Casey Anthony Trial Update: Prosecution begins rebuttal
(CBS/WKMG/AP) ORLANDO, Fla. - The prosecution plans to use its rebuttal case Friday to attack testimony offered by Casey Anthony's mother about computer searches she claims to have made months before her 2-year-old granddaughter first disappeared.
Pictures: Casey and Caylee Anthony, Personal Photos
The rebuttal phase of the trial comes after Anthony's defense rested without calling her to testify about the death of her daughter Caylee.
Judge Belvin Perry ruled that electronic time card information from Cindy Anthony's employer can be introduced by the state to rebut testimony she made earlier. Cindy Anthony previously testified that searches made in March 2008 for "chloroform" and "how to make chloroform" were made by her and not Casey Anthony as the prosecution contends.
The prosecution also wanted the jurors to smell the cans of evidence that contain a piece of carpet taken from Casey Anthony's trunk during rebuttal. The cans apparently still carry the scent from her trunk that several people have testified was that of a decomposing body, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.
Perry said that the cans will not go back to the jury during deliberations and they will not be allowed to smell the air samples.
On Thursday after the defense rested, the state called their first rebuttal witness, Alina Burroughs, Orange County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigator. She previously testified about photos she took of Casey Anthony's clothes during the execution of a search warrant at the Anthony family home. The state entered into evidence several photos taken by Burroughs and she was dismissed after a couple minutes on the stand, reports the station.
The state then entered into evidence George Anthony's suicide note that he left in January 2009 when he went to a Daytona Beach hotel room and attempted to take his own life, the station reports.
George Anthony testified on Wednesday that in his note he asked questions about what had happened to Caylee, whose remains were found one month prior.
The defense said in its opening statement that Caylee drowned and that George Anthony, a former police officer, helped cover up the death by making it look like a homicide and dumping the body near their home, where it was found by a meter reader six months later.
The prosecution contends that Casey Anthony killed Caylee in June 2008 by covering her mouth with duct tape and dumping her body in the woods near her parents' home, then resumed her life of partying and shopping.
Anthony, 25, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Caylee's death and could get the death penalty if convicted of that charge.
The Casey Anthony case was recently reported on by "48 Hours Mystery."