Casey Anthony Trial: Computer Search Terms Include Internal Bleeding, Death, Chloroform
The CEO of a computer forensic company took the stand Wednesday and reported to the jury of the Casey Anthony murder trial that he found the following search terms on the Anthony’s desktop: internal bleeding, death, and chloroform.
John Dennis Bradley of Canada-based SiQuest Corporation combed through the Anthony’s confiscated desktop hard drive using a specialized computer program to reconstruct the Internet search history. Part of the Internet history was deleted and computer forensic experts had to put the puzzle back together.
Bradley joined other authorities in the field of computer forensic on the witness stand today and gave a report listing potentially suspicious search terms, including: internal bleeding, chest trauma, ruptured spleen, self-defense, death, chloroform, inhalation, and hand to hand combat, reported The Orlando Sentinel.
Earlier another computer forensic expert, Sandra Osborne of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, had testified that she found searches for chloroform on the family’s computer. Defense attorney Jose Baez asked Osborne if it was possible that someone besides Casey was searching for the word chloroform given that the computer had multiple users. Osborne affirmed that possibility.
Chloroform is a chemical that can be used to cause unconsciousness. But inhaling a high level of chloroform can cause death.
The prosecution claims that Casey Anthony, 25, used chloroform to render her 2-year-old daughter Caylee unconscious before wrapping three pieces of duct tape around the toddler’s nose and mouth to suffocate her. Moreover, the prosecution claims that Anthony searched online how to make chloroform.
Sgt. Kevin Stenger, head of computer crimes at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, testified today that he found computer searches using Google for the terms chloroform, inhalation, alcohol, death, self-defense, and head injuries within a 15-minute time span, reports CBS local affiliate WKMG.
Stenger also said he found searches for the term neck breaking, how to make chloroform (sic), and making weapons.
The Internet history had been manually deleted, said Stenger, but the data still remained on the hard drive. However, it is not possible to distinguish under which username the search was made.
Two-year-old Caylee Anthony died on June 16, 2008. Her mother is accused of murdering her. Casey Anthony, now 25, could be sentenced to death if convicted of the most serious crime out of several charges she is facing.