Intense day in court ends with Casey Anthony illness

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla.

The Mahoning Valley native accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter took ill Thursday, prompting the judge in her murder trial to recess court early and end the most intense day of evidence so far, which included jurors viewing pictures of the toddler’s decomposed skull.

Judge Belvin Perry announced the news after sending the jury home for the day, asking them not to speculate about why court was ending early.

Casey Anthony cried, dabbed her eyes with a tissue and looked away as pictures of Caylee Anthony’s remains were displayed in the courtroom Thursday morning. By afternoon, she looked to be getting progressively more emotional, keeping her head down to avoid seeing the pictures. At one point during a break she had to briefly step out of the courtroom.

She was returned to Orange County jail and treated by medical staff there.

Casey Anthony was born in Warren in 1986 to George and Cindy Anthony, who lived in Howland before moving the family to Florida in 1989.

Earlier in the day, a few jurors could be seen wiping their faces or glancing away as photos were shown of the December 2008 discovery of the toddler’s remains.

Perry warned people in the courtroom that graphic photos would be shown. He asked anyone who might become queasy to leave during a short break before prosecutors called a crime- scene investigator from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Jurors then viewed a series of photos depicting the wooded area near the home of Anthony’s parents where Caylee’s remains were found. Duct tape was visible on her skull.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors say she used duct tape to suffocate her daughter in the summer of 2008. The defense contends the little girl drowned in her grandparents’ pool. The child’s remains were found about six months later.

Before any photos were shown, jurors first heard a 911 tape from December 11, 2008, when a utility worker said he found a human skull in the woods near the Anthony home.

A crime-scene investigator who photographed the scene guided jurors through it via the pictures she took. She identified several items that also were found with the remains, including a strip of duct tape found across the front of the skull. Other items included a white laundry bag, a black plastic bag, a red plastic Disney bag and a pair of child’s shorts.

The judge asked that all photos depicting the girl’s skull be blurred over the courtroom video feed that is being broadcast on multiple local and national news stations.

Casey Anthony’s parents were not in the courtroom Thursday, the first time they have missed a full day of testimony since the trial started.