JOSE BAEZ CROSS-EXAMINATION OF CINDY ANTHONY
Jose asked Cindy with questions about six calls that Casey placed to her within a four minute timespan, on June 16th, 2008 at 4pm. Cindy testified that she didn't know how many calls there were exactly, but she knew that she had received several. Jose then started to detail the times the calls were made, saying: "One at 4:10, 4:11, 4:11, 4:13...". The prosecution interrupted with an objection, which was sustained by the judge.
Jose then questioned Cindy about July 15th, 2008. He requested to have a small portion of the third 911 tape from that day replayed, at which point Cindy took a deep breath and looked down.
The taped portion Jose played was Cindy's frantic voice crying out to her husband George, saying "George! Caylee's missing! Caylee's missing!" As the tape played, Cindy sat on the witness stand and covered her mouth, trying to hold back her tears. Casey on the other hand, sat at the defense table with that stoic look of hers, looking straight ahead at the computer monitor in front of her.
We hear Cindy's trembling voice on the tape, crying out to George, saying: "Casey said Zanny took her a month ago! She's been looking for her for a month!". Jose then stopped the tape and asked Cindy if that was when she told George what happened. Cindy answered yes.
Jose then said to Cindy: "You don't hear George saying anything other than 'What?' on that tape, do you?" Cindy then explained how she was crying out to him as he was getting of his car, after he'd parked on the street. She continued explaining how she was close to their house, still on the phone with the police dispatcher, and that George was close to the street so that the distance between them was too far for him to be heard saying anything else.
Jose continued with his attempts to have Cindy testify that George didn't care to question Casey about Caylee's disappearance, but Cindy negated that saying that George didn't have the time to ask Casey anything because the police arrived shortly thereafter and separated them all.
Jose then had Cindy admit that she had gotten her dates wrong as to when she last saw Caylee, specifically during her first written statement to police. Cindy testified that she did indeed get the dates wrong. She forgot about the Father's Day, and said that she thought it was "the 9th... no, the 7th".
Jose asked Cindy in she and Casey are "very much alike"? Cindy answered: Um, in many ways, yeah.
Jose then asked her if she raised Casey to be a good person, and caring, and loving. Cindy answered "Yes I did". When Jose asked her if she raised Casey to always tell the truth, Cindy's answer was "I thought I did." He then asked her what type of mother she became, of which Cindy explained how Casey had a quick loving instinct with Caylee. Jose had Cindy testify as to how loving Casey was with Caylee. Cindy said that Caylee adored Casey, always wanted to sleep with her at nights, and cried whenever Casey left, except when Cindy was at home, then Caylee didn't really cry after Casey.
WHY DIDN'T CINDY KNOW CASEY WAS PREGNANT?
Jose put up a photo of the June 30, 2008 wedding, where Cindy is standing with Casey.
Baez questioned Cindy about not knowing she was pregnant prior to finding out on June 30th, 2005. Casey was about 6-7 months pregnant, and it appeared obvious that she was pregnant. Cindy didn't think Casey was pregnant, that she had just put on some weight and was possibly bloated due to her menstrual period.
CINDY FACES CASEY IN THE COURTROOM
Wanting to make a point that it was ridiculous for Cindy (and George) to not have noticed Casey's protruding belly prior to June 30th, Jose had Cindy look at Casey directly in the courtroom, to testify if she saw any protruding belly on Casey. Casey stood up at the defense table as her mother got off the witness stand to look at her, per Jose's instructions. Looking at Casey with disgust in her eyes, Cindy motioned for Casey to turn around, and then testified that she didn't have a belly like she did back on June 30th. Cindy also testified that Casey had told her that she'd gone to see a gynecologist, for the first time, a few days prior to June 30, because they thought that Casey might have an ovarian cyst, because Casey had complained about having pain and her periods were happening more often than usual. Casey was 19 years old at the time. (As Cindy testified about her daughter Casey, she was very sad and speaking in monotone. She obviously has lost that loving feeling she used to have for Casey. Who knows if it will ever come back).
WHAT DID CINDY KNOW ABOUT ZANNY
Jose asked Cindy if she saw how Casey would pack items to take Caylee to Zanny the nanny, but Cindy said that she wasn't there to see that. She did see when Caylee and Casey came home. Cindy testified that she never asked about Caylee about her days with Zanny. She said that whenever Caylee came in after their days, she said that Caylee and she always talked about what their plans were for that evening. Cindy said that one day Caylee had come home with scratches on her legs and she asked Casey what had happened. Casey said that Zanny had gotten a new puppy and it had scratched Caylee. When Jose asked how many times Zanny took care of Caylee, Cindy said that it wasn't many times and that Zanny was sort of a fill-in babysitter. She said that most times, Casey would drop Caylee off at Cindy's work. Jose asked what stories Cindy heard from Casey that detailed Zanny's personal life. Cindy recounted stories she'd heard from Casey. As she testified during cross-examination, she was often fidgeting with something, and looking down and then up at Jose, as she answered.
JOSE BAEZ ACCUSES CINDY ANTHONY OF PROFITING FROM CAYLEE'S DEATH
Jose's lowest blow came when he accused Cindy of profiting from Caylee's death. He asked her if she'd trademarked Caylee's name. Cindy's answer: "Yes, our attorney filed the paperwork". Jose then asked her if she'd made any money off this case. Cindy scoffed softly and said "We've lost money off this case sir. I've lost a lot off this case sir."
Not flinching, Jose then asked her: "Have you sold photos of your daughter and granddaughter for $20,000 to CBS in this case? Cindy's answered that she did so at the request of her former attorney, Brad Conway. Brad had convinced her to do so, so that he could get paid. He was paid $6,000 out of the $20,000 she received. Asking what she did with the rest of the money, Cindy said that she had to use it to pay bills. Jose then questioned her about a possible book deal she was in negotiations with, of which Cindy replied that she was and had gone to New York with Brad. Asked if she attempted to make a living as a director of the Caylee Marie Anthony Foundation? Her answer: No sir, I have not.
(Jose's trying to show Cindy's bias in this case, but let's not forget that Casey Anthony made $200,000 when she licensed a video to ABC. I'm guessing that Jose won't be bringing that up anytime soon. Hmm...)
JOSE ASKS CINDY ABOUT THE POOL LADDER & CASEY'S LIES
Jose then questioned Cindy about the pool ladder, which she had testified earlier that she had taken down after swimming with Caylee, after returning from their Father's Day trip to Cindy's father's nursing home. Cindy said that she was as close to 100% certain that she had indeed taken down the ladder.
Jose questioned Cindy about all the lies that Casey told her, specifically about the imaginary Zanny the nanny, and friends like Juliette Lewis and Jeffrey Hopkins. Cindy admitted that she had no idea that Casey was lying to her the entire time.
PROSECUTORS RE-DIRECT OF CINDY ANTHONY
Working to undo Jose Baez's cross-examination, Prosecuting attorney Linda Drane-Burdick had Cindy testify as to why she had decided to trademark Caylee's name; testifying that it was to prevent strangers from profiting from Caylee's death.
Drane-Burdick worked hard to get Cindy to testify that the smell from Casey's car was that of human decomposition. Being a former nurse, Cindy knows that smell, but she didn't want to say those words on the stand. Perhaps she didn't want to be seen as lying in previous depositions and videos when she said it smelled like rotting pizza and trash. Or perhaps Cindy's logic and emotions collided in her brain and she couldn't wrap her head around that smell being that of Caylee's decomposing body. It could be just too much for her to say out loud.
Drane-Burdick: Did that car smell like a dead body?
Cindy: That car smelled like nothing I ever smelled before.
Drane-Burdick: Not even like rotting flesh you've experienced in your work before?
Cindy: I would say so because it was coming from a larger area.
(That's as close as Drane-Burdick could get with regards to Cindy admitting the dead body smell).
When asked what Cindy remembered saying to George during that 911 tape, she said that she couldn't remember. She testified that at that time she was hysterical and she collapsed on her way to meet George at the end of the driveway. When asked if he appeared upset to her, her answer was: Yes, he was quite upset.
Cindy also testified that the names of Zanny and Jeff Hopkins, as well as all the elaborate lies told to her by Casey were made after Caylee was born. And those lies centered around who was caring for Caylee or why Casey wasn't home.
JOSE 2ND CROSS-EXAMINATION OF CINDY
Jose questioned Cindy about a party that was planned for Casey's high school graduation. Trying to show that the family tried to hide the fact that Casey did not graduate and did not attend the graduation ceremony due to a 1/4 credit she was missing, Jose made a big deal about the fact that the Anthonys decided to have a graduation party anyways. Cindy testified that yes, they did have the party because Casey was able to graduate. She just could not attend the ceremony. Jose tried to make it a big deal that they didn't go to the ceremony but had the party anyways, but it wasn't as effective as if Casey had failed to graduate and the family had lied about that during the party. I think this line of questioning sort of fizzled out on Jose.
Jose then said that he had no more questions. Cindy shook her head, as if to say WTF was that graduation ceremony questioning all about? And then Jose turned around and asked her one more question, saying: "And that was before Caylee was born?" Cindy's answer "Yes".
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I guess the defense is trying to show that the family was full of lies and dysfunctional prior to Caylee's birth... I guess? I dunno. Gotta see what happens next.
NEXT POSTING... AMY HUIZENGA
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