Casey Anthony: Why didn’t she testify? WKMG points to sidebar
Casey Anthony in court today. Photo credit: Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel
Casey Anthony’s decision not to testify at her murder trial surprised many people today.
WKMG-Channel 6 investigative reporter Tony Pipitone found a possible explanation in a sidebar from last Friday: a discussion about Casey’s criminal activity.
He read a transcript of the sidebar on the 6 p.m. news. You’re likely to hear more about the sidebar in a special that WKMG will offer at 10 p.m. tonight. Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.
Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick warned defense attorney Cheney Mason that the defense would open the door up to Casey’s criminal activity by talking about family dysfunction.
Prosecutor Jeff Ashton added: “You think you’re going to be able to keep out all the stealing if you start that, that’s what she’s saying?”
Burdick said: “There are hundreds of checks that she wrote on her mother’s account, hundreds.”
Pipitone then interpreted the conversation: “The state was threatening, if Casey Anthony testified, to bring in not just the crimes she was convicted of, the Amy Huizenga convictions and taking her checks, but hundreds of checks that Casey Anthony wrote on her mother’s account, stealing that we’ve not confirmed yet.”
Pipitone said he saw Burdick going through checks from Cindy’s account yesterday. “That’s what the state was about to do,” Pipitone said. “And that is one reason why — there are many possible reasons — Casey Anthony did not testify today.”
What do you think about that?