SYNOPSIS
Born in Ohio on March 19, 1986, Casey Anthony stepped into the national spotlight after the suspicious disappearance of her daughter, Caylee Anthony. As her story unfolded, many believed she was unquestionably guilty. The jury, however, felt differently. Anthony was acquitted of the murder charge, but she found herself loathed by the general public.
EARLY YEARS
Born on March 19, 1986, in Warren, Ohio, Casey Anthony was one of two children of Cindy Anthony and George Anthony, who worked in law enforcement. Casey was a bright, personable young girl, with friends and what many thought was an ordinary American family. However, friends say that a pattern of lying began when Casey was in high school. Cindy and George attended Casey's graduation, along with Casey's grandparents—only to discover that she was several credits short of graduating. Casey had stopped attending classes toward the end of the school year, but led her family to believe she would walk with the graduating class.
When she was 19, Casey gave her family yet another shock. She had put on weight, and her parents suspected she was pregnant. Casey denied it, claiming she was a virgin. Seven months into her pregnancy, she told her parents the truth. The identity of the baby's father, however, remained a mystery. Casey pointed to different men, including her fiancé, Jesse Grund, as well as a young man she had dated previously, who had died in a car crash. On August 9, 2005, Caylee Anthony was born.
A friend of Casey's said that she had discussed giving the baby up for adoption, but was discouraged by her mother. For the next few years, Casey and Caylee lived with her parents, and Grund acted as the baby's father. Grund even believed Caylee might be his baby, despite knowing that the timing of her conception made it improbable. A DNA test would later find that Grund was not Caylee's father. The identity of Caylee's father remained unknown.
While living with her parents in Orlando, Casey and Cindy had a fight on June 15, 2008. After seeing a photo online of Casey at a "no clothes party," Cindy accused Casey of being an unfit mother, and threatened to try and get custody of Caylee. The day after the argument, Casey left her parents' home, taking Caylee with her. She told Cindy and George that she planned to travel to Tampa to work at Universal Studios.
CAYLEE’S DISAPPEARENCE
Over the next 31 days, Cindy called her daughter to check on Caylee. Each time, Casey told her the little girl was out with a babysitter, Zenaida "Zanny" Fernandez-Gonzalez.
On July 13, 2008, Cindy and George Anthony received a letter saying that Casey's car was in a tow yard. When George went to pick the car up, he found Casey's purse, along with Caylee's car seat and toys. George noticed a strong smell, like that of organic matter decomposing, coming from the trunk. Alarmed, Cindy found Casey at the home of her boyfriend, Tony Lazaro, and brought her home. Casey broke down, telling her mother and brother Lee that she had left Caylee with nanny Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez in Orlando on June 16, and that Gonzalez had kidnapped the toddler.
On July 15, 31 days after two-year-old Caylee's disappearance, Cindy Anthony reported her missing to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. After questioning Casey, detectives found discrepancies in a signed statement she made about Caylee's disappearance. Casey said Caylee was kidnapped in Orlando by her nanny, Gonzales. Casey’s friends and family had never heard of Gonzales, and detectives later discovered that, in fact, there was no nanny. The investigators caught Casey in another lie when she told them she worked at Universal Studios, even leading them around the theme park. Casey finally admitted she had been fired from Universal Studios years before. Casey was arrested on July 16.
As the search for Caylee intensified, Casey Anthony came under increasing scrutiny for her actions in the days before Caylee was reported missing—including partying and, on July 2, getting a tattoo that reads "Bella Vita," or "beautiful life" in Italian.
Casey returned home on August 21, when bounty hunter Leonard Padilla posted $500,200 in bail. Padilla hoped Casey would lead detectives to find Caylee, once she was released from prison, but he was disappointed when she failed to provide additional clues. Padilla labeled Casey narcissistic and promiscuous, fueling the fires of public sentiment against Casey. The case became a national media sensation, and many in the public and the press were outraged at Casey's behavior.
Casey was back in jail only eight days after being released, this time charged with forging checks and using a friend's credit cards without permission.
TRIAL AND ACQUITTAL
On December 11, 2008, meter reader Roy Kronk found a plastic bag of human remains in a wooded area near the Anthonys' home. The skull had duct tape on it. On December 19, the remains were confirmed to be those of Caylee Anthony.
The trial of Casey Anthony began in June 2011, three years after the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee. Cable news channels broadcast the trial live, and Casey, Caylee, and the Anthony family dominated the news.
The prosecution painted a picture of Casey Anthony as a promiscuous party girl, unconcerned with her missing daughter, and responsible for her murder. A website about the toxic chemical chloroform had been searched on the Anthonys' home computer, and chloroform was found in the trunk of Casey's car.
Casey's defense, led by Jose Baez, told a very different story. According to the defense, Caylee had drowned in the family’s pool on June 16, 2008—and George Anthony had covered up the death so that Casey wouldn't be charged with child neglect. Baez shocked the courtroom when he said George had in fact sexually abused Casey, beginning when she was 8 years old—and that her brother Lee had made sexual advances towards her. A paternity test showed that Lee Anthony was not Caylee's father. Casey was used to covering up her hurt, Baez said. On June 30, the defense rested. Casey herself did not take the stand.
On July 5, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter, and aggravated child abuse.
She was found guilty on four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer, and sentenced to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines. She received credit for time served and good behavior, and was released on July 17.
AFTERMATH
Many in the public and the media were outraged at the not guilty verdict, bringing comparisons to the trial of O.J. Simpson in 1995. The aftermath of the trial brought about a slew of bills in several states for "Caylee's Law," a law that would make it a felony for a parent or legal guardian not to report a missing child. More than a million people nationwide had signed petitions for Caylee's Law as of mid-July.