Two recent cases have received the type of media attention, which may cause some to re-consider that old tale and favorite children story PINOCCHIO, and re examine the words credibility and trust.
25 year old accused mother, Casey Anthony, has pleaded not guilty of the charges that she killed her daughter Caylee. The multiple charges of aggravated child abuse, capital murder, misleading law enforcement and aggravated manslaughter could lead to jurors imposing the death penalty if convicted. However, she has refused to take the witness stand in her defense.
The previous contradictory testimony could damage Cindy Anthony's credibility, that it was she and not Casey that conducted internet searches for chloroform, chest injuries and head injuries.
A key part of Casey Anthony's defense theory is that she did not tell anyone for 31 days that Caylee was missing and then insisted for months that Caylee was stolen. Her lawyer claims she made up those stories because she was in the habit of lying through years of alleged sexual abuse by her father and brother.
Her defense attorney claims that Caylee drowned accidentally in the Anthony family pool. They say that Casey Anthony's father, George Anthony, helped dispose of the body and that Casey Anthony hid her child's death in the same way she hid years of alleged incest. The case now goes to the jury without Casey's testimony.
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In another case, reportedly hours after a Sofitel New York Hotel maid said she was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, she was recorded speaking by phone to a boyfriend, who sat in an immigration jail in Arizona.
When their telephone conversation was translated on Wednesday, She said this guy has a lot of money and that she knew what she was doing. This was just another revelation in a series of statements, fabrications and associations that unraveled the case of this woman, who was accusing DSK of rape.
Following the room 2806 episode on May 14, she was said to be a devout Muslim woman, shattered by this experience, making her an apparently ideal witness. But little by little, her credibility crumbled — she had lied about her immigration, about her experiences in her homeland and about her finances. She had been linked to people involved in crimes. Sit-downs with prosecutors became tense, even angry. Initially composed, she later collapsed in tears and got down on the floor during questioning. She became unavailable to the District Attorney’s Office for days at a time.
On Friday, as Strauss-Kahn was freed from house arrest, the woman’s lawyer and documents submitted by the prosecution traced the woman’s descent from being a completely believable victim, to an untrustworthy witness whose past lies and associations might sink the high-profile case.
The boyfriend in the Arizona detention center was another issue. He was reportedly arrested while exchanging counterfeit clothing from Chinatown for marijuana. Her lawyer said she did not know the man was a drug dealer.
Finally, in recent weeks, investigators collected records showing deposits of thousands of dollars in accounts in her name in Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania and Arizona.