Ok, here are some observations and questions that I have. (Advanced warning: this post turned in to a novel.)
Observations/thoughts:
The dead squirrel story
I think it's interesting and perhaps telling that Casey's (virtually certainly fabricated) explanation about the smell in the car had to do with animal decomposition. She didn't have to give an explanation that had to do with dead anything; she could have said garbage or skunk spray or old food or even rotting leaves or vegetation caught under the hood or under the car. (Or she could have said she had no idea! This would have been much better for implying that SODDI.) She's probably thinking that she needs to come up with something that seems like a good approximation of what she knows the origin of the smell is, so that it's believable. So the fact that she explains the smell with something that intuitively seems similar to the smell of human decomposition tells us a lot.
(Same goes for the "OMG, I hit an animal and it's plastered on my car" SMS.)
Jose laughing
The fact that JB laughs it up about the Manley guy and Juliet L. makes it pretty clear that he thinks that those people or their existence is a load of crap. And that he isn't afraid to have this opinion be on the record. So, the fact that KC's attorney feels this way means that he isn't worried about KC coming off as obviously lying. Maybe that says something about the case they're planning to make.
Lee in denial
To me, Lee generally seems pretty smart and resourceful, and somewhat more level headed than the other family members. Thus, I think that the following snippets are really interesting:
(I bolded the relevant parts)
(p.350)
Lee: ...She was telling me about a new tip that came in, which was a psychic tip or something like that and she said, you know: It's right over here off of Element -- or, excuse me, Hidden Oaks Elementary and Dominic already checked it out. And I was, like: What do you mean, Dominic already checked it out? Well, you know, he went out there and he walked it and, you know, whatever else. And I'm going: Why the hell would you guys be following up on that? That's not Caylee being alive. Like, that one never made sense to me, so I just was, like, that's stupid.
Q Was that whole conversation before the remains of a small child were found there?
A Yes.
Q So definitely before December 11th?
A Yeah. We had it in the kitchen, but I don't remember when. It was -- I was put off from the conversation really because it was, like, why would you even waste your time on that sort of a tip when that's --
Q Looking for a deceased Caylee.
(p 351)
A Exactly. That's not where we -- that's not where we are. Like, that -- it made no sense to me. I was I was -- I think I was probably really pissed.
Q Right.
A I mean, from what I can remember, it was just like, it was so absurd to me....
and
(p. 329-331)
Q From listening to you, would this be a fair statement: That your actions and reasoning from the beginning of this case, July 15th --
A Um-hum.
Q -- to today, all start from the premise and the presumption that your sister did not kill Caylee?
A That is 100 percent correct; yes.
Q Absolutely.
A Yes. Absolutely.
Q Your -- you have not attempted to investigate anything other than facts that would support that conclusion; is that correct?
A Obviously I've -- I've tried to investigate the best I can every part of the case, but I haven't had anything that has led me down that road. Maybe is that an answer?
Q Well, I guess --
A Do you know what I mean?
Q Let me rephrase it better than that.
A Okay.
Q Even your slim belief that you hold that Caylee is still alive --
A Yes.
Q -- is only supported by the presumption that she must be; otherwise, Caylee [sic] would tell us the complete truth.
MR. BAEZ: Casey.
MR. LUKA: You mean Casey,
BY MR. ASHTON:
Q Casey. I'm sorry. I apologize. Isn't that true?
A Right. It doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, and that, along with, you know, that I -- I can't verify it myself, a hunch feeling. I mean, I had that feeling that day. This wasn't a new feeling that I had all of a sudden. I mean, I had the feeling that day. So, I mean, it just -- it was a combination.
So basically, generally, and on the surface, Lee might seem to be gathering information in a reasonable way and operating rationally and in a clear-headed and somewhat organized manner. However, it seems to me that these two above snippets completely undermine what he has determined, researched, and what he believes as a result. He's obviously biased, and has said as much. (Although, the line of questioning in the second snippet wasn't followed with regard to Casey being involved in, say, Caylee's accidental death in KC's presence or something, like drowning or choking, I don't think. So maybe we can't say that Lee denies that KC had anything to so with it?)
Questions that I have:
Myspace deletion
Do we know who deleted the myspace stuff between July 3rd and July 15th? We know that TL and KC had the password. Seems feasible that TL did it once he heard what was going on. Or that KC did after she learned that her family was looking for her and Cayee. I feel like there should be hard evidence out there of this kind of thing, whether on MySpace's servers or on any of the relevant people's computers.
Gas cans & shed break-in
Why didn't KC use the keys in the garage to open the shed when she "borrowed" the gas/gas-cans? Lee says they're there for the family to use. (p. 374) (And maybe CA and GA said the same thing -- I don't remember). Did she maybe want to set up TL as somebody who would break into a shed?
Bat-phone rationale
Lee did not mention a fear that they were being bugged or monitored as part of the rationale for using the bat phones, whereas GA and/or CA definitely did. Was Lee holding this back, or did he just not realize that that's what his parents thought?
Seedy friends
Is there other evidence of Amy and the others' involvement w/ heroin and other drug use, than that Lee claimed that DC claimed he found some info?
Lee Denial
Why doesn't Lee even acknowledge or volunteer that it is possible that there was an honest-to-goodness accident with Caylee, and KC is too embarrassed or scared to be truthful? Even if he thinks she couldn't have harmed Caylee intentionally, why is accidental drowning or even backing over her in the car so hard to imagine? Lee agrees that KC is known to lie to avoid getting in trouble or being judged, so why would this be any different?
Blanchard Park story origin
What's the deal? Given Lee's account, I think there might be some issue with the Blanchard Park story and the inconsistency regarding who heard it first and from whom. I think in the parent depos, the line of questioning implied that the lawyers were trying to establish that KC used the story
after hearing about it as a possible explanation from somebody else. I thought that KC told Lee first, but Lee says that other people heard it from KC before he did. I'll check the inconsistencies thread for that.
Lastly, this is funny:
(p. 281)
[Lee is recounting the Blanchard Park story.]
Q So she's giving you this -- I'm sorry. Go ahead. So you're sitting on a bench. They're sitting on a bench.
A Well, she -- right exactly.
Q And this five-six, five-seven, a hundred pound good-looking girl --
A Um-hum.
Q -- grabs -- holds
A Holds down Casey, five whatever she is, a hundred pounds. Right. Exactly.
Q Holds Casey down and says --
A A couple of good-looking girls holding each other's arms. Yeah. [Laughing].
Thanks for reading, if anyone has gotten this far!
