Casey Anthony Timeline – December 2008

SEEKING JUSTICE FOR CAYLEE MARIE ANTHONY

MON, December 1, 2008 – Cindy claims someone entered the Anthony home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and hacked her e-mail account. However, this incident was not reported to the police.

Atty. John Morgan served notice of taking deposition of G & C Anthony on 12/22/08.

TUE, December 2, 2008 – LE interview with Sean Krause. Sean had been communicating with Cindy Anthony for a few months. Initially, he was supportive and extended offers to help. Prior to going into the hospital to receive cancer treatments, his opinion changed. Sean started writing a series of articles entitled “Father Krause: Cindy Anthony’s Confessions.”

During a conversation with Cindy on 11/10/08, Sean told Cindy he strongly believed that Casey murdered Caylee. Cindy became silent. Sean said this was the first time Cindy agreed that her daughter actually did something to Caylee. Sean also told Cindy that Casey fit the “sociopathic” profile. Cindy allegedly agreed with him. He viewed her silence as “agreement” especially in the absence of a rebuttal from Cindy.

WED, December 3, 2008 – Wonda W. reasserts her claims of seeing Caylee at the airport, on 7/2/08.

THU, December 4, 2008 – Seven DVDs were released containing videos of the visits George, Cindy and Lee Anthony had with Casey at the OC Jail beginning in July 2008.

FRI, December 5, 2008 – The SAO announced the State will not seek the Death Penalty in the Casey Anthony homicide case.

SAT, December 6, 2008 – Atty. Terence M. Lenamon writes to Casey Anthony to notify her of his withdrawal from her case #08-CF0015606-0 because the State of FL has announced they will not pursue the Death Penalty as a potential sentence. Attached to the letter was a copy of the Notice. These documents were mailed to Casey Anthony at the Orange County Jail.

MON, December 8, 2008 – The Anthonys announced there will be no more Caylee vigils for this year. Due to programs planned by the church for the holiday season, Anthony vigils will be postponed until 2009.

2:00 p.m. In the Forensic garage, a test was performed on the 1998 WHT Pontiac Sunfire to check the functionality of the gasoline gauge. Conclusion: The gasoline gauge was working properly.

TUE, December 9, 2008 – Over a month ago (i.e. 11/6/08) Baez said, “We all believe she’s alive and if these tips, if there’s one credible tip in that 5,000, it’s worth us going through them.” He’s received repeated reminders that the tips were ready for him to pick up. Yet he has not done so because the State will charge him $980 (50 hrs. of time plus cost of materials to compile this data).

Leonard Padilla (guest on the Nancy Grace Show) continues to speculate on Defense strategy and where Caylee’s body may be. Here is what he said:

Well, you know, even when we were back there, and now that everything has been released, there’s not much of her story for a 30-day period there that the public doesn’t know and understand.

And Jose is obviously banking on the situation that if you can put a reasonable doubt before a jury, and get them to not believe, at least with one jury member, and that’s what he’s playing for, that’s what Cindy and George are doing right now. They`re crisscrossing the country in order to get reasonable doubt, and maybe, just maybe he can — he’s got rid of the murder case on the first degree, now he`s trying to get maybe accidental death, or reckless death or something to that effect.

But everybody knows when she died and — the 30 days is not a secret anymore. And don’t be surprised — don’t be surprised if Orange County or the FBI don`t drop it on us here that they’ve got the body somewhere.

WED, December 10, 2008 – Atty. José Baez wants to investigate detectives from the OCSO. Baez sent someone to the sheriff’s office to get information from the personnel files of Detectives John Allen and Yuri Melich.

Atty. Baez motioned the court to subpoena the surveillance tapes from the Florida Mall that were recorded on 11/16/08 between the hours of 2:00pm to 5:00pm. The Mall management has refused to release the video and the court has yet to rule on this matter.

G & C Anthony were quest on the CNN’s Larry King Show. They touted their belief that Caylee is still alive and chose to stick to the odor in the trunk of the car resulted from “rotting pizza” story.

The grandparents also said they plan to follow up on Caylee sighting tips from CA & TN because they still believe “Caylee is alive.”

THU, December 11, 2008 – Judge Strickland set another pre-trial status hearing tentatively for January 15 at 9:00am, but did not specify when in March the trial would start.

Atty. José Baez made a request to WAIVE CASEY ANTHONY’S RIGHT TO SPEEDY TRIAL for the criminal case. Judge Strickland ACCEPTED. This request was expected because Atty. Baez had said earlier in the week he was in the process of researching locations to consider for a change of venue. Casey was not in attendance at this pre-trial hearing.

The matter of the Grand Theft charge was not discussed. Judge Strickland’s ruling on 11/5/08 granting a continuance – Waiver of Right to a Speedy Trial for Casey Anthony on the Grand Theft Charge remains in effect.

9:30 a.m. An Orange County water utility meter reader, Roy K. found the skeletal remains of a child in a wooded area while taking a restroom break near S. Chickasaw Trail and Suburban Drive. The skeletal remains of what appears to be a small child are found less than 1/4 mile from the Anthony home.

Pending ME findings, DNA testing and analyses of other trace evidence, it is highly believed that the remains are those of Caylee Marie Anthony. Duct tape and other items were also found in the bag.

Dr. Michael Baden, Forensic Pathologist and husband of Linda Kenny-Baden (Member of the José Baez Defense Team) on weighs in on the discovery of small child’s remains found … phone interview by WFTV reporters. VIDEO

Detectives have told Atty. José Baez that the body size and hair color of the remains recovered are similar to Caylee’s and the discovery of the child’s skull with duct tape on the mouth is telling a much more gruesome story.

11:00 – 11:30 a.m. Upon entering Casey’s cell, Lt. Tammy Unser noticed she had been listening to a news broadcast, on her radio, about a child’s remains being found. Lt. Unser placed Casey in restraints prior to escorting her to the jail medical clinic. Casey was able to hear more details of the find from the TV. She appeared to hyperventilate, looked panic stricken, started to cry and requested a sedative.

11:55 a.m. – 1:33 p.m. Atty. José Baez met with Casey at the OC Jail. Baez informed her of what he had learned from the prosecution – news of a small child’s remains with similar characteristics of Caylee found near the Anthony home in the 8900 block of Suburban Drive.

Casey met with a correction officer psychologist and was reviewed and placed on psychological observation (that is not a suicide watch).

G & C Anthony returned home from CA. They were greeted at the airport by LE/FBI and escorted out the back exit, then taken to a hotel. They were served with a search warrant for the Anthony home. The home was cordoned off as a crime scene. Investigators collected evidence at the Anthony home well into the early morning hours of Friday. After CSI completed their work at the Anthony home, G & C were allowed to enter.

G & C Anthony stayed in the home for about 1 hr. then went to the Ritz-Carlton Orlando at Grande Lakes for a luxurious 3-day get-a-way. The Disney-owned ABC network paid the bill.

4:42 p.m. –8:23 p.m. Jose Garcia visit w/Casey in the OC Jail
8:04 p.m. – 9:05 p.m. Jose Baez visit w/Casey in the OC Jail

FRI, December 12, 2008 – One of Anthony’s attys. said, “Anthropological measurements and hair color” of the remains matched Caylee Marie Anthony.

Local 6 News Reporter Tony Pipitone presented questions to former Assistant State Atty. Elizabeth Rahter and Criminal Defense Atty. J. Cheney Mason. Link to full article and video of interview:

Experts Discuss Discovery Of Remains

Piptone: “What does it do to the state’s case now that there’s a body?”

Rahter: “Oh, it hugely bolsters the case. A jury is always a little reluctant to convict because they don’t want to convict an innocent person. Absolutely you would not want to do that. So now, there’s going to be no doubt that she’s dead.”

Mason: “Then all the talking, all the press interviews and the parents going on this show and that show and the lawyer going on different shows establishes they have no credibility whatsoever.”

“The most important thing is how did she die? It could have been an accidental death — and we’ve talked before — an improper disposal, it could have been a brutal homicide. We don’t know, and until the medical examiner is finished and renders a report, no one is going to know.”

Rahter: “An accidental death would be hard to believe. What would a reasonable person do in the case of an accident? Call 911 or call your parents or call a close friend. Do you go borrow a shovel from a neighbor, probably not?”

Mason: “You can pretty well predict there’s going to be a life sentence, either a plea and get it over with or have a circus trial and then be convicted and get life.”

SAT, December 13, 2008 – A larger FBI team returned Saturday to the scene where the remains of a small child were found near Caylee Marie Anthony’s home. The team will help the OCSO team process the crime scene and the area around it.

The Baez Defense Team (Forensic Experts – aka: the celebrity expert panel) all in one “photo op” with Atty. José Baez at the crime scene on Suburban DR.

Lee Anthony showed up at his parent’s home in the afternoon. When he ripped up a makeshift memorial made of flowers, teddy bears, and pictures.

SUN, December 14, 2008 – After spending a couple of hours with G & C Anthony, their new Atty. Brad Conway left saying he has a lot of work to do to make sure prosecutors and the public know his clients have done nothing wrong.

G & C Anthony attended church. Brad Conway said that the Anthony’s will NOT make any comments.

Michelle Bart announced she will no longer be the Anthony’s spokesperson. Bart made the announcement at the Eastside Baptist Church.

MON, December 15, 2008 – Bounty Hunter, Leonard Padilla offered a $50,000 reward for Caylee’s body, but pulled the money when people complained searchers were tearing up their yards looking for remains. “I don’t want to get sued,” Padilla said. However, he does think the meter reader deserves some kind of reward and he plans to write him a check if the remains belong to Caylee.

Atty. Brad Conway said he didn’t know about plans to prosecute G & C Anthony on charges related to the case against Casey Anthony. However, he is working on seeking immunity for them to make sure charges aren’t filed later.

Over the weekend, G & C Anthony along with their son Lee Anthony, were fingerprinted so investigators will have them on hand as they search for fingerprints on evidence they’ve collected at the scene.

TUE, December 16, 2008 – FBI Report of Examination letter included the following statement: “Based on the STR typing results, the DNA obtained from specimen Q18-1 (CAYLEE ANTHONY) could not have originated from a biological offspring of the individual represented by specimen K9 (LEE ANTHONY).” [discovery doc p. 3788]

Leonard Padilla has a conversation with Jim Hoover, P.I. about Hoover having a video of Dominic Casey at the Suburban DR crime scene in the a.m. of November 15, 2008. LP said he advised P.I. Hoover to call FBI’s Nick Savage and then he called Agent Savage himself immediately.

Casey Anthony’s defense team lost another round of legal battles when Judge Strickland rejected its request. [MOTIONS DENIED]

To quickly examine material gathered from a scene where a child’s remains were found last week.
The lawyers also requested a second autopsy be performed on the remains.

Atty. John Morgan representing Zenaida Gonzalez pursues civil case action. Case Number: 08-CA-0024573-O SUBPOENA FOR VIDEOTAPED DEPOSITION SERVED AS TO: Cindy and George Anthony.

Pastor Thomas Stutzman of the Eastside Baptist Church visited Casey at the OC Jail for the second time. He is the only pastor that is permitted to visit and he may visit once a month.

4:22 p.m. George Anthony texted River Cruz (his alleged Mistress): “Just thinking about you! I need you in my life.”

FRI, December 19, 2008 – OC deputies said “significant skeletal remains” were found. A late media briefing from the OCSO revealed new details in the search for more evidence after a child’s remains were found less than a 1/4 mile from the Anthony home.

1:45 p.m. Casey was notified that the remains were Caylee Marie Anthony by the jail Chaplin. Pastor Stutzman attempted to visit with Casey, but she refused to see him. Her Atty. José Baez was with her. Baez accused OCSO of handling this announcement in an unprofessional manner.

2:00 p.m. during a presser, Dr. Jan Garavaglia makes the announcement that the remains found near the Anthony home were those of Caylee Marie Anthony. She further states, “the manner of death in this case is homicide…. the cause of death will be listed as HOMICIDE BY UNDETERMINED MEANS.” VIDEO

Atty. John Morgan voluntarily asked the court to delay the scheduled deposition (12/22/08) for G & C Anthony in light of the discovery of Caylee’s remains.

Jonathan Kasen (Casey Anthony’s atty.) is requesting that the ZFG civil suit be delayed until after the criminal trial.

SAT, December 20, 2008 – Deputies released the crime scene, and the public had access to the site. Casey Anthony’s defense team was notified before the scene was released, but members of the team notified deputies they would not inspect the site. OCSO Deputy stated, “After reviewing the crime-scene site, our investigators saw fit to obtain an additional search warrant for the Anthony residence to obtain additional items of evidence.”

Four CSI vans yet again cordon off the Anthony home as a crime scene. With a search warrant signed by Judge Perry, detectives confiscated more of Caylee’s clothes, five to eight pairs of Casey shoes and her clothes; and took two pairs of sunglasses and a pink-zippered bag. C & G Anthony were at home while the warrant was being executed.

While standing in the living room reading the search warrant, Cindy made the statement, “one of Caylee’s Winnie-the-Pooh Blankets was missing.”
Cindy also stated she “had people walk that area,” meaning where the body was discovered, “a month ago and there was nothing in the area then.”

Note: Discovery doc p. 3382 SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT

MON, December 22, 2008 – G & C Anthony’s Atty. Brad Conway said funeral services will be held for Caylee after a second autopsy is performed on her remains.

Atty. José Baez set up a tipline to Casey. The recorded message sounds like it is the voice of Todd Black (the Defense Team spokes person).

The message: “You’ve reached the Casey Anthony tip line. We’re particularly interested in the area where the remains were found. If your tip is deemed to be credible you will be contacted immediately. Should you want to email any documentation or photos you may do so at: “caseytipline@yahoo.com”

TUE, December 23, 2008 – OC officials say Casey Anthony will not be allowed to attend Caylee’s funeral due to the fact that she faces a first-degree murder charge.

Judge Stan Strickland told the state to release photographs, x-rays and other documentation related to Caylee Anthony’s remains to Atty. José Baez. The order followed an emergency request filed by José Baez’s law firm. The judge gave the state 14 days to release the items or they have until January 5, 2009 to appeal.

Dr. David W. Hall, an expert Botanist examined the crime scene on Suburban Drive, as well as pictures of the plastic bag that held Caylee’s remains. Dr. Hall stated that the growth in the area and tiny roots found on the plastic bag suggest the skeletal remains of Caylee Marie Anthony had been there two to six months before they were discovered on 12/11/08. David W Hall PH.D report [discovery doc pp. 3810 – 3812]

Dr. Hall reported, “…. I examined six medical Examiner, case 2008-001567, photographs (photos 293, 294, 300, 302, 303, 308) showing roots on and through bones. The smaller of these roots indicate approximately two to three months since the bones were decomposed to the point that roots could grow on and through them. The largest of the roots (approx. 2.0mm in diameter), in my estimation, could indicate a minimum period of approximately four months.”

THU, December 25, 2008 – CHRISTMAS DAY!

SAT, December 27, 2008 – Caylee’s remains have been turned over to the Robert Bryant Funeral & Cremation Chapel.

MON, December 29, 2008 – P.I. Dominic Casey said he went to the area in mid-November and Mr. Hoover videotaped the area where Caylee’s remains where later found. He says the tape shows Caylee’s body was not there at that time, but now investigators want to know why he was there with a camera.

Prior to working for the G & C Anthony, P.I. Dominic Casey worked for Atty. José Baez on the Casey Anthony case.

Atty. José Baez filed a new motion. According to the motion filed by Atty. José Baez, LE is “showing an interest” in questioning P.I. Dominic Casey of D&A Investigations. The motion states, “there is a chance that such questioning would delve into privileged information.”

Baez said he hired P.I. Casey as an investigator 7/28/08 and the service agreement between the two was terminated 10/1/08. During that time, P.I. Casey “acquired certain privileged information that would be protected . . .” Atty. Baez asserts. He requested the judge appoint a “special master” to oversee any questioning of P.I. Casey by LE.

Atty. Thomas Luka appeared on the Nancy Grace Show. He commented on the possibility that OCSO may charge his client, Lee Anthony with obstructing justice. No charges are pending as of yet, but Luka said Florida’s broad laws about tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice are what concerned him the most.

WED, December 31, 2008 – NEW YEAR’S EVE! Atty. Brad Conway wants his clients, G & C Anthony to have immunity before they speak with prosecutors again about their daughter, Casey Anthony. Immunity would ensure the couple could tell investigators everything they know without fear of prosecution, attorney Brad Conway said. He doesn’t think the Anthonys would say something that would land them in legal trouble, but sill would prefer they have protection.

Investigators are waiting until after Caylee’s funeral before they approach the Anthonys again, Conway said.

Lee moved out of the house on Eaglefeather DR and he moved back into the Anthony home.