04-15-2011, 12:06 PM
Orlando Sentinel:
Casey Anthony and her defense team will be back in court this afternoon, where lawyers will argue over mental-health examinations.
Prosecutors want to prohibit any reference to or mention of the findings of two defense experts, Dr. Jeffrey Danziger and Dr. William Weitz.
Their reports were provided to the prosecution late last month, but have not been released publicly.
Prosecutor Jeff Ashton's motion said the doctors' reports and a defense motion to add them as witnesses "reveal that the testimony does not relate to a legal defense to any of the charges contained in the indictment."
The motion also said the reports are based entirely on statements made to them by Anthony, and that the doctors didn't diagnose Anthony "as suffering from any clinical or personality disorders as recognized by the American Psychiatric Association."
But according to another motion filed by the state Thursday, the defense withdrew Danziger's name as a witness on Wednesday.
In that motion, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick asks the court to unseal Danziger and Weitz' depositions.
The prosecutor argued that in order for the state "to fully evaluate the claims and opinions revealed in the depositions, it will be necessary to show the depositions to select third parties."
"As was done with the autopsy and crime scene photographs, the Court can place restrictions on the dissemination of information so as to not inhibit the ability of any party to investigate the statements made in deposition," the state's motion said.
Lawyers are also slated to argue over another motion filed by the state — prosecutors want the court to order Anthony to submit to one of their mental health experts.
In response, Anthony's defense team filed a motion objecting to any state-sponsored mental health examination.
The defense said that should the court require Anthony be evaluated by a state mental-health expert, her attorneys want to be present during that exam. If that's the case, the defense also said, they request that all inquiries by the state's expert be limited to the area of the defense's rebuttal of consciousness of guilty.
i'll bet if there is a penalty phase after the guilt phase, the defense will be crying mental issues to save her from death penalty.
Casey Anthony and her defense team will be back in court this afternoon, where lawyers will argue over mental-health examinations.
Prosecutors want to prohibit any reference to or mention of the findings of two defense experts, Dr. Jeffrey Danziger and Dr. William Weitz.
Their reports were provided to the prosecution late last month, but have not been released publicly.
Prosecutor Jeff Ashton's motion said the doctors' reports and a defense motion to add them as witnesses "reveal that the testimony does not relate to a legal defense to any of the charges contained in the indictment."
The motion also said the reports are based entirely on statements made to them by Anthony, and that the doctors didn't diagnose Anthony "as suffering from any clinical or personality disorders as recognized by the American Psychiatric Association."
But according to another motion filed by the state Thursday, the defense withdrew Danziger's name as a witness on Wednesday.
In that motion, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick asks the court to unseal Danziger and Weitz' depositions.
The prosecutor argued that in order for the state "to fully evaluate the claims and opinions revealed in the depositions, it will be necessary to show the depositions to select third parties."
"As was done with the autopsy and crime scene photographs, the Court can place restrictions on the dissemination of information so as to not inhibit the ability of any party to investigate the statements made in deposition," the state's motion said.
Lawyers are also slated to argue over another motion filed by the state — prosecutors want the court to order Anthony to submit to one of their mental health experts.
In response, Anthony's defense team filed a motion objecting to any state-sponsored mental health examination.
The defense said that should the court require Anthony be evaluated by a state mental-health expert, her attorneys want to be present during that exam. If that's the case, the defense also said, they request that all inquiries by the state's expert be limited to the area of the defense's rebuttal of consciousness of guilty.
i'll bet if there is a penalty phase after the guilt phase, the defense will be crying mental issues to save her from death penalty.