In a highly circumstantial case, it is common for the silent witnesses to be the ones who tell us the critical pieces to the puzzle we are working on, are under the chair.

Bugs and Plants do not lie.

Arguably the Entomology and Botany evidence and their respective expert evaluations of same will likely hold some of the heaviest weight in the mind of jurors who will be charged with reaching a verdict in the death penalty trial in the murder of  Caylee Anthony.

Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.

~Bradley Millar

Lord of The Flies Part Deux

Dr. Neal Haskell, is largely considered the pioneer of Forensic Entomology in the United States.

In fact, he is the first individual in this country to earn Masters and Doctorate degrees in the field in 1989 and then 1993 respectively at Purdue University.

I have respectfully referred to him in earlier work as ‘The Bug Dude”.

Dr. Michael Baden and his co-author Marion Roach dedicated an entire chapter in their book, Dead Reckoning, to his work. Dr. Haskell was the “first call” choice expert of Linda Kenney Baden, former defense counsel to Casey Anthony, as stated by his former protégé and defense entomology expert, Dr. Timothy Huntington.

Dr. Haskell’s report filed October 6, 2009 contains the only peer-reviewed expert conclusions offered in the case against Casey Anthony.

In no way am I undermining it’s exhaustive and thorough contents. For the purposes of this article in order to remain respectful to the sensitivity that we are talking about medicolegal death investigation information that sadly comes from the homicide of a 34 month old child. I will largely be paraphrasing.

Dr. Timothy Huntington, the defense team’s expert witness, has been deposed by the State of Florida in this case three times to date. A final deposition has yet to be released.

(Editors Note: Although Linda Kenney Baden withdrew as co-counsel last October because she was not going to get her expenses approved and paid for by the state of Florida, she is most definitely working on this case in some consulting sort of capacity as she was present and noted in Huntington’s deposition in December)

Between his depositions dated December 28, 2010 and January 2011, Dr. Huntington produced a preliminary report that analyzed Dr. Haskell’s report and entomologic specimens. We know that he learned during the first deposition that several samples from the trunk vacuumings of the Pontiac Sunfire had not been sent for analysis to Dr. Haskell until a few days earlier. Dr. Huntington was not expected to prepare an opinion on that evidence until after it’s submission to him.

Huntingtons’ court ordered report focused solelyon the bugs in the trash originally located in the trunk of Casey’s car and omitted the bug samples from autopsy and the crime scene entirely.

Huntington was asked to review the Haskell report (b) during the second deposition “on the record”, however, and stipulated that he agreed with Haskell’s classifications found at autopsy and with Caylee’s remains. He maintained he disagrees with the fact that the entomological findings prove there was ever a decomposing body in the trunk of the car. He said as far as the bugs go, they are of no forensic value to conclude the victim was in the trunk.

Overall, Huntington and Haskell actually agree on most conclusions, and I would not be surprised to learn that his report’s omission of the bugs from the areas other than the “trash” were a tactical move by the defense.

Huntington seemed to have conceded that there was enough evidence to “assume” there was decompositional fluids that attracted the species of critters it did, but later contradicted himself by stating he feels the evidence points more strongly to there having never been a deceased person in the trunk.

Huntington’s arrival at that conclusion is actually based on what both bug dudes claim is the lack of early colonization of certain insects which are an important factor to establish what is referred to in forensic entomology as post mortem interval (pmi).

Haskell attributes the lack of the “early arriving winged things” to the trunk being cleaned by Casey Anthony and the trunk access itself during the initial stages of a corpse reaching bloat status.

Huntington says unless Caylee was refrigerated, buried, or hermetically sealed, he is not buying it. Interestingly, Ashton asks Dr. Huntington if he is aware of any evidence in this case that any of those options, staving off early colonization for a bit, occurred.

Huntington answered no, but I am reminded that it was he who took soil samples from the areas in the backyard where canines Gerus and Bones, through their handlers Jason Forgey and Kristin Brewer alerted to decomposition on July 17, 2008. Huntington stated he volunteered to take them, although he is not a “dirt dude” and is unaware if they have ever been tested.

There are only two options as to the status of those samples. Either they were never tested or they were tested and evidence of decomposition was found and is now considered work product and not discoverable. Had they been tested and no decomp was found, those exculpatory results are subject to discovery.  Although soil samples from the Anthony home were also taken into evidence by the state, their analysis has not yet been released.

Given the formation of the questions by SA Ashton, it is clear that the State’s theory is that Caylee was put into the trash bags and laundry bag prior to being placed in the trunk, leaving little doubt they believe little Caylee was killed at the Anthony residence.

Dr. Huntington’s basic testimony for the defense states that scientifically Dr. Haskell makes unsupported leaps about the existence of a decompositional event or human carrion, in the trunk of the infamous Pontiac Sunfire.

Prior to his depositions, he felt pretty strongly that a trunk would not render a corpse inaccessible and last fall set out to prove it.

In his role as “LOTFL, Jr.”, Huntington conducted an uncontrolled observatory experiment on decomposing pigs killed “for cause”, and recorded exterior activity “only” for 11 days without opening the trunk of completely different trunks and trunk environments in a dissimilar climate. Ultimately, this study did not make it into his report. Go figure.

His boot theory got the boot, you might say.

The fly in the ointment, if you will, with this counter-opinion is that Dr. Huntington’s report is based exclusively on the contents of the garbage bag located in the trunk of the car, which he maintains to date was all he was sent to examine. Haskell’s report specifically delineates between specimens found in the white bag with blue handles, and those found in the trunk.

What is beyond me, is how Dr. Huntington’s depositions and preliminary report does not so much as reference the fact that the garbage bag in question spent at least twelve hours in a DUMPSTER at Johnson’s Wrecker AFTER being opened by the Operations Manager Simon Burch in front of George Anthony. It is noted specifically in the timetable of Dr. Haskell’s findings, however.

I mean, I am pretty sure 12 hours is half the lifespan of some of the bugs he is examining in the first place.

How many proverbial poo poo platters could those flies order in 12 hours?

Did they take on new and different larvae? In Burch’s interview, he thought the bag was white with yellow handles; it is white with blue handles.

You know, this is a welcome (from my perspective) missed opportunity by the defense and fat technical snafu. Just imagine all that ripe fruit of that poisonous tree (dumpster metallia) floating around. You see where I am going with this…

Before anyone gets all up in my britches for pointing this out, ask Chris Darden if he regrets the decision to ask OJ Simpson to try on the glove?

Consider the dumpster the glove, and because it was not referenced in Huntington’s reports, he cannot bring it up at trial.

Let’s all be thankful we will not be hearing “If it was in the trunk and in the dump it must be junk” for months.

As an aside, this is exactly why a criminal defense attorney in his 3rd year of practice is not permitted to take a capital case on his own. Out of the gazillion motions to suppress this, that and the other thing, you would think one out of 11 lawyers might have had their hand up at a meeting and asked:

“How can we even be sure this is the bag that came from the Pontiac when there is a car in the same lot at the same time where there is no question a dead person was in it?”

“Did anyone think to ask Mr. Burch for the name and registration information of the suicide victim so we can see if he eats Velveeta Mac and Cheese?”

“Um, Ms. Baden, I know you’re all up in alleles to your elbows, but I was wondering, if someone tried to clean the trunk, why would they leave paper towels with body fluid in the trunk? There is nothing that ties our client specifically to this particular garbage found in an abandoned vehicle, maybe we should think about trying to get it tossed?”

“Has anybody had Dominic Casey or whatever his name is Hoover nab some trash from any of those friends they have been stalking for months?”

I trust my point, albeit offered in the snarktacular, outlines how the lack of the defense to prep their expert for another bite at this evidentiary “apple” is astounding.

$275K does not go as far as it used to I guess.

Dr. Huntington refers to a corpse discovered in his report. As he is a forensic entomologist, I have to say, I find this curious as a descriptor in the very report he is most specific about what he might see or might not see in a decompositional event.

Skeletal remains vs. a corpse is big deal in an experts opinion.

Because Dr. Haskell had not been sent the trunk vacumings for examination from the Sunfire until this past December, his amended report was not available at Dr. Huntington’s deposition.

You will notice the laissez faire way I just said that. Similar to the way it was released, really. Smushed in the middle pages of the most recent discovery release.

B O M B S H E L L (potentially)

In Dr. Haskell’s amended report, for the first time he has examined the vacumings from the trunk.

What is critically important in his report and is invisible to the naked eye, unless one goes “discovery diving”, is that the samples Dr. Haskell examined came from two separate and distinct intervals and collections.

J-60135 yielding a hair with a root bulb, and significant entomological finding, consistent with contact with decomposing carrion were found in the sweepings A F T E R the trunk lining was removed, months later.  Analysis on the hair has not been released.

Sweeping from the trunk liner, July 2008= ZZZZZZZZZZ

Sweepings from the trunk sans liner January 2, 2009= BAM

Dr. Huntington and no-doubt THE BAEZ LAW FIRM will not be thrilled to know he has unwittingly supported the testimony of State’s witness and former PhD board member, Dr. Haskell.  He says there should be dead flies and dead maggots underneath the liner.

Now we know, there are.

I’m an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over… and the insect is awake…

Seth Brundle

Animals are something invented by plants to move seeds around. An extremely yang solution to a peculiar problem which they faced.

~Terence McKenna

Not to be confused with her fictional and botanically correct character in former Denver Attorney Stephanie Kane’s book, Seeds of Doubt, Dr. Jane Haskett Bock is anything but a “tough ‘ole broad.”

Admittedly, I am pro prosecution in the case against Casey Anthony, so when I review or analyze expert depositions or what I would call “case critical” witnesses, I find it helpful to dislike them, hopefully, intensely.

Dr. Bock is an uber accomplished retired professor, gifted researcher, scientist and educator.  Not only do I NOT dislike her, under normal circumstances, I would call her for consults on cases and take her classes.

Candidly, I have no idea why she is sitting in the pews at the wrong side of this wedding.

In an article published in 2008, she is described as a “Crime Fighter”, with very good reason.

Not long after the body was found, Bock’s phone rang once again. Could she use scraps of plants from a suspect’s car to determine his recent whereabouts? The police had combed the Toyota belonging to Mirabal’s husband, Matthew, and collected fresh plant material from the carpet, pedals, windshield wipers, and wheel wells. Bock visited the crime scene in Left Hand Canyon, where she skirted the still-visible gore to collect samples of plants from the surrounding forest. Back at the university, she identified both sets of samples, looking for common species.

Although Dr. Brock is a “grass roots”(pun intended) participant in Necrosearch International, some of her recent depositions as an expert witness for the defense, seems to belie the organization’s protocols.

Utilizing the multidisciplinary approach to scientific specificity as it relates to finding clandestine graves would seem to me to be necessary.

What the hell did I just say?

I said, the bone person, the plant person, the bug person, the investigator, and yes, the canines on her team, and frankly on any team, work in tandem.  In her deposition, Dr. Bock explains she prefers that scientists work independently in their field of expertise.

What was particularly troubling to me about Dr. Bock’s observations and assertions was that she openly admitted she has never reviewed the Crime Scene Technicians Field Reports nor has she reviewed any of the FBI analysis reports from the crime scene, the trunk, or the Anthony home.

(pppppsssst, there is botanical evidence and analysis from all 3 of those I think someone might want to * p e r u s e*  prior to testifying)

Here are just a few notes from the field that may help:

In fairness to Dr. Bock, she has stated that her findings would not enable her to offer an opinion as to how long Caylee Anthony’s remains were located in the 8900 block of Suburban Drive.

However, I sincerely wonder if that is not the defense’s goal in the first place.

What would be the point of that Blink?

Necessity, for starters.  They need a counter to Dr. Hall, who literally on-site at the recovery scene identified several non-indigenous trees, plants and vines without so much as a protractor.

(Yes, I know a Forensic Botanist is not identifying the green stuff with a protractor, hopefully you got a chuckle and can identify with my angst whilst I am swinging through the vines of this subject matter.)

For the most part, Dr. Bock agrees with Dr. Hall’s classifications, and what she is unsure of she laments she wishes she could have been able to visit the recovery scene intact, prior to removal of a substantive amount of vegetation; no doubt from her days of working for the criminal prosecution team in the bulk of her previous casework as an expert witness.

What was staggering to me, was that Dr. Bock was given very little to work with from The Baez Law Firm, in the first place.  I was also struck that during her deposition where defense team member Dorothy Clay Simms attended and was apparently under the impression she gets paid “per objection”; Ms. Simms admitted she herself had never before seen the photo evidence being reviewed and asked to have copies sent to her.  WOW. Perhaps that explains the recently installed turnstile at the firm’s front door.

One of my favorite exchanges during a deposition of a witness in this case to date:

In over thirty years, Dr. Bock admits she has never observed roots growing though a skeleton or actual human remains recovered outside, unburied.

None of which were of a child, and none were scattered over a “dank” and densely vegetated swamp of over 75 sq ft area, with variances in elevation and soils where bones were found in up to 4′ of muck and leaf litter.

I admit I cannot keep a poinsettia alive past January, but it would seem to me that it is reasonable to conclude that Caylee Anthony’s remains did not dig themselves into varying levels of silt, soil and vines the week prior to their discovery.

In August 2008, Fay, the first tropical storm in history to make landfall four separate times from August 18th through August 20th more than likely concealed little Caylee’s remains which Roy Kronk feared he had discovered a week earlier.  It was clear from Dr. Bock’s deposition that she was either unaware of this information or did not find the relevance of the swamp being deeply flooded in certain areas from August through November of 2008 to be relevant to the fact that there appeared to be only one season of leaf litter on surface areas.

Dr. Bock went on to say that a great deal of her case knowledge has been supplemented by her daughter’s addiction to TruTV.  It would be my sincere pleasure if someone that is close to Dr. Bock, who in my opinion is a fantastic example of an extraordinary scientist and educator with an impressive body life-long body of work, would pretty please tell her this is not the hot house for her species.

In theatrical terms:

Seymour Krelborn, Jose Baez may be Mr. Mushnik, but Casey Anthony is no flower, although she could play the role of Audrey II without needing a script.  Don’t feed her.

Copy Editor: Madeline Tanner

Contributing Editors:  Madeline Tanner, Jaqueline Beaufort

Sources within the SA’s office speaking on the condition of anonymity to blinkoncrime.com say the new information is largely FBI reports.

The release comes on the heels of new motions  filed by the defense this week.

Jose Baez and Andrea Lyon, defense counsel for Casey Anthony filed a motion alleging double jeopardy violation  in the upcoming fraud case, a reply to the states motion to preclude death procedures and yet another motion to dismiss. A hearing date has not yet been set by Judge Strickland’s office.

blinkoncrime.com will be posting the latest round of discovery as soon as it becomes available. Please check back for updates.

First Set of Documents      DNA Evidence   FBI Emails  Test on Knife found in Car

Link to All Individual PDF Menu

 Discovery Review Part II

Orlando, FL– In Part I, we reviewed the Latent Lift Myth. 

Adding to the quagmire of why Linda Kenney Baden maintains there are no prints on the duct tape, one reviews Ms. Baden’s amended motion for discovery.

Ms. Baden requests the specific 18 latent lifts and subsequent file information from the FBI reports in “this matter”. However, those tests were performed from items removed from the Anthony home by Orange County Sheriffs Office, not the FBI, thus the “THERE ARE NO LATENT LIFTS IN THIS CASE”.

How does the defense attorney entrusted to interpret the forensic evidence in a death penalty case not know with what agency that information is held? It was released months ago. 

Within the discovery, their is an email indicating a few areas of the tape were swabbed in the final testing process (CU) with methanol. This is performed on the non-adhesive side of the tape. Does it make sense if your sole intent was to extract DNA from this tape that you would be reduced to swabbing only the side of the tape NOT affixed to Caylee’s face?

It only makes sense if your goal is to preserve the integrity of what appears on the adhesive side, and exclude the possibility of DNA on areas that will not compromise the sample in that regard.  

Fibers Differ

Although the FBI has concluded  that the adhesive on the duct tape from the crime scene, on Caylee’s skull, and the Anthony home are CHEMICALLY THE SAME, Brad Conway releases the portion of the report that states that microscopically the tape fabric composition of the samples are dissimilar.

Now, admittedly I had the where- with- all to choose the smartest girl in my IPS class to be my lab partner while everybody else joked around and blew each others bunsons out. However, my guess is if you were to match conditions to the tape from the crime scene to that on the gas can and shelf from the shed, they would magically appear “SIMILAR”.

Difference between quantitative and observed, no? If that is the defense teams idea of junk science, I might agree. This brand of duct tape has not been manufactured since 2007.

How hard do we think it is going to be for the State to locate this exact production batch? They are as close to an MSDS report away.

Weed Eaters

In the CSI notes from OCSO, initial responders, we note 4 different areas where Agent Bloise marks 4 areas; 3 are under wood chips and the 4^th is under the platform of 16×16 pavers from the July yardscaping.

Buried within the FBI contact logs from the latest discovery, we learn that OCSO has at least one of those, if not all, in evidence. Where were they sent and what are the results? Could they be in the company of the much anticipated soil samples taken from the Anthony yard?

The examination and testing of soil samples from the trunk have also not been disclosed to date.

The OTHER Laundry Bag 

As reported exclusively at blinkoncrime.com, the original report of the laundry bag had the incorrect model.

The rectangular laundry bag, referred to as K33 in the most recent report, was recovered at the Anthony home on a top shelf in the East side of the garage.

In the latest FBI report, K33 appears under the “additional items from the vehicle” category. Not in the items from the residence and is examined with the items found with the Dora backpack or diaperbag as it is sometimes referred to.

What does that mean? Category oversight, OR, did OCSO find out that laundry bag was removed from Casey’s car?

To be Continued:

Part III The Disappearing Lingering Stain  

 Discovery Review Part I

Orlando, FL– In the last 2 weeks in the case against infamous tot-mom Casey Anthony, The defense appears to be in an all out media blitz to support their recent motions for dismissal. Most legal analysts feel they have  missed the deadline for such tactics, and that could very well be the reason for the affront on public opinion recently.

The blinkoncrime.com editors have been scouring the recent discovery release. 

There are some very compelling facts the Spin Twins de Baez have conveniently overlooked.

The Duct Tape

Reported exclusively  at blinkoncrime.com last June, the Henkel Duck tape industrial grade was located on the skull of Caylee Marie, the  gas can and the shed at the Anthony residence. Today, WFTV after rifiling through some old footage, reminds us what we already knew.

(Editors note: Say what you will about Kathy Belich, that Dom Casey cheat sheet with her picture and “disseminating hatred towards the family” remark had her in that news room with a whip and a hot iron all day until they found it– I don’t blame her.)

Yesterday at Brad Conway’s client driven press conference, he specifically referenced there are no fingerprints on the duct tape. I heard it again this morning by Linda Kenney Baden.

Let’s break this down folks, shall we?

On NO document, that we have seen, does it state anywhere that there are no prints on that duct tape. Specifically, I am referring to FBI Evidence ID Q62, Q63 and Q64.

In fairness to the defense, with a combined experience mean of 2o years in the “expert” fields, less Jose “josebgood@yahoo.com” Baezs’ token 3 years, I can see how such academics could come to that conclusion for the time being.

Within the response to Kenney Baden’s discovery request from the FBI, this statement appears:

THE FBI DID NOT RECEIVE LATENT LIFTS IN THIS CASE

It does not say “latent impressions”, which in the forensic “speak” means all friction ridge detail images.

Seriously? With a woman’s very life hanging in the balance we are expected to believe such a panel does not know the difference between a latent lift and a friction ridge image in 2009? Not to be glib, but as a practical matter, as a layperson, just imagine when your scotch tape slips off the cutter and you stand there for 10 minutes trying to thread it again with your fingernail. If that did not immediately furrow your brow, you will be wrapping all the christmas presents this year.

 These assertions by the defense team are nothing more than an attempt to double dare the State to open their Kimono. Insert euphamisms at will. 

As a matter of fact, a close look at the examination protocol used by the FBI,  tells a very, very different story. 

Tape Q62, Q63, Q64 is originally presented  NOT to be tested for DNA. Who gets it first? Latent Print U and Chem. Why is this important? Because the two work together when we are talking about applying chemically based “lifting” techniques such as sticky powder, for example.  

Yes, before you ask, this is where the heart sticker residue is seen by LPU on the NON ADHESIVE side prior to it’s own testing procedures. That residue is consumed and no longer visible in this phase. You can assume LPU saw that image under ALS, not visible to the evidence collection unit or ECU. 

Occurring simultaneously, lets also assume a conscious decision is made to procure the latent images on the adhesive side of Q63, even at the risk of the consumption or ruin of residue of the alleged heart sticker that everyone already knew would not yield DNA. 

Who thinks there are no other digital originals of the duct tape, bearing the sticker residue from the Medical Examiners Officer or CSI in the field? While I agree the residue chemistry itself may have been probative, this was  not the woopsie the defense would lead you to believe.

LPU was assigned to do visual oversight when the Trace evidence unit, or TEU receives the samples next.  Ms. Fontaine has a T shirt she wears under her lab coat for just such an occasion.

It reads: DONT BE SWABBIN ON MY PRINT on the front, on the back it reads: I’LL JUST WAIT TO BE SURE.

Is that so that their friction ridge was not destroyed? OF COURSE.

Next stop The Questioned Documents Unit, or QDU. For those unfamiliar, this is another “ARod” Jose Baez so astutely coined the analogy when referring to Dr. Neal Haskell being on the State’s expert list.  This is where the mysterious “contamination” occurs. Brad Conway went as far as to say yesterday that this was a mysteryperson, a possible unsub if you will. Ms. Baden said it could be an alternative culprit. Yeesh.

It is clearly stated in the report that CONWAY released, that the ID from the partial profile, is Lorie Gottesman, of the QDU.

I am quite sure Ms. Gottesman has an alibis for June 16^th. Perhaps this is a good thing as I hear Ms. Gottesman is well versed in expert testimony.

Ppppssst. There are 2 other samples of the duct tape, all 3 latent results have not been released except to say that George, Lee and Cindy have been excluded.

Wouldn’t you have to have a control latent to compare them to in order to exclude  A N Y O N E?

Their ARE prints, folks. Eazy Peazy.

While we are on the subject of the tape, textile fibers WERE recovered from Q62 and Q64 and Q66 (house duct tape) and preserved for future testing.

It was not true to say there was no transfer evidence whatsoever, how would they know when those tests have not either been preformed or the results completed? Ms. Baden feels the public is being misled?

I would offer the misleading is being orchestrated by misinterpretation.

The decision was made to consider testing the tape for DNA after an initial pre-amplified DNA result came back from Baby Caylees tibia (I apologize for the graphic).

To be continued, blinkoncrime.com

Padilla and his team met with Agent Nick Savage of the FBI and a member of the Orange County Sheriffs Office in their home town of Sacramento, California last Fall.

Lead Investigator Corporal Detective Yuri Melich was slated to make the trip to interview the bondsquad personally, but was injured the morning of his flight in a motorcycle accident.

Jose Baez and the defense team for Casey Anthony argued to keep the Padillas et al out of the witness box alleging their was an “agency” established between he and the group, which would render their testimony work product and privileged. Not only did Judge Stan Strickland say in open court that he had never seen such a motion; he denied it entirely.

Tony Padilla, through Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick, alleges that the agreement contained in the defense motion was not even the agreement signed by him in the first place. Ms. Burdick requested the originals of the agreement in question; it is unknown at this time if they have been turned over.

The recordings will be added to blinkoncrime.com as soon as they are available, please check back for updates.

Leonards Interview

Tracy Mclaughlin