Evidence of Heart Shaped Sticker on Duct Tape Destroyed

[Valhall]

Wait...Amy told LE Casey didn't have any duct tape, but in her Facebook message to Casey she accused Casey of stealing duct tape? Huh????

She did? Could you please point me to that?

 

[impatientredhead]

While I fully believe she will be convicted without any evidence about the heart or introduction by the prosecution of its possible existence, the question will be whether JB intros it himself.

In a case that is very heavily weighted in forensics it is very unfortunate that they have handed to the defense the ability to say in front of the jury that evidence was not handled properly, documentation not taken, and that human errors happen in the lab.

It most likely will not matter but it gives that initial foothold in the "if you believe the lab" and the "no other explantion for Caylee's death was ever explored by LE".

On a side note I found the most interesting thing in the report being that the lab tech describes the sticker as being at the end of the tape. It has always been explained or interpreted that the heart was over the mouth, like a kiss almost, but it seems awkward to me that the end of the tape was over her mouth? If applied in strips that don't go all the way around the head, but anchor in the hair the ends definitely wouldn't be over the mouth. And if wrapped all the way around the head, it still seems like an awkward end point? Just thinking outloud.

The fact that the backing to the sticker and no matching stickers were found in the house makes me wonder if the defense would have suggested the sticker was already on the roll? Like to mark the end of the tape or because if you live with toddlers in a sticker-fetish phase you will be amazed at the places stickers show up around your house?

Guess we will never know how they would have defended it now.....

 

[wenwe4]

I also noticed the comment about the sticker residue being at/near the end of the tape. I thought it strange as well - wondering where it said "3 pieces" of duct tape - I don't remember reading that part. If in fact there were 3 pieces overlapping onto each other then I suppose there could be sticker residue at the end of one of the pieces of tape that did in fact lay over the mouth.

 

[CBTampa]

With or without the evidence of the heart sticker, it doesn't matter. I think that Roy Kronk is KC and the defense team's worse nightmare. For the defense to claim for that poor baby's remains were put there while KC was in jail is insane. They will never be able to convince reasonable intelligent people on the jury otherwise. I just wish Cain would have done his job and this wouldn't even be an issue. IMO

 

[Sdavidson11]

Baez and Co. will use the destruction of the residue in 2 ways as their arguments evolve.
1. The state is trying to prove that my client is guilty by claiming there was residue and we only have their word that it was there, which is questionable-since no pictures were taken.
2. The state has done shoddy work in processsing this - therefore the results of any work done by the examiners for the state should questioned!

They will argue everything from lab conditions to chain of custody! It will be like the OJ trial all over again!:banghead:
I feel for all those involved-including LE, TES and their volunteer searchers, those working for the state in the processing of the horrific evidence that was discovered to KC's friends and acquaintances-for they will all have their testimony challenged on the stand. But, mostly I feel sorry for Caylee and the fact that she was born to such a monster-a true wolf in sheeps clothing!:furious:

From this post and a poster that stated out of the 2000 pages they have had and this is all they can some up with, I hope Justice for our Caylee will prevail. From the Tracy audio of KC being confident of a mistrial it will take more than no photograph of sticker residue to cause a mistrial. LE had so much working against them in the processing of the case against KC. With the perp not cooperating, the grandparents stating mis-truths and not cooperating but criticizing everything LE did. Admittedly, there were mistakes made but Justice for Caylee is what LE and the SA office is working toward. It is my hope that in the end there will be justice and the heart shaped sticker will just be a memory of the hideous crime committed against Caylee.

 

[RR0004]

I think it is a bit of a problem. Any time mistakes can be documented on the prosecution side it opens the door. But it works both ways.

So, while this is not a deal breaker, it is a blunder and I think there was a motion to preserve wasn;'t there?

I'm not sure if there was anything left to the trunk hair either, but it was the goal of the medical examiner to establish identity and whether it was from an alive or dead person. IIRC the defense wasn't happy about that either. I suppose in a perfect world it would be great to have "enough" to test and retest...but the body had yet to be identified and I would think lifting fingerprints would be much more valuable then "sticker residue". Who's claiming that they intend on using that to connect Casey to the crime? JMO

 

[Balthazar]

Since no one at the FBI took a picture of the shape on the duct tape or even drew it out, how can we know if anything from the Anthony house matched that shape? I think it is quite likely that the sticker used on the duct tape was the one that matched the empty sticker backing that was carefully cut out with scalloped-edged scissors and placed on the top of a shoebox full of Caylee memorabilia in Casey's closet. This sticker backing was found during the search of the A. house. Kind of odd to keep a sticker backing in such a special way...unless you used the sticker in a way that was (1) also very special but (2) used on something you would never see again.

Actually, I have friends who craft and scrapbook and they are very thrifty with their supplies and they will do stuff like that so that they can use the outline of the sticker plus the part they cut out with special scissors as a picture frame in their scrapbooks or crafts. The sticker backing in the photo was big enough for a small photo and I suspect that's why the backing had been cut out in that way with the scalloped edge scissors. As to what became of the sticker - I have no idea - but that's why I think the backing was cut that way.

 

[Balthazar]

I found this LE supplemental report in which Amy says she can't recall Casey having any "packing supplies" (i.e. duct tape). So, they did ask about the tape. The reference is on hand-numbered page 3380.

Since Amy cooperated fully with LE, I believe she would have told them if she had heart-shaped stickers of any type. After all, she was already pressing charges for the theft of her checks. Why would she withhold vital information about a sticker that LE was so seriously interested in?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Princess Rose [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4212655#post4212655"]

[/ame]
Wait...Amy told LE Casey didn't have any duct tape, but in her Facebook message to Casey she accused Casey of stealing duct tape? Huh????

She did? Could you please point me to that? Today 03:06 AM

Valhall: This is the post I was responding to from NYVictoria.

 

[snow_walker]

Oh bother the sticker and bother the duct tape too!
If the defense can explain the whole scenerio of the invisible nanny to me, in any way at all that makes sense, I would throw my vote over to them, but until that unlikely occassion, it is obvious who killed that baby.

You can count on it there will be other problems with the forensic evidence.. bound to be, so many things that can happen to it. BUT the main points will be proved without a doubt.. the decomp in the car, the body just down the street from home, the lack of any other believable explanation from the defendant.. if all of that and a whole lot more doesn't warrent a conviction, there is something sadly amiss with the whole justice system.

 

[notthatsmart]

Several trained eyes saw the duct tape, but only one saw the residue shaped like a heart. She should have never made that claim without a photo. The heart sticker evidence is very important. The press has used it for months. The fact that there is so much talk about it, proves there will be doubt in the mind of the jury. I questioned this whole heart sticker thing from the start. This case looks more like an abduction case.

 

[faefrost]

Stupid question, but was there some reference to the heart shaped residue in the coroners report from Dr. G? And if so is there a possibility that a photo of it exists as part of the sealed autopsy photos?

 

[Just Jayla]

I wonder if the examiner that claimed to have seen the residue already knew there were hearts stickers all over KC's room-I don't know when they saw what evidence-

If she (the examiner) did not know of KC's sticker collection, then it would be odd for her to make this up. Or very coincidental that she would say "heart shaped" and KC owns heart stickers.


Of course, there have been more bizarre coincidences in this case......

 

[Spangle]

Several trained eyes saw the duct tape, but only one saw the residue shaped like a heart. She should have never made that claim without a photo. The heart sticker evidence is very important. The press has used it for months. The fact that there is so much talk about it, proves there will be doubt in the mind of the jury. I questioned this whole heart sticker thing from the start. This case looks more like an abduction case.

Welcome to WS!

I would like to hear more on how this is looking more like an abduction case. I haven't seen or heard anything, except for the claim that ZFG took her. Which has totally been disproven at this point. What am I missing?? Thanks.

 

[snow_walker]

I was all set at one time, early on, to try to work out a case for someone (to be honest I was suspecting that girl who wanted to adopt Caylee before she was born) to have abducted little Caylee.
It just didn't work for me, no matter how I tried to turn things around and make them fit they didn't. No part of the nanny story worked in any way, although I thought at first maybe KC was simply substituting one name and address for another, where the actual abduction may have occurred. BUT how to explain the 31 days? the 'worried' mother out renting videos and partying? Worst of all was the smell in the car, just how to account for that?
Then there was the body in the swamp down the street from the house, a murdered child.. would a normal young woman who wanted a child have killed them, especially in that awful way? Why would they use duct tape?
Every single thing lead me right back to her own mother.. no where else.

I would love to come up with some amazing new theory, but I can't. I would certainly be interested in reading anyone elses theory relative to the case though, and would do so with an open mind and real interest.

 

[Valhall]

Several trained eyes saw the duct tape, but only one saw the residue shaped like a heart. She should have never made that claim without a photo. The heart sticker evidence is very important. The press has used it for months. The fact that there is so much talk about it, proves there will be doubt in the mind of the jury. I questioned this whole heart sticker thing from the start. This case looks more like an abduction case.

I don't think importance of evidence is based on how much the media talks about it. I also don't think the heart residue (whether it existed or not) is important. I also don't think it looks like an abduction case - unless the abductor forced KC to party like it was 1999, boink everything that looked at her, tell everyone her daughter was living the life of the Little Princess - all while her daughter's dead body rotted in her trunk.

 

[Tulessa]

Several trained eyes saw the duct tape, but only one saw the residue shaped like a heart. She should have never made that claim without a photo. The heart sticker evidence is very important. The press has used it for months. The fact that there is so much talk about it, proves there will be doubt in the mind of the jury. I questioned this whole heart sticker thing from the start. This case looks more like an abduction case.

Huh? I'm not sure I'm following you correctly. The only abduction that we can fathom is the Nanny story, which we all know by now that she doesn't even exists.:detective:

 

[faefrost]

The more I think on this, the more I don't see this as a huge piece of evidence to lose. Granted it is sensationalist and compelling. But it doesn't eliminate the basics of the case. The duct tape wrapped around the childs face is still in play. The tape connected back to the A's, along with other household items is still in play. The odors and such in KC's abandonned car is still in play. The 31 days before reporting the child missing is still in lay. The obvious lies and fake stories KC was telling LE is still in play, etc etc.

The only danger here is that a jury takes one example of a minor piece of evidence destroyed in the process of normal testing and attempts to use it to undermine an entire case, ala the OJ trial. Honestly I think Juries and the populace as a whole is alot more savy since then. And I think Florida juries are alot less subject to get caught up in sound bites and catch phrases then the hollywood folks.

 

[ZsaZsa]

I was all set at one time, early on, to try to work out a case for someone (to be honest I was suspecting that girl who wanted to adopt Caylee before she was born) to have abducted little Caylee.
It just didn't work for me, no matter how I tried to turn things around and make them fit they didn't. No part of the nanny story worked in any way, although I thought at first maybe KC was simply substituting one name and address for another, where the actual abduction may have occurred. BUT how to explain the 31 days? the 'worried' mother out renting videos and partying? Worst of all was the smell in the car, just how to account for that?
Then there was the body in the swamp down the street from the house, a murdered child.. would a normal young woman who wanted a child have killed them, especially in that awful way? Why would they use duct tape?
Every single thing lead me right back to her own mother.. no where else.

I would love to come up with some amazing new theory, but I can't. I would certainly be interested in reading anyone elses theory relative to the case though, and would do so with an open mind and real interest.

I think a lot of people were prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt.
For myself, the moment we saw her walking out from the Police Station with the blue hoodie on, smirking all over her face at the cameras, obviousIy enjoying it -I had a gut feeling and that has never changed.

 

[ZsaZsa]

Several trained eyes saw the duct tape, but only one saw the residue shaped like a heart. She should have never made that claim without a photo. The heart sticker evidence is very important. The press has used it for months. The fact that there is so much talk about it, proves there will be doubt in the mind of the jury. I questioned this whole heart sticker thing from the start. This case looks more like an abduction case.

What looks like an abduction about this case? You must have a vivid imagination...
How many families of abduction victims have you heard of that didn't bother to contact Police, that went straight out partying and stayed that way for 31 DAYS- that avoided other family members looking for her- that dumped all trace of the child and the car she was in - that gave differing versions of what happened to her closest relatives- that lied to Police about every thing while they were trying to find her? I could go on....

 

[LambChop]

The heart-shaped sticker did not cause the death of Caylee. Everyone knows that. It is not direct evidence that points to KC killing her daughter. Where it would be important is in the sentencing stage of the trial. At that point they could use statements from those who saw the outline of the sticker on the tape if the SA wants to make that point. I agree with those who feel it was far more important to see if fingerprints were on that tape. The fact that they did not take a picture of the tape is regretable but not a major stumbling block. Testing sometimes destroys evidence and that is common knowledge. If JB chooses to continue make an issue out of this event, it will be like shooting himself in the foot.