6/28/11 - 1:30
Jury back in (1:32)
DIRECT EXAMINATION OF RK BY CM - continued
Did you advise the operator on 8/12 that you have been in the woods and you had looked down and saw a skull? No, Sir.
Stipulation - Defense Exhibit FJ (8/11), FK (8/12) and FL (8/13). 8/11/08 911 call received at 16:28 hours; 8/12/08 911 call received at 21:03 hours; 8/13/08 911 call received at 15:14 hours. Marked as Defense Exhibits 67-69.
First 911 call played - meter reader had the route including the A's home - he noticed something that looked white and a gray bag there; not saying it's Caylee's. It could be nothing. (Operator thought he said the A's lived on Good Holmes Road - he said Good Hope.) Swampy area by the school - they found a dead snake - tree lying down, back behind the tree is a gray bag and then something white. After he saw the snake, he's not going back in there.
Second 911 call - meter reader with OC, yesterday I read the A's route, got done and went down to Suburban. Called yesterday. Went down and behind one of the trees was a gray vinyl bag, like a pool cover, looks kind of suspicious. Didn't touch anything, tree looked like someone cut on it, white round board. He doesn't know what it is, but doesn't look like it belongs there. Across from the six foot high fence, gray bag a little bit closer to the school. Saw a snake yesterday and didn't go any farther into the swamp. He was then given another number, the tip line, said he didn't really want to call it being a county employee. You can still remain anonymous. Not if they find a freaking body. You can still remain anonymous even if they find a corpse.
Third 911 call - Hidden Oaks Elementary - meter reader with OC - swamp area - called in the other day and they said they would dispense an officer when he got there and he was there now. He's in a swampy area between the A's street and Hidden Oaks. He's in a blue 4 door Cavalier.
After the call on the 11th, he did nothing. The call wasn't made until 9:30 at night. He was already at home. Probably watched TV then went to bed.
On the 12th, he probably watched a little TV and went to bed. That call was also made after 9:00 p.m.
After any of the calls were made, do you recall making a recorded statement to YM? No.
He remembers going to the police office with his attorney and making a statement. He recalled saying he had been on the street before.
He knew where the A's house was at the end of the day, not at the beginning.
On 8/11 did you have any indication with your co-workers about the area being a suspicious area to put a body? They were all talking about it and Mr. Dean said it too. Mr. Dean said it was his idea to search the woods, and RK said it was his.
He stated it may have or looked like a skull. In his depo he stated it was 99.999% sure. He also stated it could have been a prop or something bought at a flea market. He also said it was a hot day and he wanted to go home and relax.
He worked on the 12, not the same route.
On the 13th, he talked to officer Cain he believes. There was a female, but he never got her name. Did you tell them that you had looked down to see the skull? He said that he was at a height above where the object was and that was why he was looking down. He pointed in the general area of where it was. He did not get within 6 to 8 feet of it.
Regarding his statement to YM, he never told them he got between 6 to 8 feet from it.
Deputy Cain went down to the water line, looked both directions, walked back, slipped in the mud and came back and chewed him out for a half an hour.
In sworn statement to YM - if he said he was 6 or 8 feet, then that is what it was.
On the 10th, he was from here to the other side of the room from the object.
He did not go back till the 12th.
OBJECTION -
SIDEBAR #5 (1:56 -1:59)
He was shown his statement and stated that he agreed he was 99.99% sure, but he did not know what it was made of - he just knew it was a skull.
He then agreed that he did say 100% certain it was a skull.
After the 13th, he did not go back or do anything with the authorities prior to the remains being found. He was not involved in any capacity.
He did go on Good Morning America in January. He was paid for a licensed picture of a snake $15,000 and collected $5,000 from Crime Line. Orange County stopped paying for his attorney and then they stopped paying him.
OBJECTION - SUSTAINED
He has been questioned since then.
He has a son named Brandon Sparks. He did not call him around Thanksgiving of 2008. He did not call him and tell him that he was soon to be famous.
Between 8/13 and 12/11, the only time he went to that area was when he had that route, but he never stopped there again. He did not go by the A's. He did not go out there again.
After Deputy Cain chewed him out, no law enforcement officer examined his vehicle. No cadaver dog was sent to his car. He was never asked to submit DNA. He doesn't know if he was investigated further. Do you know if your phone records were subpoenaed?
OBJECTION - OVERRULED
He remembered YM take a photo of his phone while he was in the meeting with YM and his attorney.
He had no contact with law enforcement between 8/13 and 12/11.
He was back in that area on December 11. He did not get tot he area of the A's house. He went back to Suburban Drive. He went into the woods. He was not searching again. He did find what turned out to be the remains of Caylee. He had never been to where the bag was, so he doesn't know if they were in the same place.
In August it was flooded and December it was not.
He did not inquire of LE what was going on between August and December.
The bag was not the same. He was standing behind it and he was looking at it from behind. He still didn't think it was real so he gently put his meter reader stick into the eye socket and picked it up and then put it down. He gently pivoted it up. He never took it off of the ground. It was not stuck in the mud. After finding what he found, the shock of it, it was very horrific.
He then called his area supervisor. He did not call Crime Line or 911. He told his supervisor that he needed him there immediately - that he had found a human skull. Alex had been with him right up to the first of the three section route. He doesn't know Alex's last name.
Deputies showed up pretty quickly. He did not recall who he talked to first. Did he ask them if he was still entitled to the reward? No, sir. He really doesn't remember. He did not remember Deputy Pamela Porter - other than YM. He might have asked if he was still entitled to the reward if that was the baby and she was dead? He might have also jokingly said he would want to keep it quiet so his ex-wife didn't hear about it. He probably asked them why they didn't do anything in August. He tried to help and he got chewed out for a half hour and got called bad things. He wasn't angry with the OCSO - just generally angry because they didn't believe him?
OBJECTION - SUSTAINED
He was not angry that he was not believed.
He talked to his supervisor Alex Roberts. He thinks they were jokingly talking about the reward. He doesn't remember if it was said that he had won the Lotto or that he should play the Lotto that day. Alex was aware of the problems he was having with his ex-wife.
He had not read any meters in that part of the neighborhood. He went into the woods to relieve himself.
Did he talk to the detectives about the reward? They were talking about the crime line tip - not the other one.
He was joking about finding the body? No - they were joking about the money. He never joked about finding the body.
After the body was found, he did not have any "I told you so" conversations with Mr. Dean.
On August 11 he told Mr. Dean that he thought he found a skull and that they had a conversation about that being a good place to dump a body and no one would smell it.
In August it was in water. It was not dry enough for him to walk around. He never walked in the area where the skull was in August.
He denied making a phone call at all in November? His son was mistaken, that phone call never happened. He told him on December 11 and told him that he had found something and that if he looked on TV he would be able to the first time since he was 8 years old.
Kathlyn Kutcher with OCSO - he doesn't remember having any conversations with anyone by that name. He agreed there was a woman with Deputy Cain.
Do you remember telling YM about what happened in August?
He said that CM was making it sound like he was standing down looking at a skull.
He was never told to not talk about the August reporting and findings.
Court recessed until 2:45
