05/12/11A Snail's PaceThe jury selection process in Casey Anthony's trial is exasperatingly slow, to say the least, but it serves as a valuable lesson in how the legal process works in the United States, and Florida, in particular. The fact that we get to watch the challenges unfold right before our eyes, in real time, is a fascinating study in civic duty and our obligation as citizens to serve on trials. One of the reasons why this case will remain with us for many years to come has less to do with the defendant than it does with someone else. Whether she's convicted or not, Casey will be forgotten, but the one person who will, no doubt, leave an indelible impression on all of us is Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. How many of us know more about rules and statutes because of him? His knowledge of law... Posted at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments: 79 |
|
05/09/11Casey: Is Her Goose Deep-Fryed?I had a sneaking suspicion that Judge Perry would release his order this morning (May 9) regarding air samples taken from Casey's car trunk. The whole gang, including Casey, Judge Perry, prosecutors and defense attorneys, have taken flight for Pinellas County. Casey will be there until a jury is selected. Hopefully, the food is as marginal as it is in the Orange County jail. The judge denied the defense motion, and that means the final Frye, the one that's never been tested in a court of law, will be allowed at trial. To say the judge carefully studied his options is understatement. In his ruling, he said that it is quite apparent Dr. Vass and Dr. Furton, the respective state and defense experts, are going to present opinions based on the results of the GS/MS data, but... Posted at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments: 37 |
|
05/09/11Pinellas? You be the JudgeOn Saturday's online edition of the St. Petersburg Times, it was announced that "Casey Anthony jury selection could be coming to Pinellas on Monday". I found out about it from one of the local journalists because my hunch that it would be from either Hillsborough or Pinellas was right on the mark. That's what I had been saying for months after carefully studying numerous counties. I never had a thought about Miami because of several things. The population of Miami-Dade County is roughly 2,500,000 people. Orange County is around 1,150,000. That's less than half. Also, the demographics aren't the same if we break down ethnicities and incomes into percentages, not to mention crime. Most importantly, all statistics aside, when Jose Baez made his preference... Posted at 12:52 AM | Permalink | Comments: 9 |
|
05/07/11A Daughter's Scorn; A Family TornWhen we sit in the gallery of Judge Perry's court, we watch, we listen, and we learn. The only difference between what we feel in his courtroom and what you sense on TV or the Internet is the electricity of the moment, and how it changes from one side to the other; back and forth and sometimes in the middle or skirting along the fringe. Up and down they go as they battle back and forth. Sure, we all know by now that this defense has had its share of downs, and in most cases, they've been well deserved, but as we sit in the courtroom with our skewed opinions, Judge Perry looks out at each and every one of us. What does he think? What does he feel? What does he see? To be a judge in a trial of this magnitude, it takes a person of great fortitude; someone with a heart of... Posted at 12:13 AM | Permalink | Comments: 76 |
|
05/04/11Open the Door and Let Them InShould George and Cindy Anthony be allowed to attend their daughter’s trial? Mark Lippman, George and Cindy’s attorney, filed a motion last week addressing that very question, to which his answer is “yes.” You see, Casey's parents are in the unique position of being both witnesses for the state and relatives of the victim, Caylee. And that dual relationship to the murder case against Casey presents a conundrum that may take the wisdom of Solomon to resolve. On the one hand, the Florida Constitution guarantees that relatives of the victim are entitled to the right to be informed and to be present at all crucial stages of criminal proceedings. In other words, George and Cindy have the right to... Posted at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments: 81 |
|
04/29/11Casey's Defense: Scrambled and Fryed"The jury will be entitled to determine the credibility and reliability of his opinion, which it may accept or reject." - Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. (in reference to the prosecution's forensic botanist, Dr. David Hall.) This seems to be the tenor of Judge Perry's court, at least as far as the Casey Anthony case is concerned. His philosophy is one of common sense and pragmatism. Let the jury hear the testimony of expert witnesses from both the prosecution and defense. Let the cards fall where they may. The jury of able bodied men and women will surely know how to pick them up and deal with the matter at hand. Of course, one of his responsibilities will be to address the panel concerning issues of scientific evidence and expert... Posted at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments: 152 |
|
04/27/11You want Orders with those Fryes?One of the most obvious things criminal defense attorneys do is throw as many motions at the courtroom walls as they can in hopes that something sticks before the trial begins. In the case of Casey Anthony, her defense team tossed an inordinate number during the course of nearly three years. Some were questionable, but for the most part, they’ve been rather credible. Recently, hearings held in Chief Judge Belvin Perry’s court (See: Order in His Court) addressed issues related to Frye. Called Frye motions, the name comes from Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923), a case that argued the admissibility of polygraph tests as evidence. The primary goal of these types of motions is to determine whether scientific evidence should be admissible... Posted at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments: 74 |
About This Blog
'Marinade Dave' Knechel
 |
Dave Knechel has been blogging about the Casey Anthony case since late 2008, drawing readers from all over the world. Best known as “Marinade Dave,” a nickname he got when he made marinades and also blogged about marinade recipes, Knechel is on assignment to blog about the case exclusively for orlandomagazine.com as Anthony goes to trial for first-degree murder. His posts will appear regularly on this site.
Recent Posts
- The Sad End of a Saga | Comments: 39
- A Farewell to ‘Marinade’ Dave | Comments: 45
- Q&A With Dave on Thursday | Comments: 197
- Dumbfounded, With Prejudice | Comments: 71
- Justice Didn’t Take a Holiday | Comments: 57
- Pets, Lies and Duct Tape | Comments: 148
- The End Is Near . . . For Whom? | Comments: 23
- A Fool's Errand | Comments: 52
- All Fired Up | Comments: 47
- The Truth About Cindy's Testimony | Comments: 48
