Role Play- Prosecution Opening-Closing Statements Case Strategy

[marspiter]

After JB speaks:

Objection your honor. Counsel’s entire opening statement is argumentative with the exceptions of Ladies and Gentelmen, and Thank You.

 

[TotallyObsessed]

This is a FANTASTIC idea for a thread......love reading all of the statements.

 

[TinaD]

I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out reading your opening statements.

 

[JBean]

here is a closing statement idea worth a read. Just replace the name Conner with Caylee.

[ame="http://websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=460642&postcount=257"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

 

[HOTNTX]

Opening Statement: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You."

Closing Statement: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You."

Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You":tsktsk:

 

[sleutherontheside]

Opening Statement: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You."

Closing Statement: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You."

Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You":tsktsk:

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

 

[impatientredhead]

Open with photo of Casey taken after death of Caylee.

Ask jurors to look at this photo and think about what they see;

I can tell you what Casey Anthony wanted people to see when they looked at her;

Her friends and family describe her as beautiful, glowing, having a stunning smile.
They say she is smart, friendly, and outgoing.
A loving and devoted single mother.
Surrounded by a supportive family
Employed as an Events Coordinator
Pursuing her college education while Caylee is with her nanny.
So many options available to her.
The world is her oyster.

Their lives are literally in her hands.
And that is where Caylee’s life comes to an end.
Literally in the hands of her mother.

The picture I just painted for you is like the rest of Casey’s life, all lies.
The state will show that the photo you are looking at are taken mere days after Casey Anthony killed her child, wrapping her lifeless body in plastic bags. The state will show that Casey Anthony loaded her dead child into the trunk of her car until she could unceremoniously dump Caylee’s body in a garbage strewn lot for time and nature to destroy. That lot is where little Caylee remained, until her skull, the duct tape that covered little Caylee’s mouth and nose, still embedded in her hair, would be discovered six months later.

But this loving and devoted mother spent the following 31 days, not grieving the loss of child. No, not Casey. She rented movies, went on dates, hung out with friends, ordered pizza, promoted clubs, danced on bars, got tattoos and talked about her future.

As you take moment to think about Casey was doing on these summer days, let me tell you what she was not doing. She was not reporting her child missing, injured or dead. She was not asking her friends for help. She was not inconsolable, noticeably stressed or depressed. She was not telling her parents, friends, and lover the truth when she said Caylee was with her nanny.

There was no job.
There was no college enrollment.
There was no nanny.
No 911 call.
No missing child report.

Casey’s newly found freedom, which she was so enjoying, came to an abrupt end on July 15th. On that day, Caylee’s grandparents retrieved Casey Anthony’s Pontiac Sunbird from the impound lot on which it had sat for two weeks. You will hear George Anthony describe his fear when opened that car door. You will hear George Anthony describe how he said a prayer before opening the trunk of that car that his precious granddaughter was not in there. You will hear the 911 call where Caylee Anthony is finally reported missing by her frantic grandmother, 31 days after she was last seen alive. You will hear Cindy Anthony describe the smell emanating from Casey Anthony’s as being “like a dead body has been in the damn thing”.

And when officers respondeed to Cindy’s frantic plea for help, Casey only had lies for them too. Those officers will describe for you how Casey Anthony took them to the steps of the apartment she claims she handed her toddler daughter to a nanny no one in Casey’s life has ever met or spoken to. They will show that no one had lived in that apartment for six months. They will show the fake phone numbers Casey provided as her means of communication with this nanny. They will describe Casey boldly walking them down the hallway to lead them to an office she doesn’t work in.

You are going to meet the real Casey Anthony. Not the mask she hides behind. Not the charade of a loving mother she put on for those around. You are going to get to know the Casey Anthony who heartlessly and callously caused the death of her own child. Who threw her child away like unwanted trash.

No job.
No college enrollment.
No nanny.
No 911 call.

No Caylee Marie Anthony.

At the end of this trial the State of Florida believes you will all agree beyond a reasonable doubt that Caylee Anthony died a horrible death at the hands of her own mother. That is the unavoidable,undeniable truth about Casey Anthony.

 

[Harmony 2]

Open with photo of Casey taken after death of Caylee.

Ask jurors to look at this photo and think about what they see;

I can tell you what Casey Anthony wanted people to see when they looked at her;

Her friends and family describe her as beautiful, glowing, having a stunning smile.
They say she is smart, friendly, and outgoing.
A loving and devoted single mother.
Surrounded by a supportive family
Employed as an Events Coordinator
Pursuing her college education while Caylee is with her nanny.
So many options available to her.
The world is her oyster.

Their lives are literally in her hands.
And that is where Caylee’s life comes to an end.
Literally in the hands of her mother.

The picture I just painted for you is like the rest of Casey’s life, all lies.
The state will show that the photo you are looking at are taken mere days after Casey Anthony killed her child, wrapping her lifeless body in plastic bags. The state will show that Casey Anthony loaded her dead child into the trunk of her car until she could unceremoniously dump Caylee’s body in a garbage strewn lot for time and nature to destroy. That lot is where little Caylee remained, until her skull, the duct tape that covered little Caylee’s mouth and nose, still embedded in her hair, would be discovered six months later.

But this loving and devoted mother spent the following 31 days, not grieving the loss of child. No, not Casey. She rented movies, went on dates, hung out with friends, ordered pizza, promoted clubs, danced on bars, got tattoos and talked about her future.

As you take moment to think about Casey was doing on these summer days, let me tell you what she was not doing. She was not reporting her child missing, injured or dead. She was not asking her friends for help. She was not inconsolable, noticeably stressed or depressed. She was not telling her parents, friends, and lover the truth when she said Caylee was with her nanny.

There was no job.
There was no college enrollment.
There was no nanny.
No 911 call.
No missing child report.

Casey’s newly found freedom, which she was so enjoying, came to an abrupt end on July 15th. On that day, Caylee’s grandparents retrieved Casey Anthony’s Pontiac Sunbird from the impound lot on which it had sat for two weeks. You will hear George Anthony describe his fear when opened that car door. You will hear George Anthony describe how he said a prayer before opening the trunk of that car that his precious granddaughter was not in there. You will hear the 911 call where Caylee Anthony is finally reported missing by her frantic grandmother, 31 days after she was last seen alive. You will hear Cindy Anthony describe the smell emanating from Casey Anthony’s as being “like a dead body has been in the damn thing”.

And when officers respondeed to Cindy’s frantic plea for help, Casey only had lies for them too. Those officers will describe for you how Casey Anthony took them to the steps of the apartment she claims she handed her toddler daughter to a nanny no one in Casey’s life has ever met or spoken to. They will show that no one had lived in that apartment for six months. They will show the fake phone numbers Casey provided as her means of communication with this nanny. They will describe Casey boldly walking them down the hallway to lead them to an office she doesn’t work in.

You are going to meet the real Casey Anthony. Not the mask she hides behind. Not the charade of a loving mother she put on for those around. You are going to get to know the Casey Anthony who heartlessly and callously caused the death of her own child. Who threw her child away like unwanted trash.

No job.
No college enrollment.
No nanny.
No 911 call.

No Caylee Marie Anthony.

At the end of this trial the State of Florida believes you will all agree beyond a reasonable doubt that Caylee Anthony died a horrible death at the hands of her own mother. That is the unavoidable,undeniable truth about Casey Anthony.

WOW...... just WOW!!!!!

 

[RR0004]

I just realized that I will need to take off opening day. If what you guys posted is any indication of what to expect it will definitely be "must see tv". You guys are great! Incredibly powerful...incredibly moving.

 

[Firefly]

Opening Statement: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You."

Closing Statement: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You."

Death Penalty Sentencing Phase: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury -- 31 days! Thank You":tsktsk:

Enumerating each of the 31 days briefly for Caylee and Casey.

Day 1 Caylee Marie Anthony murdered
Day 1 Casey Anthony renting videos, not missing her daughter

Day 2 Caylee Marie Anthony decomposing
Day 2 Casey Anthony......, not missing her daughter

Day 3 Caylee Marie Anthony decomposing
Day 3 Casey Anthony....., not missing her daughter

Etcetera.....

Day 32 Caylee Marie Anthony decomposing.
Day 32 Casey Anthony text to her friends asking for help in locating
missing Caylee and finally missing her daughter.

Any way that the Prosecution can make Caylee real and alive in that courtroom would no doubt will have effects on Casey. If they can give her a voice to her own tradgedy, it will tug at the jurors hearstrings and again torture Casey to be in her "presence" without any recourse to control the evidence and how Caylee's life will more than fill that room. We have seen it already and embodied by her words to "make them stop." This
Narcissist will have NO control over the situation and the emotion that will spill from her AGAINST Caylee will find its way out again and play against her.....because that is the only truth Casey has lived by.

 

[Marina2]

...when Caylee's beautiful life ended, her mother's began. la bella vita

 

[jon_burrows]

WOW...... just WOW!!!!!

Open with photo of Casey taken after death of Caylee.

Ask jurors to look at this photo and think about what they see;

I can tell you what Casey Anthony wanted people to see when they looked at her;

Her friends and family describe her as beautiful, glowing, having a stunning smile.
They say she is smart, friendly, and outgoing.
A loving and devoted single mother.
Surrounded by a supportive family
Employed as an Events Coordinator
Pursuing her college education while Caylee is with her nanny.
So many options available to her.
The world is her oyster.

Their lives are literally in her hands.
And that is where Caylee’s life comes to an end.
Literally in the hands of her mother.

The picture I just painted for you is like the rest of Casey’s life, all lies.
The state will show that the photo you are looking at are taken mere days after Casey Anthony killed her child, wrapping her lifeless body in plastic bags. The state will show that Casey Anthony loaded her dead child into the trunk of her car until she could unceremoniously dump Caylee’s body in a garbage strewn lot for time and nature to destroy. That lot is where little Caylee remained, until her skull, the duct tape that covered little Caylee’s mouth and nose, still embedded in her hair, would be discovered six months later.

But this loving and devoted mother spent the following 31 days, not grieving the loss of child. No, not Casey. She rented movies, went on dates, hung out with friends, ordered pizza, promoted clubs, danced on bars, got tattoos and talked about her future.

As you take moment to think about Casey was doing on these summer days, let me tell you what she was not doing. She was not reporting her child missing, injured or dead. She was not asking her friends for help. She was not inconsolable, noticeably stressed or depressed. She was not telling her parents, friends, and lover the truth when she said Caylee was with her nanny.

There was no job.
There was no college enrollment.
There was no nanny.
No 911 call.
No missing child report.

Casey’s newly found freedom, which she was so enjoying, came to an abrupt end on July 15th. On that day, Caylee’s grandparents retrieved Casey Anthony’s Pontiac Sunbird from the impound lot on which it had sat for two weeks. You will hear George Anthony describe his fear when opened that car door. You will hear George Anthony describe how he said a prayer before opening the trunk of that car that his precious granddaughter was not in there. You will hear the 911 call where Caylee Anthony is finally reported missing by her frantic grandmother, 31 days after she was last seen alive. You will hear Cindy Anthony describe the smell emanating from Casey Anthony’s as being “like a dead body has been in the damn thing”.

And when officers respondeed to Cindy’s frantic plea for help, Casey only had lies for them too. Those officers will describe for you how Casey Anthony took them to the steps of the apartment she claims she handed her toddler daughter to a nanny no one in Casey’s life has ever met or spoken to. They will show that no one had lived in that apartment for six months. They will show the fake phone numbers Casey provided as her means of communication with this nanny. They will describe Casey boldly walking them down the hallway to lead them to an office she doesn’t work in.

You are going to meet the real Casey Anthony. Not the mask she hides behind. Not the charade of a loving mother she put on for those around. You are going to get to know the Casey Anthony who heartlessly and callously caused the death of her own child. Who threw her child away like unwanted trash.

No job.
No college enrollment.
No nanny.
No 911 call.

No Caylee Marie Anthony.

At the end of this trial the State of Florida believes you will all agree beyond a reasonable doubt that Caylee Anthony died a horrible death at the hands of her own mother. That is the unavoidable,undeniable truth about Casey Anthony.

Wow is right! I would add a few sentences about her stealing spree and what she bought (beer, lingerie, clothes, sunglasses, etc). Also, dodging Cindy's pleas to see or speak to Caylee.

 

[impatientredhead]

I don't think they can introduce the theft before the penalty phase.
At this point she is not convicted, and if she is convicted prior you can't usually bring prior convictions in prior to the penalty phase. That is why I skipped that issue.

I started to intro what Cindy would be able to tell them but she is such a loose cannon I thought I would stick to the tape. Who knows what she is going to say!

 

[jon_burrows]

I don't think they can introduce the theft before the penalty phase.
At this point she is not convicted, and if she is convicted prior you can't usually bring prior convictions in prior to the penalty phase. That is why I skipped that issue.

I started to intro what Cindy would be able to tell them but she is such a loose cannon I thought I would stick to the tape. Who knows what she is going to say!

I was hoping they could introduce the theft because Casey told detectives she would lie and steal to find her daughter. Casey tied her lying and stealing with looking for Caylee during the 31 days. Hopefully the prosecutors can say she lied and stole plenty but it had nothing to do with finding Caylee. I think it was a big mistake on Casey's part to blame her lying and stealing on finding Caylee. One can hope anyway. Or maybe they can simply state what she was buying at Target while Caylee was missing. The beer, lingerie, clothes, etc sends a message she was carefree and happy, not distraught over a missing child.

On second thought, I think you're right...it's best to leave Cindy out as much as possible.

 

[impatientredhead]

They have Cindy on tape and in writing on myspace to show the tension at home.
And there are the yet unreleased text messaging that went on during that time between Cindy and Casey. They can come at it a couple of ways, including putting her on the stand. But there is that old saying not to ask a question in court that you don't already know the answer to and anything subjective with Cindy there is no telling what she is going to say.

 

[Leila]

I want to play too................

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury. On July 15, 2008 the world learned that Caylee Marie Anthony, age 2 1/2 was missing. Not only was she missing, but had been missing for 31 days, and in that 31 days, her mother had not reported her disappearance to the authorities, nor to anyone else. Her mother, Casey Anthony, contends that during those 31 days she was looking for her missing daughter.

We will show you pictures of what Casey was really doing during those 31 days. There's pictures of her dancing at a nightclub; partying with friends at a club; shopping at Target and paying for the beer, food, and clothing she bought with a check she stole from her friend, Amy; and a picture of her at a bank, cashing another check she stole from her friend, Amy.

You'll hear testimony from those friends who were with Casey Anthony during those 31 days, and each and every one of them will tell you that when they asked Casey where Caylee was, she'd tell them that Caylee was with "the nanny" or with her mother. You'll hear testimony from Casey's friends telling you that during those 31 days, Casey was care-free and living it up with her friends. She even went to a tattoo parlor and got a tattoo "Bella Vita", which means "beautiful life." The prosecution contends that these are not the actions of a mother who's frantically searching for her missing child.

When Caylee Marie Anthony was reported missing on July 15, 2008, it was her grandmother, Cindy Anthony, who reported the child missing. During the immediate investigation, Casey Anthony stated that she had left Caylee with the nanny, Zenaida Fernandez Gonzolez, on July 16, 2008, and took police officers to the apartment where she said the nanny lived and where she had left Caylee. It was learned that the apartment that Casey pointed out had been vacant for 5 months, and no one by the name of the Zenaida Fernandez Gonzolez had ever lived there. Subsequent investigation proved that no one by the name Zenaida Fernandez Gonzoles, fitting the description given by Casey Anthony, exists.

Casey Anthony took police officers to her place of work and stated she had co-workers there who could verify the existence of Zenaida Fernandez Gonzolez. Police officers learned that Casey Anthony hadn't worked at that place of employment for more than 2 years, and the co-workers she spoke of, didn't exist.

On December 11, 2008, the remains of Caylee Marie Anthony were found, in the woods around the corner from the Anthony home, and within walking distance from the Anthony home. All the items found with the remains, clothing, a Winnie-the-Pooh blanket, a laundry bag, and even the trash bags Caylee was placed in, came from the Anthony home.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the prosecution contends that Caylee Marie Anthony was not kidnapped by a nanny who doesn' exist. Caylee Marie Anthony was murdered by her mother, Casey Anthony, who then tried to cover up her crime with a phony kidnapping story.

 

[autumnlover]

I've been dreaming about this moment! You all have great ideas so I hope you don't mind that I'm incorporating some of them with mine.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, let me introduce you to Caylee Marie Anthony (show video of Caylee singing "You Are My Sunshine"). It was the last time she would ever sing that song:

(Slide show in background with pictures of Caylee). Caylee was everyone's sunshine. She was an adorable, smart, loving, beautiful child with her whole life ahead of her. Yes, she was everyone's sunshine - everyone, that is, except her mother's. Casey Anthony became pregnant at 18 and had a baby at 19. A baby she didn't want. You will hear evidence from Casey's friend Kiomarie Cruz that Casey wanted to give Caylee up for adoption but her mother, Cindy, wouldn't let her. You will hear and see evidence that proves that Caylee didn't fit into her mother's hard-partying life style. You will also hear evidence that proves that her boyfriend, Anthony Lazzaro didn't want female children. Anthony Rusiciano, another former boyfriend of Casey's will testify that Casey referred to Caylee as "the little snot-head." Ladies and gentlemen, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Casey Anthony murdered her daughter and was planning it for months beforehand.

(Stop slides) The last time anybody saw Caylee Anthony was on June 16, 2008 and she was in the company of her mother, Casey. From that point on, she was never seen or heard from again. We will show that Casey disappeared for over a month and lied about her whereabouts to her family. For 31 days her parents demanded that she allow them to speak to Caylee and she refused. You will hear testimony from Amy Huizenga that a desperate Cindy Anthony called her and begged her to take her to Casey. Tony Lazzaro will testify that Cindy and Amy showed up at his house and that Cindy demanded that Casey come with her and take her to Caylee.
Mr. Lazzaro will also testify that during the preceding 31 days Casey stayed with him and Caylee was nowhere in sight. When he asked about her Casey told him she was "with the nanny."

And that brings us to the nanny. You will hear a wild story about a nanny named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez who supposedly kidnapped Caylee. You will hear veteran police officers testify that this person doesn't exist. Evidence will show that Casey searched on her computer for an episode from the TV program "One Tree Hill" that was about a nanny who kidnapped a child. You will also hear that Casey lied about her employment and took the police on a wild-goose chase to a job she never had.

You will hear testimony about computer searches that Casey did on how to make chloroform and neck-breaking months before Caylee was murdered. You will hear testimony from the world's leading forensic scientists that there was a large concentration of chloroform found in Casey's car trunk, as well as maggots and death wax. The Anthonys, as well as several police officers will testify that the odor of a decomposing body permeated throughout Casey's car.

Ladies and gentlemen, the body of Caylee Marie Anthony was found in the woods less than a mile from her home on December 11, 2008. Several pieces of duct tape covered her mouth and nose, tightly enough to hold her jaw shut. Dr. Jan Garavaglia, Medical Examiner will testify that the manner of death was homicide.

The State will prove that during the unbearable, oppressive Florida heat in June, Caylee's little body was decomposing in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car. What was Casey doing during that time? You will hear testimony and see evidence that Casey was partying, shopping, renting movies and getting a tattoo that says "The Beautiful Life" in Italian.

The defense will try every trick in the book to try to deflect attention from their client but it won't work. We will prove that Casey Anthony murdered Caylee Anthony in cold blood on June 16, 2008. (Show slide of Casey in blue dress at Fusian) Ladies and gentlemen, this picture was taken on June 18th, 2008, two short days after the last time Caylee was seen alive. I ask you, does this look like a grieving mother to you?

The State will prove that Casey did not tell anyone Caylee was missing until pressed by her own mother Cindy, which was 31 days later. She led the life of a single 22-year-old who never had a child. Yes, Casey Anthony was planning to murder her daughter for months and we will prove that she did just that on June 16, 2008. The evidence will show that Casey Anthony is an accomplished liar and promiscuous party-girl. It will also show that she's a cold, calculating, sociopathic murderess who won't let anything get in her way. (Slides of Caylee) Caylee's life was ended by the one person she trusted most in this world - her mother. Caylee deserves justice so she can finally rest in peace. Let's make sure, together, that we get justice for Caylee.

 

[Turnadot]

Ashcroft: *shows pic of KC in hooker boots* 31 days.

But seriously, I doubt there will even be a trial because I think Baez will plea at the eleventh hour.

 

[littlemisslegal]

the photos video of caylee asking pappa are you tired, the song playing gone too soon, the music of kyle thomas the singer at memorial who brought chills thru me everytime i hear his incredible voice, the you are my sunshine song along with photos as state attorney starts to talk after all the photos and songs are played. some nice pics of casey with caylee as loving mom \ then slides of casey partying, . thru all this the state attorney says not one thing asks for complete silence - then they begin---31 days of broken hearts for those who noticed she was missing and wondered why?31 days of a child being dead or alive? then they start the real tear jerkers words.
kyle thomas sang this -incredible!![ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQijZ0OpaU[/ame] click on the words you tube

 

[nitasch]

When the defense complained about discovery not being turned over to them on Monday, and the acknowledgment by the SA that 10% could be looming out there, I think all of us information starved individuals got a bit excited.

Having said that, I remember anticipating major bombshells in the past, and being disappointed.

So what if we have already seen the majority of the SA's evidence....what if what we know now, is all they really have?

Let's just say that is the case, we know all we are going to know...YOU ARE APPOINTED AS THE LEAD ATTORNEY for the State..... answer the following questions; ***please base your answers on the FACTS that we KNOW, not presumptions of possible evidence still looming**

1. What is the most important evidence that you are going to build your case strategy on?

2. Who are your three most important witnesses (not including expert/technical/forensic)?

3. From which fields do your 3 most important expert witnesses come from?

4. What is your opening statement?

5. Do you, as the prosecuting attorney, anticipate your case is strong enough to prove 1st degree murder?