Trunk Fumes Could Be 'OJ Moment' for Casey Anthony

Prosecutors say the sample reeks of human decomposition
By Tim Karan,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 6, 2011 2:42 PM CDT
Casey Anthony Trial: Trunk Air Samples Could Be Her 'OJ Moment'
Casey Anthony listens to testimony during her trial at the Orange County Courthouse, Monday, June 6, 2011 in Orlando, Fla.   (AP Photo/Joe Burbank, Pool)

Allowing jurors to smell air samples from Casey Anthony's car trunk could backfire on prosecutors much like the bloody glove that helped acquit OJ Simpson, reports ABC News. The judge in Anthony's murder trial is expected to rule whether jurors will be allowed to smell the samples, which an expert testified harbor telltale signs of human decomposition.

Although the prosecution has not yet asked to open the canisters for jurors, the expert said the small sample contained reeked of chloroform—a telltale sign of decomposition. "I essentially jumped back a foot or two," he testified. "I was shocked that that little itty bitty can could have that much odor associated with it." But exposing jurors to the sample would be a controversial and groundbreaking tactic that could hurt the prosecution's case that Anthony killed her daughter, Caylee. "This is the kind of moment in the case that can make it or break it," says one law professor. "If the judge allows them to smell it and they don't smell anything, to me, that's like the OJ Simpson glove incident where the glove didn't fit." (More Casey Anthony stories.)

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