Baez contended that Casey’s inexplicable conduct was a results of her personal childhood trauma. Each Casey’s father, George Anthony, and brother, Lee Anthony, had sexually abused her, Baez alleged, and he or she had been struggling ever since. What occurred to Caylee was simply one other secret she felt pressured to maintain after a lifetime of hiding issues, the legal professional stated.

Countering the prosecution’s declare of cold-blooded homicide, Baez stated that Caylee had drowned on her grandfather’s watch and George frightened Casey by telling her she’d go to jail for the remainder of her life. He advised his daughter that he’d handle it, Baez alleged.

The protection additionally advised that the utility employee who discovered Caylee’s stays in December 2008 had really performed so months earlier however held onto them after which put them the place they had been in the end discovered to draw consideration. (The man denied any wrongdoing in any way and later sued Casey for defamation; a choose dominated there wasn’t sufficient proof to take the criticism to trial and an appeals courtroom upheld the choice.)

Each from the witness stand and speaking to the media, George adamantly denied ever abusing his daughter and testified that he did not know something had occurred to Caylee till the day she was reported lacking.

Tony Lazzaro, the boyfriend Casey was residing with when Caylee disappeared, acknowledged in a deposition that Casey had talked about being bodily abused by her father. Casey’s ex-fiancé Jesse Grund testified with out the jury current that Lee had groped Casey as soon as whereas she slept and he or she did not need her brother close to Caylee.

Lee denied ever being inappropriate along with his sister and, when it was his flip to testify, painted an image of Casey as an unstable liar who refused to confess at first that her daughter was lacking.