Casey Anthony's Brother Testifies for First Time in Murder Trial
Casey Anthony's brother, Lee, took the stand for the first time in her murder trial, retracing his unsuccessful attempts to locate his sister in early July 2008 before Caylee was reported missing.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Frank George first asked Lee Anthony about July 3, 2008, the night he went searching for Casey in downtown Orlando. Lee said he first tried to use MySpace to find out where she was and then found out through Facebook that she was going to be at an Orlando nightclub called The Dragon Room.
Lee Anthony said he headed to the club based on his Facebook lead and attempted to contact Casey via text messages. He then made several attempts to call his sister.
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In one phone conversation, Lee asked Casey where she was but she told him, "busy. I'm out with friends. I'm doing my own thing. I'll talk to you later."
In another conversation that night, the 25-year-old Florida mom told Lee that she was in Jacksonville, not Orlando, at a country western bar. During that talk with Casey, Lee also asked his sister where Caylee was.
"I believe she said she was being watched while she was out with her friend," he said.
Casey hung up on Lee in the conversation.
Lee never met Casey that night and for several days until July 15, 2008 when he visited his parents' home. When he entered the house through the garage, he testified that there was a "potent" and "offensive" smell coming from Casey's Pontiac Sunfire. Other witnesses in the case, including Casey's father, George Anthony, and the tow yard manager, have testified that the car smelled of human decomposition.
Describing Casey's conversation with her mother, Cindy Anthony, in July, Lee said both women were "combative." He offered to go get Caylee but Casey said she didn't want to disturb her.
The prosecution lawyer also questioned Lee about his interview with a detective in July 2008.
"You asked your sister, 'Why won't you allow us to see Caylee?' What was her response?" George asked.
"I told Detective Edwards that she said, 'Because maybe I'm a spiteful b****," answered Lee.
Lee then recalled the conversation Casey had with their mother. He said his sister was angry because she said their mother had repeatedly told her that she was "an unfit mother for Caylee," and that Casey replied, "Maybe I am."
"I went on to say that my mother had also referenced Caylee as being a mistake, but the best mistake Casey's ever made," said Lee.
Cindy Anthony had called police on July 15, 2008 to report Caylee missing. On Tuesday, she relistened to her 911 call in which she described the car as smelling like something died. She also testified in court that Caylee's doll that she retrieved from the car smelled "pretty bad."
Casey Anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter.
In July 2008, Casey told police that Caylee was taken by a woman she claimed was the toddler's nanny.
The defense dropped a bombshell at the beginning of the trial, claiming that Casey didn't murder her daughter but that the toddler had accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool on June 15, 2008. In opening statements, the defense also accused George Anthony of sexually abusing his daughter and helping cover up Caylee's death. George Anthony had denied those charges.
In one notable testimony, Cindy Anthony said in the trial Saturday that the above-ground pool was too high for Caylee to reach alone. Caylee knew how to climb the ladder up to the pool but the ladder was removed when they were done swimming, she said.
Prosecutors say that Casey Anthony used chloroform to knock out Caylee and put duct tape over her nose and mouth, thereby suffocating the toddler.
Casey Anthony is facing charges of first degree murder. She could face the death penalty if convicted.
