Casey Anthony Trial; Perry Denies Motion to Acquit
The prosecution finished their case against Casey Anthony Wednesday, after presenting two final pieces of evidence.
A stipulation signed by the defense, Casey and the state was the first piece submitted. It stated that the defendant received her “Bella Vita” (“beautiful life” in Italian) tattoo on July 2, 2008, during a time when she was said to have been frantically searching for her daughter Caylee, who disappeared in June 2008.
On Tuesday, Bobby Williams, the tattoo artist who etched the tattoo on the defendant’s back, was called as the final witness by the state.
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According to Williams, Casey had called a few days earlier to make an appointment to have the words “Bella Vita” tattooed on her back in a feminine font.
Williams, who has known Casey for nearly seven years, recalled Casey’s manner during her appointment as “normal” and “pretty happy for the most part.”
The tattoo took around 30 minutes to apply and Williams testified that Casey spent most of the time on the phone.
While there was no mention of Caylee to Williams on July 2, she did mention Caylee on July 15th, when she returned to Cast Iron Tattoos to make another appointment. Casey told Williams that Caylee was with her nanny and that she’d bring her 2-year-old with her when she returned again on the 19th.
On cross examination, defense attorney Jose Baez suggested that sometimes people get tattoos to commemorate their lost loved ones, which Williams agreed with. Prosecutor Frank George asked on redirect if Casey appeared “mournful” on July 2, while the defense objected.
The final pieces of evidence submitted on Wednesday were two cans of spare tire cover from the trunk of Casey’s Pontiac Sunfire, which were used in previous testimony.
Prosecution maintained over several weeks of testimony that Casey suffocated Caylee with duct tape, placed her in the trunk of her car, which several witnesses stated wreaked of death, and dumped her in the woods near the Anthony home.
Casey’s parents said the defendant disappeared with their granddaughter after June 15, 2008. They reported Caylee missing on July 15, 2008 after they recovered Casey’s car from an impound lot which reeked of death.
When they found Casey after she had been missing, she told them a nanny – who was never found – kidnapped Caylee.
The defense argues that Caylee accidentally drowned in her grandparent’s swimming pool and that no one reported the death.
Baez also claims that Casey had been sexually abused at a young age by her father, George Anthony, and suggested that he was involved in dumping Caylee’s body, which was previously denied.
In and out within a few minutes on Wednesday, the jury was dismissed with strict orders not to discuss the case or watch newscasts during the break.
Defense attorney Cheney Mason made a request for acquittal after, stating that prosecutors were relying on circumstantial evidence and had not offered any solid proof of premeditation or child abuse.
Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick, however, argued against the motion, expressing that the evidence conclusively rebutted Casey’s innocence.
Judge Perry denied the motion for a summary acquittal. The defense begins their case on Thursday – expected to last no more than two weeks – because their first witnesses would not be available until then.
There is a possibility that Casey could take the stand during the upcoming weeks.
If convicted for first-degree murder, Casey, 25, could face the death penalty.
