Two of the witnesses in the State vs. Casey Anthony trial testify on Friday discussing an odor from Casey Anthony's car that smelled of human decomposition June 2008.Simon Birch worked as the operations sales manager at Johnson's Wrecker Towing Company in Orlando during that time and received Casey Anthony's Pontiac at his workplace on June 30 after district manager of Amscot Financial Services found the vehicle abandoned June 27.
Catherine Sanchez of Amscot said she saw the vehicle unattended for four days before she called the non-emergency police line to inquire if the car was reported stolen. She was informed it was not, then she called the towing company.
In her testimony, Sanchez said she did smell an odor, "but it was right next to the dumpster, so it was a normal smell for that area."
Sanchez wasn't the only one who refers to an odor. Birch said he recalls an odor coming from the car but was not that was not that of garbage.
"On the third or fourth day, I started paying a little more attention to it," recalls Birch in his testimony. He said he checked to see if the doors were locked and then placed his hands on a window to shield the light and that's when a smell struck him. "I did notice a fairly strong odor emanating from vehicle."
Birch said he has been exposed to the smell before, at least eight times, and is able to clearly distinguish that versus another type of odor. "It is a very, very unique odor," Birch described. "It was odor consistent to what I have smelled in the past of decomposition."
Birch also stated, from where he could see, there was nothing in the car that could cause the odor. He then left the vehicle to "fulfill its course."
George and Cindy Anthony, parents to the defendant, retrieved the car about two weeks later on July 15. Birch described them as "unruly customers" when they arrived very upset about the towing. George Anthony walked with Birch to the car, continuously apologizing for their behavior, explaining they were under pressure due to Casey Anthony not allowing them to see Caylee.
George Anthony opens the door to get inside. "As the door was opened, it came out very intently," Birch said. "It was as if it was released in the air. It was potent. In the back of my head, I thought it was the smell of decomposition. It's a smell you can't forget. I haven't smelled anything similar to it."
When Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick asked Birch why he did not inform George Anthony, he explained that George seemed irritated and did not want to place a burden on him. But George Anthony said in his testimony that he acknowledged the stench, as well.
Birch suggested opening trunk, a moment George Anthony said he prayed his daughter and granddaughter were not stored in there. The trunk released flies and the odor, said Birch, was much stronger than the original. No bodies were found, but a white garbage bag filled with paper and a pizza box. George also recalls a stain on the spare tire cover.
George Anthony also said he has smelled the odor of human decay before and like Birch, is able to distinguish that with anything else.
"That particular smell," George said, "once you smell it, you never forget it. It's very distinctive."
These are just some of the many testimonies and much evidence for the jury in this trial to use to come to the conclusion of whether or not Casey Marie Anthony is guilty of murder in the first degree of her two-year-old daughter Caylee Marie Anthony.
(Photography by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)
No comments:
Post a Comment