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Casey Anthony's father testifies about suicide attempt

Casey Anthony, pictured in an undated Orange County Sheriff's Office file photo. On October 14, 2008, a Florida grand jury indicted Anthony on charges of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter. (UPI Photo/Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Casey Anthony, pictured in an undated Orange County Sheriff's Office file photo. On October 14, 2008, a Florida grand jury indicted Anthony on charges of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter. (UPI Photo/Orange County Sheriff's Office) | License Photo

ORLANDO, Fla., June 29 (UPI) -- Casey Anthony's father testified in her first-degree murder trial Wednesday and broke down as he described his suicide attempt "to be with Caylee."

George Anthony testified as Casey Anthony's defense tried to raise doubt about the circumstances of her 2-year-old daughter's death.

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Anthony, in emotional testimony, denied sexually abusing his daughter Casey and acknowledged he tried to kill himself "to be with Caylee," the Orlando Sentinel reported.

He told the jury he went to Daytona Beach in early 2009 to kill himself because "I needed at that time to be with Caylee ... I believed I failed her," he said.

Defense lawyers for Casey Anthony have claimed George Anthony sexually abused his daughter and also knew that his granddaughter died in an accidental drowning in June 2008.

George Anthony denied both claims in his testimony.

Casey Anthony, 25, is accused of killing her daughter in the summer of 2008.

Legal experts say they believe George Anthony did very little to help the defense case.

The defense failed to prove the child sex abuse theory it raised in its opening statement and that failure to deliver "may not sit well with the jury," one expert said.

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"It's one thing to raise a hypothesis, but when launching something as heinous and reprehensible as child sexual assault, you had better be able to 'prove' it in court later," forensic trial consultant Dean Tong said.

"George Anthony categorically and unequivocally denied abusing or hurting his daughter Casey in open court today and the defense's theory he did so fizzled in a New York minute," Tong said.

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