Mom Tells Casey Anthony in Court, 'I Love You'

But Casey looks away; the prosecution case is nearing an end in the murder trial

Photo: Orlando Sentinel/MCT/Landov(2)

As the prosecution against Casey Anthony winds down, the state once again called a crucial witness to the stand on Tuesday: Anthony’s mother, Cindy.

Testifying for the third time in the murder trial, Cindy helped the prosecution establish key bits of evidence by linking items found with granddaughter Caylee’s remains to the Anthony home.

As Cindy stepped off the stand, she mouthed, “I love you” to Casey. But her daughter looked away. Cindy took her seat next to her husband George, who put his arm around her.

Cindy Anthony was among the last of the prosecution witnesses. The defense case is expected to begin this week.

In her testimony, Anthony explained that a canvas laundry bag was missing from the family home. A similar bag was found with Caylee’s remains. She also said that a Winnie-the-Pooh blanket was missing; a similar one was found at the crime scene.

But what made jurors sit forward was the talk about the decomposing hair found in Casey Anthony’s trunk. It was long, brown and untreated by chemicals. Mitochondrial DNA showed that the hair could belong to Cindy, Casey or Caylee Anthony.

Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick also asked Cindy about her hair length, coloring and style.

“I’ve had this hairstyle since 2002,” Anthony testified. Her hair is short and dyed blonde – not a match to the hair found in the trunk.

She also testified that at the time of Caylee’s death, Casey kept her hair short and dyed – again, not a match for the hair found in the trunk.

Under cross-examination, defense attorney Jose Baez left an exhausted-looking Cindy Anthony in tears as he tried to point out inconsistencies between her testimony and a deposition from early 2009.

“I don’t remember everything I said,” Cindy Anthony sighed. “It was a two-day deposition.”

Earlier, investigator Alina Burrows testified that a sheet of heart-shaped stickers, each the size of a dime, was found in Casey’s bedroom just days after Caylee’s body was found in December 2008. The jury on Monday heard testimony that heart-shaped sticker residue was found on duct tape discovered on Caylee’s skull.

Over objections by Anthony’s attorneys, the prosecution showed photos of the stickers that were found in the top drawer of Anthony’s bedroom dresser.