Casey Anthony Trial Update: Meter reader Roy Kronk inspected Caylee's skull with stick
(CBS/WKMG/AP) ORLANDO, Fla - Roy Kronk, the meter reader who found Caylee's remains, testfied Tuesday he was not sure if the remains were in the same place where he saw something suspicious four months prior to the discovery.
Pictures: Casey and Caylee Anthony, Personal Photos
Kronk called authorities on August 11, 2008 and told the dispatcher he saw something white, which appeared to be a skull, near a gray bag in an area near the Anthony family home, reports CBS affiliate WKMG. Kronk called police on Dec. 11, 2008 to report finding Caylee's remains.
When asked by the defense whether or not the suspicious items from August were near where he ended up finding Caylee's remains, he said he was not sure.
"I cannot answer that question. In August it was flooded, in December it wasn't," Kronk said, reports the station.
When he found Caylee's remains, Kronk said he lifted up the skull by poking a stick through the eye socket. He said he never fully picked it up, but he pivoted it. Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia testified that Caylee's skull had been resting in the same location at the same position for several months, according to the station.
In his deposition, Kronk said he picked up the skull and dropped it using a stick. Kronk said he made a mistake in his statement by saying the skull rolled out of a bag when he examined it using his meter reading stick, WKMG reports.
Kronk testified that he did not read any meters in the area on the day he found the remains but had gone into the woods to relieve himself. He said it was the first time he had returned to the area since August.
The defense has implied that Kronk staged the scene to obtain a reward. Lead defense attorney Jose Baez described Kronk as "morally bankrupt."
Defense attorney Cheney Mason asked Kronk if he had any conversations with his co-workers about a reward, or "hitting the lottery." He said he might have, but only jokingly, specifically when telling them not to tell his ex-wife, reports the station.
Mason accused Kronk of telling his estranged son in November that he would be on TV and would soon be famous. Kronk denied he made those comments to his son in November. He said he called his son, who he hadn't seen in years, after finding the remains and told him to watch TV.
Kronk did admit that he told a co-worker that the area off Suburban Drive would be a good place to hide a body.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick asked Kronk if he knows any members of the Anthony family. He said no, stating that he lived in the Kissimmee area, which is not in Orange County.
He said the only time he ever went to the Anthony home was to read the meter on August 11, 2008, and he has never been inside the home. Kronk said he had no access to anything in the home, including Caylee's belongings and duct tape found in the Anthony home.
Caylee's Winnie the Pooh blanket was found at the scene with her remains. The defense has tried to show that the duct tape found on Caylee's skull, which is the same brand as the duct tape found in the Anthony's shed, was placed there after her body had decomposed in an effort to stage the scene.
Anthony, 25, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and could get the death penalty if convicted of that charge. Her defense attorneys claim Caylee Anthony accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool.
The Casey Anthony case was recently reported on by "48 Hours Mystery."