Casey Anthony's mom Cindy tears up while giving testimony at trial
Cindy Anthony testified that the car had a terrible odor after her husband George retrieved it in mid-July 2008 from the towing lot. George Anthony testified last week that when he went to pick up the car he smelled the distinct odor of human decomposition in the trunk of the car, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.
In a 911 call, Cindy Anthony said, "It smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car." But she said Tuesday that it was merely an expression she used at that moment, and that she didn't think a body had been in the car.
Cindy Anthony choked back tears as she described removing Caylee's favorite doll from the car and spraying it with Febreeze to remove the odor. She also said she removed Caylee's backpack and Casey Anthony's purse.
Cindy Anthony said she and her husband removed the battery from the car
to prevent Casey from coming to retrieve it without explaining
how it got towed or why she left it at the tow yard for so long.
She also created a MySpace page to reach out to her daughter in July, when she realized Casey had been lying about being out of town. She said her daughter told her she needed space, and was not trying to punish the family. Cindy Anthony said she was under the impression that her daughter was pursuing a relationship with a wealthy man who lived out of town. At that time, Casey Anthony was dating Anthony Lazzaro, who has testified in the murder trial.
Cindy Anthony began her testimony on Saturday by extensively explaining the layout of her family home on Hopespring Drive in east Orange County.
Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder and could be sentenced to death if convicted. Defense attorneys say Caylee died in an accidental drowning in the family's swimming pool.
The Casey Anthony case was recently reported on by "48 Hours Mystery."