Cindy Anthony Testifies: Pool Too High for Caylee Anthony to Reach by Herself
The Casey Anthony trial continued Saturday with Cindy Anthony taking the witness stand and testifying that the above-ground family pool was too high for Caylee Anthony to reach by herself.
Cindy Anthony, who was emotional throughout her testimony, said she last saw her granddaughter alive on June 16, 2008.
The day before, on Father's Day, she had taken Caylee to visit the toddler’s great grandfather at a nursing home. Later that day, the grandmother swam with Caylee in the family pool.
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Cindy Anthony said there was a ladder leading up to the pool. She said 2-year-old Caylee knew how to climb the ladder up to the pool but that the ladder was removed when they were done swimming.
The description of the pool is important because the defense for 25-year-old Casey Anthony claims that Caylee was never missing but instead had died on June 16, 2008, after accidentally drowning in the pool.
"Caylee Anthony died on June 16, 2008, when she drowned in her family's swimming pool. You're going to hear that Caylee loved to swim and Caylee could get out of house very easily and did so on that day," Casey's attorney, Joel Baez, said during opening statements Tuesday.
Baez also claimed that Casey Anthony and her father, George, discovered the body and that he helped cover up Caylee's drowning.
While on the witness stand for the homicide trial, Cindy Anthony also identified a photo of Caylee's bed before it was entered into evidence. She started crying when she saw the photo on the screen.
"There are a few things that are normally on it, and the sheet is not on her pillow," said Cindy Anthony.
Cindy Anthony also talked about the Winnie the Pooh theme that was on Caylee's bed. She confirmed that the Pooh theme was repeated in other places in the house other than the bed, such as curtains, sheets and baby blankets.
Caylee's remains were found wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh blanket inside plastic bags.
Prosecutors say that the Florida mom used chloroform to knock out Caylee and put duct tape over her nose and mouth, thereby suffocating the toddler.
Casey Anthony could receive the death penalty if found guilty of first degree murder.
At one point, Cindy Anthony got so emotional that Judge Perry called for a recess.
The trial will resume Tuesday after a break on Memorial Day holiday.
It is expected to last another five to seven weeks.
