Roy Kronk, the meter reader who found Caylee Anthony's remains, testifies in the murder trial of Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, June 28, 2011.
When court reconvened after lunch, Roy Kronk again took the stand and endured dozens of questions from Casey Anthony’s defense about the day he found Caylee’s decomposed remains. Kronk explained how he had called Orlando police after seeing a suspicious white object in the woods. “I told him I saw an object that would appear to me to be a skull,” Kronk said, describing what he told police over the phone.
Many of the defense questions centered on Kronk’s knowledge of Caylee’s disappearance before he discovered her remains. The defense has stipulated that Kronk, who defense lawyer Jose Baez previously called “morally bankrupt,” moved the remains before “discovering” them in the woods in hopes that he would obtain a reward. When asked if he was aware there was a reward when he discovered the body, Kronk replied, “I would believe so.”
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But the defense asked question after question about whether Kronk told friends he would be “famous and rich,” trying to plant the idea in the jury’s mind that he moved the body, even though there is no evidence to support that claim.
Kronk’s testimony came after a run up that included Casey’s mother, father and brother testifying about their respective experiences during the search for Caylee. Casey’s brother, Lee, testified that his mother received a psychic tip to search for Caylee not far from where her body was eventually found.
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Near the end of the day, Baez called two corrections officers to testify about Casey’s mental state and behavior as a prisoner. While the jury was outside the courtroom, they both said she was a model inmate, obeying all rules and exhibited no bizarre behavior. But then the defense asked to call an expert in grief counseling to testify tomorrow. The prosecution objected on the gr0unds that her testimony wasn’t relevant, but Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. allowed it anyway. The grief expert will open proceedings tomorrow morning.
Baez may be setting the stage for Casey to take the stand. When Perry asked how many more witnesses he had to call, he said a half dozen, which would give him perhaps only two days to decide. Nearly 10 witnesses testified today. Perry reminded Baez that if Casey chooses not to testify, he will have to ask her himself if that is her choice and make sure she understands that she has the right to testify in her own defense. We could know as early as tomorrow if that will happen.
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