Prosecution nearing end in Anthony trial

ORLANDO, Fla., June 13 (UPI) -- A heart-shaped outline was found on duct tape prosecutors say was used to smother Caylee Anthony, an FBI expert testified in a Florida courtroom Monday.

Elizabeth Fontaine, a latent print expert for the FBI, told the court she was using ultraviolet light to check for finger prints when she spotted the heart-shaped outline, The Christian Science Monitor reported.

"It was approximately the size of a dime," Fontaine said. "If you were to wear a Band-aid for an extended period of time you have that glue and debris outline. Rather than a Band-Aid it is in the shape of a heart."

The online newspaper said the outline, which could have been from a sticker, disappeared from the duct tape before it could be photographed.

Meanwhile, the judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial Monday barred an FBI hair sample presentation because it had not been disclosed to the defense.

Judge Belvin Perry said the bureau's hair expert could testify; however, he refused to allow the use of a PowerPoint presentation to help the Orlando jury understand the science of hair studies.

The Orlando Sentinel said Perry called the seeming omission "troubling."

The PowerPoint specifically dealt with post-mortem banding, a phenomenon in which a dark discoloration forms on hairs after the person has died.

The prosecution contends samples of the 2-year-old victim's hair found in her mother's car trunk had such banding. That would indicate Casey Anthony had put her daughter's body in the trunk and taken her to a wooded area where her remains were found in 2008.

The Sentinel said FBI expert Stephen Shaw testified a strand of hair from the trunk appeared to match hair found at the scene where the remains were recovered.

Perry said the trial is going faster than expected with prosecutors possibly finishing Tuesday or early Wednesday with the defense to follow, the Monitor said.

Jury deliberations could begin as early as June 25 or June 27, Perry said.