We all knew there would be lots of dramatic moments in the trial of Casey Anthony but I suspect most of us thought they’d come after jury selection and during the actual trial itself. But drama has struck already and the rumors are flying.
Yesterday at lunch time, Jose Baez disappeared not to return to the courtroom. Both sides, minus the lead defense attorney disappeared into chambers and reappeared only to hear Judge Belvin Perry suspend the selection of the jury. It was hard to believe. The same judge who’d been riding the prosecution and defense to finish up, who spurred on forward progress with dire warnings of no courtroom space after this week.
The official story was that Jose Baez had to attend to a personal matter. Some said he was sick. Baez himself spoke to the media urging the end to speculation. Did he really expect anyone to listen?
What is happening? A number of possibilities come to mind. It is possible that what the judge told us is true. Baez had an urgent personal situation or an emergency family problem that required his immediate attention. Or he could have fallen ill. But Cheney Mason’s reaction and refusal to make even a token statement to the media creates reasonable doubt about that scenario.
It is possible, as I speculated last year, there is a plea bargain in the works. It is possible that Jose Baez was absent from the court because he was meeting with the State’s Attorney. If there was happening, it would explain the shock on the faces of the prosecution. It would also explain the possibility of a cover-up story.
It is also in the realm of possibility that Casey fired Baez. She has stopped sitting next to me and has shown her displeasure with him every since he said she was acting like a two year old and it went out over an open microphone.
We should know just a little bit later this morning. But, then again, we may never know the truth. If there were attempts at a plea bargain but no agreement could be reached, the parties involved could keep their mouths shut and the court could return to business as usual.
Another issue that’s come up in questions I’ve seen scattered across the Internet is why neither the state nor the defense has asked prospective jurors if they’ve read my book, MOMMY’S LITTLE GIRL. I think there is a simple answer for that. I’ve heard Jose Baez ask a number of times if anyone has read a book about the case. Since my book is the only book, that is all he needs to ask. I imagine he does not want to give any more publicity or credibility to my book by saying it’s title or my name in open court.
Finally, you’ll find an interview with me talking about the case today on Women in Crime Ink.
And now we wait. Will the defense take a short cut to Justice for Caylee by admitting guilt? Or will we continue on the long road, spending weeks in trial and days in deliberation before Caylee Marie Anthony receives the justice she deserves?