Duct Tape and the Incredible Dr. G at the Casey Anthony Trial

For me, the most powerful moment in the courtroom Friday came in the testimony of Dr. Jan Garavaglia.  She explained to the jury that she made systemic observational studies caused her to reach the conclusion that the manner of Caylee’s death was homicide.  She pointed to the points that supported her conclusion:

  1. The child was not reported to the authorities for an extended period of time.
  2. The body was hidden
  3. The body was in a closed container
  4.  The duct tape located on the skull

Then in a quavering voice she said: “There is no child who should have duct tape on its face when it dies.  There is no reason to put duct tape on their faces after they die.”  Dr. G said it all.

The duct tape was the focal point of the day, coming up again and again.  It was something I’d written about in my book, Mommy’s Little Girl:

“When the process was complete, it would have been easy to persuade Caylee to inhale the sweet-smelling fumes.  It would not have taken many whiffs to render the small girl-child unconscious.  When she was out and unable to defend herself, multiple layers of duct tape were wrapped around the little girl’s mouth and nose and into her hair to ensure that she never awoke from her chemically induced sleep.”

When prosecutor Jeff Ashton made his arguments to the judge for the admission at trial of an animated demonstration of a photograph of Caylee superimposed on the child’s skeletal remains, he confirmed my analysis of the evidence.  “This demonstrates that a single piece of duct tape–testimony will show there were three–was sufficient to be placed over the nose and mouth of Caylee Anthony, thus ending her life.”

Friday’s testimony about duct tape–the murder weapon that took Caylee’s life–may seal the deal in bringing justice to Caylee.