Casey Anthony Trial Day 16: Bugs don't lie

Casey Anthony trial on Saturday focused on bugs, bugs and bugs that were found at the site where Caylee's body was dumped as well as in the trunk of Casey’s car.

On Saturday, forensic entomologist Dr. Neal Haskell took the witness stand. He testified that Caylee's body was placed in the wood near Casey's house since about June or early July in 2008, according to the type of bugs found.

Haskell suggested that Caylee’s body was moved twice and not once as supposed earlier. Before the body was put in the trunk of Casey’s car, Caylee’s body had experienced a short, intial stage of decomposition, Haskell said.

Haskell draw the conclusion, basing on the types of bugs or maggots found in a trash bag in the trunk of Casey's car, a Pontiac Sunfire. Haskell said he found only a single leg from the type of fly - a blowfly - that feasts on a fresh dead body. But he found hundreds of eggs and adult specimens of another type of gnat-like bugs called phorid flies, which are found in the next stage of decomposition.

Haskell said the bugs were found on Caylee's remains that were found in a wooded area, on paper towels as well as inside a vacuum cleaner that were used to clean the trunk of the car.

Haskell estimated the corpse was placed in the trunk for 3-5 days, long enough for biochemical changes to take place that attracted the bugs, before being dumped in the woods.

The entomologist said the bugs found in the woods on Caylee's remains suggest that the body was in advanced decomposing state when it was placed there. He also dismissed the claim of Casey's lawyers that the bugs could have been attracted to garbage, saying empty pizza box, empty soda cans and other refuse in the trash bag would not have attracted these specific flies.

The testimony of Haskell on Saturday was consistent with testimonies given by handlers of cadaver dogs, scientists, researchers, witnesses and Casey's parents George and Cindy Anthony. All testified noticing a strong odor of body decomposition in Casey’s car.

On Saturday, crime scene investigator Jennifer Welch, who had collected over 390 pieces of evidence from the wooded area where Caylee's remains were found, took the witness stand and showed the court a piece of duct tape that was found.

Welch also identified the lettering on a pink shirt found at the crime site that said, Big trouble comes in small packages. Earlier in the trial, the jury was shown photos of Caylee wearing a similar shirt.

Ronald Murdock, a forensic supervisor with the Orange County Sheriff's Office also testified, Saturday, identifying several pieces of evidence, including pictures of Casey's bedroom, Caylee's bedroom and a shed at the Anthony home. He also identified a red metal gas can, a trash bag from the garage, Caylee's winnie the Pooh bed sheets (similar to the blanket found near Caylee's remains), a book of stickers shaped like hearts (a duct tape at the remains site had a heart-shaped sticker stuck on it) and several other items.

Gerald Johnston, a local land surveyor, was Saturday's final witness. He was contacted by the Orange County Sheriff's Office to survey the remains site.

Johnston made a 3-D flyover animation of the area, which the prosecutors showed the jury. It included markers where investigators found Caylee's bones.

After being absent during the display of Caylee’s remains on Thursday and Friday, George and Cindy Anthony returned to the courtroom on Saturday.

The trial is expected to take 6-8 weeks before a verdict is reached.

The prosecutors say Casey chloroformed Caylee and then put duct tape over her nose and mouth, suffocating the girl.

Casey's lawyers claim Caylee was not murdered. They say the toddler accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool and George, Casey's father, helped her keep the death a secret. George has denied the claim.

Caylee was last seen alive on June 16 and it was only on July 15 that she was reported missing to the police. Cindy had alerted the police by calling a 911 dispatcher and saying that she had smelled a dead body in the trunk of Casey's car that was spotted in an impound lot. The car was later towed by authorities for forensic analysis.

Initially, Casey told the police that a babysitter had abducted Caylee. Investigations showed Casey was lying as the babysitter Zanny was fictitious. Five months later, in December 2008, Caylee's decomposed skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near Casey's house by a meter reader who was relieving himself.

Casey has been charged with seven counts, including first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and misleading the police in the death of Caylee. If she is convicted of first degree, she could be sentenced to death by the seven-woman, five-man jury.