Casey Anthony Trial - Day 1 - Defense Opening Statement

Linda Drane Burdick's opening statement was understated but powerful. No theatrics or overly dramatic recitation of the evidence -- the sad facts of the case are emotion-inducing on their own and speak loudly and clearly without dramatic embellishment. She kept it simple and methodically and squarely hit every point she needed to make.

Let's see if Jose Baez can bring an equally powerful opening statement to the jury on behalf of the defense:

"No one ever told you what happened. Today, you will be the first people to know what happened to Caylee. How can a mother wait 30 days to report her child missing? It's insane, bizarre -- something's not right about it."

"This is not a murder, manslaughter or child abuse things. It's none of those things. Caylee died on June 16th in her family's pool."

Baez went on to say that Caylee slipped out unnoticed. George and Casey called for her in the house and couldn't find her, so they went outside. When Casey came around the corner, she saw George carrying Caylee's body. She grabbed Caylee and began to cry. George shouted at her, "Look what you've done! Your mother will never forgive you! You'll go to jail for child neglect for the rest of your fricking life!"

Baez said that Caylee's death was "a tragic accident that snowballed out of control." Casey should have been stronger, should have called 911 (that, by the way, was the only thing for which he assigned any blame to Casey).

"Casey was an excellent mother...this child wasn't anything but loved, especially by her mother. Casey adored her child"

George distanced himself and took steps to make sure Casey took the blame for Caylee's death, Baez claimed. He said George set Casey up with the duct tape from the house, knowing it would be traced back to her. "Follow the tape and it will tell you who put Caylee's remains where they were."

"This family must keep its secrets quiet." You never know what dark, ugly secrets lie within, he said, noting that after Caylee died, Casey did what she's done most of her life -- she hid her pain. She lived in denial.

Baez then claimed that George Anthony sexually abused his daughter, beginning when she was eight years old. He said, "She could have her father's penis in her mouth and go to school and play with the other kids like nothing was wrong." He also said Lee Anthony, her brother, "wanted to follow in his father's footsteps" with the abuse and as a teen had attempted to sexually abuse his sister.

Baez said that Anthony made up jobs, a babysitter, etc. in order to cope with her life. He admits that she lied all the time; he said she was raised to lie, that's how she was brought up and the entire family was that way.

Baez claimed LE conducted a "desperate" investigation that focused only on Casey Anthony and that their work was sloppy and incomplete. He said professional police work "took a backseat" in that they were more concerned with public perception than in doing their jobs. He also said the cadaver dog and its handler, the FBI analysis of the hair with "death band," and the air compound analysis by Dr. Vass were not reliable.

Roy Kronk, the utility worker who found Caylee's remains, was in it for a payday and suggested Kronk knew of the location remains for months and possessed or moved them in order to benefit financially from the reward offered for her return. "Roy Kronk is morally bankrupt." Kronk called his son and told him he was going to be rich and famous. "Where did Kronk find Caylee? We'll never know," said Baez, citing police incompetence.

In a nutshell, Caylee's death was an accidental drowning in the family pool. George Anthony covered it up and then made sure the finger of guilt pointed at Casey. Everyone who investigated the case was incompetent and/or had ulterior motives. Casey is merely an innocent victim of sexual abuse and a conspiracy by her father to frame her for murder. The only thing she did wrong was not to call 911 when the "accident" happened.

Baez concluded with, "You can help end this nightmare by sending her home. I'll ask you all to render a verdict of not guilty."

My first take on this opening statement was that it was disjointed and just all over the place with so many lurid and/or wild allegations. After a second listen, I've changed my mind. It wasn't disjointed, just far-fetched. Given what he was working with, he did a good job presenting the statement. He was animated and passionate about it.

Did I buy any of it? With the exception of Kronk wanting to make some money off finding Caylee's remains, no, I don't. If I knew nothing of the case, it might be easier to accept that some of these allegations are true. But I've followed from the beginning, read the discovery, etc. So I know that some of what he alleged is simply not true or was twisted to fit the scenario he was selling. How about you? What did you think of the opening statements?