Evidence Laid Out In Caylee Murder Case
Prosecutors in the murder case of Florida toddler Caylee Anthony revealed evidence they say points to the guilt of the Casey Anthony, the girl's mother, including a diary entry she allegedly made five days after her daughter's disappearance in which she wrote she had "no regrets."
Other evidence discovered in the woods where Caylee's body was discovered match items found in the house where she lived, according to court documents released by the State Attorney's Office Wednesday.
Casey Anthony has been charged with her daughter's murder. She claims that Caylee was kidnapped by a baby sitter and has pleaded not guilty.
In a diary entry dated June 21, Casey writes, "I have no regrets, just a bit worried. I completely trust my own judgment I know that I made the right decision. I just hope that the end justifies the means."
She also writes that "this is the happiest that I have been in a very long time."
But defense attorneys argue that the entry was made in 2003, before Caylee was born, not in 2008 as prosecutors claim.
"This is going to be critical. What is the time frame of this diary?" noted CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom on The Early Show Thursday. "Because if [it was made in 2008], when Casey says 'I'm very happy. I've never been so happy. I have no regrets,' it makes her seem like a sociopath."
Bloom said that forensic experts should be able to date the ink for that entry.
The same types of laundry bag, duct tape and plastic bag discovered at the crime scene also were found by investigators in the house where Caylee lived with her mother and grandparents, according to detectives' reports on the evidence.
Along with a skull and bones, investigators found a stained Winnie the Pooh blanket, pink-and-white-striped shorts and a shirt that said 'BIG TROUBLE Comes Small" in the woods at the crime scene. The skull had duct tape over the mouth similar to duct tape found at the Anthony house and the remains were found in a laundry bag and plastic bag that also were similar to ones found at the home, according to the documents.
Marti Mackenzie, a spokeswoman for Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, said in an e-mail that the detectives' reports were "biased and speculative."
In a statement, Baez and defense co-counsel Linda Kenney Baden said that the brand of duct tape was the most widely sold in the United States and that it was significant that no fingerprints were found on the duct tape.
"It's very important to remember this is a one-sided release of evidence," said Bloom. "This is law enforcement's side. And there's a gag order in the case so the defense can't really respond. They gave a limited response [Wednesday] but their real response will be in the courtroom."
Also seized from the home were heart-shaped stickers. A heart-shaped sticker was found on the duct tape that covered the mouth of the skull found with Caylee's remains, according to detectives.
The report didn't say whether the sticker found at the crime scene was identical to the stickers found at the home, and Baez in a statement disputed that a sticker was on the duct tape found on the skull.
Other documents released Wednesday show Casey Anthony hyperventilated and asked for medication when she was notified that her daughter's body had been found last December.
The documents also feature interviews by detectives that reveal the tense relationship between Casey Anthony and her parents, George and Cindy Anthony.
Casey Anthony once told her friend, Annie Downing, that her mother was a "horrible person" who tried to control her life. Downing also told investigators that she believed Casey Anthony was jealous of her mother's relationship with Caylee and that Cindy Anthony was trying to assume the role of Caylee's mother.
Downing also told investigators that Casey Anthony lied to everyone she knew and that she stole from friends and family members. In 2006 or 2007, Casey Anthony told Downing and another friend, Michelle Murphy, that she was having a breakdown and wanted to be committed to an institution. Casey Anthony never mentioned having a breakdown again, Downing said.