[CaseyAnthony] ARTICLE: Bounty hunter Padilla can testify in Casey case, judge rules

[Untamed Heart]

Bounty hunter Padilla can testify in Casey case, judge rules

By Sarah Lundy SENTINEL STAFF WRITER

August 28, 2009

The California bounty hunter who loves to chat about the Casey Anthony case will be allowed to keep talking on the witness stand if needed, a judge ruled Thursday.

Leonard Padilla and his associates who helped bail Casey Anthony out of jail last year can testify about conversations they may have had with the mother who is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

The remains of Caylee Marie were found in woods near her east Orange County home in December — five months after her family reported her missing.

Anthony, 23, is charged with first-degree murder.

Padilla's nephew, Tony Padilla, helped post $50,000 premium required to bail her out of jail last year after her initial arrest.

Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, argued at a hearing last week that the Padillas and their associates, Robert Dick and Tracy McLaughlin, were acting as agents of the defense counsel and should be covered by attorney/client privilege.

McLaughlin stayed inside the home with Anthony and her family while the others stayed outside. They also drove her to and from her attorney's office.

"It is reasonably clear to the Court that the individuals in question were not under the supervision or employment of counsel for the Defendant," Orange Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland wrote in his ruling. The team was "simply protecting their investment."

It's unclear how damaging their statements may be for the defense.

Earlier Thursday, Strickland ruled that Tim Miller, the founder of the volunteer search group Texas EquuSearch, can be questioned under oath by the mother's defense team. And information on 32 volunteer searchers who were within several hundreds of yards of where Caylee was eventually discovered also will be released. The group has claimed the specific area were she was found was under water during their searches.

Anthony's defense team has said they have evidence that proves someone else put the girl in the woods. The team will not give details about the evidence.

 

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