Request for acquittal denied in Casey Anthony case

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The judge overseeing the trial of a Florida mother accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter has denied a defense request to have the case against Casey Anthony thrown out.

Judge Belvin Perry denied the motion for a summary acquittal Wednesday after prosecutors finished presenting their case.

Anthony’s attorneys are expected to call their first witness Thursday morning.

Jurors were in court briefly this morning, but were sent back to their hotel after the state rested.

The defense has claimed Caylee Anthony was not slain but instead drowned in her grandparents’ pool. The prosecution maintains she was suffocated with duct tape sometime in June 2008. Her remains were found near the Anthony family’s home in December 2008.