Casey Anthony: George Anthony’s lawyer answers speculation; Marla Weech lands anchor job; more Belvin Perry interview
George Anthony turned emotional at a hearing earlier this month. Photo credit: Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel
New in the Casey Anthony case tonight:
***WKMG-Channel 6 talked to George Anthony’s attorney about speculation that Casey Anthony’s defense might be trying to pin the murder on George. Casey is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.
WKMG’s Tony Pipitone explained that the defense wants to call a psychiatrist and a psychologist “to testify to blunt the state’s claims that her lies to police and family reveal what’s called a consciousness of guilt. They also want to call two women who had an altercation with George outside the family home in 2008.”
A highly speculative report on WFTV-Channel 9 Monday suggested that these witnesses could mean a change in defense strategy.
But Pipitone turned to Mark Lippman, attorney for George Anthony, to answer the speculation. And Lippman said he had information that the defense will not use those witnesses to point the finger at George, Pipitone reported.
“The state’s never charged my client with anything, and the defense hasn’t come out and said we’re going with a George-did-it defense,” Lippman said.
Lippman called the speculation “a fantasy … that’s detrimental.” Pipitone took a chance to correct some inaccuracies floating out there. George didn’t last see Caylee in the clothes the child’s remains were found in, and the heart sticker found with the toddler’s remains isn’t like those found in the Anthony home, Pipitone reported.
In the most fascinating part of the report, Lippman acknowledged that a George-did-it defense could come up at trial, but added he would be “extremely surprised” if it did based on what he knows. Lippman said he learned some of that information in a face-to-face meeting on Friday with Cindy Anthony and defense attorney Jose Baez, Pipitone reported. Lippman said he couldn’t reveal the information because of attorney-client privilege.
***The Anthony case helped contribute to a job for Marla Weech at Central Florida News 13. Robin Smythe, general manager at News 13, revealed that Weech will replace Adam Longo as a weekend anchor. But Longo isn’t going anywhere. He will be reporting full time on the Anthony case. “That created a place for Marla to land,” Smythe said.
***WESH-Channel 2 will provide more of its recent exclusive interview with Chief Judge Belvin Perry at 6 p.m. Wednesday. “He’ll share with you the guiding principles he uses in complex legal decisions and what he tells each and every jury,” reporter Bob Kealing said.
***WESH highlighted the hearing Thursday on whether new defense witnesses can be added. “Prosecutors filed a motion asking that the defense show cause why these witnesses should be allowed in to testify after Judge Perry’s deadline,” Kealing reported. “Casey Anthony’s defense team will argue why they should be allowed to use testimony from these two mental health professionals to ‘rebut recent rulings about Casey Anthony’s so-called consciousness of guilt.’ Now prosecutors say that Anthony knowingly tried to block her mother, Cindy, and later detectives from getting to the truth about what happened to her daughter, Caylee.”
***WFTV-Channel 9 quickly touched on new motions filed today by the defense. “Lawyers filed two motions claiming the FBI expert who examined the hair in Casey’s trunk and the doctor who examined plant growth at the scene where Caylee’s remains were found are unreliable witnesses,” anchor Martie Salt said. “The defense wants the FBI expert struck from the witness list and a new hearing on the other expert.”