Lawyers seek to dismiss child murder case

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A defense motion to dismiss murder charges against Casey Anthony in the death of her daughter, Caylee, violates Florida criminal procedure, prosecutors said.

Anthony, 23, of Orlando, Fla., is scheduled to stand trial in June 2010 for the death of the 2-year-old girl, who vanished in July 2008 and was found dead in woods near her mother's home in December 2008.

The girl's death was ruled a homicide, but medical examiners were unable to determine how she died. The state is seeking the death penalty.

Anthony's lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss the first-degree murder charge and aggravated child abuse charges on grounds that not enough evidence exists to support the accusations.

In a pretrial hearing Monday, Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick dismissed the defense motion as "legally flawed" and in violation of the state's criminal procedure, The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The judge in the case has yet to rule on the defense motion.