Casey Anthony Trial: Meter Reader Who Found Caylee’s Body Takes The Stand – Watch It Live
Jun. 27 2011, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
By Neil Woulfe - RadarOnline.com News Director
& Alexis Tereszcuk - RadarOnline.com Senior Reporter
UPDATE: Court is in recess until 1:30 pm ET.
Testimony continues Tuesday in the emotionally-charged Casey Anthony murder trial in central Florida, and once again RadarOnline.com is live streaming the proceedings.
The big question remains: will Casey take the stand in her own defense? We still don’t know the answer, but several members of her family were back on the witness stand Tuesday morning.
The most heated exchange came when Casey’s father George Anthony was grilled by the defense about his relationship with a woman named Crystal Holloway.
George said he met Holloway in mid-October, 2008 at the command center and that they became friends. The defense accused him of having had an affair with her – a charge he adamantly denied.
Evidence Photos Introduced Into Casey Anthony Murder - See The Photos
George also denied ever telling Holloway that Casey’s death was “an accident that snowballed out of control.”
After George was excused, Casey’s mother Cindy and her brother Lee were both briefly called back to the stand to answer a few questions.
At some point today, the meter reader who discovered the remains of 2-and-a-half year old Caylee Marie Anthony is expected to be called to the stand by the defense.
Roy Kronk has been a source of controversy since he reported finding the little girl’s remains in December of 2008.
Casey Anthony Must Take The Stand In Murder Trial, Says Famed Prosecutor
The defense has long questioned Kronk’s role in the discovery of Caylee’s body, and defense attorney Jose Baez will likely try to cast Kronk as having played some role in the placement of Caylee’s body in the wooded area where her remains were discovered after months of searching turned up nothing.
Meanwhile, in court on Monday, Casey’s defense team asked for another mistrial according to a motion they filed in the afternoon.
Casey, 25, is being tried for first-degree murder, and if convicted, she could get the death penalty. Her defense cited a recent federal court ruling that said Florida’s death penalty statute is unconstitutional and they want Judge Belvin Perry to “declare a mistrial in this case and begin jury selection anew with a non death-qualified jury.”
This is the latest legal maneuver by the defense to declare a mistrial and came just hours after the judge ruled that Casey was competent enough to continue with the trial. Her lawyers submitted a motion on Saturday to have Casey evaluated by three mental health experts. The trial was subsequently halted and three doctors met with Casey over the weekend.
“Counsel reasonably believes that Ms. Anthony is not competent to aid and assist in her own defense and is incompetent to proceed,” her defense said in the motion.
The judge ruled on Monday though that based on the doctors’ findings Casey was competent to continue with the trial. Last week, there were emotional testimonies from Casey’s mother Cindy, who claimed it was she who searched for the word “chloroform” on the family computer, and Casey’s brother Lee, who cried on the stand when discussing Casey’s pregnancy.
Graphic Crime Scene Pictures Introduced Into Evidence - See The Photos
Casey’s lawyers alleged in their opening statements that little Caylee accidentally drowned in the family pool on June 16, 2008 and Casey’s father George helped her cover up the death. They also alleged that Casey was sexually abused by both her father and her brother and that’s how she learned to lie - by covering up secrets.
However, the prosecution maintains that Casey murdered Caylee. The defense has said they may call their final witness this week.