Will The Anthony's Lie to Dr. Phil?

by Dr. Lillian Glass

On September 12 we will hear more from Cindy and George Anthony as they appear on the Dr. Phil Show to reveal "the truth” about Casey Anthony and her daughter Caylee’s death. My question is why these two liars didn’t reveal the truth when they were on the stand in a court of law? Yes, I said liars! Cindy’s body language and communication showed she lied repeatedly on the stand. The same is true for George. After seeing them on the stand, one can understand why Casey turned out the way she did. At least Dr. Phil, whom I know and respect, will demand they tell the truth and will not put up with any of their nonsense.

It is despicable to me that these two liars are now making a reported half-a-million dollars be appear on television to be grilled by Dr. Phil. It has been reported that the money will go into the Caylee Anthony Charity Fund for Missing Children. And who are executives in charge of this “charity?” Are they George and Cindy? How are the monies from this charity being spent? So they go into George and Cindy’s pockets? Also, Caylee was not a missing child. She was a murdered or drowned child. Take your pick. We were all duped and lead on a wild goose chase by Casey and then by Cindy and George.

In looking at the body language of the promo, Cindy looks like a deer in the headlights when Dr. Phil appears to put her on the spot. She looks wide-eyed and physically turns to George with her hunched over shoulders, indicating that most likely she has been busted by Dr. Phil. Also in the promo, Dr. Phil point-blank asks, "Do you think Casey was involved in Caylee’s death?" Cindy hunches over and turns to George who purses his lips together as you can see. This indicates that he doesn’t want to answer the question. No doubt this former policeman knows exactly what happened to Caylee and Casey’s involvement.

Dr. Phil appears to be very direct with Cindy, who is beautifully made up complete with fake lashes in an attempt to make her look attractive, her body language is anything but attractive. She has turtle posture, where she hides her neck and hunches her shoulders like a turtle. People who have something to hide usually demonstrate this posture. Then in the promo Dr. Phil asks George, “Why did you sit on this information?” George is in true wimp form where he continues to not man up, turns to Cindy as he looks over at her in hopes she can rescue him from Dr. Phil’s direct line of questioning.

It will be interesting to see if they lie to Dr. Phil or they tell the truth. Look for tell-tale signs such as lip licking, excessive eye blinking, stammering, lip pursing, hemming and hawing, looking away, and scratching, to name a few.

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Handwriting Detective Weighs in on Casey Anthony's Script

Michelle Dresbold

 by Andrea Campbell

I am thrilled to have found guest editor: Michelle Dresbold. Michelle has been called the Sherlock Holmes of handwriting. For the past 15 years, she has been helping law enforcement agencies around the country put away the “bad guys.” 

A graduate of the training program, Michelle consults to private attorneys, police departments, and prosecutors throughout the United States. She is considered one of the top experts in the nation on handwriting identification, (including anonymous letters and suspected forgeries), personality profiling, and threat analysis. She has testified in a wide variety of cases including arson, embezzlement, voting fraud, forgery, stalking, and murder. 

Michelle has examined Casey’s Anthony's handwriting and offers insight into who Casey really is.

Casey Anthony

by Michelle Dresbold

I am a handwriting detective. As I explain in my book, Sex, Lies and Handwriting, my specialties range from handwriting identification, (including anonymous letters and suspected forgeries), to threat analysis, to personality profiling. I have testified in a wide variety of cases including arson, embezzlement, voting fraud, forgery, stalking, and murder.

The media have been inundated with news about the Casey Anthony case. The prosecutorss theory is that Anthony suffocated her daughter, Caylee, so she could be free to “live the good life.” Their case presented evidence that suggested Casey stuffed Caylee’s body in her car trunk and drove around for days before she dumped her daughter’s body in the woods near her parents' home.

Casey Anthony had originally claimed that on Monday, June 9, 2008, she left her 3-year-old daughter with nanny Zenaida Gonzalez. However, when she returned to the nanny’s Florida apartment, Caylee was missing. Casey didn’t notify the police, she said, because she did not want to worry her parents and wanted to do her own investigation. Casey’s mother, Cindy Anthony, however, became worried and five weeks after Casey had allegedly “lost” her daughter, Cindy Anthony reported her granddaughter’s disappearance to the police.

After a five-month nationwide search, Caylee’s remains were found by a meter reader. In his opening statement, defense attorney José Baez told jurors that Caylee had accidently drowned in the family’s swimming pool. He suggested that Casey’s bizarre attitude and lying was a result of her alleged sexual abuse by her father and her brother.

Recently, I reviewed documents released by prosecutors in the murder case, including jailhouse letters between Anthony and fellow inmates.  I’ve heard numerous theories about what Casey may have done and why. As I learned a long time ago, people can say whatever they want, but handwriting never lies.

As a handwriting profiler, I’m interested in what Casey's handwriting has to say.

What stands out the most to me in her handwriting is her “bubble gum” script. Bubble gum writers have letters that are almost uniformly the same height. The middle zone (the lower case letters a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x and the part of the other letters between the upper loops and the lower loops) of her writing is exaggerated. When the middle zone is overly large, like Casey’s, the writer has a tendency to be childlike and self-centered. These writers like to be the center of attention. It is difficult for them to delay gratification. What they see is what they want. Today. This minute. Right now!

Also, her individual letters and words have practically no space in between. This narrow spacing indicates that Casey will crowd others for attention and can take up the time and energy of those around hers. Cramped spacing is also an indicator that she sees things from a very narrow perspective as opposed to seeing the big picture.

The artistic side of the word “Cookie” shows that Casey has a creative side. However, the letters “oo” show where this creative side may be put to use. The letters “o” and “a” are the communication letters. Think of these letters as little mouths. When a writer’s a’s and o’s are open at the top, the writer likes to talk and will find it difficult to keep a secret. When they are completely closed at the top the writer can take a secret to the grave. Casey’s “o’s” in “Cookie” are quite interesting because even in the artistic version of her script she wrote the “o’s” with a slash through them? Slashes through a’s and o’s, known as “forked tongue strokes,” are signs of a liar.

Casey actually makes her “o’s” three different ways. One is the “o” with the forked tongue slash through it (as seen in the words “cookie” and “on”). The second is an extra loopy “o” (as seen in the second “o” in the word “cool”)–an indicator that she rationalizes her behavior. But the third way she makes her “o’s” may be the most telling of all. You know that the o’s and a’s that are tightly closed at the top mean that the writer is tight lipped and secretive. Casey not only closes her o at the top, she makes sure it is sealed tight by finishing it at the bottom. There is no way she could even leave a slight gap at the top. She is so secretive that she won’t even tell herself the truth. 

Besides the slashes, extra loopy loops, and her overly closed o’s, Casey does something else that indicates that she is good at telling whoppers. Her writing looks readable; however, if you take words out of context many are ambiguous or unreadable. Look at the word between “So I” and “have this Super cool pen” in the first line underneath the word “cookie”. Can you read it? See if you can read the words labeled “A”, “B”, “C” or “D”.  In context, I’m sure you could easily make them out. But, out of context, what are they? People who are expert at tricky writing are like magicians. They make you see what they want you to see. They leave the interpretation of events vague and unclear, so that they have an out when they need it.

Casey Anthony also uses ambiguous letters in her signature. Her first name is spelled “CASEY.” So, given the fact that Casey knows how to spell her own name, why does it look like “CAESY”? That, my friends, is ambiguous or “tricky” writing.

Look closer at the signature and you will notice that the “a” in Casey’s first name is blown out of proportion. When a lowercase “a” is extra large it indicates that the writer is very concerned about his or her physical appearance. And, if you look carefully, you will see that there is a sharp point inside of Casey’s “a.” That point is called a “stinger.” Writers with stingers tend to be extreme in their sexual lifestyles – they either abstain from sex entirely, or they become sexaholics.

Also, do you see that Casey made her last name into a great big “X”? When a writer’s signature or personal pronoun “I” turns into an “X,” it shows that the writer feels as if his or her life has been ruined. These sad “x’ed-out” people worry and fantasize about death. Sometimes these gloomy thoughts are about other people’s deaths and sometimes these morbid feelings about the writer’s own demise.

Many people have asked if Casey's writing shows that she has been abused. It’s hard to say for sure if a person has been abused. However, she does have a number of signs that suggest she has major trust issues, including, but not limited to, the letter “c” in the word “cool.” The letter “c” is the trust letter. The more the letter “c” is closed the more the writer is closed off and less she can trust. Notice that Casey’s “c” is almost completely closed. Her narrow, compressed spacing also stems from insecurity and fear. And, of course, the extreme secretiveness that we saw in the letter o shows, that like many people of abuse, they feel it is imperative to never let their “secret” out.

If you’d like to learn more about what you can tell from deciphering handwriting or to read my communication analysis of Casey Anthony’s statement to the police, please check out my website: michelledresbold.com.

About Michell's Book:

She is the author of Sex, Lies, and Handwriting, published by Simon and Schuster’s Free Press, and writes a weekly syndicated column, "The Handwriting Doctor," which appears in newspapers throughout the US. Michelle is also an accomplished artist who has shown her work in galleries and museums across the country. 

She has been featured on the "CBS Early Show," the "Today Show," the "FOX Morning Show with Mike and Juliette," the "O’Reilly Factor," FOX News, The History Channel and The ID Channel. 

Her press includes: Pittsburgh Magazine, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Philadelphia Magazine, The Washington Post, MarieClaire Magazine, Martha Stewart’s Blueprint Magazine, Woman’s World magazine, Psychology Today, and The Ladies Home Journal. 

Michelle graduated with honors from the University of Michigan with a degree in fine arts and psychology.

For more write to: info@michelledresbold.com

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Mystified and Miffed

by Susan Filan

I cannot for the life of me figure out why certain cases capture the media’s attention, and thus the public’s attention, while others do not.

Why aren’t all of the murdered and missing children, and all of the mothers and fathers accused of killing their children, covered by the press? Why isn’t each case newsworthy, a cause in and of itself, a cry for justice? How do the powers that be choose among the murdered and the missing to decide which cases are anointed to celebrity status? Only the chosen few accused or their victims become notorious. For example, the murders of Laci and Connor Peterson, the abduction of Elizabeth Smart, the death of Caylee Anthony, the alleged abduction of Madeleine McCann, became worthy of a nation’s time and attention. And yet other victims go to their silent graves unmarked by a press hell-bent on feeding the public’s voracious appetite for the tragic and the awful.

Does the victim have to be a certain race, economic status, and have a certain “pretty” factor?

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to which cases get chosen and which cases do not, nor does there seem to be any explanation for the public’s fixation over certain cases to the point of national obsession.

I no longer believe the public is following a case to get an up close look into our criminal justice system. Instead, it seems to be more of a voyeuristic feeding frenzy on someone else’s pain, perhaps obviating the need to feel our own. Or perhaps it is a lynch mob mentality that without our system of justice would have people taking to the streets to stone or hang those deemed worthy of loathing. 

I was taken by surprise over the public’s growing fascination with the Casey Anthony case that culminated in an inexplicable fixation. Not only could I not understand the attention this case received, I could not understand why this case, and not another case.

And now that the case is over, the recent offer by Hustler Magazine to pay half a million dollars to an acquitted defendant for a nude photo shoot, is both revolting and baffling. I suppose in our celebrity worshipping culture, it is not surprising that Ms. Anthony would try to cash in on her ill-gotten fame. She has reportedly solicited a million and a half dollars for television interviews. But it is surprising that anyone would actually pay it. I condemn those who would buy Ms. Anthony “story” in order to heap more on an already saturated public.

We have binged enough on Casey Anthony and it is time to stop rewarding her with fortune or even more fame.

I wish that all murdered and missing children receive the same feverish thirst for justice that Caylee Anthony does, and that the public cashes in on their buying power by developing an appetite for the greater good, rather than the lowest common denominator.

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Why We Dislike Lawyers

by Diane Dimond

Question: What’s the difference between a lawyer and a shark? Answer: Nothing.

Okay, look, right off the bat I want to say that I work with a lot of lawyers and I count many of them as good friends. But we’ve all heard the old jokes, and, let’s face it, the public’s general perception of lawyer’s honesty and integrity is pretty rotten. The latest Harris poll on the subject puts attorneys way down at the bottom of the list with members of Congress, car salesmen, and, yes, journalists.

But since lawyers are the crux of our justice system I think it is important that we take a closer look at the way some of them operate. Why is it so many of us curl our upper lip at the very mention of dealing with a lawyer? Maybe it’s the sheer number of them these days. Maybe because we believe they make so much money on other people’s misery. Or maybe it is that so many of us are forced to turn to lawyers these days to handle things that used to be settled with a hand-shake and someone’s good word.

Despite what we see on TV in dramas like Law and Order and The Good Wife, most lawyering goes on in a stealthy way. It is done out of plain sight – in board rooms and depositions, in front of secret grand juries or in the confines of a prosecutor’s office. When engaged in their profession lawyers speak a different language than we do and they follow a set of rules most of us will never understood. It is human nature not to trust what we don’t know or what we can’t see or hold in our hands.

Casey Anthony Murder Defendant

I’ve spent the last few months closely covering a capital murder trial taking place in Orlando, Florida. And it struck me as I watched the defense lay out its presentation in the case of Florida vs. Casey Marie Anthony that there is another more basic reason why we think the way we do about lawyers. They often destroy innocent people in the name of defending their clients.

To watch defense attorneys Jose Baez and Cheney Mason conduct their case on behalf of Ms. Anthony was painful. Of course, they had every right (and a duty) to do what they could to insure their client got a fair trial, especially since she was facing a possible death sentence. But they did not have the right to vilify and destroy bystanders to the murder of 2 year old Caylee Anthony. The scorched earth, take-no prisoners behavior should not be allowed.

Defense Attorney Jose Baez in Action

During the defense’s opening statement Baez promised the jury they would hear evidence that there was no murder and that the little girl had drowned in the family’s back yard pool. He blamed Grandfather George Anthony for discarding her body. There has been no evidence presented to back up that claim.

Baez told the jurors that repeated sexual molestation of his client by both her father, George, and her brother, Lee, had turned her into a trained liar who naturally kept secrets. He promised evidence to explain why his client let 31 days go by before finally admitting her daughter was gone. At first, jurors heard exactly the opposite – clear denials that any sort of sexual abuse ever took place. The jury also heard testimony from more than a dozen of Casey Anthony’s friends and co-workers that showed she was a known liar and thief long before her daughter went missing.

Roy Kronk Found Caylee Anthony's Remains

Baez’s opening statement also smeared the reputation of a man named Roy Kronk, a county meter reader who found Caylee’s skeleton remains in the woods six months after she was last seen. He reported the tiny child’s skull was still wrapped in duct tape which had snarled in her long hair. The defense lawyer called Kronk a “morally corrupt individual” and promised evidence that would show he had stolen Caylee’s remains after she drowned in the Anthony’s backyard pool and waited for the reward money to grow. Kronk came and went from the witness box and no such evidence was presented against him.

I’ve highlighted the Casey Anthony case, but it is far from the only trial in which lawyers have made reckless claims on behalf of their clients leaving human despair in their wake. Believe me, it happens all the time in courthouses across the country.

The question for all of us–including honorable lawyers who read this now–is what do we as a society do with attorneys who deliberately demolish the reputation of others in their quest for their client’s acquittal? If they make promises to a jury at the expense of others and don’t follow through shouldn’t there be some sort of penalty? If you or I repeatedly lied about important issues at our job, wouldn’t we face consequences?

Most other professions have a code of behavior. I submit that criminal defense attorneys should be held to one as well.

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Was a Fraud Perpetrated Not Just by Casey but by George and Cindy too?

By Michelle Golland, Psy.D.

I begin this article being very clear that I am not a lawyer and I do not look at cases or tragic situations within families from the perspective of examining evidence for trial.  As a Clinical Psychologist I observe behavior, actions and narrative to get underneath the story that is unfolding before me whether in my practice or as a media psychologist.  I have been working with victims of trauma and sexual abuse for over 2 decades.  My experience and clinical intuition told me as early as September 2008 that there was something deeply and characterlogically wrong not only with Casey Anthony but also with her parents George and Cindy Anthony.

Many solid clinicians have been able to see that Casey Anthony meets all the characteristics of someone with Borderline Personality Disorder.  Which is a chronic personality disorder that impairs functionality and has a negative impact on all relationships.  These individuals are manipulative, charismatic, lack empathy and create chaos in their lives as well as those around them.

The question is how did Casey Anthony become the person she is today.  For some by simply asking this question we clinicians are seen as terrible evil people blaming the poor parents of this crazy psychopathic person/murderer.  This is the problem with the media and the sound bite culture that really doesn’t want to hear the long tragic truth of how a vulnerable innocent child becomes the Casey Anthony we have seen in the courtroom.  We want to only pity George and Cindy, who of course are in pain and have tragically lost their granddaughter Caylee.

This is what we, as psychologists, know about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The most critical factor in developing this disorder is poor or uniformed parenting.  These include repeated emotional, physical or sexual abuse by someone within the family or outside the family itself.  Also, inconsistent care and unsupportive care or early separation from one or both parents can contribute to the formation of this personality structure.  We also find a parent who has failed to protect the child from repeated abuse by the other parent, another family member or an outsider.

In watching George and Cindy in front of the media they seemed either coolly detached from their daughter Casey or ragingly connected in a defensive posture.  I had no doubt that Casey Anthony had severe emotional problems when she lied about her daughters disappearance and because of her strange and immature responses around where she was during those notorious 31 days.  I also noted odd behavior by her parents, and it felt to me that they knew more about Caylee’s disappearance than they were revealing.  

The facts that came out in the case regarding George and Cindy’s denial of Casey’s pregnancy, as well as the perfect persona that Cindy Anthony seemed to want to show to people around her, as well as her undercurrent of rage which bubbled to the surface on many occasions showed me that she was a narcissistic mother who was self-involved and lacked empathy.  

The jailhouse letters in which Casey began to reveal the possibility of sexual abuse made sense in the reporting of the incidents and also her hedging around them as well.  Often with victims of sexual abuse when they begin to reveal the shameful family secrets it is let out a little bit at a time to see how they will be responded to before they keep going on to say what the whole truth is for them.  What really made it clear that something was not right in the Anthony home was Cindy’s response to Casey, “So that is why you are a whore?”  This is sadly a classic response by a mother not wanting to face what she may actually already know herself.  This was also reinforced by Lee Anthony’s testimony about the extremely conflictual relationship between Casey and their mother.  Lee’s testimony also reinforced to me clinically that this was a deeply disturbed family with each person struggling for power and control wrapped with rage, anger and confusion.

George and Cindy Anthony's various interviews in the media while “looking” for Caylee felt contrived, confusing and strangely self-focused (but not on their granddaughter) with a martyrdom quality that didn’t sit right with my clinical gut.  In watching the interviews with Tim Miller, who investigated Caylee’s disappearance early on in August 2008, his reactions appear to be the most convincing that something was being covered up and not only by Casey but by George and Cindy as well.

It is my impression that George did know that Caylee was dead close to when either the “accident or murder” occurred in June 2008.  His actions around deflecting Cindy and her brother seem odd and show me a consciousness of knowledge and also a desire to keep distance from the truth of her being dead.  His actions when her car that smelled of a “dead body” at the tow yard, which he testified under oath that he did believe it smelled like a human decomposing body, also seemed suspicious to say the least, and guilty of trying to hide evidence at it’s worst.  George, a seasoned former detective, did not call the police worried and sick that something has happened to his daughter or grandchild.  George drove that car home and parked it in the garage.  It was Cindy who called the police hysterical.  George had gone into work.  

It seems to me from the variety of interviews before and after Caylee’s remains were found in December 2008 that George, Cindy and Casey were all possibly spinning a variety of stories to try to keep themselves and the Anthony name clean of any wrong doing.  George and Cindy appear to be in part fighting for the image of themselves and their family.  As with narcissistic and possibly an incestuous family dynamic within the Anthony home they are doing just what that type of family does, which is to deflect the obvious (like Casey’s pregnancy), protect their own image as good parents all the while trying to maintain that they are actually looking for a live Caylee.  

In part, what the Anthony’s may fear the most at this point is an investigation into the fraud that there daughter perpetrated in keeping the “Caylee is Missing” story going until her remains were found and identified in December 2008.  If my clinical observations are correct about George and Cindy and what seems to be their own knowledge of and active participation in this enormous lie and manipulation upon the police, investigators and the country maybe, just maybe they will be held accountable financially and morally as much as Casey is at this point in the eyes of the public.

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Casey's Future Not As Profitable As She May Think

by Stacy Dittrich

Many are speculating what happens next for Casey Anthony as her date to be set free draws near. I predict they let her out a few days early without alerting the media for security purposes. You can bet your roll of duct tape that this Lord of the Rings fairy (sorry, can’t get past the pointed ears) has her future completely mapped out. I’m pretty confident that the following conversation took place between Tinkerbell Casey and Jose Biased upon the not guilty verdict—or something similar. Just imagine the two of them sitting alone in a room, Casey smiling from pointed ear to pointed ear.

Casey: Jose, I can’t thank you enough (grabs tissue and dabs at a non-existent tear). I knew this would turn out this way, I just knew it!

Jose: You can thank me later, doll face (winks), you know, like you used to back in the old days.

Casey: Gawd, this is really happening. When we decided to throw my dad under the bus, I never thought they’d buy it—I really didn’t! I mean, I knew the jury looked like a bunch of morons, but it turned out they really are! Pinch me. I must be dreaming!

Jose: Ya know, Case, your mom did help you out a little when she lied about the chloroform searches. You really should thank her when you get the chance.

Casey: Oh, please! To Hell with her! The only thing she’s done for me was teach me how to lie like a pro…maybe I’ll send her a card for that? On second thought, no way. I’m famous now; I won’t need their house and money anymore.

Jose: Which brings me to the future…I’ve already got offers coming in. What do you think you’ll do?

Casey: I definitely want to have more children—that’s for sure! But, believe me, I’ve learned my lesson! From here on out, when I go clubbing, I am definitely going to use less chloroform on the kids. I swear I will never going through this again (shudders). Maybe I’ll try using Benadryl first? Definitely no more duct tape—I’ll switch to electrical. So, what are the offers? A million dollar book deal? Movie? I’m so excited!

Jose: Whoa! Slow down there, Superstar! (Laughs) We’ll get to that! You never told me what you thought about the “grief expert” I put on the stand. I can’t even believe I was able to pull THAT one off!

Casey: Where’d you find her?

Jose: She was just a homeless nutcase I found wandering around Jay Blanchard Park mumbling to herself. I cleaned her up, bought her a Mocha Soy Latte—dumped half a dozen Valium into it—and told her what to say on the stand. Voila! It worked! (Slaps knee).

Casey: You truly are a genius, Jose. I mean, attending the third worst law school in the country and having a criminal record, how you pulled this off is simply unbelievable.

Jose: Again, you can thank me later (winks again). Now, let’s get to those offers. I’ve got a book deal from Beaufort Books—they published OJ’s, a guaranteed hit—an offer for a featured stripper tour in Gary, Indiana, a 3-movie porn deal from Murderous Mom’s Porn Company and, “the big one,”…are you ready?

Casey: Tell me! Tell me!

Jose: Charlie Sheen wants you to be his newest Goddess!

Casey: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Charlie Sheeeeeeen! (Jumps up and dances around). I can’t believe it! (Pauses). Um, what’s a Goddess?

Jose: Oh, I forgot, you’ve been out of touch for awhile. I’ll fill you in on the deets later, but isn’t this exciting!

Casey: Yes! Tell me! How many millions?

Jose: Uh, well, you see, it’s not exactly millions…the total of the offers comes to $8,000.

Casey: (Smile fading, Casey becomes angry and rises in her chair) $8,000!! That’s it! I killed my daughter and all I get is $8,000! What is the matter with you? I’m bigger than OJ! I’m getting letters from millionaires with marriage proposals and all you can do is $8,000! (Picks up nearest chair). 

Jose: Casey, calm down! Put the chair down! Listen! If you knock off another kid in the next year or so, I promise I’ll get you the millions! I promise! Maybe we can get you on Celebrity Rehab for a murder addiction…just please calm down!

Casey: That’s better, (puts chair down). We need to be realistic about this though. I could probably get away with killing just one more—but after that, I might actually go to jail, so you better stick to your word!

... Now, most importantly, where can I find a sperm donor?

Jose: You’re looking at him, sweetheart.

**Okay, so maybe it didn’t happen exactly that way. But, I’ll bet I’m pretty close… sometimes dark subjects require a little humor to make it through.

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Arguments in Favor of the Casey Anthony Verdict

by Pat Brown

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Casey's Freedom May Be The Worst Punishment

by Dr. Lillian Glass

I, along with the rest of the world, am livid that Casey was found not guilty and will be released into the free world. After hearing that juror number three stated that the jurors were sick to their stomach and cried, I felt sick to my stomach hearing what she said. When she said that not guilty does not mean innocent, I realized that the wrong jury was chosen for justice to be served. Not guilty should mean innocent, and if she and the rest of the jury believed Casey was not innocent they needed to come back with a guilty verdict.

Eleven hours is not enough time to weigh all the information in a six-week trial. Juror number three and an alternate said that the Prosecution didn’t prove their case. They did not tell how her toddler Caylee died. I think the juror didn’t look at all the data. I think the prosecution did tell how she died, in my view. If they would have spent more than 11 hours they would have known this.

Based on what the alternate said and now juror number three, they liked defense attorney Jose Baez better. And please stop accusing me of loving Jose Baez and being partial to him. I only report what I see. He has presented himself well since day one, and even prosecutor Jeff Ashton said that on his media tour. Whether you like it or not, Baez came across very likable to the jury as opposed to Ashton. The bottom line is they listened to him and what he had to say and they bought it. In fact, the alternate said that the jury didn’t like it when George Anthony argued with Baez.

People do not realize the power of body language and communication. Well, here it is in action. They liked Jose Baez more and that is why they went with what he said. That is why Casey Anthony is going free on Sunday, July 17. Look at Scott Peterson. He was convicted on circumstantial evidence. Why couldn’t this happen to Casey? The reason boils down to body language and communication skills of the attorneys.

I, along with everyone else, am also livid that Casey will become a millionaire after she is released. But even if she sells photos of herself and Caylee, and even if she appears on shows, there are a lot of people who will rebel and boycott. Apparently Paradigm Entertainment in Beverly Hills signed her and had to drop her immediately because of the public complaints.

Sadly, there will be people who will offer her book and movie deals. She may be offered money for interviews through a third party so it looks like they had nothing to do with paying her for the interview. She may even make money selling Caylee dolls for which her lying mother Cindy got the trademark. Foreign entities may pay her handsomely for her interviews and photo shoots. 

Since Casey loves attention, loves to showcase her body and has no sexual inhibitions, she may very well take a porn company up on their offer. This would no doubt be in the millions of dollars. However, Steve Hirsch at Vivid Entertainment felt the pressure of even possible death threats and loss of his fan and customer base after he offered Casey a million dollars for an XXX Rated movie and quickly reneged on it. I am sure that the public’s pressure will continue with anyone who offers her money.

If mainstream TV shows put her on and interview her, the public will transfer their hatred toward Casey onto them.They will boycott any program or station that has her on television. Even if film projects arise people will boycott them. The public will not stand for her capital gain. There will be protests and threats and they will escalate. Casey will not live in peace for one moment. She may have been better off in prison where there would be more protection for her than there would be on the outside. On death row, there would be even more protection.

Now there are more people to hate her, and anything she does will be met with hatred and protest, and even possible violence. No one will ever hire her. No one will ever buy a book by her because they will boycott a book that is no doubt filled with lies. Even if she goes to the grocery store or shopping for clothes she will be met with protesters and taunts. Anyone with whom she associates or whom she dates will be taunted and regarded as a villain. If her parents are now receiving death threats for their lies and possible perceived involvement, can you imagine what will happen to Casey?

As Baez, Mason and Ms. Simms move on with their own lives and on to other cases, Casey will quickly discover that they are not her friends after all. They will want to distance themselves from her as they too experience harassment.

She can’t travel because she will be followed and harassed. Restaurants will kick her out like they did OJ Simpson. Neighbors will rebel. The clubs she once loved and frequented won’t allow her in them. She will discover that she will be prisoner in her own home. She will never have a moment of peace. People will protest outside her home forever. They may damage her vehicles. No security can stop this. By the time the protesters get through with Casey, she may wish she was sitting in a jail cell.

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Vicious Streak of Casey Anthony Defense Team

by Diane Fanning

Defense attorney Jose Baez displayed a vicious streak of cruelty in the courtroom Wednesday during the Casey Anthony trial. He seemed to suppress a bubble of diabolical glee as he tried to trip up his client's father. The direct examination brought to mind someone stabbing pin after pin into a voodoo doll representing his enemy.

Baez mocked George's suicide attempt, ridiculed his emotional responses to Caylee's disappearance and death, and accused him of child sexual molestation.

Baez's questions were tricky, like the old stand-up comedy line, "When did you stop beating your wife?" He used that tactic again and again. Baez pointed to George's July 2008 statement to police where he described his experiences smelling decomposition for 10 years when he was a law enforcement officer. Baez zeroed in on the event in the woods, where a volunteer team searched. Then he asked George how he knew his granddaughter's body would be found in the woods.

Baez referred to the Anthony's many media appearances and asked, "All those media appearances stopped when the allegations of abuse came up, didn't they?" George fired back. "I believe, sir, that was done by you, sir."

At another point, after George denied sexually abusing his daughter, Baez asked, "You, of course, would never admit to molesting your child, would you?" George denied abusing his daughter.

Throughout the ordeal, George Anthony cried over his granddaughter Caylee. And he stood up for her. When Baez asked him about this public protestations and belief in his daughter Casey's innocence, George told the court he did not want to believe, at that time, that his daughter was capable of killing her daughter.

George insisted that he wanted to talk to media about his missing granddaughter and other missing children. He said, "Unfortunately, it seemed, every time the media came around, the focus was on my daughter and not on my granddaughter Caylee."

Before George took the stand, Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, demonstrated a change of attitude, too. It seemed to surprise Baez that Cindy was no longer willing to lie for the defense. She denied ever knowing anything about her son Lee visiting Casey's bedroom at night.

Maybe they now both clearly understand that the most important matter before the court is justice for Caylee.

Fanning is the author or Mommy's Little Girl, the first book released about the Anthony case.

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Trials: Truth, Expectation and Reality

by Holly Hughes

As much of the country watches transfixed, the Casey Anthony trial lumbers on. For a host of reasons, this trial has caught the attention of viewers who wouldn’t normally take the time to get caught up in these very public high profile cases. As a legal commentator, I have been privileged to cover almost every day of this spectacle for one program or another. As I watch it unfold, I am struck once again by the reality that at the end of the day we will still not have the answers we seek.

I was a felony prosecutor for ten years in metropolitan Atlanta. Needless to say, we were a busy office. I handled homicides, hate crimes and high-profile cases. I have taken to trial and to task a host of serial rapists, spree killers, armed robbers and death penalty defendants. I am acutely aware of the old adage that “a trial is a search for the truth.” However, I think most of the public tends to forget the middle of that phrase, “a search.” Any good trial attorney will tell you that by the time the verdict comes in we have usually only uncovered a fraction of the truth, and it is usually the truth according to one side. Despite our best investigative efforts there are just some things we will never know.

So many court watchers have tuned in to this trial to get the answers. Answers to the questions we have all been asking for three years now. How can a loving mother not report her child missing? How can that same mother go out and party like a rock star while her little girl is missing? How can she continuously lie to the very people who are trying to help her find her missing child?

Since the blockbuster opening by defense attorney Jose Baez, we now have a whole host of other questions. If this was indeed an accident, why would you let your client rot in jail for three years? If this was indeed an accident, why would you let your client face the death penalty? If your client was so sexually abused as a child that she turned into a liar of epic proportions, why would you not welcome the opportunity to have the state’s psychiatrists examine her?

As I watch this tragedy progress through its next phase, I know that when it all comes to its sad conclusion we still will not have the answers we seek. I fear, however, that most of the general public is still watching with unrealistic expectations. They want to believe that there is a reasonable explanation for what happened to this precious little girl. They want to believe that there must be a reasonable explanation for how a family becomes this dysfunctional. Ultimately, we will see only what they want us to see. That’s a hard pill for most people to swallow. It is, however, the difference between expectation and reality when it comes to criminal trials. We want answers. It is the natural human curiosity when we encounter such inexplicable behavior as we have seen in this defendant and her family. Sadly, we will all be disappointed when the jury files out to deliberate and there is no more evidence to be entered.

I used to tell all of my victims at the beginning of the process, “I will fight like hell to get you justice but I won’t be able to get you answers to all of your questions.” Of course, the biggest question of all is, “Why?” I also told them no matter what answer was given to that question, it wouldn’t be good enough.

I have yet to come across an answer as to why human beings can murder, rape and rob each other that satisfies me. People used to ask me what I did for a living when I was a prosecutor and I would tell them “I wade around in the depths of human degradation all day long.” That was the most accurate and honest description I could come up with to explain spending my days looking at autopsy photos and asking little five year old children, “what did daddy do to you?”

The truth is that you didn’t meet me unless and until some terrible tragedy had been thrust upon you.

So, as we watch with a mixture of horrified curiosity and sad dread, we must all keep in mind that at the end of this all too real human drama we will have more questions than answers. We must not set our expectations too high or we will come away feeling cheated and deflated.

That is the sad difference between expectation and reality. That is the world of a criminal prosecutor. It is by far the best and most fulfilling job I ever held. And yet, it broke my heart every day like nothing else ever could.

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