By JESSICA HOPPER

Aug. 25, 2011

Casey Anthony is receiving extra security measures from the Florida Department of Corrections because she is “one of the most hated women in America,” a probation spokeswoman said today.

Anthony reported to a probation officer for the first time Wednesday at 6 p.m., said Gretl Plessinger of the Florida Department of Corrections. She will serve a year’s probation for her conviction in a check fraud case that preceded her first degree murder trial. The Florida woman has received death threats since she was acquitted of charges that she murdered her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.

“The visit lasted a little over an hour. The probation officer laid out for her in detail the conditions of the court. She understood those conditions. She told the probation officer that she intended to do well on probation. She was polite and cooperative,” Plessinger said.

Anthony, 25, met with the officer without her attorneys present. It’s unclear if she arrived at the probation office alone or with someone. Anthony must report to her probation officer once a month within the first five days of the month. To keep Anthony’s location unknown, her information will not be entered into the state database of parolees.

Casey Anthony Gets Extra Security for Being “One Of Most Hated Women in America”

“Because of the death threats against her and the court orders, we are taking security into consideration in this case certainly and we will not be disclosing the location or anything that will lead to the discovery of her location. But she will be treated like every other offender in that if she doesn’t follow the court orders, we will immediately notify the court,” Plessinger said.

The spokeswoman said that while probation offices close at 6 p.m., some offenders report in the middle of the night if that’s what the situation requires.

“The court made a pretty strong statement talking about the fact that she’s one of the most hated women in America,” Plessinger said of the security measures.

Defense Attorney Jose Baez told Fox News that Anthony will serve probation “somewhere in the state of Florida” and will not have to work while on probation. Instead, she’ll take classes online.

Casey Anthony’s Hideaway Remains a Secret

Since Anthony was released from the Orange County Jail on July 17, her only confirmed whereabouts shave been Ohio and Florida.

Anthony was ordered earlier this month by Judge Belvin Perry to return to Florida by Aug. 26 to serve a year’s probation stemming from a check fraud conviction. Before her first degree murder trial, Anthony pleaded guilty to stealing checks from best friend Amy Huizenga during the time that Caylee was missing.

An error was made on the written sentencing documents in that case, which allowed Anthony to serve her probation while in jail awaiting trial for murder. Judge Stan Strickland, who presided over the check fraud case, had intended for her to serve probation once she left jail.

By Barbara Liston

Aug 3, 2011

A judge ruled on Wednesday that Casey Anthony, the Florida mother acquitted of murdering her toddler, will not be required to report to an Orlando probation office on Thursday as ordered by a different judge.

Judge Belvin Perry instead will hold a hearing Friday morning to consider the concerns raised by Anthony’s attorneys over the probation order.

Anthony, 25, will not be present at the hearing, a court spokeswoman said.

Earlier this week, Judge Stan Strickland said that he meant for Anthony to serve probation for a check fraud case after her release from jail on the murder charge connected to her 2-year-old daughter Caylee’s death, rather than during her incarceration.

Anthony’s lawyers filed an emergency motion on Tuesday challenging Strickland’s amended probation order.

Strickland recused himself from the check fraud case on Wednesday. Perry, who presided over Anthony’s murder trial, took over the other case as well.

The defense contends Anthony completed her probation while she was in jail awaiting her murder trial and that Department of Corrections records reflect that, according to the motion.

The defense accused Strickland of reckless disregard for Anthony’s civil rights and said the judge’s action subjected her to double jeopardy.

“The whole thing is very confusing, and we’re certainly trying our best to clarify it, and we want to take the proper legal steps to do so,” defense attorney Jose Baez said on the Today show early on Wednesday.

The defense raised concerns about Anthony’s safety if she be forced to return to Orlando, where her high-profile, televised trial ended in a dramatic acquittal. Anthony’s whereabouts have been kept from the public since her release from jail on July 17.

Baez said on the Today show that he hoped to avoid bringing Anthony back into the public eye in Orlando.

“They had to shut down streets for us to leave Orlando,” he said. “I certainly don’t think that’s something they want to embrace for her to come back.”

“It’s a bad situation. This thing is over and done. For some reason things seem to keep coming up again for no apparent reason,” Baez said.

July 18, 2011

José Báez, her lawyer, said Anthony – who was acquitted of the most serious charges of the murder trial in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee – will try to delicately begin the rest of her life after her release early-morning Sunday.

“I know Casey’s been through an incredible, traumatic event in her life,” Báez told Geraldo Rivera on “Geraldo At Large.” “She’s had a number of them over the last three years; we’re certainly going to our best to try and get her in a position where she can help herself move forward in life.”

Anthony’s whereabouts for her first week of freedom were a closely guarded secret Monday, known only to a select few.

Those options could be limited, though, by lawsuits pending against her, the scorn of multitudes who think she was guilty of the killing and a criminal record from her convictions for lying to police.

Báez said he was particularly concerned about Anthony’s safety.

“This young woman had her day in court where a jury of 12 found her not guilty of murder, manslaughter and aggravated child abuse,” he said in the interview with Rivera. “We need to start respecting the jury verdict and decisions that the juries make. Pundits and media personalities have no rights to try and alter the life of any individual because of what they think may or may not have happened.”

Experts who have helped other notorious defendants through rough times say she will have opportunities, but it won’t be easy for the 25-year-old, who was found not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, but convicted of lying to investigators.

“Casey is in good hands,” said Todd Macaluso, a former member of Anthony’s defense team who declined to comment further.

Asked if Anthony planned to cash in on her fame, Báez said she has “certain rights as an individual in this country.” Attorneys planned to handle Anthony’s affairs in a “dignified manner,” he said.

“If she decides she wants to speak publicly about it, she’ll make that decision,” he said.

Another former Anthony lawyer, Terry Lenamon, said he had no clue where she was headed, and that probably only a few people close to her knew.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to know,” he said. “I think she needs to go underground and I think she needs to spend some time to get her life back together.”

Anthony’s July 5 acquittal shocked and enraged many around the country who had been following the case since Caylee’s 2008 disappearance. Anger has spilled onto social media sites and elsewhere. Her legal team said on Friday it had received an emailed death threat.

Anthony did not report her daughter’s disappearance for a month and was arrested after telling a string of lies about the case to police. Caylee’s remains were found in December 2008 near the home Casey Anthony shared with her parents.

Prosecutors alleged that Anthony suffocated her daughter with duct tape because motherhood interfered with her desire for a carefree life, but her lawyers said the girl drowned in an accident that snowballed out of control. Some of the jurors who acquitted Anthony said they believe she bears some responsibility for her daughter’s death but that prosecutors failed to prove that she murdered the child.

Anthony had remained in jail to finish a four-year sentence for lying to investigators. With credit for the nearly three years she’d spent in jail since August 2008 and good behavior, she had only days remaining when she was sentenced July 7.

Her public vilification did not ease with her release from jail. “A baby killer was just set free!” Bree Thornton, 39, shouted as the SUV left the jail.

It won’t be impossible for Anthony to get a fresh start, though it will be difficult, said Los Angeles-based attorney Thomas Mesereau. His clients have included the late singer Michael Jackson when he was charged with child molestation and actor Robert Blake when he was charged with murdering his wife.

Anthony could accept requests for paid interviews, or a benefactor may be able to help her in the short term, Mesereau said.

“When you have that degree of celebrity, there is usually somebody who would like to get involved,” Mesereau said. “The problem is trusting anyone. People are willing to leak things to the media. They’re willing to be paid off for information. It’s very difficult to find people whom you can trust.”

Casey Anthony’s relationship with her parents is strained. During trial, Anthony’s defense attorneys argued that her father, George Anthony, molested Casey as a child and covered up Caylee’s death. He has denied both claims, and neither has been substantiated.

What is known is that Casey Anthony still faces a slew of legal problems even though the criminal charges have been resolved. She has been sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars by a Texas group that searched for Caylee in the weeks after she was reported missing, and prosecutors are seeking to recoup the cost of their investigation into Caylee’s disappearance.

Anthony also is being sued for defamation by a woman named Zenaida González who claims she has been harassed and unable to find work after Anthony alleged Caylee was kidnapped by a baby sitter with González’ name. The woman’s attorneys had wanted to depose Anthony before she left jail, but the deposition was rescheduled for October.

Any of those civil cases could put a major dent in any money Anthony receives for writing a book, signing a movie deal or doing interviews. Anthony is broke, and her defense team was paid for with taxpayers’ money after $200,000 she received from ABC News was spent.

Several book publishers contacted by The Associated Press said they knew of no memoir that was being shopped around and consider her too tainted to sign a deal.

Anthony could avoid the potential liability of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the lawsuits by filing for bankruptcy, though plaintiffs would probably attempt to keep her on the hook for damages if she signs lucrative deals after filing, said R. Scott Shuker, an Orlando bankruptcy attorney.

An important step in building a new life is getting psychological help to cope with her notoriety, severed family ties and newfound freedom, said attorneys with clients in similar circumstances.

“Everything she has been through, that’s more than most people can deal with in a lifetime,” said Daniel Meachum, an Atlanta attorney who has represented football player Michael Vick when he was convicted of dog fighting and actor Wesley Snipes when he was convicted of tax evasion.

Media relations expert Marti Mackenzie, who specialized in legal cases, said it’s important for Anthony to make some kind of public statement soon. She said a standard news conference is out of the question, but Anthony needs to say she made terrible mistakes, that she is grateful to her defense team and that she has thought about what happened every day of her life in jail.

“In traditional public relations language, it’s called feeding the beast,” Mackenzie said. “Even if you don’t give the beast a full meal, you respond. Because once you’re part of media scrutiny … how it is handled once the case is over will help to set a tone.”

Sun. Jul. 17 2011

Armed guards flanked Casey Anthony as she walked out of a Florida jail and past crowds of detractors shouting “baby killer” early Sunday, nearly two weeks after being acquitted of murder in the death of her two-year old daughter.

Following years in the public eye, the 25-year-old looked straight ahead as she strode past protesters and slipped into an SUV just after midnight. More than 100 people surged against police barricades as the vehicle whisked Anthony away to an unknown destination.

Streets outside the jail were obstructed by mounted patrolmen and police cruisers so Anthony’s SUV could drive onto a nearby highway ramp with ease.

“A baby killer was just set free!” protester Bree Thornton shouted at the vehicle as it drove past her.

Somewhere along Anthony’s undisclosed route she switched vehicles and eventually boarded a plane to a private location to start her life anew, reported ABC’s Jim Avila.

Helicopters trailed Anthony’s SUV as it sped off into the night, leaving behind her childhood home and the city where she gave birth to her late daughter Caylee.

People around the world have been transfixed with Caylee’s mysterious disappearance since it hit headlines three years ago. Tabloids scrutinized Anthony’s every move, criticizing her for shopping and partying after her daughter vanished.

The glare of the public spotlight only strengthened in December 2008 when Caylee’s skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area near Anthony’s family home.

For two months, the world had front-row seats as the case unfolded in a nationally-televised murder trial.

But when Anthony was acquitted of murder on July 5, the question of how Caylee died was still left unanswered. Hordes of people captivated by the case took to micro-blogging sites like Twitter and Facebook to convict Anthony in the court of public opinion.

Safety concerns

Much of the public’s rage has been aimed at lies Anthony told investigators, including early claims that her daughter Caylee was kidnapped by a nonexistent nanny.

When acquitted, Anthony had been finishing a four-year sentence for those lies.

Public ire reached new heights when Anthony was sentenced July 7 for lying to police and the world learned she would only serve 10 more days in jail, after building credit for good behaviour during her time in jail.

Since then, Anthony’s legal team has expressed concern over her safety upon release from jail.

Her lawyers said Friday that they had received an emailed death threat with a manipulated photo showing Anthony with a bullet hole in her forehead.

During Anthony’s Sunday release, Orange County Jail officials had contingency plans in place in case shots were fired.

Onlookers who flocked to the jail acknowledged that the 25-year-old will find it difficult to return to a normal life.

“She is safer in jail than she is out here,” said Mike Quiroz, who drove from Miami to spend his 22nd birthday outside the jail.

“She better watch her butt. She is known all over the world,” he told The Associated Press.

Despite the widespread vitriol that Anthony faces, Orange County Jail spokesman Allen Moore said the jail didn’t receive any threats before her release.

Supporters gather

Though outnumbered by detractors, a small contingent of Anthony supporters did attend her release from jail.

Braving a Saturday night thunderstorm, many stood outside the jail holding signs in support of Anthony. One fan even carried a “Casey, will you marry me” placard.

Many supporters maintain that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict Anthony.

“She’s done her time for a crime she didn’t commit and that’s just the way it is,” one man told ABC News.

Regardless of how the public views Anthony, her lawyer Jose Baez said he believes her release signals that a new chapter is opening in her life.

“It is my hope that Casey Anthony can receive the counselling and treatment she needs to move forward with the rest of her life,” Baez said in the statement.

Out of the spotlight

Following three years of media scrutiny, it is unclear how Anthony will carry on with her life.

Her relationship with her family has suffered as a result of the trial, where defence attorneys accused her father of molesting Casey when she was young.

Lawyers argued during the trial that the alleged abuse resulted in psychological issues that caused her to lie and act without remorse after Caylee’s death.

Her father George Anthony has vehemently denied the accusations.

Though Anthony has been offered multi-million dollar opportunities to turn her infamy into fortune, it is not yet known whether she’ll agree to tell her story through a book or movie deal.

Thursday, Jul. 07

A judge sentenced Casey Anthony on Thursday to four years for lying to investigators but said she could go free in late July or early August because she has already served nearly three years in jail and has had good behavior.

A court official is now saying Ms. Anthony will be released from jail next Wednesday.

While acquitted of killing and abusing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, Ms. Anthony was convicted of four counts of lying to detectives trying to find her daughter in July 2008. She lied to them about working at the Universal Studios theme park, about leaving her daughter with a non-existent nanny named Zanny, about leaving the girl with friends and about receiving a phone call from her.

Her defense attorneys argued before sentencing that her convictions should be combined into one, but the judge disagreed. Judge Belvin Perry also fined her $1,000 on each count and said attorneys for both sides will have to decide exactly how much time she should be credited for.

At the time of the girl’s disappearance in June 2008, Ms. Anthony, a single mother, and Caylee were living with Ms. Anthony’s parents, George and Cindy Anthony, in suburban Orlando. No one has come forward as the child’s father.

Prosecutors contended Ms. Anthony, then 22, suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she was interfering with her desire to be with her boyfriend and party with her friends.

Defense attorneys countered that the toddler accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool. They said that when Ms. Anthony panicked, her father, a former police officer, decided to make the death look like a murder. They said he put duct tape on the girl’s mouth and then dumped the body in woods about a quarter-mile away.

The defense said Ms. Anthony’s apparent carefree life hid emotional distress caused by sexual abuse from her father. Her father firmly denied both the cover-up and abuse claims. The prosecution called those claims absurd, and said no one makes an accident look like a murder.

Ms. Anthony stopped staying at the family house after the girl disappeared. She told her mother by phone that she and Caylee were spending time with friends. When Cindy Anthony asked to see Caylee, she says her daughter told her a series of lies: that they were in Jacksonville with a rich boyfriend Ms. Anthony concocted; that Caylee was with Zanny; that Zanny had been in a car crash and they were spending time with her in the hospital.

In mid-July 2008, Cindy and George Anthony were contacted by a towing yard that their daughter’s car had been impounded for being abandoned and would be junked if not claimed. When George Anthony picked it up, he and the tow yard manager said it had the overwhelming stench of human decomposition. The defense said the smell was caused by a bag of trash that was in the trunk.

In one of the biggest and most important fights of the six-week trial, a prosecution scientist said the trunk contained air molecules consistent with a human body having decomposed there — but the defense questioned his methods and said they were unproven.

Jurors declined to talk with reporters immediately after Tuesday’s verdict. But juror Jennifer Ford told ABC News in an interview that it was because “we were sick to our stomach to get that verdict.”

“We were crying and not just the women,” Ms. Ford said in an interview posted on the network’s website Wednesday night. “It was emotional and we weren’t ready.”

Ms. Ford, a 32-year-old nursing student, said the case was a troubling one.

“I did not say she was innocent,” Ms. Ford said. “I just said there was not enough evidence. If you cannot prove what the crime was, you cannot determine what the punishment should be.”

The prosecution didn’t paint a clear enough picture of what happened to Caylee, Ms. Ford argued in a portion of the interview broadcast Wednesday night.

“I have no idea what happened to that child,” Ms. Ford said.

As the sentencing was announced, Flora Reece, an Orlando real estate broker, stood outside the courthouse holding a sign that read “Arrest the Jury.”

“At least she won’t get to pop the champagne cork tonight,” Ms. Reece said of the judge’s decision to keep Ms. Anthony in jail for now.

The crowd of a few dozen emotionally charged protesters occasionally chanted “justice for Caylee.” A handful of Casey Anthony supporters also stood outside the courthouse, separate from her angry detractors.

By ASHLEIGH BANFIELD , SARAK KUNIN, KEVIN DOLAK and CHRISTINA NG

. July 7, 2011

Casey Anthony was ordered today to remain in jail after Judge Belvin Perry sentenced her to four years in jail and a fine of $4,000 for lying to law enforcement officials.

The judge gave her a four consecutive jail sentences, but she has already served nearly three years and would get credit for time served as well as good behavior. It’s not clear how much longer she will remain behind bars.

Anthony entered the courtroom with her long hair down, as opposed to the tight ponytails she has been sporting throughout the trial. Visibly relaxed before the sentencing, Anthony chatted with her attorneys, laughed and even winked a few times. As the proceeding began, her demeanor became much more reserved and she looked downcast as the judge read the sentencing.

Anthony’s attorneys argued that the four counts of lying should be regarded by the court as one continuous criminal act since all of the lies were told on July 16, 2008. They said that there must be a separation of timpe, place or circumstance in order to not invoke double jeopardy. They believed that the four separate counts should be reduced to one conviction.

The prosecution, however, argued that the lies were told during three seperate statements to police over the course of 12 hours. The prosecutor said that each lie was intended to to mislead law enforcement and send them on a “wild goose chase.”

The judge sided with the prosecution. “As a result of those four seperate and distinct lies, law enforcement expended a great deal of time, energy and manpower looking for young Caylee Marie Anthony,” he said.

Perry could have ordered the four sentences served concurrently, or all at the same time. That would likely have allowed Casey Anthony to leave jail.

Casey Anthony Ordered to Stay in Jail

Instead, he took the more punitive route and ordered that they be served consecutively, one after another, totally four years.

Spectators lined up all night to get seats for Anthony’s final appearance in her murder trial, and if the day of the verdict is any indication, it will be another highly charged crowd.

A protestor at the courthouse today arrived with duct tape and a heart sticker over their mouth.

After the verdict was announced Tuesday, where law enforcement had to rope off the front of the courthouse as all of the key players in the case were expected to exit, bystanders chanted “Appeal, Appeal” and “Justice for Caylee.”

Corrections officials in Orlando have said that the “intense, emotional interest” in Anthony’s case means they’ll take special measures to make sure she’s safe.

“I’ve just followed it from start to finish from seeing all of the tabloids. Just being able to come out here live is totally different than seeing it on TV,” said one spectator, who was able to obtain tickets to the sentencing.

Meanwhile, Jose Baez, the unknown lawyer who shot to stardom as the lead defense attorney representing Casey Anthony, spoke with ABC News’ Barbara Walters Wednesday about what the soon-to-be-free Anthony can expect once she leaves jail.

“I think Casey could have been anything she wanted in this world, and I think there are still plenty of things that Casey can do in life, and I think Casey can be a productive member of society,” Baez said. “So I think she’s going to be able to, with a little help and guidance, move on.”

There are some looming questions about Casey Anthony’s exit from jail, including where she will live and whether she will be safe from the angry legions of spectators who believe she killed her daughter.

Also, a look back at Anthony’s jailhouse letters show that she might be planning to have children upon her release. The letters might also provide a glimpse into what Anthony might do with the money some speculate she could make from a book or movie deal.

“I’m thinking of a partial memoir … a way to settle many rumors and to share my insight about love, life and most important –- god,” Anthony wrote in one of several letters sent to fellow inmate Robyn Adams between 2008 and 2009, when the two were housed in Orlando County Jail.

Further Legal Hurdles for Casey

Baez says that he is worried about how she will be treated by an angry public that watched the trial closely.

“I’m afraid for her, and I don’t think it’s fair,” Baez said.

Prosecutors, too, have said that they’re worried for Casey’s safety.

One of the prosecutors said “I wouldn’t want anyone in the community to be so upset by this that they try to do something to her … she was acquitted and people just need to accept that.”

Anthony’s death penalty lawyer, Ann Finnell, told ABC News, “I hope she takes the high road.”

Casey Anthony is scheduled to be sentenced in Orlando, Fla., July 07, 2011, two days after she was acquitted of the murder of daughter Caylee.

Anthony willl have to return to court again soon because the state of Florida has filed a motion to recoup some of the costs of investigating her case.

She also faces a defamation case. Anthony was served while in jail with a subpoena from the real Zenaida Gonzalez, a name Anthony used to describe a fictional nanny she claimed stole her child.

Anthony admitted in court that the kidnap story was a lie, and Gonzalez now wants that on the record for the libel case she has launched against Anthony.

“I want the truth to come out. I want them to know that I didn’t do anything wrong,” Gonzalez told ABC News Orlando affiliate WFTV.

There is a video deposition scheduled for July 19, whether Casey Anthony is free or not.

By Marlene Habib

Jul 6, 2011

Casey Anthony could walk free Thursday after she’s sentenced for misdemeanour convictions in Florida, but the 25-year-old acquitted of killing her toddler daughter Caylee will likely forever be on trial in the court of public and legal opinion.

Reaction following Anthony’s acquittal Tuesday in Orlando, in a case with more twists and turns than a soap opera and that caused near riots as people jockeyed for a courtroom seat, ranged from outrage to mind-numbing shock.

But others wondered if the angel of death that claimed Caylee’s life three years ago has remained perched on the shoulder of the mother of the two-year-old, whose body was found in a wooded area near her grandparents’ home six months after she went missing in July 2008.

Some legal experts said unique aspects of U.S. law will result in Anthony moving on quickly with her life.

Douglas Berman of the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University — cited by Canadian experts contacted by CBC News as one of the prime authorities on U.S. law — says Anthony “should be thankful” she is being sentenced in state court and not federal court.

‘Sentencing speed seems to help Anthony because this case carries so much emotion and because the jury verdict is already so widely questioned.’

—Douglas Berman, Ohio legal expert

Federal court sentencing could be played out over many months and she could have faced 20 years in prison, Berman says.

Her convictions on four misdemeanour counts of lying to investigators could land her a maximum of a year for each count. Since she has already served three years in prison, there’s a good chance she’ll be given credit for time served.

“Though there are often benefits from an extended sentencing process in many cases, sentencing speed seems to help Anthony because this case carries so much emotion and because the jury verdict is already so widely questioned,” Berman notes in his blog.

As well, adds Berman, “It is not only possible, but surprisingly common, for a federal judge to sentence a defendant for a murder that the defendant has been acquitted of.”

‘Justice for Caylee!’

Anger overwhelmed the crowd of about 500 people outside the courthouse Tuesday after the jury’s verdict was read following 33 days of testimony and the presenting of 400 pieces of evidence.

“Justice for Caylee!” One man yelled, “Baby killer!”

To add to the drama played out night after night on major U.S. television stations, Casey Anthony’s parents, George and Cindy Anthony, released a statement following the verdict that left one wondering about whose side they were really on: “Despite the baseless defence chosen by Casey Anthony, the family believes that the jury made a fair decision based on the evidence.”

‘The delay in recovering little Caylee’s remains worked to our considerable disadvantage.’

—Lawson Lamar, Florida state attorney

Prosecutors had contended that Casey, a single mother living with her parents — who were painted during the trial as heads of a highly dysfunctional family — suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she wanted to be free to party and spend time with her boyfriend.

They also nailed Anthony for the lies she told after Caylee went missing. She told her parents that she couldn’t produce Caylee because the child was with a nanny named Zanny — a woman who never existed — and that she and her daughter were spending time with a rich boyfriend, who also never existed.

The defence argued Caylee accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool, and that Anthony panicked and she and her father hid the body. There were also allegations made by the defence that Anthony was suffering from the traumatic effects of being sexually abused by her father. All the allegations were intensely denied.

After three years of forensic investigation, weeks of intense and complicated court testimony, and countless hours of media analysis, it took jurors only 11 hours to reach a verdict.

‘This is a dry-bones case’

Florida’s State Attorney Lawson Lamar acknowledged there was little hard evidence in the case.

“We know the facts and we’ve put in absolutely every piece of evidence that existed,” he said, adding: “This is a dry-bones case. Very, very difficult to prove. The delay in recovering little Caylee’s remains worked to our considerable disadvantage.”

Caylee’s disappearance went unreported by her mother for a month, and the decomposed body wasn’t found for six months after she was last seen. Cause of death was never established — a crucial element that may have led to her acquittal, according to legal experts.

But Anthony had an angel of another sort working for her.

Defence attorney Jose Angel Baez was a virtual unknown who had been practising law for only three years when he took on what has been billed as one of the biggest cases since disgraced former football star O.J. Simpson was acquitted 16 years ago. Simpson was found not guilty criminally of killing his wife Nicole; he is now serving a 33-year prison term in Nevada for felonies including robbery and kidnapping.

Baez, who was questioned constantly about the tactics he used to defend Anthony, said during closing arguments that the prosecutors’ case was so weak that they tried to portray Anthony as “a lying, no-good slut,” and that their forensic evidence was based on a “fantasy.”

He said Caylee’s death was “an accident that snowballed out of control.”

For her part, Casey Anthony has developed a cult-like following.

The St. Petersburg Times reported that thousands of people wrote letters to her, women mailed her magazines and books asking her for dating advice, and men asked her to marry them.

However, Jean Kelly, a San Diego resident who became obsessed with the case, including following many of the blogs on the trial, wrote Anthony asking her how she could kill her daughter and get away with it. A birthday card she sent to Anthony read: “You didn’t give your child a chance to have a birthday.”

What is even sadder, say many legal experts, is that since Anthony was acquitted of the serious first-degree murder charge, she is free to benefit from her three-year battle with the law.

Media reported Wednesday that she is already receiving book and movie offers.

Cleared of murder, Anthony awaits sentence for lying .

Wed Jul. 06 2011

A sensational Florida murder trial reached a dramatic conclusion Tuesday, when the jury delivered a verdict experts and onlookers were surprised to learn could see Casey Anthony set free within days.

After weeks of hearing testimony, arguments and analysis, the Orlando, Fla. jury cleared Anthony of murdering her daughter, Caylee. She was also found not guilty of aggravated child abuse or aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Many in the crowd of about 500 people outside the courthouse reacted with anger after the verdict was read, chanting, “Justice for Caylee!” One man yelled, “Baby killer!”

Anthony still faces sentencing on Thursday for four counts of lying to investigators while they were looking into her daughter’s disappearance. But because she has already spent three years in custody, experts say she could be allowed to go free.

The nationally-televised trial, which has played out in American tabloids since May, has prompted vehement reaction from spectators and celebrities alike.

On Tuesday, the trial was trending in the Twitterverse with an array of celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Carson Daly weighing in on the verdict.

Actress Rosanne Barr sent out a string of irate tweets including, “to the members of the jury: you ignored the hair of a corpse in the trunk of casey’s car. science is junk in america.”

Meanwhile, Office-star Mindy Kaling took the sardonic route by tweeting, “Anyone else hoping Casey Anthony is stupid enough to sue herself for millions in a civil court?”

Television host Carson Daly expressed his disapproval in fewer characters, simply tweeting, “That jury better get into hiding.”

Caylee’s mysterious disappearance and death has been a national sensation since she first went missing in June 2008.

Her mother initially told detectives that Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny, triggering a nationwide search. The search ended on Dec. 11, 2008, when the girl’s body was found in woods near her grandparents’ home. Tabloids scrutinized the case as macabre details including duct tape on discovered on Caylee’s skull were revealed over time.

Evidence lacking

During the lengthy trial, jurors listened to more than 33 days of testimony, and reviewed 400 pieces of evidence. In the end, it only took jurors 11 hours to issue the verdict.

The jurors — seven women and five men — refused to speak to the media and their identities were kept secret by the court.

Though State prosecutor Lawson Lamar said the verdict disappointed him, he admitted that hard evidence was lacking.

“This is a dry-bones case. Very, very difficult to prove,” he said. “The delay in recovering little Caylee’s remains worked to our considerable disadvantage.”

As the trial went on, the case became a morbid tourist attraction in Orlando. People camped outside for seats in the courtroom, and scuffles broke out among those desperate to watch the drama unfold.

During the trial, prosecutors also focused heavily on an odour in the trunk of Anthony’s car, which forensics experts said was consistent with the smell of human decay. But the defence argued that the air analysis could not be duplicated and that no one could prove a stain found in the trunk was caused by Caylee’s remains.

Pundits like CNN commentator and ex-prosecutor Nancy Grace monitored the case with extreme zeal, arguing that Anthony was responsible for her daughter’s death. The TV host turned the term “tot mom” into shorthand for Anthony.

Photos of Anthony smiling and partying in a nightclub during the first month Caylee was missing caused a stir when they hit tabloids. In the final days of the trial, another salacious photo surfaced of a tattoo Anthony she got a day before law enforcement learned of the child’s disappearance: the Italian words for “beautiful life.”

Between damning pictures and media attention on Anthony’s party-hearty lifestyle, public opinion didn’t seem to be in the 25-year-old mother’s favour.

Legal analyst Steven Skurka is disappointed by media coverage of the trial, saying that news outlets had all but convicted Anthony.

“[Media] was a factor in getting the public to believe that there was only one possible verdict,” he told CTV’s Canada AM.

Skurka added that the jury was entitled to reach the not guilty verdict as there was no direct evidence linking Casey Anthony to the death of her daughter.

“Judges are going to have to get more precautions in sequestering juries otherwise defendants will never get a fair trial.”

Please fell free to leave Ponderingtheessence,any comments that you would like.

July 6, 2011

The not-guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony case drew a huge response from members of the CBC Community on Tuesday. Many expressed outrage at the verdict, while others tempered their disappointment with their belief that the verdict of not guilty was the only one the jury could have reached, given the evidence.

“This is unbelievable,” wrote Belkin. “The child is missing for a MONTH and the mother never told a soul. THAT in itself should have convicted her! The justice system of the United States is an international laughing stock.”

“I cannot believe the verdict in this case! The jury must be on drugs, not to convict this lying woman. None of her actions after the disappearance of her daughter were ones of an innocent woman, but rather one who was trying to cover up foul play,” said John in Kelowna.

“Every juror and the judge should be named and shamed publicly for this outrageous travesty of justice! When the verdict was read, we all gasped in disbelief,” said Seneca.

“The question remains: What happened to Caylee? I for one believe that Casey Anthony knows. Whether it was an accident or not, the question needs an answer,” said curious_george.

“The prosecutor will blame the jury for the failure to get a conviction. The jury did its job; if she was guilty, the prosecution failed to do theirs,” said TooMuchMeatMaam.

“Put yourself in the jurors’ position for a minute,” wrote Kevin(BrockU).

“You have the power to end someone’s life through the death penalty if you claim she is guilty. If there was any doubt as to conclusive evidence, I’m willing to bet most people wouldn’t jump to conclusions over her guilt,” he said.

CBC Community member mpasmith said the justice system worked in this case.

This is exactly what justice is all about. The prosecution charged her with first-degree murder, and as such the burden of proof was on them to prove both premeditation AND the murder beyond a reasonable doubt. They also needed a unanimous vote from all 12 jurors to get a guilty verdict.

Even after three years and millions of dollars spent, they were unable to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt in the minds of 12 jurors.

While you may disagree or agree with the verdict, justice was served to the letter of the law.
On Wednesday morning, Stubbs had an interesting take on where the case can go from here.

Those of us, and I include myself in this statement, who feel she is guilty need to be ashamed of ourselves at the very little faith we place in the one thing that separates any democracy from any other LOWER form of governance, and that is the right to be found innocent or guilty by a jury of our peers.

This lady has had her day in court and deserves to be assumed innocent. The worst part for me is knowing how rich she will now become from all of this.
However, we all now have another great democratic right to enjoy.

Don’t watch her interviews. Don’t buy her books. Change the channel when her face appears on CNN, Fox, Oprah, Pierce Morgan, or any other show that wants to take a crack at this. Don’t buy from advertisers that advertise on shows she’s on, and so on.

Or you can watch and be fascinated and just become part of the problem.

We have a CHOICE to exercise here.
Please fell free to leave Ponderingtheessence,any comments that you would like.

KYLE HIGHTOWER

Wednesday, Jul. 06, 2011

Jurors aren’t talking. Prosecutors are stunned that they lost. Defense attorneys are lashing out at the media. And Casey Anthony could be free by the weekend.

A case that involved years of forensic investigation, weeks of often highly technical testimony and untold hours of media analysis turned out to be a quick decision for the jurors weighing whether Ms. Anthony killed her toddler daughter. Early in their second day of deliberations, the 12 men and women concluded Tuesday the 25-year-old lied to investigators but wasn’t guilty in her child’s death.

Casey Anthony acquitted of murder

Now Ms. Anthony waits to learn if she could spend her first night out of jail in almost three years since she was first accused in the case. She was only convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators, and it’s possible that Judge Belvin Perry could sentence her Thursday to time already served for those crimes. The four counts of lying to sheriff’s deputies each carry a maximum sentence of one year.

Ms. Anthony has been in jail since her October 2008 arrest on first-degree murder charges. She avoided a possible death sentence thanks to her acquittal on the murder count. The case began in July 2008 when Caylee Anthony was reported missing.

“I’m very happy for Casey, ecstatic for her and I want her to be able to grieve and grow and somehow get her life back together,” defense attorney Jose Baez said Tuesday. “I think this case is a perfect example of why the death penalty does not work … Murder is not right, no matter who does it.”

The trial became a national sensation on cable TV, with its CSI-style testimony about duct-tape marks on the child’s face and the smell of death inside a car trunk.

After a month and a half of testimony, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Ms. Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.

Tears welled in Ms. Anthony’s eyes, her face reddened, her lips trembled, and she began breathing heavily as she listened to the verdict.

Ms. Anthony’s parents, George and Cindy Anthony, left court quickly after the verdict without hugging or saying anything to their daughter. Their attorney, Mark Lippman, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that they hadn’t spoken with their daughter since the verdict. Mr. Lippman wouldn’t answer whether the Anthonys believe their daughter killed Caylee.

Jurors declined to talk to reporters after their decision, but an alternate juror told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday he thought they came to the right verdict. Russell Huekler told the network he didn’t think the prosecution presented enough evidence to sustain a murder charge.

“When they explained to us what reasonable doubt was, I definitely had reasonable doubt then,” Mr. Huekler said.

Mr. Huekler also said he didn’t think prosecutors provided a motive for why Ms. Anthony would kill her daughter.

“Just because Casey was a party girl did not show why she would possibly kill Caylee,” he said.

Also on NBC, prosecutor Jeff Ashton said the verdict left him and other prosecutors in shock.

“I think I mouthed the word `wow’ about five times,” he said.

Many in the crowd of about 500 people outside the courthouse Tuesday reacted with anger after the verdict was read, chanting, “Justice for Caylee!” One man yelled, “Baby killer!”

Given the relative speed with which the jury came back with a verdict, many court-watchers were expecting Ms. Anthony to be convicted in the killing, and they were stunned by the outcome.

Prosecutors contended that Ms. Anthony — a single mother living with her parents — suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she wanted to be free to hit the nightclubs and spend time with her boyfriend.

Defense attorneys argued that the little girl accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool and that Ms. Anthony panicked and hid the body because of the traumatic effects of being sexually abused by her father.

The case played out on national television almost from the moment Caylee was reported missing three years ago. CNN’s Nancy Grace dissected the case at every turn with the zeal of the prosecutor she once was, arguing that Ms. Anthony was responsible for her daughter’s death. The TV host turned the term “tot mom” into shorthand for Anthony.

Ms. Anthony’s attorney Cheney Mason blasted the media after the verdict.

“Well, I hope that this is a lesson to those of you having indulged in media assassination for three years, bias, prejudice and incompetent talking heads saying what would be and how to be,” Mr. Mason said.

“I’m disgusted by some of the lawyers that have done this, and I can tell you that my colleagues from coast to coast and border to border have condemned this whole process of lawyers getting on television and talking about cases that they don’t know a damn thing about.”

The jurors — seven women and five men — would not talk to the media, and their identities were kept secret by the court.

State’s Attorney Lawson Lamar said: “We’re disappointed in the verdict today because we know the facts and we’ve put in absolutely every piece of evidence that existed.” The prosecutor lamented the lack of hard evidence, saying, “This is a dry-bones case. Very, very difficult to prove. The delay in recovering little Caylee’s remains worked to our considerable disadvantage.”

Caylee’s disappearance went unreported by her own mother for a month. The child’s decomposed body was eventually found in the woods near her grandparents’ home six months after she was last seen. A medical examiner was never able to establish how she died.

The case became a macabre tourist attraction in Orlando. People camped outside for seats in the courtroom, and scuffles broke out among those desperate to watch the drama unfold.

Because the case got so much media attention in Orlando, jurors were brought in from the Tampa Bay area and sequestered for the entire trial, during which they listened to more than 33 days of testimony and looked at 400 pieces of evidence. Ms. Anthony did not take the stand.

“While we’re happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case,” Mr. Baez said after the verdict. “Caylee has passed on far, far too soon and what my driving force has been for the last three years has been always to make sure that there has been justice for Caylee and Casey because Casey did not murder Caylee. It’s that simple. And today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction.”

In closing arguments, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick showed the jury two side-by-side images. One showed Ms. Anthony smiling and partying in a nightclub during the first month Caylee was missing. The other was the tattoo Ms. Anthony she got a day before law enforcement learned of the child’s disappearance: the Italian words for “beautiful life.”

“At the end of this case, all you have to ask yourself is whose life was better without Caylee?” Burdick asked. “This is your answer.”

Prosecutors also focused heavily on an odor in the trunk of Ms. Anthony’s car, which forensics experts said was consistent with the smell of human decay.

But the defense argued that the air analysis could not be duplicated, that no one could prove a stain found in the trunk was caused by Caylee’s remains, and that maggots in the compartment had come from a bag of trash.

Prosecutors hammered away at the lies Ms. Anthony told when the child was missing: She told her parents that she couldn’t produce Caylee because the girl was with a nanny named Zanny — a woman who doesn’t exist; that she and her daughter were spending time with a rich boyfriend who doesn’t exist; and that Zanny had been hospitalized after an out-of-town traffic crash and that they were spending time with her.

Mr. Baez said during closing arguments that the prosecutors’ case was so weak they tried to portray Ms. Anthony as “a lying, no-good slut” and that their forensic evidence was based on a “fantasy.” He said Caylee’s death was “an accident that snowballed out of control.”

He contended that the toddler drowned and when Ms. Anthony panicked, her father, a former police officer, decided to make the death look like a murder by putting duct tape on the girl’s mouth and dumping the body in the woods a quarter-mile away. Ms. Anthony’s father denied both the cover-up and abuse claims.

The verdict could divide people for many years to come, just as the O.J. Simpson case in the mid-1990s did, with some believing Ms. Anthony got away with murder.

Ti McLeod, who lives near the Anthony family, said, “The justice system has failed Caylee.” Jodie Ickes, who lives a mile away and goes to the same hairdresser Ms. Anthony uses, said she is against the death penalty and was glad that Casey wasn’t facing execution. “I’m comfortable with the outcome,” she concluded.

Among the trial spectators was 51-year-old Robin Wilkie, who said she has spent $3,000 on hotels and food since arriving June 10 from Lake Minnetonka, Minn. She tallied more than 100 hours standing in line to wait for tickets and got into the courtroom 15 times to see Ms. Anthony.

“True crime has become a unique genre of entertainment,” Ms. Wilkie said. “Her stories are so extreme and fantastic, it’s hard to believe they’re true, but that’s what engrosses people. This case has sex, lies and videotapes — just like on reality TV.”

05 Jul 2011

The not guilty verdict for Casey Anthony on Tuesday can be seen as a victory for the US justice system, despite strong public opinion that she killed her 2 year-old daughter, legal experts said.

A Florida jury cleared Miss Anthony of the murder charge she faced in the 2008 death of her daughter, Caylee, but found her guilty of lying to police about the incident.

A number of media commentators had expected her to be found guilty of murder in the case, even though prosecutors were forced to rely largely on circumstantial evidence.

Doug Berman, a criminal law professor at Ohio State University, said popular opinion came to the conclusion the 25 year-old Miss Anthony was guilty, but that jurors must hold to a higher standard than the average citizen watching on TV.

That standard is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

“In some sense, it’s a sign that the system worked well,” Prof Berman said. “The job of the system is not to turn this into a Hollywood ending, but to have all the actors in the system do the job to the best of their ability.”

Josh Niewoehner, a Chicago attorney who worked on the successful defence of R&B singer R Kelly against charges of child pornography, said he welcomed the Anthony verdict.

“I commend the jurors for listening to the evidence and not listening to the media,” Mr Niewoehner said.

“It’s a good day for justice in the sense that you have to prove every element of every crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” he added.

The case against Miss Anthony, who had faced the possibility of the death penalty if found guilty of murdering her daughter, was short on forensic evidence, such as Caylee’s time or manner of death, Mr Berman said.

Mr Berman said popular television show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” has influenced jurors in recent years, by giving them the false impression every case has the same clear-cut forensic evidence featured in that fictional series.

“There’s been a lot of speculation that lay jurors have now gotten even less likely to convict, because they’re under the false impression that every case is going to have some sort of forensic smoking gun,” he said.

Because of the tragic nature of two year-old Caylee Anthony’s death, many in the public felt someone must be held responsible and they saw Casey Anthony as that person, experts said.

“Popular opinion did find her guilty, which is why we have so many people right now in shock,” said psychologist Gregory Jantz.

“The next phase is going to be anger, and particularly from people who have suffered from trauma in their own lives,” Mr Jantz said.

Casey Anthony Verdict: Anthony Family Gets Death Threats in Wake of Acquittal, Asks for Privacy.

By SUZAN CLARKE Jessica Hopper

July 5, 2011

Members of Casey Anthony‘s family received death threats today after the Florida woman was acquitted of murder in the death of her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee.

Mark Lippman, the attorney for George and Cindy Anthony, Casey Anthony’s parents, told ABC News that the family has received death threats, but no additional details were immediately available.

The verdict provoked shock and outrage, and the backlash was swift.

Spectators outside the courtroom comforted each other and cried, and one man remarking that Casey Anthony should leave town because she’s not welcome in Orlando.

Law enforcement officials roped off a door where Cindy and George Anthony were expected to make their exit from the court, and bystanders chanted “Appeal! Appeal!” and “justice for Caylee.”

One woman said, “[The verdict] is going to make millions of people think they can get away with killing their child. … That isn’t a good depiction of what our justice system is like or should be.”

In New York’s Times Square, the reaction to the verdict was emotional.

“I’m sick, you know, she killed a little girl,” said Susan McDougal. “So she gets off and she goes home and maybe has another baby that she can abuse and hurt.”

Casey Anthony, center, is overcome with emotion along with her defense team following her acquittal of murder charges at the Orange County Courthouse Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, July 5, 2011.

Jurors in the explosive murder trial headed into deliberations with plenty of forensic evidence and expert testimony to pore over. They also had seen a lot of family drama play out on the witness stand, including allegations by the defense team that Casey Anthony’s father, George, and brother, Lee, had sexually molested her.

It also appeared that Cindy Anthony perjured herself in testimony about computer searches for the term “chloroform,” and it was revealed that Casey Anthony told elaborate lies — not just about the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s disappearance, but about other aspects of her life, as well.

A statement released today by Lippman on behalf of George, Cindy and Lee Anthony seems to demonstrate the family’s conflict.

“While the family may never know what has happened to Caylee Marie Anthony, they now have closure for this chapter of their life. They will now begin the long process of rebuilding their lives. Despite the baseless defense chosen by Casey Anthony, the family believes that the Jury made a fair decision based on the evidence presented, the testimony presented, the scientific information presented and the rules that were given to them by the Honorable Judge Perry to guide them. The family hopes that they will be given the time by the media to reflect on this verdict and decide the best way to move forward privately.”

So how much did that dysfunction play into the jurors’ decision? Defense attorney Jose Baez’s explosive claims that Casey Anthony became a pathological liar because she was used to covering up sexual abuse could have led some jurors to understand how the young mother could have covered up an accidental death, some experts have said.

But Wendy Murphy, a former prosecutor who teaches at New England Law School in Boston, said she didn’t believe the jury was swayed by any of the shocking claims — either about the abuse or of the initial defense claim that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family pool.

“I think the jury doesn’t care one whit about it, because they expect parents to lie on behalf of their children and to have divided loyalties,” she said.

Murphy said she wasn’t at all surprised by the verdict. In fact, last month Murphy predicted Casey Anthony would be acquitted.

“I didn’t hear any evidence at all that they have that Casey Anthony actually killed her child,” Murphy told the “Today” show on June 8. “There’s plenty that she lied. Plenty she was a bad mother. Plenty she probably participated in burying the body, maybe even covering up the crime. But I didn’t hear one thing that put Casey Anthony at the murder scene.”

“If you don’t have motive and opportunity and intent, there’s reasonable double all over the place,” she told ABCNews.com tonight.

Murphy also said Cindy Anthony’s claims that she was the one who performed the computer searches — a claim which was later proved false — also didn’t have an impact.

“They may have known … that Cindy lied” about doing the searches, she said, “but they think to themselves, ‘I wonder if I would do the same thing for my kid? I probably would.’”

Casey Anthony will be sentenced Thursday on the charges for which she was convicted: four counts of providing false information to law enforcement, which are misdemeanors.