Sunday 19 June 2011

Casey Anthony murder: the case of the disappearing 'heart'

Two FBI experts testified about tests performed on key pieces collected in the case: duct tape and hair.
An artist testified he tattooed "Bella Vita" on Casey Anthony's back July 2, 2008, before Caylee was reported missing.

An investigator testified she found the backings of heart-shaped stickers in Casey Anthony's bedroom in 2008. An FBI analyst had testified she found what appeared to be the image of a heart shape on a piece of duct tape with Caylee's remains.

Jurors saw an aerial photo demonstrating the short distance between the Anthony home and woods were Caylee's remains were discovered.

State prosecutors rested their case.

Casey Anthony's defense team argued for an acquittal — a move Chief Judge Belvin Perry denied.

Ms. Anthony is charged with first-degree murder. She allegedly drugged her daughter with chloroform, suffocated her by affixing three pieces of duct tape 6 to 8 inches long over her nose and mouth, hid the body in the trunk of her car for several days, and then dumped it in a wooded area not far from the family home.

Anthony failed to notify police, her family, or friends of her missing daughter for 31 days. When confronted, she said the child had been kidnapped by a nanny.

Anthony has pleaded not guilty. Her lawyers say Caylee died accidentally in the family’s swimming pool.

Fontaine’s appearance came as the state is preparing to wrap up its case perhaps as early as Tuesday afternoon after three weeks of testimony.

The state is expected to try to connect Fontaine’s testimony concerning the heart-shaped outline with sheets of heart-shaped stickers investigators found during a search of the Anthony home. The search was conducted shortly after Caylee’s skeletal remains – and the pieces of duct tape – were discovered on Dec. 11, 2008, six months after the toddler’s disappearance. By then, Anthony was the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

In a potential setback for prosecutors, Fontaine testified that she did not photograph the heart-shaped outline or otherwise preserve the evidence at the time she first observed it. Instead, she continued conducting tests to try to identify fingerprints on the tape. (No prints were found.)

Fontaine told the jury that when she went back to photograph and record the apparent heart-shaped piece of evidence it was no longer visible.

It is unclear how members of the jury may view that lack of documentation by the nation’s premier crime laboratory. Fontaine’s testimony about the heart-shaped outline was based on her personal observation and her case notes.

Judge Belvin Perry told the jury that the trial is running ahead of schedule. He said prosecutors may rest their case on Tuesday or early Wednesday; the defense may begin its case as early as Wednesday afternoon.
Attorney José Baez quizzed crime-scene investigators and FBI forensics experts about the lack of physical evidence linking Casey Anthony to key locations in the case.

Testimony established that Anthony's DNA and blood were not found on samples from her car, a shovel she borrowed and duct tape.

Heather Seubert, an FBI blood and DNA expert, confirmed that DNA tests showed Anthony's father and brother are not Caylee's father.

FBI expert Lorie Gottesman said she found no heart-shaped residue or outline on the duct tape.

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