ORLANDO, Fla. – The defense began presenting its case Thursday in the murder trial of Casey Anthony, who is accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, in 2008.
On the 20th day of the trial, the defense called Gerardo Bloise, an Orange County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigator, as its first witness.
Recommended Videos
Bloise presented photos of Anthony's bedroom and closet, which he examined using an alternative light source to identify stains. He said he checked the pair of pants he was told Anthony was wearing on June 16, the day Caylee died, and found no stain on the pants.
Cindy Anthony previously testified that she had washed the pants.
Bloise previously testified about processing Anthony's white Pontiac Sunfire. He removed hairs and pieces of the car for further examination.
Bloise was responsible for collecting and drying garbage found in the trunk of Anthony's car. He said Thursday he also inspected her ex-boyfriend, Tony Lazzaro's, car on July 23, 2008. He said it did not smell of a decomposing body as Anthony's car had.
The defense then called FBI DNA examiner Heather Seubert. She is an expert in serology, which is the study of blood and other bodily fluids.
Seubert said she found no blood or DNA in the trunk of Anthony's car, but the state pointed out that Cyalee's body was found in a garbage bag, which could have prevented bodily fluids from getting in the trunk.
She said she found no blood on any of Anthony's clothes she was given to examine.
Seubert said she was given a shovel Anthony borrowed from her neighbor to examine for DNA. She said the DNA sample results were not conclusive enough to determine sex. She also said there was no blood found on the shovel.
Seubert testified about DNA found on the duct tape found on Caylee's skull. She said some of the DNA was linked to another FBI lab worker who had contaminated the tape, and another sample was found on the sticky side of the tape. She said that sample was below her reporting threshold, but that Caylee and Casey Anthony could be excluded.
The state has said that Anthony used to tape to suffocate Caylee, but Baez was able to make the point that someone else's DNA was found on the tape.
Before recessing for lunch, lead defense attorney Jose Baez asked Seubert if she was ever asked to perform a DNA test to determine if Anthony's brother, Lee, could be Caylee's father. The state objected, saying the question was not in good faith and Perry agreed the question should not have been asked.
When court resumed after lunch, Baez rephrased and asked Seubert if ever performed a DNA test to determine if Lee Anthony was Caylee's father. She said the test was performed, and the results concluded he was not the father.
Baez questioned Seubert about why there was not a substantial amount of skin cells on the duct tape, implying it could have been placed on Caylee's skull after her body decomposed. Seubert noted that DNA on the tape could have been degraded over time in the wet, hot conditions.
Baez then called three Orange County Sheriff's Office witnesses. First, Robin Maynard, a crime scene investigator who described where the piece of cardboard with a raised pink heart sticker attached to it was found compared to where Caylee's remains were found off Suburban Drive.
Baez then called Ron Murdock, the Sheriff's Office forensic supervisor who participated in the search of the scene where Caylee's remains were found as well as of the Anthony family home. He said the cardboard with the sticker was found approximately 30 feet from Caylee's skull.
Crime scene investigator Jennifer Welch was also called to discuss items found at the scene off Suburban Drive. Baez asked her about garbage found at the scene and she said more than 300 pieces of trash were collected. She described the area as a "trash dump."
FBI forensic document examiner Lorie Gottesman was then called.
She discussed methods and tools used to examine documents to determine if they had been tampered with. Her unit with the FBI reconstructs shredded paper.
Gottesman is the FBI employee whose DNA was found on the duct tape examined by Seubert. Gottesman said she handled all evidence in the case with care and does not know how her DNA got on the tape.
Gottesman said she did not observe a heart-shaped residue on the duct tape. Welch previously testified she observed the residue, but it disappeared during testing for latent fingerprints.
Cary Oien, a hair and fiber analyst for the FBI was then called. He studied the shovel Casey Anthony borrowed from her neighbor.
Oien said he found a very small piece of human hair, but it was too small to compare to other found hairs. He said he could only say it was a Caucasian hair fragment.
The prosecution rested Wednesday after presenting its evidence for 19 days.
Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death Caylee and has pleaded not guilty.
The state says Caylee was suffocated by her mother with duct tape. The defense contends Caylee drowned in her grandparents' swimming pool.
Caylee's skeletal remains were found by meter reader Roy Kronk in December 2008.
If convicted, Casey Anthony could be sentenced to death.
Kidnapper Added To Witness List
A representative for the convicted kidnapper added to the defense's witness list says his client has never communicated with George Anthony
According to Casey Anthony's attorneys, Vasco Thompson, who currently lives in Orlando, had unexplained communications with George Anthony.
The defense claims that the communication occurred during the time Casey Anthony's daughter, Caylee, was reported missing. Attorneys said there were four communications on July 14, 2008, a day before the Anthony family learned that Casey Anthony's car was towed from an Amscot parking lot. Family members said the car reeked of the smell of death.
Thompson's attorney said the records are the result of a blatant clerical error, which can be easily explained. He said Thompson never called George Anthony.
In 1987, Thompson pleaded no contest to kidnapping and was sentenced to prison, according to jail records. He was released in 2004.
Mark Lippman, the attorney representing the Anthony family, said George Anthony does not know Thompson and has never heard of his name.
Lippman issued a statement Wednesday afternoon about the matter, saying that his client does not recall communicating with Thompson in any way. He said the defense has not identified who initiated the calls or how long the calls were.