section_path: Arrest and trial/Trial/Closing arguments
section_name: Closing arguments
paragraph_text: Closing arguments
  
  Closing arguments were heard July 3 and 4. Ashton, for the prosecution, reiterated the state's belief that Casey had killed Caylee to free herself of parental duties, saying, "When you have a child, that child becomes your life. This case is about the clash between that responsibility, and the expectations that go with it, and the life that Casey Anthony wanted to have." He emphasized Casey's false claims (including her claims regarding Fernandez-Gonzalez), the smell in the car and the items found with Caylee's remains. Ashton called the defense's theory of an accidental drowning "absurd" because, he said, no one would make an accident look like a murder.
  
  Baez, who Judge Perry had said could not address the abuse claims given the lack of evidence presented at trial, emphasized the circumstantial nature of the prosecution's case, saying the state's allegations were based on "fantasy searches, fantasy forensics, phantom stickers, phantom stains... and no real, hard evidence". Baez said there was a "reasonable hypothesis of innocence" in light of the possibility that Anthony had drowned, further contending that drowning was "the only explanation that made sense", a point he illustrated with a video of Anthony opening the home's sliding glass door (which did not have a child-safety lock) by herself. He criticized the prosecution for their heavy use of character evidence, saying, "The strategy behind that is, if you hate her, if you think she's a lying, no-good slut, then you'll start to look at this evidence in a different light." Defense attorney Mason followed, emphasizing the burden of the proof and which side bore it: "Casey Anthony is not required to present evidence or prove anything," he said. "The burden rests on the shoulders of my colleagues at the state attorney's office."
  
  In the rebuttal, lead-prosecutor Burdick said that the state had backed up the claims from its opening statements with evidence. She pointed to Casey's actions after Caylee's disappearance, saying, "Responses to grief are as varied as the day is long, but responses to guilt are oh, so predictable. What do guilty people do? They lie. They avoid. They run. They mislead, not just to their family, but the police. They divert attention away from themselves and they act like nothing is wrong." Burdick denied Baez's charge that the prosecution had based its case on emotion rather than evidence. She then ended her rebuttal by showing the jury a side-by-side picture of Casey partying and a tattoo she received the day before Caylee was reported missing.
  
  Closing arguments were heard July 3 and 4. Ashton, for the prosecution, reiterated the state's belief that Casey had killed Caylee to free herself of parental duties, saying, "When you have a child, that child becomes your life. This case is about the clash between that responsibility, and the expectations that go with it, and the life that Casey Anthony wanted to have." He emphasized Casey's false claims (including her claims regarding Fernandez-Gonzalez), the smell in the car and the items found with Caylee's remains. Ashton called the defense's theory of an accidental drowning "absurd" because, he said, no one would make an accident look like a murder.
  
  Baez, who Judge Perry had said could not address the abuse claims given the lack of evidence presented at trial, emphasized the circumstantial nature of the prosecution's case, saying the state's allegations were based on "fantasy searches, fantasy forensics, phantom stickers, phantom stains... and no real, hard evidence". Baez said there was a "reasonable hypothesis of innocence" in light of the possibility that Anthony had drowned, further contending that drowning was "the only explanation that made sense", a point he illustrated with a video of Anthony opening the home's sliding glass door (which did not have a child-safety lock) by herself. He criticized the prosecution for their heavy use of character evidence, saying, "The strategy behind that is, if you hate her, if you think she's a lying, no-good slut, then you'll start to look at this evidence in a different light." Defense attorney Mason followed, emphasizing the burden of the proof and which side bore it: "Casey Anthony is not required to present evidence or prove anything," he said. "The burden rests on the shoulders of my colleagues at the state attorney's office."
  
  In the rebuttal, lead-prosecutor Burdick said that the state had backed up the claims from its opening statements with evidence. She pointed to Casey's actions after Caylee's disappearance, saying, "Responses to grief are as varied as the day is long, but responses to guilt are oh, so predictable. What do guilty people do? They lie. They avoid. They run. They mislead, not just to their family, but the police. They divert attention away from themselves and they act like nothing is wrong." Burdick denied Baez's charge that the prosecution had based its case on emotion rather than evidence. She then ended her rebuttal by showing the jury a side-by-side picture of Casey partying and a tattoo she received the day before Caylee was reported missing.