Evidence Laid Out In Caylee Murder Case

Prosecutors Say Diary, Items Found In Woods Near Body Incriminate Toddler's Mother

(CBS/AP)  Prosecutors in the murder case of Florida toddler Caylee Anthony revealed evidence they say points to the guilt of the Casey Anthony, the girl's mother, including a diary entry she allegedly made five days after her daughter's disappearance in which she wrote she had "no regrets."

Other evidence discovered in the woods where Caylee's body was discovered match items found in the house where she lived, according to court documents released by the State Attorney's Office Wednesday.

Casey Anthony has been charged with her daughter's murder. She claims that Caylee was kidnapped by a baby sitter and has pleaded not guilty.

In a diary entry dated June 21, Casey writes, "I have no regrets, just a bit worried. I completely trust my own judgment I know that I made the right decision. I just hope that the end justifies the means."

She also writes that "this is the happiest that I have been in a very long time."

But defense attorneys argue that the entry was made in 2003, before Caylee was born, not in 2008 as prosecutors claim.

"This is going to be critical. What is the time frame of this diary?" noted CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom on The Early Show Thursday. "Because if [it was made in 2008], when Casey says 'I'm very happy. I've never been so happy. I have no regrets,' it makes her seem like a sociopath."

Bloom said that forensic experts should be able to date the ink for that entry.

The same types of laundry bag, duct tape and plastic bag discovered at the crime scene also were found by investigators in the house where Caylee lived with her mother and grandparents, according to detectives' reports on the evidence.

Along with a skull and bones, investigators found a stained Winnie the Pooh blanket, pink-and-white-striped shorts and a shirt that said 'BIG TROUBLE Comes Small" in the woods at the crime scene. The skull had duct tape over the mouth similar to duct tape found at the Anthony house and the remains were found in a laundry bag and plastic bag that also were similar to ones found at the home, according to the documents.

Marti Mackenzie, a spokeswoman for Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, said in an e-mail that the detectives' reports were "biased and speculative."

In a statement, Baez and defense co-counsel Linda Kenney Baden said that the brand of duct tape was the most widely sold in the United States and that it was significant that no fingerprints were found on the duct tape.

"It's very important to remember this is a one-sided release of evidence," said Bloom. "This is law enforcement's side. And there's a gag order in the case so the defense can't really respond. They gave a limited response [Wednesday] but their real response will be in the courtroom."

Also seized from the home were heart-shaped stickers. A heart-shaped sticker was found on the duct tape that covered the mouth of the skull found with Caylee's remains, according to detectives.

The report didn't say whether the sticker found at the crime scene was identical to the stickers found at the home, and Baez in a statement disputed that a sticker was on the duct tape found on the skull.

Other documents released Wednesday show Casey Anthony hyperventilated and asked for medication when she was notified that her daughter's body had been found last December.

The documents also feature interviews by detectives that reveal the tense relationship between Casey Anthony and her parents, George and Cindy Anthony.

Casey Anthony once told her friend, Annie Downing, that her mother was a "horrible person" who tried to control her life. Downing also told investigators that she believed Casey Anthony was jealous of her mother's relationship with Caylee and that Cindy Anthony was trying to assume the role of Caylee's mother.

Downing also told investigators that Casey Anthony lied to everyone she knew and that she stole from friends and family members. In 2006 or 2007, Casey Anthony told Downing and another friend, Michelle Murphy, that she was having a breakdown and wanted to be committed to an institution. Casey Anthony never mentioned having a breakdown again, Downing said.

[nepsa2005]

There has been a lot of news reports that Casey was told that her daughter's remains were found that December day. That's not true, a child's remains were found and it wasn't until later that they determined they were Caylee's. Also, earlier when Leonard Padilla was at the park and the divers thought they found bones in that bag. Casey was watching the footage on T.V. and had no reaction and turned around and went back into her cell, according to jail officials. Casey's reaction to bones found near her house were much different than when they found bones at Jay Blanchard Park. Why? Because she knew the bones by her house were Caylee's. It's common sense.

[harbinger09]

Blah blah from another moron. I know untold numbers of women who quite easily mastered their education during the time frame discussed and became doctors, lawyers, scientists, business executives, and other professionals.

Barbara''s problems have nothing to do with the education system, but with her own lack of desire to take advantage of what it offered to her. I saw all these losers when I was in school too. At that time they had no interest, and in fact mocked the kids that were in it to learn and make good grades. Years later when the folly of their ''strategy'' became clear, many of them complain about their ''laok of opportunity''. Their lack of opportunity came from within, not from without.

Posted by vranger at 04:56 PM : Feb 19, 2009


You fvcking, insensitive, stupid prickkk. Barbara is disabled and a former product of a ruthless fosterchild upbringing. She can't see clearly, you idiot and was a special ed student. She has been maligned by many posters just as stupid and self centered as you, but enough already. If you don't like her postings, **** and don't read them. The last thing she or the rest of us need is a petty, small minded person, who can think of nothing else than straying from the article to simply attacking a legally blind poster. Get a life and a clue, you appear to be a waste of skin.

[harbinger09]

Barbara, I can''''t really feel too sorry for you. Your post makes it crystal clear that you were never involved in the education system you so ineptly criticize.
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Posted by vranger at 12:08 PM : Feb 19, 2009
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Barbara was a victim of her time as far as education is concerned..However, that does not mean that she can''t look at a situation and analize the truths and injustices that occured at the time.....She has the courage to speak her thoughts and feelings, even if they don''t muster up to your literary or gramatical standards....She puts herself and her feelings out there in spite of the risk
of being chastised by people like you....Give her a break, ok? Go, Barbara, keep on speaking up for yourself.....

Posted by willow313 at 12:19 PM : Feb 19, 2009


I agree wholeheartedly with willow313. I have read Barbara's posts for years (when she was Michelle too) and she has more common sense and astuteness than the majority of the posters on CBS. I also know that she is a product of her time, but beyond the grammar or syntax is a stout heart that has a lot of knowledge and insight. Barbara--we love to read your posts--usually, you are 100% correct in your analysis and know that I and toldyouso21, and b-easy63 and stoplying09 are all fans of yours!!!! You GO girl!!

[harbinger09]

Problem is... IF a babysitter did abduct the child, she would have been in the home and would have had access to the laundry bag, the stickers and the ducttape, same as the mom. More worrying, is why did the mom wait over a month before finally admitting that her daughter was missing and who /how was she paying for a sitter? Who was this mysterious sitter? I believe mom did it, but the evidence does not conclusively point that out--at least not what was release here-.

[andie52]

BUT YOU CANNOT LIE TO YOUR MOM ABOUT THERE BEING A BABYSITTER FOR 2.5 YEARS!!!! COME ON KNUCKHEADS!

Posted by srz25 at 09:34 AM : Feb 20, 2009

It wasn't 2 1/2 years it was a few weeks. I still think Casey's mom should have been suspicious sooner though.

[upsetat63]

It appears that most of the people who lost money with Madoff were Jewish or Jewish foundations? Now, it unfortunate and was wrong however. There is an old saying, "If it's to good to be true, it probably is". All these people/foundations had to realize there was something wrong when they were getting such a great return from Madoff and the market norm's were much less? Let the buyer be ware!

Madat63

[Cas2dy]

BIG TROUBLE comes small?...on the child's t-shirt?...a dead child???
***???
She was such a selfish mother she ought never see daylight again.

[gosukabug]

IF YOU CAN'T FEED 'EM, DON'T BREED EM!

[gosukabug]

Who will win the "Single Mommy of the Year" award this year" The race for the "Breeders Cup" is close!
"Murdering Party Mommy" Casey Anthony has a good chance after deciding raising a child while living off her parents was cramping her party girl lifestyle.
Another contender is the "Bedouin Breeding Machine" Nadya Suleman who says "Artificial insemination is cool!!" She doesn''t really need a job when the good folks of California are willing to pick up the tab for 14 children and her mom is willing to give up the rest of her life to help raise the B*A*S*T*A*R*D horde.
Let''s not forget the "Murderous Mommy Monster from New York" who decided maybe having three kids and being single wasn''t such a great idea after all and drowned them in the bathtub before attempting suicide.
Still in the race are the 17 "Future Fishwives of Gloucester High School" who decided no education is complete with crapping a fatherless snot-goblin into the world before graduation. Particularly at the expense of their parents and the taxpayers of Massachusetts. Sooo many choices!!

[wvu74621]

Casey Anthony parents are the one''s who really killed the child...


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Posted by wilsoncock at 10:44 PM : Feb 19, 2009


But I bet a 100 bucks that grandpa helped cover it up!

[rsmik]

Hey! don't rag on Barbara. I like her posts. I have to read them a few times, but I like them.

[barbaram99]

No it did not. I needed large print books,magngers. The tools were not there. Ye know nothing of small Maine schools in the 60s. Or the foster homes I was in. My bagley was my fisrt teacher and I was 10. They taught the sighted children. I could not see my class mates faces nor the books. Ye call me a loser. one of my hobbie manned space flight.

[hamiltongrad]

what do you mean by trolling ? Is that a gender based slur ?? Should I be offended ??

[hamiltongrad]

No , this applies equally men and women, rich and poor. citizen and "illegal".

[rrozsa-2009]

I agree with you. There has to be more restriction of the mass medial male dominated news/newsprint.

Posted by HAMILTONGRAD at 05:27 PM : Feb 19, 2009

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So you think railroading is okay if the perp happens to be a man? Are you trolling again, ham?

[rrozsa-2009]

Posted by HAMILTONGRAD at 05:26 PM : Feb 19, 2009

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At least a gag order should be imposed on both sides rather than just on the defense.

[hamiltongrad]

I agree with you. There has to be more restriction of the mass medial male dominated news/newsprint.

[hamiltongrad]

There should be a general news black out of these "sensational" cases. Committees of experts, college professors, and women advocates, advokates for the poor and underserved should be on hand to monitor these type of cases, so that no one is "Rail roaded " by the media. Judicual news only after the trial, as is the case in the UK. Where there is abuse or a serial woman killer on the run, however the Public has a right to know for protective purposes.
In this case, more information just stops the healing and hearing process.

[rrozsa-2009]

Rozco: I agree 100 % with you. Given that how do we deal with it to make all of our society better ??

Posted by HAMILTONGRAD at 04:58 PM : Feb 19, 2009

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Are you referring to me? I can't imagine that I said something you agreed with!

[rrozsa-2009]

There is no purpose to have a trial by the media. No reason to release the information at this time at all. It will be hard enough to seat a jury in Florida.

Posted by newfunkypres at 04:59 PM : Feb 19, 2009

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I do have a problem with the prosecution going public (including all the potential jurors) with all their evidence, while a gag order prevents the defense from giving public responses. I don't have a lot of sympathy for Casey Anthony, but I do believe she deserves a fair trial.