On Sunday Closing Arguments for Casey Anthony Case to Begin
Closing arguments for the Casey Anthony trial are set to begin Sunday, July 3 at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Rules for the closing arguments were issued on Friday by Judge Belvin Perry. He added that if necessary, he will continue to hold court hearings on July 4th and beyond. Sunday's closing argument hearing is expected to last all day.
Among Perry’s rules is the warning to attorneys to not ridicule or disrespect the other side. He also cautioned them to "avoid making arguments not based on facts in evidence or reasonable inferences."
Tim Jansen, a former federal prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer in Tallahassee, Tenn., said, "This is an emotional case and I think they made some promises early in the opening and they have not been able to deliver,” according to The Associated Press.
He added, "[The jury is] going to be very skeptical in their closing arguments. When I do my closing arguments, I can tell you right away if they are listening to me, if they are agreeing with me or if they turn the other way and it's not a good feeling to lose a jury."
The case for 25-year-old Casey Anthony, charged with first degree murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony, has lasted more than 33 days since its opening statement in May, and more than 400 pieces of evidence were brought to the court.
So far, there has been no evidence as to how the 2-year-old died. Casey Anthony’s DNA was not found when the toddler was discovered in the woods in December 2008, close to the Anthony home.
Also, none of the physical evidences, such as traces of chloroform found in the trunk, are in themselves enough to prove Anthony guilty of killing her two-year-old daughter. The case relies highly on circumstantial evidence, mostly lies told by Anthony in the 31 days after Caylee was last seen alive.
On Friday’s hearing, prosecutors finished their rebuttal case where defense attorney Cheney Mason argued that the judged should grant a request to acquit Anthony, to which Judge Perry replied in part, "If you separate facts from fiction and inferences stacked on top of inferences ... there is no proof."
If Casey Anthony is convicted, she could receive the death penalty for first degree murder.