The commentators for WFTV said this trial could set a world record for the number of sidebars. Two more records could well be added to that: a record number of live bloggers, and a record number of
multiple testimonies.
Friday, Casey’s mother Cindy returned for her fourth and fifth testimonies; Lee, the brother she accused of molesting her, made his third appearance; and Detective Yuri Melich – or Dick Tracy Orlando as he likes to be known off-duty – his fourth.
After Lee had left the stand there was a moment of levity when Judge Perry indicated that a hawk had perched on the ledge outside the 23rd floor courtroom window, apparently anxious for its lunch, like the jury. There have been a number of such lighter moments, but one should never lose sight of the fact that this is a murder trial with a possible death sentence waiting at the end for the mother who reported her two year old daughter missing
thirty-one days after she was apparently kidnapped by Zanny the non-existent nanny, then changed the story to Caylee drowning in her parents’ back garden pool.
Belvin Perry Junior has one of the sharpest legal minds in American jurisprudence, but even he was becoming
visibly confused with Jose Baez:
“If your theory of defense is ever-changing, maybe you just need to tell me what your theory of defense is...At least somebody try [to] explain it to me”, he told the bullish lead defense attorney.
Away from the courtroom, there was controversy when a CNN reporter claimed Casey’s parents George and Cindy do not believe their daughter is innocent. If George holds that opinion there is a good reason for it; according to Mr Baez, it was he who disposed of
Caylee’s body, or as one commentator said, he covered up for his daughter’s child neglect so he could frame her for first degree murder.
On the other side of the Atlantic, a charge of attempted kidnapping was dismissed half way through the jury’s deliberations because of heavily
prejudicial media coverage the previous night, but while American courtrooms have live cameras and live, partisan commentators,
we have the
Contempt Of Court Act, 1981.
The trial continues today, Saturday.
