What "visuals" might the State use to present evidence to the Jurors?

[Eidetic]

Thank You JWG! You made my day! I believe this will be the final nail in KC's coffin. Given the size of a small 3 year old child's face - I have always maintained the 3 pieces of overlapping duct tape covered her little nose and mouth. This visual will be worth more than 1000 words, IMO. If you have a link JWG - I would be so happy to see it. (not that I am doubting you at all).

Ever since the first time I saw the picture of the gas can. All I could visualize was poor little Caylee's nose.

And then the considerable length of the tape...

 

[wenwe4]

Ever since the first time I saw the picture of the gas can. All I could visualize was poor little Caylee's nose.


And then the considerable length of the tape...

snipped for space.
somewhere I remember seeing the 3 pieces of overlapping tape before they were taken apart and you are so right Eidetic, they were both long and the way they overlapped it appeared there was virtually no space for this baby's little nose.

 

[cloud9]

This is going to sound awful. I can't even believe I'm going to say (type) it. But I think the jurors in this trial are actually a bit lucky. When they are shown the autopsy photos (which is pretty much a given!) they will be seeing bones. No blood & gore like Nicole Brown Simpson & Ronald Goldman, no drowned bodies like Susan Smith's boys...just bones. I think this will lessen the impact of the photos to some extent, but hopefully they got good photos of the remains with the vegetation growing through it to show how long it had been there.

Yes.

BUT! They will also see a photo of Caylee's skull with duct tape.

 

[cloud9]

I found this link of an interview w/Frank Bender - forensic sculptures. The work this man has done is amazing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycvalndZgS8

I agree Eidetic - the 3 pieces of overlapping duct tape on a small child's bust would certainly prove beyond any reasonable doubt that it covered both Caylee's nose and mouth.
(BTW - is your name meant to be cited ie: backwards?)

WOW! And this:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jasNpBb-4Tg[/ame]

 

[FifthEssence]

Agree with many of the suggestions above and I also think the LAST thing the jury should hear following the Prosecution's closing statements, is CAYLEE singing, " You Are My Sunshine "

 

[The World According]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T613YgLw_HE[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PeAjAYDRDU[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPUXPEBeapc[/ame]

 

[cloud9]

I attended The closing arguments for the Avila Trial -Murderer of Samantha Runnion CLICK HERE with some other WS'ers. the prosecutors saved some of the very graphic pictures of Samantha displayed on the hillside for closing arguments. the jurors had never seen these pictures and so the shock value was high. they only showed them to the jury, not the public. Unfortunately, my sister was sitting in such a position that she saw some of them and had to leave the proceedings and could not return to the courtroom.
The prosecutor did a very powerful power point presentation that made it very easy to follow the incriminating evidence.


This right here was overwhelming:
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JBean,
Just TERRIBLE!!! I never knew of this case. Thank you for posting it. I had to testify in a trial of a murdered child. I learned 2 things.
1. The killer looks sooooo normal.
2. There is SO MUCH that isn't known until a trial starts! Then it all comes spilling out.

 

[cloud9]

I believe there will be exhibits in plastic bags.

Caylee's shorts from crime scene
Duct tape
Laundry bag
Bottle/syringe
Winnie the Pooh blanket
Mama Doll

and more...

 

[noonie]

I wonder if the trunk of the car would be a visual? Kinda big to drag into court with it still smelling.
There would be the bags she was found in, the duct tape, or interesting - can someone tell me if they bring in the real thing or just photos of it?

They could take a day trip to where the car is compounded. Hope they do because it probably still reaks!!!!!

 

[Eidetic]

I just found out Frank Bender has been out of work for some time. He, as well as his wife have been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer My sympathies to their family. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id304701292 * The first is the discussion with Mr. Bender.

* credit to our sleutherontheside for providing the link to the podcast

 

[sleutherontheside]

In terms of "visuals"......I think that the decision to use them will come after careful consideration of the jurors seated. Visuals in a case can be a double edged sword. From a prosecutor's perspective....visuals can create, stimulate, or otherwise bolster the opinion that the defendant is worthy of punishment and make them less sympathetic in the jurors eyes. From a defense position......jurors may not be as horrified as one would expect them to be. AL discusses this specific issue in one of her lectures. She makes very specific and measured comments in advance in order to desensitize the jury to images. She apologizes to them for having to expose them to such horrible images, she tells them they will be possibly nauseated, she admits that they will be hard to face, but prepares them that they may have to witness them and to just be prepared. She does this for a very specific reason. She already knows what images are going to be shown. She is setting the jury up for nauseating when a photo will likely just be considered offensive. She wants that jury to think to themselves.....well that's not as bad as I expected it to be. That opinion is expected to soften the blow and hopefully the rest of the testimony etc.....will be then considered from that same perspective.

 

[JBean]

JBean,
Just TERRIBLE!!! I never knew of this case. Thank you for posting it. I had to testify in a trial of a murdered child. I learned 2 things.
1. The killer looks sooooo normal.
2. There is SO MUCH that isn't known until a trial starts! Then it all comes spilling out.

Hats off to you for being able to testify in a murder trial, I am sure that was not easy. I agree with both of your points.

We saw some very powerful things come out during the trial and in this case these particular pictures did not come out UNTIL closing arguments. the shock value was thru the roof.

I just noticed that my sister posted in the Avila thread that this case caused the Amber Alert program to be put into use in the State of California.

>>Carona said that after Samantha's death, the Amber Alert system was put into place to help find abducted children. Since that time, the system has resulted in 47 safe returns from as many abductions in California and about 195 out of as many across the country.
"One little girl (Samantha) gave her life to make that happen," Carona said.<<

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/article_0b7668e1-2e73-5ef4-9a5d-43f4665b2136.html

Bless these poor babies.

 

[Bobbisangel]

I bet the jurors get a shop visit to smell that trunk!! JB will fight it, but I think they'll see the car in person.

Does LE still have the car?

 

[Bobbisangel]

They could also have Frank Bender sculpt a bust using the dimensions of Caylee's skull with the exact placement of the duct tape in her hair and all.

I really hope they do something like that. It is better to see then to just be told or to see a pic of the skull with the tape.

I remember watching a trial on Court TV and the woman had tied her husband to the bed and the Pros brought the actual bed into the courtroom and had ties on the four bedposts and then showed how the wife had straddled the husband and killed him. The bed was big too.

I hope at some point the Pros has the video of Caylee singing "you are my sunshine." That is a heart breaker. Maybe at the end of the trial.

 

[wenwe4]

I wonder if DC's video of him slashing trash bags and copies of his phone records will be on display for those jurors. Video and pics of the 3 pavers that someone supposedly directed him to. Pics of KC dancing, drinking, stealing money and all other behaviors of this so called "overwrought Mom of a missing child" would be as powerful to the jurors as they have been to us, especially to drive home the "ugly coping" defense.