Chapter 1
©
The Court of Public Opinion, Casey Anthony
Prologue
The Social Media Trial of the Century – Time Magazine
Prosecutor Jeff Ashton Quote: “There had never been any trouble at the house. The Anthonys seemed the definition of blissful suburbia.”
The Anthonys’ home on Hopespring Drive, was positioned in a picturesque suburb of
Orlando, Florida. "There had never been any trouble at the house, even when Casey
and her older brother, Lee, were at the height of their teenage years. The Anthonys
seemed the definition of blissful suburbia, especially with the addition of the angelic,
bright-eyed baby girl, {Caylee}.” 1 That was how the home of George and Cindy
Anthony seemed to detectives in the summer of 2008, when they first started
investigating the disappearance of two-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony.
1 Jeff Ashton book
The subsequent trial of Caylee’s mother became the most sensational news story of
2008.2 The Orlando court in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit issued 600 press
credentials,3 and Time magazine dubbed it the social media trial of the century. 4 Close
to one million dollars was spent investigating and prosecuting the lone defendant. 5
Casey Anthony, a 22-year-old single mother, was charged with three felonies including
first degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and manslaughter.
6
Thirty-one days passed before police were even notified that her two-year-old daughter,
Caylee, was missing. Then it wasn’t Casey, but the child’s grandmother, Cindy, who
called authorities, demanding Casey’s arrest. Cindy directed suspicion at her daughter. 7
Pictures surfaced on the internet showing Casey at a nightclub during the month her
2 covereage 3 News article 4 Time magazine 5 article 6 article 7 Cindy interview
little girl was missing. The internet, the media and public went ballistic. 8
More time passed as thousands all across the nation searched for the toddler. 9
Videotaped jailhouse interviews between Casey and her parents were released on
YouTube, and none of them showed the young mother with any apparent signs of
remorse or grief.10 Then in December of that year a grisly discovery was made:
Caylee’s remains were found in a wooded area, only a few feet from a main road, very
close to the young mother's home.
11
Today, the name “Casey Anthony� remains synonymous with murder and still
engenders a visceral animosity. She was named the most unpopular person in America
during her trial in 2011.12 Another poll the next year reattached the same dishonor to her
8 Media coverage 9 Police reports national tips 10 Jailhouse visits 11 Article 12 poll
name, more than a year after her trial ended.13 The public spectacle of the Casey
Anthony trial came close in many respects to resembling the days of the Roman
Colosseum, when the public thirsted to see lions devour the prisoner in their arena. In
our own contemporary times social media became America’s public arena, and Casey
Anthony emerged as the main attraction. What the social media crowds wanted to see
was an embodiment of Caesar give his final “thumbs down” and issue the order to
execute their captured prize. Time magazine reported during the trial, “Virtually no one
doubts that Anthony was involved in her child’s death,” then added, “but if you see
murder in Casey Anthony’s big brown eyes during a live feed of her trial, you can tell all
the world how delectable you will find her execution.”14
Florida's Attorney General, Pam Bondi, said before the trial even started, "The evidence
Is overwhelming. No one else in the world except Casey Anthony could have done
this."15 It was literally impossible to find a single reporter or media commentator before 13 poll 14 Time magazine
or even after the trial who considered this woman could be innocent. The Chicago
Tribune reported, "Just when you think Casey Anthony cannot nauseate you anymore,
there is this: she wants more children."16
On July 5, 2011 the nation waited for the jury’s verdict to be heard from the twenty-third
floor of the Orlando court house. Judge Belvin Perry’s clerk read the jury’s decisions.
“As to the charge of first degree murder, we find the defendant not guilty. As to the
charge of manslaughter, we find the defendant not guilty. As to the charge of
aggravated child abuse, we find the defendant not guilty.” 17
Although there was not a single reporter or news commentator who believed the
defendant could possibly be innocent, 12 sequestered jurors came to that conclusion.
The jury was not at all sympathetic to the defendant yet their first vote was eight to four
15 Orlando Sentinel 16 Chicago Tribune 17 Article
for acquittal. 18They deliberated only 11 hours before unanimously finding her not guilty
of any crime involving the death of her child, Caylee. 19 So this sets up a very interesting
difference of opinion. The jury was sequestered by the court and reached its decision
based on evidence heard within the four walls of their courtroom. The public, on the
other hand, had an information environment supported by mainstream and social
media. The media's court of public opinion was fed by a carnival of pictures, videos, and
opinion on blogs all over the blogosphere. Here is an example: “Are you kidding
me…you still have a daughter that you knew was dead while you partied. Who cares
what you have… you don’t have Caylee because you don’t pay attention. You’ll never
have freedom. Watch out now dog!!! Damn you are insane!!!!”20
Outside the courtroom, crowds, television cameras, and media reporters filled the
streets. Gasps were heard when someone shouted, “She’s not guilty!” Crowds grew
18 Juror interviews 19 Orlando Sentinel 20 Blog item
angry, venting disbelief and exasperation.21 Across the social media world, pent up
emotions and anger erupted in unison. In the Twitter universe of 140 character
messages, 325,000 tweets texted screams of incredulity during the first hour after the
court’s decision.22 News of the jury’s decision spread quickly; a bare one per cent
supported her acquittal.23 Tweets like this one were the rule: "The jury was inept and
lazy. That's why we have a baby killer being set free." 24
Inside the courtroom the acquitted defendant hugged her attorneys and wiped away
tears. Immediately she was escorted into a small ante room, where she shared her
relief privately with her attorneys. The verdict was a twist of irony for the then 25-year-
old girl who spent nearly three years in solitary confinement awaiting trial. During most
of that time her family did not communicate with her. 25 Though the justice system
declared her not guilty, the court of public opinion refused to grant her freedom. She has 21 Orlando Sentinel 22 News report 23 News report 24 Blog item 25 Article
not dared show her face in public since that day of her acquittal. After her release, she
has remained in seclusion for her own protection.26
In her video diary reported January 5, 2012, six months after her acquittal, she said
from her hiding place, "It’s just a little surreal how much things have changed since July,
{2011 when she was acquitted}, and how many things haven’t changed.” 27 Research
into the personal story of Casey Anthony reveals the social media frenzy against her
replicated in the public square what her dysfunctional parents did for years in the
privacy of the Anthony’s home. Casey Anthony lived in a hostile, antagonistic
environment that neither encouraged nor listened to what she wanted to say. 28
The media's prison of negative public opinion was not unlike the prison she experienced
in her home at 4937 Hopespring Drive. Each had the same effect of muting what this
26 Huffington Post 27 News report 28 Police interviews
young woman had to say.29 For that reason alone, the public and media need to take a
breath and hear what Casey Anthony herself said contemporaneously with her arrest,
trial, and ultimate acquittal. It has been many years since her own mother, Cindy,
pleaded with police to arrest her daughter on July 16, 2008. Now new evidence has
been unearthed to solve the mystery of what really happened to Caylee, and who is
responsible for her death.
What is surprising about this case is that testimony and statements from dozens of
people interviewed by investigators actually revealed the truth every step of the way. 30
This story takes those statements made to detectives and presents them for the first
time in the context of the family relationships that defined the Anthonys, and in the light
of the public record and acquittal by her jury. One of two people in the Anthony home
held a loving, living two-year-old Caylee in their arms, and then within minutes, put her
into a laundry bag and left her dead body in a swamp just blocks from their home. 29 Cindy police interview 30 Psychologists’s depositions
For the next six months before she was discovered, parents George and Cindy Anthony
were literally just steps from the swamp where either Casey or George dumped her
body. On December 11, 2008 a county meter reader literally almost fell over her
remains. We will look for consciousness of guilt from the behavior of those two Anthony
family members, a father and his daughter. It would be no surprise to learn someone in
the family covered up the crime. The surprise will come when the identity of that
person{s} is revealed.
We discover the people George and Cindy Anthony were before Caylee was born, and
the kind of parents they were to Casey. This new information provides startling insight
into Casey’s behavior as she burst onto the public stage with the announcement of her
arrest. Casey instantly emerged as the prime suspect by police. It is significant that it
was her mother, Cindy, who brought her to police begging them to arrest her. 31
31 911 call July 16, 2008
We learn answers to key questions never before revealed about the case: Casey
Anthony failed to report her daughter missing to police the day of the incident. Was she
protecting someone else in her family? Why was this 22-year-old mother unable to
show grief from her daughter's death? Why did she invent stories for investigators
claiming it was a fictitious babysitter “Zanny the nanny� who had kidnapped Caylee?
With those answers we can confirm who is responsible for the crimes associated with
the death of Caylee Marie Anthony.
Chapter One
Who Are The Anthonys?
George Anthony Quote: "There was nothing more I could say to her, because I blame her for Caylee not being here." 32
Blogs declared Cindy, George, and Casey were part of a seriously dysfunctional family.
33
The court of public opinion left no doubt it believed the source of the Anthony family's
32 Dr. Phil interview 33 blog
issues was rooted in the lies and behavior of Casey. In fact, the prosecutor, Jeff Ashton,
said exactly that when the trial was over.34 That has become old news. We will take a
fresh look at Cindy, George, and Casey. The Court of Public Opinion, Casey Anthony,
has unearthed new details never before reported. This narrative brings a much needed
balance to the court of public opinion’s judgment it was the twenty-two-year-old single
mom who got away with murder.
By the time the trial started there was certainty about who the players in the Casey
Anthony drama were. The prosecution's theory for the case brought against the young
mother seemed ironclad. The articulate assistant prosecutor, Jeff Ashton, summed up
everyone’s opinion it seemed: “If a mother doesn’t report the death of her daughter,
she’s guilty.” 35 The media reported Casey Anthony was a single mom who wanted to
party rather than be saddled with the responsibilities of raising a little girl by herself. 34 Ashton book 35 Jeff ashton quote 36 Articles
36
She likely used chloroform, Xanax, or perhaps something else to sedate the toddler,
before covering her daughter’s mouth and nose with duct tape, suffocating her, and
causing her little girl's death. Then to hide the crime, she dumped her daughter's body
in woods very near her home. She told innumerable lies to her parents for 31 days,
while she partied and lived a life she secretly craved. She even put a "Bella Vita"
{beautiful life} tattoo on her left shoulder only days after cutting the bonds of
motherhood, and killing her beautiful little child. During these 31 days at least, Casey
was free to dedicate her life to drugs, drinking and partying. 37 For the media and public,
that was all they needed to know about Casey Anthony. The case prosecutors built
through the media was complete, and damning. The court of public opinion reached its
decision early: case closed!
The George We Know
37 Prosecution theory
We think we know Casey's father, George. This silver-haired former sheriff's deputy
worked homicide and narcotics briefly for the Trumbull County, Ohio sheriff's
department.38 He married a local woman from Warren, Ohio, named Terry
Rosenberger;39 then after seven years, they divorced. The following year, George met
Cindy, a nurse who cared for his sister in Trumbull Memorial Hospital. After a whirlwind
courtship they married in 1981.40 Soon after marrying, George quit his deputy’s job and
went to work for his father selling cars.
41
In 1989, George and Cindy moved with their
children, Lee and Casey, to Orlando, where he found work in his new community as a
security guard at the Orlando Arena.42
After his daughter was arrested George occasionally was mentioned in news reports as
he encouraged volunteer efforts nationwide in the search for Caylee. There was no
suspicion at that time he had anything to do with his granddaughter’s death. As the trial 38 Police interviews 39 News story 40 Police interviews 41 George interviews 42 Rick police interview
grew closer however, he had to endure shocking accusations of sexual abuse from
Casey's defense attorneys in his daughter's desperate attempt to avoid the death
penalty in her trial.43 After the two-year-old child’s body was eventually found in woods
near the Anthony home in December, 2008 we learned George attempted to take his
own life a few weeks later in obvious grief.44 For the media and public, that was all they
needed to know about George Anthony. Poor George was a grieving grandfather
broken from the loss of Caylee.45 Case closed!
A Fresh Look: George
The jury foreman surprised a national television audience shortly after the verdict, when
he revealed that the jury, sitting only a few feet from George when he testified,
concluded he had a very selective memory when answering questions from the
43 Defense Opening Statement 44 News report 45 Blog item
defense. After the trial the foreman suggested, "We need to take a close look at
George." 46 The jury foreman was asked to comment specifically on whether there were
suspicions within the jury panel that George may have been involved in covering up
Caylee's death; perhaps he was somehow involved in her accidental death? Were there
discussions among jurors that he could be the actual murderer? The foreman replied to
these questions, ominously: "All three." 47
When George moved to Florida from his hometown in Warren, Ohio, he brought with
him some serious personal baggage. He was described as impulsive and selfish. 48
Something in George’s personality produced serious anger management issues. 49
Interestingly, when he surfaced in the media as a grieving, sympathetic figure, his ex-
wife voluntarily went on cable news channels to announce that she knew George to be,
in her words, "a genetic liar." George's ex-wife, Terry, explained that he was someone
46 Cable tv interview 47 See Greta transcript 48 Ex-wife Dr. Drew 49 Rick interview
who could not keep from lying.50
One can surmise that if someone lies constantly, there is a reasonable suspicion he has
secrets he fears are at risk of being exposed. Shortly after Caylee was born, Cindy
discovered George was secretly gambling online with her debit card. 51 His losses
{funded from the theft of Cindy’s money} exceeded $30,000. Cindy had to take out a
second mortgage on the house and she used her nurse’s retirement fund to keep from
being evicted from their home.52 George fled the home and filed for divorce from Cindy.
His lawyer explained to him that because Cindy provided most of his support during
their marriage, he should ask the court for an award of half the cash value from the
house and also demand alimony.
53
Cindy had a financial incentive for keeping her
marriage to George alive. That decision by Cindy set in motion a sequence of events in
the Anthony family relationships that later culminated in Caylee’s death.
50 See Dr. Drew transcript 51 Mother’s emails 52 Cindy interview 53 George interview
George’s work history was erratic. He had been in and out of multiple jobs as a security
guard since abruptly quitting his deputy’s job in Ohio twenty years earlier. He had been
hired and then fired at more jobs than anyone in the family could keep track of and he
was often unemployed for long periods.
54
It fell to Cindy to make most of their house
payments throughout their marriage.55
Years later, in the last moment of Caylee’s life, George was home and alone with his
granddaughter, but he was never seriously questioned or considered a person of
interest by investigators.56 Cindy told detectives that she found a ladder attached to
their deep above-ground swimming pool in the backyard that day Caylee went missing.
Police never seriously followed up with George on the lead his wife provided detectives. 57
Orange County investigators extended professional courtesies for George, a former
sheriff's deputy. They told him virtually the first day of the investigation they were not 54 Cindy interview 55 See Shirley emails 56 Police interview 57 Police interviews
investigating him for any involvement in Caylee’s disappearance. 58 They instead
protected him as their chief witness for the Orange County Grand Jury to get an
indictment against his daughter, Casey. 59
The Cindy We Know
We think we know that Casey's mother, Cindy, could not possibly be a factor in the
mysterious disappearance of little Caylee. Casey’s strange behavior seemed to have
left Cindy no choice but to ask police to arrest her daughter on July 16, 2008. It seemed
obvious Cindy was helping bring to justice the person responsible for Caylee's
disappearance.
She must have been conflicted listening to George tell investigators he was sure Casey
was responsible for Caylee’s death. The state attorney quickly brought murder
58 See July police interview 59 Orlando Sentinel
indictments against Casey that carried the death penalty for the young single mom.
Then Cindy was horrified when her daughter’s attorney accused George of molesting
Casey. She was torn between supporting her husband against the allegations Casey
made about him as the trial opened, and loyalty to her troubled daughter.
Her conflicted loyalties seemed to grow during the trial. Many believed she lied to
protect Casey when she claimed to have made a computer search for chloroform found
on the desktop computer in the Anthony home just months before Caylee went
missing.60
For the media and court of public opinion, Cindy seemed more grieved from the death
of Caylee than the baby’s mother, Casey, ever was. Cindy's emotional testimony during
the trial was captivating. She buried her face in her hands when forced to recall her last
memories of Caylee.61 Cindy seemed to be yet another Anthony family victim of Casey.
60 News reports 61 Trial testimony
Case closed!
A Fresh Look: Cindy
Casey Anthony emerged as the number one enigma from the media narrative of the
Anthony family. After the trial, George seemed to be a close second. Now today, as a
result of new research for The Court of Public Opinion, Casey Anthony, Cindy surfaces
over and over not as a victim of her daughter's lies and mischief, but as the principal
enabler of a massive denial amid aberrant family relationships so apparent in the
Anthony family dynamic.62
When Casey was pregnant with Caylee and only a few weeks short of her term, Casey
unexpectedly appeared with the family at Cindy’s brother, Rick's, wedding. There was a
buzz among the guests wanting to know more about the expectant mother and when
she was due. "Come on Cindy," Rick said to his sister, "everyone can see she is
62 Psychologists depositions
pregnant. You're a pediatric RN for gosh sakes. What gives?" Cindy told her brother
emphatically Casey was not pregnant, "she is just bloated." Rick, later told police he
didn't understand what was going on in the family between his sister, Cindy, and his
obviously pregnant niece. When they got home, Casey's brother, Lee, asked his mom
about Casey's baby bump. Cindy dismissed her son’s inquiry. 63 Lee would later confide
to a friend, as far as his own family is concerned, “I am completely out of the loop.”64
Cindy’s co-workers at Gentiva Health Services saw Casey regularly as she visited her
mother at work each week during her pregnancy. They commented to Cindy about
Casey's stomach. It was so large it pushed her belly button inside out. They told Cindy
how happy they were for the nineteen-year-old expectant mother. Cindy repeatedly
brushed off their well wishes, refusing admit to her colleagues she had a pregnant
daughter.65 A few weeks later Casey delivered Caylee. Cindy never shared anything
63 See news article 64 See Lee’s email to 65 Police interviews
with anybody about her daughter’s pregnancy.
Cindy was trained in pediatrics 66 and after Casey’s arrest police asked Cindy about
these incidents in their interviews with her. "When did you learn of Casey's pregnancy?"
police asked. She told investigators she never suspected her daughter was pregnant
until just days before her delivery.67 Who was the RN trained in pediatrics, trying to
protect? Was she worried DNA might reveal the real father of Caylee was a male
member of the Anthony family?
68
At another point during the police investigation, the Orlando Sentinel reported Cindy
was withholding information from police.69 The article reported George told police Casey
had her permission to borrow Cindy's Toyota 4Runner around the time an obnoxious
odor in Casey's Pontiac was first noticed, shortly after George borrowed it. 70 When
66 Police interview, Cindy 67 Police interview, Cindy 68 Psychologists depositions 69 Sentinel article 70 Friend interview
police questioned Cindy she denied Casey ever drove her car.
71
Was the newspaper
story true? Did Cindy hide other facts from investigators to protect someone in the
family who may have placed something with that odor in his daughter’s Pontiac Sunfire?
More about all of this later.
Trial evidence confirmed Cindy hid from police the reason for her separation from
George a few years earlier telling lead prosecutor Linda Drane-Burdick at first, the
money George stole using her debit card for online gambling, was actually the result of
market losses in a pension fund account of his.72 Cindy had a different story for her own
mother, Shirley. She told Shirley that she confronted George after she learned he was
gambling online and racked up over $30,000 in losses with her stolen debit card. 73
Jesse Grund was Casey’s fiance in 2006, and almost married into the Anthony family.
Jesse told police, "They are not a cohesive family group. That family was a carnival of 71 George police interview 72 See prosecutor interview with Cindy 73 Mother’s emails
dysfunctionality."74
The Casey We Know
The court of public opinion was convinced it already knew the central player in the
Casey Anthony drama. The state attorney developed a theory for her prosecution and
as a result, we knew Casey Anthony was a single mom who wanted to party rather than
be saddled with responsibilities for raising a two-year-old by herself. Most damning of
all, Casey never grieved for her baby when it was discovered Caylee had died. For the
media and the public, that was all they needed to hear from the prosecutors about
Casey Anthony.75 Case closed!
A Fresh Look: Casey
The linchpin for the prosecution was their claim Casey was narcissistic, tired of being a 74 Jesse police interview 75 Ashton book
mom and desperate to get rid of Caylee so she could have fun. The prosecution used
images of her at a nightclub for the centerpiece of their theory. Those powerful images
fueled the explosion of conversations and opinions in the blogosphere and helped
reinforce the prosecution's case. From the prosecutors’ point of view, it was a slam
dunk. The prosecutors’ road to a conviction however would ultimately run into one major
pothole – their theory was simply not true. The defendant was not narcissistic. 76 All of
her friends told police Casey Anthony was an ideal and selfless mother to Caylee.
77
The jury's quick acquittal of the defendant begs the question: What did the jury hear that
was so different within the four walls of the courtroom? The jury saw those pictures of
the accused at a nightclub as they were introduced into evidence. The jury also heard
the defense rebuttal. What led them to reject the prosecution's theory, and reach an
opposite conclusion from the social media blogosphere and its court of public opinion?
76 Friends police interviews 77 Friends police interviews
We are fortunate to have the jury foreman's explanation for the fact finders' decision to
acquit. He said publicly after the trial the prosecutor's theory for the crime was full of
holes.78 One of Casey Anthony’s best friends was interrogated by detectives soon after
Casey’s arrest.79 The lead detective for the state's attorney's office was Yuri Melich. He
was a veteran investigator assigned to the missing persons unit for the Orange County
sheriff. On October 9, 2008, he interviewed Melina Calabrese, a close friend throughout
high school who later became a co-worker with Casey at Kodak at Universal Studios in
Orlando. 80
Yuri Melich asked Melina if Casey went to a lot of parties in high school and later also
later when they knew each other at Universal. Melina said, “No, she was not a party-
type girl.”
78 Cable tv interview 79 Multiple interviews 80 Melina interview
Lead Detective Yuri Melich: "Did she go to more parties and stuff than you?" 81
Melina: "Oh no. I don't think she went to a lot of parties at all."
Lead Detective Melich: "What about smoking or drinking or drugs?"
Melina: "Never once in high school did we ever."
Lead Detective Melich: "OK, did she ever tell you, hey I experimented, tried this or
that. Anything like that?"
Melina: "No, she was very adamantly against cigarettes and pot."
Lead Detective Yuri Melich: "You mentioned Fusion {nightclub}. You made a comment
about the picture and said it was just not her?"
Melina: "Right."
81 See Melina interview
Lead Detective Yuri Melich: "Tell me about it."
Melina: "You know, Casey and I have had plenty of good times since high school. And
even in high school and since high school, neither of us were the club going {type}, at
least as frequent as what her pictures appeared to be like. You know we went out every
once in a while. You know, big deal. It seemed like those pictures were coming out all
the time."
Lead Detective Yuri Melich: "What about her actions on the pictures?"
Melina: "I would look at my pictures {of Casey} and I would look at those pictures and
they just don't feel like the Casey I knew. She was trying too hard to be someone she
was not. Those {pictures} seem like she was trying too hard, you know, smile for this
camera and do these poses."
Finally Melich asked about the kind of mother Melina knew Casey to be.
Lead Detective Yuri Melich: "Casey's relationship with Caylee from the time that you
remember, how would you describe that relationship?"
Melina: "I had hoped for it to be mine. She and Caylee were adorable. I almost hoped
for it; you know because she was very good with Caylee. She gave Caylee almost
everything a little girl could want. You know Casey was very good with her. She just
never raised her voice. Always you know, and never saw her touch her in a negative
way. To this day, I hope my own mother-daughter bond is going to be like that. And it
almost seemed easy."
The Anthonys
The Court of Public Opinion, Casey Anthony, yields new information which for the first
time informs the reader that each of these players in the Anthony family are individuals
with their own personal agendas. Only with that information can we make sense out of
the dynamic that they created collectively as the suburban Anthony family living in
Orlando, Florida.
This new narrative answers key questions from the Casey Anthony story. What is the
real reason police weren’t notified when two-year-old Caylee was first missing? Why
didn't mother Casey grieve? Why did Casey invent a fictitious babysitter, "Zanny the
nanny" whom she said kidnapped Caylee? Why did George testify for the grand jury
against his daughter, and even after her acquittal continue to blame her? How may
times did Cindy lie to investigators when the effect was to reinforce suspicion against
her daughter when it seemed a virtual certainty she was going to get the death
penalty?82
Is it possible all of these Anthony family members, as individuals, covered up Caylee’s
death? Were they all protecting the same person? We answer these questions and in
82 Cindy interviews
the event discover their shocking relationships as a family. Readers’ conclusions will
change. The truth will surprise virtually everyone as we learn with certainty truth is
stranger than fiction. We look more closely than ever before at the acquitted defendant,
using her own words and the words of her friends and others who knew her and were
interviewed while under oath by detectives.
The mainstream media invited comments from public law enforcement officials like
Florida’s Attorney General, county state attorneys and others, who were providing their
institutional imprimatur on the guilt of the accused before the trial even reached the jury.
Stacy Honowitz, a sitting assistant district attorney from nearby Broward County, was
building a cable commentary career for herself and was only one of many stirring the
pot of hostility in social media against the accused. "I think that she premeditated
{Caylee's murder}. I think that she wanted to live her life exactly as the prosecutors
say.�83
83 See newspaper article
Indeed, mainstream media seemed to have sensed cable and social media was
following cues from its studied anger against the accused defendant. Social media
exploded with conversations and opinions, virtually all presuming guilt for the accused.
There was no limit to the calls for her death, banishment, and even torture. It was
unique in our contemporary social media experience. Time magazine was certainly right
about one thing, the Casey Anthony trial was the social media trial of the century. We
were all part of the spectacle as social media convened a court of public opinion
virtually overnight, and as we know, it declared there was no presumption of innocence
in their court.
In conversations throughout the country there was a visceral predisposition for her
presumed guilt and impatience for her punishment that continued to this day. The
tsunami of negative opinion overwhelmed the image and definition of the name, Casey
Anthony. Her story was the most searched news item on the internet as she became
the most hated person in America.84 It has been many years since the death of Caylee
Marie Anthony but strong feelings and a pent up sense of retribution against her mother
remain fresh for the millions who followed the trial closely. Research invested in a post-
trial look at the entirety of this story has yielded a surprising result. The Court of Public
Opinion, Casey Anthony, will confirm with certainty that none of these consensus
opinions held by the public are true. Pivotal questions have for the first time been
answered: Did prosecutors try the wrong person? Was the jury right to acquit Casey
Anthony? Unbelievable as it may seem now, will the Court of Public Opinion change its
guilty verdict?
84 News articles