But discussing Caylee's last moments, the year-old Anthony spoke in halting, sober tones: "I'm still not even certain as I stand here today about what happened," she said. I understand why people have the opinions that they do. This was the first time Anthony spoke to a news media outlet about her daughter's death or her years since the trial.
Her responses were at turns revealing, bizarre and often contradictory, and they ultimately raised more questions than answers about the case that has captivated the nation. It's been almost nine years since Caylee went missing, and six since the circus-like Orlando trial that ended in her mother's acquittal.
The trial was carried live on cable networks and was the focus of daily commentaries by HLN's Nancy Grace, who called her "the most hated mom in America," and, derisively, "tot mom.
The child was supposedly last seen on June 16, ; she was first reported missing, by Casey Anthony's mother, on July A day later, Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect. She told police that Caylee had disappeared with a baby sitter. A utility worker working in a wooded area near the Anthony home on Dec. Experts would testify that air samples indicated that decaying human remains had been present in Casey Anthony's trunk.
In the end, prosecutors proved Casey Anthony was a liar, but convinced the jury of little else. The government failed to establish how Caylee died, and they couldn't find her mother's DNA on the duct tape they said was used to suffocate her. I even remember the smell of the courtroom. Casey's lawyer, Jose Baez , never tried to argue that his client was a saint. But while the prosecution painted a picture of an evil woman who killed her daughter, got rid of the body and went about her life for a month, entering a "hot bod" contest at a club just days after Caylee died, the defense insisted the child's death was an accidental drowning followed by panic and, yes, a lot of obfuscation.
That's insane, that's bizarre," Baez said in his opening statement when the trial began in May She never was missing. Caylee Anthony died on June 16, when she drowned in her family's swimming pool. You will hear stories about a family that is incredibly dysfunctional, you will hear about ugly things, secret things, things that people don't speak about. Baez contended that Casey's inexplicable behavior was a result of her own childhood trauma.
Both Casey's father and brother, Lee Anthony , had sexually abused her, Baez alleged, and she had been struggling ever since. What happened to Caylee was just another secret she felt pressured to keep after a lifetime of hiding things, the attorney said. Countering the prosecution's claim of cold-blooded murder, Baez said that Caylee had drowned in the family's pool on her grandfather's watch and George frightened Casey by telling her she'd go to jail for the rest of her life.
He not-so-cryptically told his daughter that he'd take care of it, Baez alleged. In trying to cloud the few seemingly clear parts of the picture, the defense also suggested that the utility worker who found Caylee's remains had actually done so months earlier but held onto them and then put them in the woods to make a splash with the discovery. The man denied any wrongdoing whatsoever and later sued Casey for defamation ; a judge ruled there wasn't enough evidence to take the complaint to trial and an appeals court upheld the decision.
Both from the stand and talking to the media, George adamantly denied ever abusing his daughter and testified that he didn't know anything had happened to Caylee until the day she was reported missing.
Tony Lazzaro , the boyfriend Casey was living with when Caylee disappeared, stated in a deposition that Casey had mentioned being physically abused by her father. Lee was never questioned in court about it by either side and didn't respond publicly to the accusation. Years later, George and Casey remained estranged. I can't trust her," he said during an October appearance on Dr.
I know she's given some other interviews that she said she was never going to do, and things she's said and done, it's just, it's wrong.
She needs to just not be here anymore. In January , however, back on Dr. Oz , George said that his daughter reached out to him after he was severely injured in a car accident and he was ready to forgive her, "for what she has put her mom, me, my son, and also not having Caylee here anymore. I would forgive her for all this stuff. I'll never forget, but I need to forgive. Caylee Anthony was born Aug.
The identity of Caylee's father remains unknown. A deposition made public in revealed that Casey had told a psychiatrist that she was impregnated at 18 while she was passed out at a party and she didn't remember anything.
The doctor also noted that in five interviews conducted over two years Casey didn't exhibit any evidence of mental illness and her results from a psychological test were normal—surprisingly so, in his opinion. It was a calculated move to get under Casey's skin. Casey lived with her parents, but in June left for boyfriend Tony Lazzaro's house, taking Caylee with her, after getting into an argument with her mom.
Lazzaro testified that Casey disciplined Caylee "like any mother would do," warning her about getting too close to the pool at his apartment complex the first time she brought the child over. Roy House , one of Lazzaro's roommates, testified, "She seemed like a fun party girl, someone that would probably get along well with our group of friends. Nathan Leziewicz , another roommate, testified that Casey claimed she worked for Universal Studios, but she never came through with a promised ticket hookup or anything else related to the job she ultimately didn't have.
Altogether, three roommates testified that they never witnessed Casey talking on the phone to Caylee or any babysitter while she lived with them. As recounted in court testimony and numerous media reports, on July 15, , Cindy and George Anthony got a letter informing them that their car—which Casey had been driving before she abandoned it outside a business in Orlando, claiming it was out of gas—was at a tow yard. So we talked for about 30 minutes, and the two decided that they were willing to change their votes, so first degree was off the table pretty quickly.
And we talked for a while, then it was to acquit. But what else can we do? We promised to follow the law. Perhaps the juror who has been the most critical of the prosecution was the foreman, Juror Seven years later, the jurors — whose names were released six months after the trial — are still trying to distance themselves from the case. Authorities described Casey as continuing to hang out with friends, partying -- and getting this tattoo, which means "Beautiful Life.
She pleaded not guilty. December Many people, both locally and nationally, followed the case and searched for Caylee. On December 11, skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near the Anthony home by a utility worker. On December 19, authorities announced the remains had been identified as Caylee. Pictured here is a memorial for Caylee where the 2-year-old's remains were found.
May With prosecutors deciding to pursue the death penalty, jury selection began in the Casey Anthony trial on May 9, Spectators in the courthouse are pictured here as they wait for the trial's first day to begin on May 24, May Jose Baez, lead defense counsel for Casey Anthony, presented a different story during his opening remarks: he said Caylee Anthony was not murdered and was never missing.
Baez stated she died on June 16, , from an accidental drowning in the Anthony family's backyard pool. June During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Casey used chloroform on her daughter and suffocated her by putting duct tape over the little girl's mouth and nose.
They also alleged that Casey put her daughter's body in her car trunk before disposing of it. June Forensics expert Arpad Vass testified on June 6 that the only plausible explanation for the odor in Casey's car trunk would be the presence of a decomposing human body.
Pictured here is an evidence photo of trash found in the trunk. June During his testimony, Casey's father, George Anthony, denied the defense's claims that he sexually abused his daughter and that he was involved in his granddaughter's death. June Casey's mother, Cindy, also took the stand. Here, she's seen reacting to a photo of Caylee on a monitor during her testimony on June 14, , day 18 of the trial.
June Judge Belvin Perry looks at evidence as it's presented during the trial. June Jennifer Welch, a crime scene investigator with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, shows letters from Caylee's T-shirt that were entered into evidence. June Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton holds crime scene evidence during a cross-examination of entomologist Dr. Tim Huntington. The country's interest in every update on the case was voracious; by the time it concluded, it had yielded record ratings for some networks.
June 30, By the end of June , both the prosecution and the defense had rested their cases. Casey Anthony never testified. July 5, : The trial's jury deliberated for 10 hours and 40 minutes before reaching a verdict. Casey was found not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child. She was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement. July 5, Casey Anthony's defense team surrounded her in a group hug after the thenyear-old was acquitted.
July The not-guilty charge divided many people who followed the case. July Others, such as Tim Allen, right, and David Antolic, held signs of a different tone in front of a jail in Orlando on July 16, , the day before Anthony was released. July 17, Casey was sentenced to four years in jail with credit for time served. Aftermath: Seven years after being acquitted of the death of her daughter, Casey Anthony, pictured here with her attorney Cheney Mason in , resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In , Anthony told the Associated Press she's still not "certain Ultimately, the jury acquitted the young mother of the most serious charges against her.
Now 32 years old, Anthony is living not-quite-out-of-sight in her home state of Florida; just last year, she gave a widely covered interview with the Associated Press.
But the Casey Anthony case involved many other players. Ten years later, we spoke to some of those who were involved, to get their thoughts on how it played out and their perspective on why it struck such a chord with the public. Here's what they had to say:. These statements have been edited for length and clarity. The Judge: 'What really happened? I thought the state had proved its case.
I thought, while they may have had some flaws in their case, that there was a high probability that Casey would be found guilty of some form of homicide, and that did not occur.
A number of jurors said the reason that they came back with "not guilty" was because the state could not prove how Caylee died.
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