Casey Anthony Brian Burner interview

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TAPED TRANSCRIPT OF BRIAN BURNER INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY CORPORAL EDWARDS CASE NUMBER - 08-74777 JULY 30, 2008 EE - CORPORAL WILLIAM "ERIC" EDWARDS ME - DETECTIVE MICHAEL ERICKSON BB - MR. BRIAN BURNER 07/30/2008. Corporal Eric Edwards, Orange County Sheriffs Office Homicide Unit, in the room with? Detective Mike Erickson of the Homicide Unit. And.... And? Brian Burner. Mr. Burner, you've come here voluntarily today to assist us in follow up in uh, helping us create our timeline on Caylee's disappearance. And I greatly appreciate that. You brought a handwritten note today. Can I, do you mind if I look at that (inaudible)? Go ahead. Uhm, you've had some time, you were approached by Detective Appie Wells uhm, when was that? Back on the 16th I believe. BB: EE: BB: Uh, it would be the Thursday, Thursday after the, the incident was reported. So the, fif.... Uh, Tuesday, I believe Tuesday night was the first night detectives were out in mid-July. 7/16. Yeah (affirmative), Wednesday night they were....

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The 15lh they were there and then I talked to Detective Appie on the 17 . So Appie Wells approaches you, or did you approach Appie? Well I... How did that go down? I first notified the Sheriff's Office on the 17th in the morning. I indicated that I had information and they said I had to do a face-to-face. Uh, at that point I was out of town. So that evening when I got back uhm, Detective Appie had my phone number and he met me at my place of employment around three-thirty in the afternoon.

EE: BB: EE: BB: EE:

Okay. And I gave a statement then. Okay, was that a recorded statement or.... A recorded statement. Okay, super. So this will be statement number two from you. Now what's going to be questioned, and I want to make sure that we explain any questions uhm, is the reason that I've re-approached you, though you provided a sworn statement to Detective Wells already, is because my experience, just like experience, not only law enforcement is as time passes and you have time to reflect on this, uh, you remember things that at, at that particular time you may not have known. That being said, uhm, Detective Wells wasn't actually sure to be able to tell me when it was that, that you reported that a shovel was borrowed by Casey.

BB: EE:

Correct. I need to get a few questions just knocked out of the way. How long have you known Casey?

BB:

Uh, almost three years.

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And you've probably seen her face-to-face? Yes, spoken with her. Numerous times? Yeah (affirmative). Okay. And what I'm ruling out there is the need to do a photo line-up. No, no need. Okay, you know her. Uhm, the baby. You've known the baby since it was bom, for....

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Since birth. As far as seeing it because she's lived there next door to you for that period of time? Correct. Until all this uhm, missing person's stuff came? Correct. Okay. So she hasn't lived somewhere else, an apartment, and you've observed her come back and visit family?

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No. She actually lives there? Correct. Okay. Now, you say you took a vacation to Chicago in June. And you took your whole family?

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Yes. Okay, you indicated on this calendar here you, you left on the 10th of June. You drove all the way there? Yes.

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EE:

And uh, you spent the time in Chicago. Came back home. And you returned home on the 16th of June?

BB: EE:

Correct. Is that correct? You say that you had the week of the 15th through the 21 st off because you were still on vacation. So you were at your home?

BB: EE: BB: EE:

Correct. Which is next door to.... The Anthony's. ...Casey's address. Yes. The Anthony's? Okay. Now you say that uh, you got home on the 16th about what time?

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Around 6:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. So the day was done? Yes. No observations that you can recall because you were spent from driving so long you said? Yes. Okay. Tell me about you had just said that kind of, the 17th was kind of a couch day. Yeah (affirmative). And you made some observations on that day that maybe uhm, you want to be known now as far as you say Casey's car visited the address. Uhm, can you tell me about that?

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BB:

Uh, I just briefly noticed that she had backed in and practically one time that I'm uh, really aware of.

EE: BB: EE: BB: EE: BB: EE:

On the 17th? On the 17th. And you recall that because.... Uhm.... .. .that's your down day? You're on the couch? That's my down day, yeah (affirmative). Now explain to me how it comes, you can see the roadway you said from the couch.

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Right. I could see the roadway and she, when the direction she came in order for her to back in, she had to angle to the opposite side of the roadway and, and the whiteness of her car just had caught my eye. And I noticed that she was backing into the garage.

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Now I asked you if the parents were home at that time and you stated? I, I, I don't believe so. And why is that? Because generally the parents parked in the garage. So if she backed in, to me that would indicate the garage was empty. And both cars were gone? Correct. Okay. But you don't know for certain.... I don't.... .. .whether or not they were there? There could have been just one vehicle in the garage, but....

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But she did back into the garage? Yes. Okay, that's the 17th? Yes. Now the 18th or the 19th you can't really knock down which one with certainty. Right. But you know that one of those two days you did yard work at your place? Right. Tell me about all that again. I know, I'm sorry for the redundancy. That, that's alright. But... Oh, yeah (affirmative), I was doing my yard work and I was in front. Uh, I had already mowed. I was using a, a weed blower and blowing off the grass. And Casey had approached me and asked me if she could borrow a shovel. She you know needed to dig up a; a bamboo root she had been tripping over.

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EE: BB:

EE: BB: EE: BB:

What time of day was this? Uh, approximately one-thirty in the afternoon. Okay. Uhm, I proceeded to walk around my house to my shed and uh, gave her a shovel I had. And then she, I followed her back out front and she walked into her garage. And at that point her car was backed in. I didn't see her back in, but it was already backed in and her, their garage door was open. She walked into the garage and I proceeded to finish blowing off the grass clippings. And then went to the rear of my yard and blew off the grass clippings, at which point then I walked back out the front to see by chance maybe she was coming back with the

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shovel. And I could see the garage was still open and the car was still there. So I proceeded to lock my gate and my shed and then we info my house and told my son that uhm, Casey had borrowed a shovel. And my children don't generally open the door. So I said I, I need to take a shower. So if someone knocks at the door and you can see it's Casey go ahead and, and open the door and, and get the shovel from her. EE: BB: Okay. So you finish your shower? Finish my shower. It was uh, right around two o'clock. And I came out of my, uh, my bedroom and asked my son if Casey had came back and he said no. So okay, so I just proceeded to watch TV. And then it was approximately around two-thirty when Casey knocked at the door, returning the shovel. EE: And from Appie's interview the first time they had already asked you about her clothing, and if it.... BB: EE: BB: EE: BB: EE: BB: EE: BB: EE: BB: EE: Yeah (affirmative). .. .appeared that she had changed clothing? Uhm, it didn't appear that she uh, changed any clothing. Very.... She didn't.... Very calm you said? Very.... Calm, just normal, normal Caylee. No sweat.... Casey, normal Casey. ...on brow? Normal Casey? Yeah (affirmative). No sweat on brown or nothing?

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BB: No sweat. She wasn't, didn't appear to be muddy or the shovel wasn't even
muddy.

EE: But you do say you recall seeing a, a ring, a dirt mark on the shovel? BB: Dirt mark, which may have.... EE: Which could have been there? BB: ...been there before. EE: Okay, so the shovel may have not even been utilized uh, above and beyond
where you had...

BB: Right. EE:
...utilized it in the past?

BB: Right. EE: Okay. Nothing that stands out like uh, sopping mud.... BB: No. EE:
...or a big, okay.

BB: Yeah (affirmative). EE: It was clean enough to carry from your foyer into the garage without making a
mess?

BB: Correct. EE: Okay. Now when, when you carried that shovel, and you placed it in the garage,
from the point of that time to where it was provided to law enforcement on the 17th of July, had you used that shovel again?

BB: Nope (negative). EE: Had anyone in the family that you're aware of used that shovel again? BB: Nope (negative). EE: Okay, so that was just turned over to police?

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BB: Yes.
EE: Okay. The 20th. June 20th, you say again in the early afternoon hours, tell me about what occurred on that day? BB: The same situation. Uh, at one point I saw Casey back up into the garage. Uhm, it was just that one point that I noticed. EE: BB: EE: BB: Do you actually see her in the car, or just the car? Just the car. Just the car? Yeah (affirmative). So the child could have been with her? You wouldn't know? Yeah (affirmative), because she... You just saw the car? .. .has a two door, so it. Okay. And at, at, at any point out of this, my whole week, or her getting the shovel, I not once did I see the child. EE: You never saw Caylee? No. Okay. But these visits to the house, you, you know the car was backed up? The car. But you can't say that was Casey driving that car? Correct. Okay, cool. Yeah (affirmative). I just want to get...

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BB: EE:

Yeah (affirmative). .. .clarification on that. So now the 7.. .week of the, week of the uhm, 15th here in June, you're, you return home about six o'clock on Monday, the 16th?

BB: EE: BB: EE:

Yeah (affirmative). With the family. The 17th is kind of a loaf around day? Yup (affirmative). But you do recall seeing the car return to the address and posture as if it's going to back into the garage?

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Yeah (affirmative). Did you actually see the front of the car again on that date in the garage? Do you know for certain?

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No. I just merely see her back in. Backing in? Uhm, as a timeline of how long she was there, I haven't, just I noticed her going in. Okay. 17th or 17th leads up to either the 18th or the 19th; not sure. She borrows a shovel. Uhm, once again backed in. So that would be the second time you know she was backed or came into the.... Right. Alright, the third time would be June 20th. Again she returns and backs towards the house. You said something that was pretty interesting to me. You, you, you said to your wife, you speculated as to why she may be doing that. Can you tell me about that? Uhm, as yeah (affirmative), when, well the following week then, the week of the 20.. .23rd, 24th, uhm, through the course of the weekend I didn't, I didn't see the

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vehicle at all. And then I was just kind of curious of you know, she wanted to borrow the shovel because I, I was, I kept seeing her back in and out and I was just thought well maybe she's moving out. And through the course of the weekend, the 21 st , 22nd, when I didn't, the car wasn't there at all, I said, well maybe she moved out. And once the incident came about with the gas, then I was like well, you know if she moved out and she wasn't there why would she be concerned with a bamboo root? Tell me about the incident with the gas. Uhm, basically all I know is that George had approached I believe my son at my house, just to give us an FYI that you know, someone had broke in his shed and, and stolen some gas. Which at that point my wife went outside to check our external shed and it was still locked. That was either Monday or Tuesday, the 23rd or 24th? I believe that was Tuesday. It was the, uh, whatever, the same day he filed a police report. Okay. Well... Which was with the Orange County Sheriff also. Unknown person... Correct. .. .enters and takes gas in, in George's shed? Correct. Which now he's reiter...reiterating on now. Yeah (affirmative). Which what he said on TV last night, that he knows who did it now. But I don't, I don't know anything about that.

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EE: Okay. Did you ever see uh, from that point on did you ever see an exchange, or
did you ever see Casey back at the address that week from the 24th to the 28th?

BB: No. EE: Never? BB: Not to my recollection, no. EE: Well, okay. Have you seen from uh, anywhere from the, so the last time you
would have seen Casey's car was on the 20th of June?

BB: Right. EE: Have you seen it....
Now.... ...since?

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EE:

BB: No. And I thought she was there the 23rd. But I didn't, in my, in my head I
thought I saw a pick up truck. But I just, and I remember hearing her voice. And I don't, uh, I don't, I don't know if any....

EE: What color was the pick up truck? BB: I was thinking green, but it just didn't uh, it didn't pay any mind, it was, I, I may
have been pulling into my, pulling into the driveway. It was just as, like a split second that, you know, I noticed, I heard her. I can't remember if I saw her walking into the garage.

EE: Just take a deep breath then. Close your eyes, and without even saying a word
to me, if you don't mind, entertain me on this. Relive that in your mind's eye over and over until you think you have it ratcheted down. Take your time. Because that's pretty significant. And that's the first time you've mentioned that to me.

BB: I, uh, I, I picture a pick up truck. And I picture a male, but I don't.... EE:
Have you ever seen that male before?

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BB: EE: BB:

No, not that I can recall. Can you describe the male? Uh, no, because it was, uh, brownish hair I, I can, I think uh, but it was uhm, it was just a split second. And I think I may have been walking in the house.

EE: BB: EE: BB: EE:

What time of day is that? I'd have to say afternoon. Did you work that day? I did work that day. S.. .she had her car and the male was in the pick-up truck, or they just were in the pick-up truck?

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They were, they were outside. And then they walked in the garage. And I think I was walking in my house, but I just didn't....

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Did she have her car, or was it just.... I didn't, I didn't see a car. But you did see the truck? I believe it was a truck. Because that, well and then the next day when I found out about the gas, I had commented to my wife, I said, "Well," I said, "Casey was here yesterday."

EE: BB:

Because of the gas thing? Yeah (affirmative). And I'm like, "Well." She's like, "Well you don't know that for sure, so." I said, you know, she said, "Just don't say anything," you know.

EE: BB:

You didn't want to get in the middle of family (unintelligible)? Yeah (affirmative), I don't, and I didn't want to start anything up because uh, I don't know if she went back there or not.

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Any chance, when you say pick up truck, no chance of an SUV or car?

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BB: No. EE: That in your mind's eye it's a pick up? BB: Yeah (affirmative). Like a two-door, smaller. EE: Smaller? Not an F150, but like an.... BB: No, right. EE:
...S-10 or something like?

BB: Like a, yeah (affirmative), like a Ranger type. But like I said it was just a split
second.

EE: But you knew it was Cas. ..Casey? BB: Right. EE: Not the male? You didn't, you never seen the male before, brownish hair? A
white male?

BB: Yeah (affirmative). EE:
I know, I can tell you're getting a little nervous about having to touch upon this subject man, but I appreciate.

BB: But yeah (affirmative).
It's difficult stuff, but....

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BB: Well it's nothing that's concrete in my head, so uh, you know. EE: At the time you didn't know it was. But now you're looking back at it since.... BB: Yeah (affirmative). EE:
...we're talking about it. You, Appie Wells interviewing you uhm, on the 17th of July, well here we are at what, the 30th? That's almost a full, you know, almost two weeks that you had to think about re.. .reflect that.

BB: Well, huh... EE: And, and stuff's going to get....

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...it's been playing in my head every day. It's going to, it's going to continue to.... Yeah (affirmative). .. .come back to you, you know, as, as you go on. So as it, as it does please feel free to call us. Now you voice some concerns about uhm, the uh, defense attorney and the national press and things of that nature. Uhm, can you tell me about those concerns and what you've been approached and told?

BB:

Uh, well s.. .since the day, well the day that they confiscated the shovel, they were there. The second the forensic guy left you know, knocking on door. The press? The press has been. But uh, we, we don't, we don't open the door. Okay. And they leave. They come two or three times. And I'm sure you'll be contacted by other people. Oh. If, if at any time anyone tries to alter your testimony, or like you brought to my attention uh, challenges you about your timeline, please call us.

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And there was, my wife had told me too, I did talk to George uh, what was Sunday's date? Which one? The one that just passed. The, oh. I talked to him the day before the first vigil. The, the 20th? The 20th I believe.

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Now you re, you gave the LEO's the shovel on the 17th. Oh, this last.... Well.... ....Sunday? The 27th? No, the Sunday before. The 20th? Whatever day they had the first vigil. Because he knocked on the door. Okay. Tell me about that. And uhm, he, he handed me the flier and he said, "We're going to have a vigil for Caylee." And then uh, he had said, "You're the one that turned in the shovel, right?" And I, "Yeah (affirmative), yeah (affirmative), I turned in the shovel." Which he good and knows because it was on TV which house....

EE: BB:

Uh-hum (affirmative). .. .it came from. And his comment, well we're, we're trying to set up our own timeline. Wanted to know when I had gave the shovel. And I said I thought the week of the 16th but I wasn't for sure.

EE: BB:

Okay. And that's, that's where we left it. And then I proceeded to tell him that you know, and he commented how well uhm, "Sorry we haven't been able to come over and, and you know, speak to you what's going on because everything was crazy", which I understood. And I had just told him, you know I, yeah (affirmative), uhm, I wanted him to know that we were positive about the whole situation what was going on. "And I didn't turn in the shovel as to make it like something bad had happened in your yard." I just wanted him to know that we were just being you know, positive with them and not indicating you know, she....

EE:

Right.

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...did something in a criminal manner. And he said.... But you... ...no, he understood, and that was... And if that changes in your family, because you know, you as a father, you are responsible for their well being. And I'm not.... Right. ...I'm not telling you that because I was talking down to you. I'm saying I'm supportive of that effort. If that changes please let us know. Yeah (affirmative). Because now you are a witness uhm, to what kind of case? A missing juvenile... Yeah (affirmative). ...at this point in time. Uhm, uh, just we're going to leave it at that. We are frantically uh, I want to raise one point that's to me is kind of symbolic of the entire media frenzy and uh. If George just got to talking to you on the 20th about the shovel because he's been busy, you can only imagine how busy we've been trying to follow up... Right. .. .the hundreds of leads we get in a day. And he's your neighbor. Right. And can't make it over to your house for a few days. You know... Right. ....that's just, we're busy. Oh, yeah (affirmative), yeah (affirmative).

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EE:

So anything that comes up that you feel is pertinent to this case, please we're frantically trying to find this girl, okay? Uhm, as far as your timeline, I noticed a couple things you wrote on there. Uhm, Sams?

BB:

Yeah (affirmative), I was, and I had actually called my bank this morning. I was trying to to help pinpoint when I, you know, did the yard work.

EE: BB:

Uh-hum (affirmative). Because I was at Sam's and uh, my bank verified I did a debit purchase at 11:15. I know for a fact I was doing, you know, the yard work around 12:30. So to me I don't think I did it, and I could have done it, I don't think I did it on Friday. Uh, it's positively I think Wednesday or Thursday.

EE: BB: EE: BB: EE: BB:

(Inaudible). Because I remember seeing her the next day after the shovel. Uh-hum (affirmative). Which would indicate to me.... It'd be the 19th (inaudible)? It could be the 19th or Friday. Because the next day would have been Saturday and the parents more than likely would have been at home.

EE:

Okay, and if you know for sure the 20th you saw the car backed in it would make sense that it was the 19th.

BB:

Yeah (affirmative). Which very well it could be the 19th. And in my checkbook ledger I don't have, you can see 17, 18, 19. Other than credit card purchase I made on-line I, I wasn't out anywhere making any type of purchases?

EE: BB: EE:

You're at home? I was home. But the 20th you're at the Sam's Club at what time?

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BB:

Well I did the purchase at 11:00 so odds are I could have been there you know, 10:00, 10:30 in the morning. And generally on Wednesdays is my day, my regular day off. So I'll like uh, go have lunch with my wife. You can see on the 25th....

EE: BB:

Golden Corral? I was at Golden Corral. Uh, I went and paid my wife's eye doctor and, uhm, I scribbled something else in the middle there.

EE: BB: EE:

So this.... So.... So this day, this 20th, June 20th, when you say she backs her car in for the, what would be the third time that week....

BB: EE:

Right. ...that you're aware of, was in the early afternoon. So that would have been after....

BB: EE: BB:

Somewhere probably between.... .. .you returned from Sam's Club? Now, yeah (affirmative), I didn't even think of that part at the time I, I uh, it may have well been after.

EE: BB:

After what? After Sam's Club. So probably between you know, like noon and 2:00 or noon and 3:00.

EE: BB: EE:

So early afternoon like you said? Early afternoon, yeah (affirmative). Okay. These are just the kinds of things that you'll be grilled upon. That's why we're trying to...

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BB: EE:

Okay. You know, it's our job to grill you first. Uhm, and gef'it locked down the best that we can. Uh, Appie did a, Appie, Appie did a thorough report and it's not a question of whether or not Appie got what he needed. It's just affording you the time to have more time to mill on it and come up with things that you, you know. And I'm sure two, three weeks from now something else will come to mind. Please uh, raise your right hand for me? Anything else first that you want to say that, that I've overlooked?

BB: EE: BB: EE: BB: EE:

Uhm, no. Okay. Uhm, do you swear that the information you gave today is true? Yes. Freely given? Freely given. Okay. And it is currently 10:02 a.m.

End of recorded statement. This transcript has been reviewed for accuracy.

art &&JM/, EDWARDS, OCSO DEPUTY SHERIFF

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