Casey Anthony Trial Update: Evidence altered by CSI technician, says defense
(CBS/WKMG/AP) ORLANDO, Fla. - The defense in the Casey Anthony murder trial suggested Tuesday that crime scene evidence - garbage found in the trunk of Anthony's car - had been altered by a crime scene technician.
Pictures: Casey and Caylee Anthony, Personal Photos
Gerardo Bloise, an Orange County Sheriff's Office CSI technician, testified about trash found in the trunk of Anthony's car, listing 37 items found in a bag, including napkins, receipts, soda cans and an empty pack of cigarettes, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.
Anthony's defense attorney Jose Baez asked Bloise why he dried out the garbage, which the defense contends created a foul odor in the car. Prosecutors say the smell was caused by human decomposition.
"You had no idea it would alter significant items in this case?" Baez said during cross-examination.
Bloise said he was following protocol, since drying out evidence preserves it and makes it easier to examine.
The state then called Dr. Arpad Vass, a researcher at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, back to the stand.
Vass has pioneered a way of detecting human decomposition from air samples, and he testified on Monday that the odor of human decomposition in an air sample taken from Anthony's car was "extremely, overwhelmingly strong." Until Monday, the tests had never been admitted in a trial in the United States, the station reports.
Prosecutor Jeff Ashton had Vass return Tuesday to clarify a mix-up from the previous day when Ashton incorrectly identified a container he said contained the smell of human decomposition. Vass discussed the container, believing it had been correctly identified by Ashton.
Baez then questioned Vass about the mistake.
"You are not accustomed to handling evidence, are you?" Baez asked, reports the station.
"No. We're not a forensic lab, so we don't handle evidence all that frequently," Vass admitted, according to WKMG.
Dr. Michael Rickenbach, a forensic chemist with the FBI, was then called to the stand. Baez asked Rickenbach about chloroform residue found in the trunk of Anthony's car, and Rickenbach said it could have been produced by cleaning products.
Anthony is accused of first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.
The toddler's skeletal remains were found in a wooded area not far from her grandparents' home in December 2008. Anthony has pleaded not guilty and if convicted could be sentenced to death.
The Casey Anthony case was recently reported on by "48 Hours Mystery."