Lee Anthony was called to the stand by the defense on Friday and tearfully shared his testimony on how his family excluded him from the pregnancy of his sister, Casey Anthony, and that he wishes he were a better uncle."I was very angry at my mom. I was also angry at my sister. I mean, I was just angry at everyone, in general, that they didn't want to include me and didn't find it important enough to tell me, especially after I already asked. So I was very hurt," said Lee Anthony, as he broke down on the stand, as he explained why he "regretfully" didn't go to the hospital the day Caylee Anthony was born. His sister, Casey Anthony, on trial for murder, cried along with him.
The state of Florida opened the case against Casey Anthony, in 2008, on claims that she killed her 2-year-0ld daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, by poisoning her with chloroform and applying duct tape to her nose and mouth then disposing the body in a wooded area near her home, which was found dismembered months later in Dec. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Casey Anthony.
Lee explained that he noticed Casey's pregnancy only a few months prior to Caylee's birth, when passing each other in a hallway of their home. "Excuse me, what the hell is that? And she kind waved me off," he recalled as he waved his hand in the air during his testimony.
Within the following two days of questioning his sister, he mentioned the matter to his mother, who Lee claims advised him to "just let it go," advice he said triggered him to be angry and not speak of it again until just a few days before his niece was born.
Under cross examination, prosecutor Jeff Ashton questioned Lee Anthony's motives at the time for why he did not want to be involved in Casey's pregnancy. Lee explained it was hidden from him and was told to "sit back and be nonjudgmental in the background" about Casey's having a baby out of wedlock.
"I hope that answers your question and explains why I wasn't a potential uncle, that I wish I was," Lee Anthony said, as he cried.
He explained that he was unaware of when the baby shower for Caylee was, and scorned that he was not invited. His parents, George and Cindy Anthony, stared at their son as he wept and listened closely to his statements.
Cindy Anthony testified for the second time that day, following her son's testimony, and explained, "None of the guys were present" at the baby shower.
Prior to this, her initial testimony Friday was also an emotional one. Lead defense attorney, Jose Baez, exhibited a series of photographs of her granddaughter climbing in and playing in the family's swimming pool, along with a picture of the shorts worn by Caylee the day she died and a home video of Casey playing with Caylee.
The photographs portraying the little girl in the pool display her step-by-step attempt up the ladder into the pool, with a life jacket and her grandmother's hands to her support. Cindy Anthony smiled with pride, as tears formed in her eyes, while she viewed her granddaughter's accomplishments and remembered how Caylee was "more anxious for the pool as she got older," she said.
Cindy told the jury that they went swimming everyday and after each time she unhinged the ladder from the upper-ground swimming pool and laid it on its side against the pool.
Cindy gave a litany of precautions regarding the pool that the family created when they had Caylee. "We taught Caylee she had to be with one of us when she went into the pool," she said. "We told told her we had to be with her and showed her why."
In opening statements, the defense refutes the state's claims that the victim died from poisoning by chloroform and the application of duct tape to the nose and mouth, by their theory that Caylee's death was by accidental drowning, a theory they say that have no substantial evidence for.
At the end of the day's presentation, Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. requested the defense's time frame for the conclusion of their case. "At this time, we believe Wednesday or Thursday. If we had to choose a date, it would be Thursday," Baez replied.
A legal matter was discussed outside the jury's presence, when the concern arose whether or not defense witness, William Rodriguez - who had a postponed testimony - would eventually take the stand. Rodriguez was scheduled to testify within the previous two weeks, but due to these matters, he was unable to. The counsels explained that Rodriguez's employer threatened termination if Rodriguez took the stand.
Several other defense witnesses await being called in the coming days, including familiar faces, OCSO Detective Yuri Melich and OCSO Crime Scene Investigator Geraldo Bloise. The trial is expected to last about two more weeks.
(Photography by Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)
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