughter and suffocated her by putting duct tape over the little girl's mouth and nose.
They also alleged that Casey put her daughter's body in her car trunk before disposing of it. June Forensics expert Arpad Vass testified on June 6 that the only plausible explanation for the odor in Casey's car trunk would be the presence of a decomposing human body.
Pictured here is an evidence photo of trash found in the trunk. June During his testimony, Casey's father, George Anthony, denied the defense's claims that he sexually abused his daughter and that he was involved in his granddaughter's death. June Casey's mother, Cindy, also took the stand. Here, she's seen reacting to a photo of Caylee on a monitor during her testimony on June 14, , day 18 of the trial.
June Judge Belvin Perry looks at evidence as it's presented during the trial. June Jennifer Welch, a crime scene investigator with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, shows letters from Caylee's T-shirt that were entered into evidence.
June Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton holds crime scene evidence during a cross-examination of entomologist Dr.
Tim Huntington. The country's interest in every update on the case was voracious; by the time it concluded, it had yielded record ratings for some networks. June 30, By the end of June , both the prosecution and the defense had rested their cases. Casey Anthony never testified. July 5, : The trial's jury deliberated for 10 hours and 40 minutes before reaching a verdict. Casey was found not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child.
She was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement. July 5, Casey Anthony's defense team surrounded her in a group hug after the thenyear-old was acquitted. July The not-guilty charge divided many people who followed the case. July Others, such as Tim Allen, right, and David Antolic, held signs of a different tone in front of a jail in Orlando on July 16, , the day before Anthony was released.
July 17, Casey was sentenced to four years in jail with credit for time served. Aftermath: Seven years after being acquitted of the death of her daughter, Casey Anthony, pictured here with her attorney Cheney Mason in , resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In , Anthony told the Associated Press she's still not "certain Ultimately, the jury acquitted the young mother of the most serious charges against her. Now 32 years old, Anthony is living not-quite-out-of-sight in her home state of Florida; just last year, she gave a widely covered interview with the Associated Press.
But the Casey Anthony case involved many other players. Ten years later, we spoke to some of those who were involved, to get their thoughts on how it played out and their perspective on why it struck such a chord with the public. Here's what they had to say:. These statements have been edited for length and clarity. The Judge: 'What really happened?
I thought the state had proved its case. I thought, while they may have had some flaws in their case, that there was a high probability that Casey would be found guilty of some form of homicide, and that did not occur. A number of jurors said the reason that they came back with "not guilty" was because the state could not prove how Caylee died.
The defense threw out a lot of theories. They threw out that she drowned. They tried to build on the inference that the gate was open, and that the ladder was down and that she was known to go out of the door and go up to the pool because she liked water.
I mean, there was no evidence that that happened. Those were inferences.
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