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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Brother of Casey Anthony testifies Zenaida Gonzalez of Kissimmee is not "Nanny"

Watch the video:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/caylee-anthony/orl-casey-anthony-brother-deposition-022809,0,2474188.story


Casey Anthony's nanny remarks have 'never been in regards to this Zenaida,' Lee Anthony said under oath during a deposition Friday.

By Sarah Lundy Sentinel Staff Writer
February 28, 2009

Casey Anthony's brother, Lee, said under oath Friday that Zenaida Gonzalez -- a Kissimmee woman suing his sister for defamation -- is not the Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez his sister claims vanished with her child.
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He said that Friday during more than three hours of questioning by Gonzalez's attorney John Morgan, who conducted the deposition in his firm's mock courtroom in downtown Orlando."This has never been in regards to this Zenaida," Lee Anthony said, talking to Gonzalez, who attended the deposition.
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His sister described a different woman: someone in her 20s who has no children. She is 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 7 and 120 pounds. Gonzalez -- the woman suing his sister -- is a 38-year-old mother of six.
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Gonzalez's attorneys said they took a big step Friday in clearing their client's name."We now have a family member say under oath that it ain't this Zenaida Gonzalez and that's a good day for her," said her other attorney Keith Mitnik. Gonzalez is suing Casey Anthony in civil court for more than $15,000 in damages. She claims she lost her job and suffered public humiliation and emotional stress after Casey Anthony identified a nanny who took her child as Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez.
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Anthony told investigators that she left 2-year-old Caylee with a woman named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez at Sawgrass Apartments and that the two later vanished. Zenaida Gonzalez, the one suing Casey Anthony, once visited Sawgrass but did not know Anthony or Caylee.
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On Friday, Lee Anthony and his attorney, Thomas Luka, were prepared to leave if the media were allowed to attend the deposition. Before they arrived at the Morgan & Morgan law firm, attorneys told more than a dozen reporters and photographers that they would have to stay out of the room. A copy of the video deposition and a transcript became public later Friday when they were filed in court. (Thomas Luka and Lee were so sure he wouldn't be testifying that Luka had set a court date on a different case for 10:30. Guess he didn't know that whether the media was there or not, the deposition would be released to the public afterward anyway.)
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No major revelations emerged from Anthony's questioning, but some details were clarified. Lee Anthony told the attorneys that his sister admitted lying to the investigators about what happened when Caylee disappeared.
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Shortly after she was released from jail in August, Casey Anthony told Lee Anthony that Caylee was taken from Jay Blanchard Park by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez to teach Casey Anthony a lesson. The nanny sent messages to Casey Anthony via the Internet. His sister claimed that if she alerted the police, Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez would harm Anthony's family. He doesn't know what lesson the nanny wanted to teach his sister.
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Lee Anthony related the story to his mother, Cindy Anthony, but not to investigators. He also said he never found any communication between his sister and the nanny on any computer. (And...why does he need imunity to testify in the criminal case? I forget...hmm)
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Morgan asked Lee Anthony if he considered whether his sister was responsible for Caylee's disappearance. But Luka stopped Anthony from answering the question.
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Near the end of the interview, Morgan brought up Caylee's memorial service held this month. He asked Lee Anthony what he meant by the "CMA" he referred to during the ceremony. Anthony, during the service, mentioned a promise he made to "CMA.""Speaking to Caylee ... I made a promise to her early, early on in July that no matter what it took, I was going to find out the truth," Anthony explained to Morgan.
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And even though he admits that she lied to him, her parents and the police, he believes everything his sister tells him.

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