Citing relevance, the judge in the Casey Anthony trial denied defense lawyer’s request to allow two correction officers who speak glowingly of Anthony’s demeanor while she remains in jail.
While the jury was outside the Orlando courtroom, two corrections officers described Anthony as pleasant and happy, despite the fact that she remains locked up in a 8x6 foot cell and allowed one hour outside during breaks.
Earlier Tuesday, the meter reader who discovered Caylee’s remains near the family’s Orlando home said he inspected the girl’s skull by gently pivoting it. He apologized.
"That was a very horrific thing for me to find, obviously," Roy Kronk, the meter reader, said.
Casey Anthony stands accused of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her toddler daughter, Caylee. She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.
The defense team had suggested that Kronk tampered with the 2-year-old's remains and might have moved them at some point in hopes of claiming a cash reward for the findings. When asked Tuesday if he talked about the $255,000 reward in the case, Kronk said he may have said it “jokingly.”
Kronk discovered the girl's remains in December 2008, almost six months after she was reported missing. No cause of death was ever determined.
Defense attorneys began questioning Kronk on Tuesday about an August 2008 visit to the same area when he thought he saw something "odd" in the woods. Kronk had called authorities three times over the next three days, but they found nothing at the time.
Prosecutors allege Anthony suffocated her daughter by placing duct tape over her nose and mouth, while defense attorneys claim Caylee accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool. The defense team also contends that Anthony and her father, George, covered up the accident -- a theory George Anthony has denied.
On Monday, Casey Anthony's attorneys asked the judge to select a new jury. The attorneys sought the mistrial based on a ruling by a federal judge in Miami last week that declared Florida's death penalty unconstitutional.
The trial judge ruled Anthony competent to proceed with the trial on Monday after her attorneys asked that she get a mental evaluation.
Judge Belvin Perry told the court that all three psychologists found Anthony "competent" to proceed with the trial.
Click here for complete coverage on the Casey Anthony murder trial from MyFoxOrlando.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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