ORLANDO, Fla. — By the time Casey Anthony stepped into the courtroom here last week, her hair in a loose bun, the line of people outside determined to get a coveted ringside seat, with its close-up view of her, had swelled to 60.

Heather Spaniol overcame her dread of planes and flew here from Las Vegas, driving straight from the airport to the courthouse to stand in line. Missing Ms. Anthony’s trial was not an option. The killing of 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony had touched Ms. Spaniol, 33, so deeply that she applied to law school and hopes to fight for children’s rights.

Marcia Frye of Texas, another fly-in who decided to spend her vacation at the trial, rattled off the latest courtroom goings-on like a seasoned legal expert, bouncing from an assessment of the power of chloroform to the durability of duct tape — evidence that prosecutors say is linked to the murder.

“I feel like I know these people,” said Ms. Frye, 47, who works at an energy company in San Antonio and said she had read 95 percent of all the released depositions in the case and every available hearing transcript. “I see them all the time.”