Casey Anthony Verdict: "I didn't buy it," says alternate juror of prosecution case
(CBS/WKMG) ORLANDO, Fla. - Russell Huekler, an alternate juror on the Casey Anthony murder trial, gave the first interview of the 17 jurors on the case.
Pictures: Casey and Caylee Anthony, Personal Photos
Huekler, also known as juror No. 14, gave a phone interview to Headline News Tuesday evening.
"The prosecution did not prove their case. The big question that was not answered, now, how did Caylee die? I think there was probably a lot of discussion. It was a horrific accident that dad and Casey covered up and unfortunately it did snowball and got away from them," Huekler told the cable network.
Huekler did not deliberate with the 12 main jurors, but was present for the entire trial and did not know he was an alternate until after closing arguments on Monday.
"The family appeared to be very dysfunctional. And instead of admitting, 'Look, there was an accident,' they chose to hide it for whatever reason," Huekler said.
When asked if he believed Caylee's body was placed in the trunk of Anthony's car, Huekler said he did not.
"I have a hard time believing that, and especially with just one hair being found, I don't think there would be evidence of chloroform, you know, I meant to say, I didn't buy it. I thought there was such low, low levels that could have been contributed to possibly cleaning products, and then with one hair," Huekler said.
Huekler questioned why Anthony's father, George Anthony, did not call police sooner.
"With [George Anthony] being an ex-police officer, if he would have smelled a decomposing body when they picked up the car from the tow yard, you know, why didn't he and why didn't the driver call law enforcement right away?" Huekler said.
Huekler is in his early 40s. He is a married high school teacher with one child.
Casey Anthony, 25, was found not guilty Tuesday of murdering Caylee. She was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of lying to police and is considered unlikely to serve any more time in jail.
48 Hours Mystery's special on the verdict, Casey Anthony: Judgment Day