After Monday’s high drama where the state presented their case, the defense splattered the walls with every crazy excuse that crossed their minds and the first witness for the state, George Anthony, took the stand, Wednesday was a rather bland day in the Casey Anthony trial. The State called a series of Casey’s friends to testify.
The big point the state made was that during the first month that Caylee was gone, Casey lived the life of a party girl and was always happy and upbeat. The defense countered in cross-examination by eliciting positive opinions of Casey as a mother–attentive, caring and a disciplinarian.
Throughout it all, the defense called for a sidebar every time anyone made them squirm. I didn’t tally up the minutes but it seemed as if we were in sidebar or on break more often than in open courtroom proceedings.
I felt sorry for Anthony Lazzaro, the erstwhile boyfriend of Casey Anthony. It had to have been a shock initially to learn that the woman he slept was a murderer. Now, he has to be embarrassed sitting up there and admitting it to the world. He’s received a lot of criticism for not asking about Caylee more often and more intently. But I think that is too much to expect of a young guy who was focused on his casual, month-long sex fling with a young woman who happened to have a child.
Anthony did paint the most chilling portrait of Casey Anthony. On the very same day that the defense claims Casey’s child accidentally drowned and the state contends she intentionally murdered her child, Casey spent a relaxed happy evening with him watching a blockbuster movie and that night and all the next day, frolicked in bed with her new guy as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
The cross examination of Lazzaro resumes this morning. I imagine it will be followed by re-direct from the state. Poor Tony is paying a high price for his relationship with Casey. Of course, it was no way near the price that little Caylee Anthony had to pay.
Diane Fanning is the author of the only book about the Casey Anthony case, MOMMY’S LITTLE GIRL.