Status Hearing - 10/29/10 1:30 p.m.

Casey Anthony defense motions to be heard Oct. 29
Defense expenses and jail records on the agenda

By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
3:34 p.m. EDT, October 20, 2010

Several defense motions in the Casey Anthony case, including issues over sealing her jail records and having the state pay for certain defense costs, will be taken up during a hearing on Friday, Oct. 29.

Court officials also announced today that Casey Anthony will attend the hearing scheduled for next week at the Orange County Courthouse. Casey Anthony has not appeared in court for the last couple of hearings and was not required to attend those.

Part of the hearing late next week will cover a recent defense motion asking the court to reconsider sealing Orange County Jail commissary records, telephone calls and visitation logs.

Defense attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason have cited a recent Fourth District Court of Appeal decision finding that a jail inmate's recorded telephone conversations should not be released to the media or the general public.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-casey-anthony-hearing-agenda-20101020,0,6353474.story

Casey Status Hearing Friday: What To Expect
WESH.com To Stream 1:30 P.M. Hearing; Anthony Expected To Be Present

POSTED: 4:53 pm EDT October 28, 2010
UPDATED: 5:42 pm EDT October 28, 2010

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Casey Anthony heads to court for the first time in months on Friday for a status hearing.

Anthony hasn’t attended a hearing in her case since July, when several family members took the stand. The month prior, Anthony fell while exiting a courthouse elevator and could not attend the hearing. She is not required to attend case status hearings.

Judge Belvin Perry is expected to hear the defense’s arguments next week over two recently filed motions.

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One asks for Perry to reconsider previous rulings over the public’s access to Anthony’s jail records, such as commissary purchases and visitors logs. The second pertains to a motion asking for Perry to set a budget for penalty phase costs that new defense lawyer Anne Finnell would incur.

Finnell estimated her costs could reach $20,000.

Read more: http://www.wesh.com/r/25554624/detail.html

I think Judge Perry is not going to be pleased with Jose et al and will be setting up despositions himself at a time of is choosing, and upholding previous rulings (again) on the same old same old (again) that seem to be the only thing Jose knows how to write motions about (kind of). It should be interesting. kh

And just what does her commissary purchases and visitor logs have to do with anything - NOTHING. Nothing compared to what she did to Caylee. I'm sure all the other inmate's purchases and logs have public access, why should hers be any different. What a waste of time and money. I think Judge Perry will squash that one and say "Denied".

Casey Anthony and her attorneys will hash out defense budget today

By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
8:56 a.m. EDT, October 29, 2010

~ Snipped ~

Here's a breakdown of the public financing for the case:

$38,672.38 This is the total amount the defense team has billed the state since a judge declared her indigent in March. It includes the $18,405.40 that's been paid so far, payments still pending and invoices returned due to insufficient documentation or duplicate filings.

$8,118.92 Expert witness Dr. Henry Lee – made famous by the O.J. Simpson murder case - in September billed JAC for travel and services. He said that fee included a 50 percent discount.

$11,123 Jeremiah Lyons Investigations has billed at least this much for interviewing witnesses, picking up law enforcement records, making public records requests and consulting with attorneys.

$6,413,88 The defense has billed at least this much for court reporting and transcription services

Here's the approximate cost of incarcerating Casey Anthony for more than two years at the Orange County Jail:

$68,629.40 as of Thursday. Anthony has been held continuously since Oct. 14, 2008. The per diem rate for inmates is $92.12.Jail officials say Anthony's actual cost of incarceration is likely higher because she is in protective custody and has special travel needs. Jail records show Casey Anthony is the 40th longest serving inmate at the facility.

Prosecution costs:

$42,200.16 The prosecution would not itemize the expenses because it would reveal work product. This total does not include salaries of the prosecutors working on the Casey Anthony case. Two of those salaries exceed $100,000 per year.

Before being declared indigent, Anthony's private funding totaled:

$275,000, including $200,000 paid by ABC News

Of that, $121,954.83 went to attorneys and a media consultant.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-casey-anthony-public-finance-defen20101029,0,4650534.story

Could someone insert "Money" by Pink Floyd...Seems proper!!

Judge to Casey Anthony attorney: 'I'm not going to write an open check.'
The overall cost of defending Casey Anthony so far has approached $300,000.

By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel
2:43 p.m. EDT, October 29, 2010

After denying a request to close jail records, the judge in the Casey Anthony case told her attorney to be careful about public expenditures for her defense.

"I'm not going to write an open check," Judge Belvin Perry said.

Perry is now hearing arguments from the defense about more funding for a mitigation expert and additional investigative hours during today's monthly status hearing in the Anthony case.

Perry just warned defense attorney Jose Baez: "Taxpayer funds do not allow you to go off on a fishing expedition."

Earlier today, Baez failed to convince Perry today that his client's jail records, including phone and visitation logs and commissary records, should not be released to the public.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/caylee-anthony/os-casey-anthony-hearing-friday-20101029,0,2167120.story

Perry Denies Anthony Defense's Privacy Motions
Casey Anthony Attends First Hearing Since July

POSTED: 1:14 pm EDT October 29, 2010
UPDATED: 2:51 pm EDT October 29, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- In a status hearing in the Casey Anthony case Friday, Judge Belvin Perry denied the defense's motion to seal jailhouse visitation log and commissary records.

The hearing marked the first time Anthony attended a hearing since July, when several family members took the stand.

An Orange County Corrections representative spoke on behalf of the jail regarding the defense's privacy motions. The representative said there is "no legal basis" to exempt the logs and records from public record.

Another motion second pertains to an argument asking for Perry to set a budget for penalty phase costs that new defense lawyer Anne Finnell would incur.

Defense attorney Anne Finnell addressed her $20,000 budget, which members of the Justice Administrative Commission said was expensive.

Read more: http://www.wesh.com/caseyanthony/25565218/detail.html

** Video at link **

Casey Defense Request To Seal Jail Records Denied

Posted: 6:18 am EDT October 29, 2010
Updated: 4:48 pm EDT October 29, 2010

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Casey Anthony returned to court Friday afternoon with her legal team to try for a third time to seal all public records pertaining to her stay at the Orange County jail, including her phone calls and visits, as well as her commissary purchases. Her defense team also tried to get more taxpayer money for its defense.

CASEY HEARING: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
CASEY ANTHONY IN COURT: See Images
INSIDE COURTROOM: See Cindy, George, Lawyers

However, Chief Judge Belvin Perry denied the defense's request to seal her jail records and said he's not going to write them a blank check.

Casey walked into the courtroom shortly before 1:30pm, with her hair pulled back in a bun and wearing a green blouse. Casey looked thinner, and at times seemed like she was going to cry.

Casey wiped her eyes and nose as she sat down along side her attorneys, Jose Baez and Cheney Mason. Casey wore no shackles in court, months after her leg irons got caught between a courthouse elevator and the floor.

Read more: http://www.wftv.com/news/25561067/detail.html

Snaz wrote:
~ Snipped ~
..............Casey walked into the courtroom shortly before 1:30pm, with her hair pulled back in a bun and wearing a green blouse. Casey looked thinner, and at times seemed like she was going to cry......

Well, I don't know about that. The Casey I saw was a bag of vege. No emotion. The only time she showed emotion was when someone reminded her that she needed to 'come off' as looking human, vulnerable. Cheney and Jose had to remind her to doodle on her legal pad every once in a while to at least give the appearance of looking vaguely interested in the proceedings. HUGE WASTE.

My opinion only. kh

Thanks for the music vid, Fysty...Haven't heard that one in a long time...I thought it was funny when Casey gave that wide eyed look and almost laughed at what Baez was saying...That's right, he IS your attorney...you just can't believe what he says...Boo hoo...

Estee wrote:Thanks for the music vid, Fysty...Haven't heard that one in a long time...I thought it was funny when Casey gave that wide eyed look and almost laughed at what Baez was saying...That's right, he IS your attorney...you just can't believe what he says...Boo hoo...

I'd cry too. kh

Judge Belvin Perry plays accountant sternly

posted by halboedeker on October, 29 2010 6:06 PM

~ Snipped ~

WOFL-Ch. 35’s Shannon Butler weighed in: “Perry is a judge, but it also seems he’s a pretty good accountant.”

In another oft-played clip, Perry told Baez, “Taxpayers’ funds do not allow you to go on fishing expeditions. It must be for a particularized need, not in drilling hoping that you’ll find oil.”

The stations noted that the defense had lost its third bid to seal Anthony’s jail records, such as commissary purchases and the visitors log.

Anthony’s look also drew scrutiny. WOFL anchor Bob Frier highlighted the “hair slicked back.” Kealing said that “Anthony herself came to court looking as if she had been crying.” And Belich noted that Anthony wasn’t in shackles.

Orlando defense attorney Diana Tennis, who offers analysis for WOFL, theorized that the defense is “telling her [Anthony] to draw as little attention to herself as possible. Don’t do the long, pretty hair. Don’t do the makeup. Don’t make expressions. Don’t look around. Be as invisible as possible, so there are as few clips out there on the Internet of her as possible.”

Tennis predicted the money spent in the death-penalty case could exceed $1 million. “This is a special case. It’s a special penalty that’s being sought,” Tennis said. “Even though Judge Perry had some tough talk today, I think the reality is he’s going to continue to give to the point that’s he not worried about the appellate court saying she was denied due process.”

Anthony attorney Ann Finnell did talk to reporters after court. She and Perry had a robust discussion about her budget for the death-penalty phase.

“I think he’s got a responsibility to mind the store,” Finnell said of Perry.

Read more: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2010/10/casey-anthony-judge-belvin-perry-plays-accountant-sternly.html

Casey Anthony's Lawyers: Uncomfortable Day In Court

Saturday, October 30, 2010
Posted by ritanita at 4:49 AM

Casey Anthony made her first appearance in court yesterday for the first time in months. As I watched the hearing, I noticed that she was very subdued and did not seem in the least pleased with the proceedings. While there is no way to accurately tell what has caused her to stop primping and never sport any expression other than one of unhappiness, I'm sure she wasn't pleased at all by the motions hearing or the verbal gymnastics of her attorneys.

Casey's parents were also in court and presented a somewhat united front, if only in their increasingly haggard appearances. Again, we can only take a guess as to what information about the case they may have to cause such obvious emotional devastation.

The hearing opened with Judge Perry addressing the defense Motion for Reconsideration. Jose Baez was up first to speak in support of his motion. He also asked Judge Belvin Perry to include the letters Casey received in the jail in the motion. He explained that he had earlier spoken to Tamara Gappen, the lawyer for the Orange County Jail and had mentioned the letters to her. There is no need to go into all of Baez' arguments, we've heard them all before in his other attempts to have various and sundry records sealed from public view.

Read more: http://sprocket-trials.blogspot.com/2010/10/casey-anthonys-lawyers-uncomfortable.html

One can always tell when Judge Perry is aggitated...he jiggles in his chair and leans forward...to impress that he is making his point...I think he is quite tired with the defense and their lame excuses and not being prepared to meet the challenge of the day...OMG I hope they can balance their check books and not be overdrawn...No wonder the Baez homestead went into forclosure...Just you wait..he will probably blame it on not making enough mulah from this case...Wonder if he wrote an I OWE YOU to the bank with a promise to pay them after this case is over and his book/movie is out...Yes in deedy do, this is gonna be one long and tedious trial..

Casey Anthony’s Revamped Body Language With Inconsistent Image- Braless With School Marm Bun

October 31, 2010
Dr. Lillian Glass

After not seeing Casey in the courtroom for quite some time, there is no doubt that her attorney Jose Baez has been doing a lot of work with his client in terms of getting her body language and her image under control. Gone are the unconscionable smirks and smiles. Gone is the ritualistic hair tossing and hair grooming.

No doubt, Jose insisted that his client wear her hair off of her face, so she wouldn’t be tempted to toss it and play with it all the time. So she wore it in a severe greasy looking bun tied at the back of her head, reminiscent of an oldfashioned prim and proper school marm.

Read more: http://drlillianglassbodylanguageblog.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/casey-anthony%E2%80%99s-revamped-body-language-with-inconsistent-image-braless-with-school-marm-bun/

Is Jose Baez Fighting the Good Fight?

October 30, 2010
By Bull Stopper

Attorney Jose Baez made many interesting comments during a hearing for his client Casey Anthony held on October 29, 2010.

Video of the comment this article will focus on may be found at the following link. The comment begins about minute 21:00.

http://www.wftv.com/video/25566372/index.html

Jose Baez: “I’ll try to address directly the points made by first the Orange County Jail. Umm… I was a bit shocked that they start their argument off by claiming they don’t have a position, but yet they file a brief and argue a position. I don’t understand. Uhhh… we have a situation here where we’re not asking the jail to do anything or to take an affirmative act, but to refrain from doing something. Ummm… it’s not like they have a dog in this fight, but yet for some reason they continue to uhhh… fight the good fight so to speak.”

“I’ll try” – Mr. Baez begins by promising he will “try”, but will not succeed. Mr. Baez will fail at the his proposed goal.

“to address directly the points made by first the Orange County Jail” – This is his goal. The extra word “directly” is another indication of his discomfort over attempting to deceive his listeners he intends to “address” the points. The extra word “first” is the first verbal obstacle to directness tossed out by Mr. Baez, a finding supported by his failure to identify a “second”. Mr. Baez will be anything but direct in his address of the points made by an unknown number of members of a group including the Orange County Jail.

Read more: http://bullstopper.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/is-jose-baez-fighting-the-good-fight/

Is 'Adequate and Competent' Enough?

November 2, 2010
by Diane Fanning

Down in Orlando, the Casey Anthony pre-trial hearings are stirring up serious legal questions concerning an indigent defendant’s right to qualified defense counsel. Unfortunately, up until now, this issue has been obscured by the circus-like atmosphere that has surrounded this case since Cindy Anthony called 9-1-1.

Many people are complaining that someone like Casey Anthony does not deserve for a single penny of taxpayer money to be spent paying her high priced attorneys. Part of the reason for this outcry is the long amount of time that has transpired since Caylee Anthony disappeared. When jury selection begins, it will be nearly 35 months since Caylee was last seen alive.

The other part of the objection is the apparent guilt of Casey Anthony. I’ll admit that I found the forensic data and the interviews with Casey to be compelling evidence of her involvement in the death of her daughter. Nonetheless, our judicial system is based on the presumption of innocence. Everyone is entitled to have the determination of guilt be made in a court of law. To strip people like Casey of that right is to imperil all of our civil liberties.

The third aspect of the response is an emotional one. On one side of the equation, we have a self-centered, selfish, spoiled young woman. On the other side, an adorable, innocent child, not quite three years old. Your heart must side with Caylee. To make matters worse, the accused murderer has been proven to be a liar, even by her own admission. She has been proven to be a thief by stealing from her own grandmother. She has been proven to care little for her own daughter, as shown by the 30 fun-filled days she spent before being forced to admit that Caylee was missing. It's hard not to despise Casey and nearly impossible to give her the benefit of the doubt. Yet, when it comes to the legal presumption of innocence, it is her right. And, it is in our best interests to ensure that right is not violated.

Read more: http://womenincrimeink.blogspot.com/2010/11/is-adequate-and-competent-enough.html