Cindy Anthony Testifies Against Casey in Murder Trial
Cindy Anthony took the stand for the third time on Tuesday as one of the final witnesses called by the prosecution in their case against Casey Anthony.
Weighing in on several of the key evidence brought forth by the state, Cindy testified to some of the items found with her granddaughter Caylee’s remains in December 2008.
She identified a canvas laundry bag that resembled a similar bag found in one of the photos taken at the recovery scene, which was missing from her home.
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Similar bags were used for the toddler’s items such as her toys and dolls and were stored inside plastic trash bags in the garage.
Casey’s mother also told the court that Caylee’s Winnie the Pooh blanket was missing in May 2008, which was later recovered, in bits and pieces at the crime scene.
When state prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick showed Cindy a picture of Caylee wearing a pink t-shirt with the phrase “Big Trouble Comes in Small Packages,” she became emotional, and stated that she had never seen that shirt at her home.
Small shreds of the shirt with the same phrase were found with the 2-year-old’s remains in the woods, only a short distance from the Anthony home.
Additionally, Cindy also recalled duct tape that was kept in the garage at her home, including black, blue and possibly silver tape.
The prosecution maintains that Casey suffocated her daughter with duct tape, placed her in the trunk of her car until the child was dead, and then dumped her in a wooded area near the Anthony home.
Burdick also asked Cindy on Tuesday for in depth details about the style, cut, chemical treatment, and length of her hair.
In earlier testimony, Catherine Theisen, the FBI’s chief of quality assurance and trainee unit stated that mitochondrial DNA tests showed that a long, brown and untreated hair found in Casey’s trunk belonged to someone on the maternal side of the family – Cindy, Casey or Caylee.
But Cindy revealed that ever since 2002, she had the same hairstyle – dyed blonde and short. She also shared that at the time of Caylee’s death, Casey’s hair was also short and dyed, while other male members of her family always kept their hair short, indicating that the hair belonged to her granddaughter.
Alina Burroughs, a crime scene investigator for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, took the stand earlier, testifying that she found a sheet of heart shaped stickers in a box, some of which had already been used, in Casey Anthony’s room.
The stickers were similar to the outline of a heart shaped sticker found on duct tape that was attached to Caylee’s skull. The defense pointed out on Monday that the outline of the heart was not able to be seen a second time by FBI experts.
The defense – who argues that Caylee accidentally drowned in the Anthonys’ swimming pool – expects to begin their case this week as the last of the prosecution’s witnesses are called.
Casey Anthony, 25, could face the death penalty if convicted for first-degree murder of her 2-year-old daughter.
