Casey Anthony Trial - Another One Under The Bus

Wednesday, the defense filed paperwork for disclosure of a "newly discovered" witness, Vasco Thompson. The defense claims there were phone communications between Thompson and George Anthony just before Caylee went missing and that Thompson is a convicted kidnapper who could be connected to this case. They want to depose Thompson to see if he has any relevant information.

Well, here's the skinny: At multiple sites (especially here - great work by AZLawyer), I've read that Thompson's phone number was incorrectly entered into a public database as the same phone number belonging to George Anthony's (at-the-time) new employer. So when the defense looked over George's phone records and searched out the other party, they found an entry for Thompson as holder of the number and investigated his criminal record.

In fact, that information is incorrect. The number belonged to George's employer in July 2008. Obviously, the defense knows this. This information has been available to them for years. Interestingly, when the defense tried to question Thompson, he actually called law enforcement to complain about it. Does that sound like someone involved in kidnap/cover-up/disposal in this case?

Why try to add Thompson as a witness at this late stage, knowing that even if the judge would allow a depo to determine relevancy, the ultimate result would be that Thompson is completely irrelevant to this case?

I don't believe the defense actually wants to call Thompson as a witness since it would take half a second for him to say that was not his phone number and for the state to clear up on cross that his number was incorrectly entered into a database as the one in question.

I believe *that* is the reason for the late disclosure -- the defense purposely held this until after the state's case so the state couldn't depose Thompson before trial. If they had, the matter would've been cleared up and the defense would've missed out on the opportunity to further implicate George by publicly insinuating a connection to a convicted kidnapper.

So why, then? Because if the defense can get it out into the public arena that they were denied the opportunity to call a convicted KIDNAPPER (imagine that word in huge blinking neon letters) who, according to them, made contact with George a day or two before Caylee went missing...well...you get the idea:

Family of juror hears that a kidnapper was in cahoots with George but the defense wasn't allowed to put him on the stand. Family member visits the juror. Even though they're not supposed to talk about the case, family member drops that little tidbit. Juror wonders if there might really be something to the defense's claim that George is an evil monster capable of unspeakable acts.  It takes only one juror with reasonable doubt to hang the jury in deliberations.

It's my belief that the defense doesn't expect to be allowed to call Thompson at trial. They may want to depose him as a fishing expedition to see if he says anything they can twist and try to use; however, I think what the defense really wants is to be denied the opportunity to call Thompson as a witness while at the same time getting that info out in the public in hopes that it might influence a juror via a family member/loved one.

What I can't fathom is that this is a genuine request. First of all, it would come out in deposition that the phone number wasn't even Thompson's actual number and he has no relevance to the case. Secondly, if the defense somehow managed to convince the judge to allow them to call Thompson, the ruse would be evident by the time the state finished cross-exam. The defense has to know all this...they've had years to work on it. This isn't a "new" find.

Despite all that, I say Judge Perry ought to allow them the depo. Let all the info come out via that process. Then the defense can't turn around and have their chief shill screeching on any media outlet that will have her that the defense was denied the right to question George's potential cohort in crime (A CONVICTED KIDNAPPER!!!).

I have a feeling this is all designed to try to create an air of mystery and to further point the finger at George Anthony's involvement. Better to let the defense depose Thompson, let the state destroy this red herring, and put it to rest vs. allowing defense the ability to have their shills declaring on TV that there is a Thompson-George Anthony involvement and they've been unfairly precluded from deposing him.

If the information I've read is correct, and I believe it to be, then it is despicable for the defense to drag Thompson into this for no reason other than to throw another victim under the Casey-bus.