Imperfect Justice_ Prosecuting Casey Anthony - Jeff Ashton [66]
Over the preceding months, I’d witnessed how conflicted he was by his love for his granddaughter, what the facts said about Casey, and his relationships with his daughter and wife. It was clear to me that Cindy was in complete denial as far as Casey was concerned. I imagined that the pressure on George to adopt Cindy’s denial must have been unrelenting, and while he hadn’t succumbed to the pressure so far, if Caylee’s body were to be found, his will might falter. But it would be much harder for that to happen if we got his testimony locked in during the grand jury hearing.
I arranged a meeting with him through his attorney, Mark NeJame, a few days before his grand jury appearance. I wanted to meet with George in person, but at the last minute the press made it impossible to do so in secret, so we settled for a telephone conference. We discussed his prior statements to the police and what questions he would most likely face in the grand jury room. He seemed cooperative and cordial.
Similarly, there was brief consideration of calling Cindy Anthony to testify, but her state of denial by then seemed so entrenched that Linda, Frank, and I feared the prospect of some great emotional outburst, or worse yet, an outright refusal to testify. There was no need or desire on anyone’s part to have a grieving grandmother held in contempt. In the end, we decided it was best to present her testimony through Detective Melich.
ON OCTOBER 14, 2008, A grand jury was convened to hear testimony in the Anthony investigation. The hearing occurred behind closed doors, in the ceremonial courtroom on the twenty-third floor of the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando. The atmosphere was tense, with members of the media, many of whom I had known for years, angling for any bit of news to report. Unlike the defense team, we had a strict “no comment” policy during the pendency of cases, and this case was no different. While the reporters would ask questions, they always respected our polite “no comment,” and largely left us alone that day.
The testimony of the witnesses was sealed, as per standard procedure. The media camped outside the courthouse was certainly speculating about the witnesses, making a brouhaha about anybody involved in the case who was coming up the sidewalk. In all, six witnesses entered the grand jury room that day, and what they said in the two-hour proceeding has been kept secret, by law. All the witnesses had been subpoenaed to testify. They were Casey’s father, George; Corporal Yuri Melich; canine handler Jason Forgey; FBI hair analyst Karen Lowe; FBI agent Nick Savage; and computer forensics investigator Sandra Cawn. Each witness was called forth separately to testify in private. While I cannot discuss the proceedings in this case, I can tell you that besides the six witnesses, Linda, Frank, and I were all there for the prosecution team. The state attorney was present and, of course, the courtroom reporter. George Anthony was accompanied by his lawyer. Though Casey was invited to testify without immunity, she declined through counsel. There was no judge involved, only the nineteen grand jurors.
The grand jury reached its decision within two hours of the hearing’s conclusion, handing down the primary charge of first degree murder and supplementing it with six other charges: aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and four counts of providing false information to law enforcement. After getting word of the grand jury’s decision, my boss, State Attorney Lawson Lamar, addressed the press. “The investigation contains intricate forensics that are on the cutting edge of science. We are used to complex forensics, and are ready to manage this