What Does the Duct Tape Mean to George Anthony?

George Anthony, father of accused murderess Casey Anthony, testified in a state deposition on August 5, 2009.

Mr. Anthony’s statements about his gas can and the duct tape he used to cover the can’s vent may be found at the following link.

http://www.thehinkymeter.com/Library/CMA/depos/ganthonydepo080509.pdf

Jeff Ashton: “So would it be fair to say that sometime between June 24th of 2008 and August 1st of 2008 that you cut your lawn?”

George Anthony: “Yeah. I probably did. I’m probably pretty positive I probably did. As far as maybe once or twice, I don’t know.”

Mr. Anthony is evasive.  He appears to agree, but does not commit.

“Yeah” – This is not a “yes”.  This is an evasion tactic so Mr. Anthony can appear to agree to forestall further questioning on the subject.

“I probably did” – Mr. Anthony may or may not have done so.  He is non-committal.

“I’m probably pretty positive I probably did” – Mr. Anthony announces his extreme sensitivity to this subject with repetitions of “probably”, the word “pretty”, and the third evasion of the same question.

“As far as maybe once or twice” – Even though Mr. Anthony has not agreed he did cut his lawn during the period in question, he further limits his “probably” to “maybe once or twice”.  However, by saying “twice”, he notifies the listener there was more than one grass cutting incident during this five-week period, the height of the summer when most Florida residents cut their grass at least once a week if not twice.

“I don’t know” – For the fourth time, Mr. Anthony states his lack of commitment to his answer.

Jeff Ashton: “All right.”

George Anthony: “I don’t recall.”

For the fifth time, Mr. Anthony states his lack of commitment to his answer by claiming he cannot recall even though he brought up the “twice” possibility.  This is the famous George Anthony memory in action.  Here is a man who can remember the specific number of bags of concrete he poured in the back yard, but not when he did so or if he cut the grass during a five week period in the middle of the summer.  How tall was the grass when Mr. Anthony was pouring the concrete?

Jeff Ashton: “And this, State’s Exhibit 10, is the gas can you would have used to obtain gas in order to operate your mower. Is that not correct?”

George Anthony: “That’s correct.”

Mr. Anthony agrees the gas can is his, but distances himself with “that”.

Jeff Ashton: “And if you had used this can to obtain gas, you would have put a piece of duct tape over the vent. Correct?”

George Anthony: “Yeah. Because I like that gas can. It’s sort of part of me. It’s 20 years old.”

“Yeah” – Evasive.

“Because I like that gas can” – Mr. Anthony likes the gas can he distances himself from with “that”.  Mr. Anthony explains his reasoning for continuing to use this gas can by utilizing duct tape to allow him to carry it in the car.

“It’s sort of part of me” – Mr. Anthony has an emotional attachment to his gas can.

“It’s 20 years old” – The age of the gas can is a reason Mr. Anthony has an emotional attachment.  Mr. Anthony is drifting away from answering the question.

Jeff Ashton: “Sure. And it’s metal, so it doesn’t fall apart. All right. But is it — so it’s your testimony now that when they took it on August 1st, that it did not have duct tape over the vent?”

George Anthony: “Didn’t have any duct tape over the vent. And when it came back to me, or the last time I saw it, now it had duct tape on it. And I did not put that on there.”

“Didn’t have any duct tape over the vent” – Duct tape is sensitive for Mr. Anthony who adds the extra word “any”.  Mr. Anthony previously agreed he affixed duct tape to the vent of the can, but now states there was no duct tape on the can when the police claimed it as evidence.

“And when it came back to me, or the last time I saw it” – Mr. Anthony seems unsure if the gas can has come back to him or remains with the police.

“now it had duct tape on it” – Mr. Anthony claims someone placed duct tape on the can in the same place he would have placed it after it was secured as evidence.  Mr. Anthony implies a conspiracy in the sheriff’s department to plant duct tape evidence.

“And I did not put that on there” – Mr. Anthony feels he must state he did not place the duct tape on the can when it was not in his possession.

Jeff Ashton: “So then explain to me, if you will, how it’s possible that you used this can to get gas for your lawnmower sometime between June 24th and August 1st, would have put duct tape over the vent in order to utilize it in your car, but then it wouldn’t have duct tape on it on August 1st.”

George Anthony: “That’s a mystery to me, too.”

Answers don’t get more evasive than this.  Mr. Anthony claims to have no knowledge of how the tape he applied disappeared.  Mr. Anthony distances himself from the anomaly with “that”.

Jeff Ashton: “Did you take the duct tape, put it on and take it off again?”

George Anthony: “No, sir. I did not do that.”

Mr. Anthony distances himself from Mr. Ashton’s question with “that”.

Jeff Ashton: “But your testimony here today, under oath, is that you have a specific recollection that when the police officers took this from your home on August 1st, 2008, that this piece of duct tape was not on this can?”

George Anthony: “Uh-huh.”

“Uh-huh” is not “yes”.  This is another evasion and refusal to commit.

Jeff Ashton: “Please answer out loud yes or no.”

George Anthony: “It was not on the can. Yes. It was not on that can.”

“The can” changes to “that can”, distancing Mr. Anthony from the can to which he has a 20 year emotional attachment.

Jeff Ashton: “But when you retrieved it — when they returned it to you, that duct — do you recall that duct tape being on the can?”

George Anthony: “I don’t remember that.”

First, Mr. Anthony claimed “when it came back to me, or the last time I saw it”, the can had duct tape on it.  Now he claims not to remember.

Jeff Ashton: “You don’t remember whether it was or not?”

George Anthony: “I don’t remember it. No.”

Mr. Anthony again claims not to remember what he just testified he did remember.

We have learned Mr. Anthony is sensitive about the duct tape on the gas can.

We have learned Mr. Anthony is evasive and tells conflicting stories about the duct tape on the gas can.

We have learned Mr. Anthony put duct tape on the gas can.