Sad bizarre case of Caylee Anthony

Cookie

I know about Susan Smith. The difference here is that the boyfriend Tony, like to have Caylee around, he liked her staying over, and if I remember what i read in his interview with police, he kept asking where she was during the month before she was reported missing. I find it difficult for even someone as self centred as Casey to not realise that the man she wanted to be with would not want her if she murdered her daughter, especially when he liked to have Caylee around. I think your theory about paying back her mother maybe close to the mark, at least it will play some part, even if it is just as to the reason why Casey took Caylee out of the house, and the death was then accidental. But I just want to stress that when I say accidental, I dont mean a drowning or anything, I think accidental due to negligence, which is punishable with life in prison under Florida law. For eg using chloroform or adult sleeping drug to drug Caylee and leave her in the boot, would be aggravated child neglect resulting in death. This gives a good motive for trying to cover it up. It also ties in with leaving Caylee's body in the boot of the car for 2 days. If it was fully planned, then I doubt that she would have done that, she would have had the disposal of the body all worked out ahead of time.

I truly think it was accidental (but due to negligence and Casey's actions) and then Casey was looking for someway to cover it up,and came up with the kidnapping thing. I also think, she was hoping that that the body would be hidden in the swamp, and was hoping for the floods to come, and that is why she kept it secret for 1 month. She was hoping the body would be taken or eaten, and that even if found, the decomposition would prevent anyone knowing the cause of death. And just in case it was found, she tried to stage it to look like a kidnapping. It is the body being in the car for 2 days which makes me think this. As I said, if it was premeditated, she would not have driven around for 2 days while the body decomposed in the car, she would have been prepared.

With Susan Smith, the man of her infatuation wanted nothing to do with children, so she saw her children as the reason that he wasnt with her. When in reality he probably sensed or just knew she was an unstable obsessive woman, and that was why he didnt want to be with her. Fo lovely children paid the price for their mother's obsession. She could just have walked out and left them, and she would have found that man still didnt want her. That case was so tragic.

Diane, - my understanding was that her present ex-boyfriend Tony wanted only boys - he did not want girls at all. Casey's ex-fiance (Jesse) loved Caylee and Casey tried to have him named as Caylee's biological dad - my understanding is that he had DNA done and he was NOT Caylee's father - this was the man that Casey felt loved Caylee more than her loved her.

The case of Susan Smith was very tragic. The only similarity I see in both cases is that both could have given their children (Susan to her ex-husband) and Casey (to her parents) and gone on their merry little life while the children would have been alive and safe.

April 14, 2009


Florida Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty in Caylee Anthony Case


"The State of Florida hereby notifies the Defendant and the Court that, based upon additional information that has become available since the waiver of intent to seek the penalty of death filed on December 5, 2008, sufficient aggravating circumstances exist to justify the imposition of the Death Penalty pursuant to Florida Statute 921.141, as to this Defendant in this case. Therefore, the state will be seeking the imposition of the Death Penalty, should the Defendant be convicted in the above referenced matter."
What you just read is taken from a "Notice of Intent" that was filed Monday by Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick, in regard to the case against alleged child murderer, Casey Anthony, accused of killing her two-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.
Read the Notice of intent

Monday's development comes as a bit of a surprise, as it was just three months ago that prosecutors announced that they would – in the event of a guilty verdict – be seeking life behind bars for Anthony. The notice mentions "sufficient aggravating circumstances"; however, it does not detail what they are.
A full list of aggravating circumstances contained within Florida Statute 921.141 can be found at www.leg.state.fl.us. Chief among them are:

• The capital felony was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.
  

• The capital felony was a homicide and committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner, without any pretense of moral or legal justification.
  

• The victim of the capital felony was a person less than 12 years of age.
  

Therefore, it is possible that a jury can consider any of the above circumstances, if Anthony is convicted in the first-degree murder of Caylee.




There could be any number of reasons why prosecutors have put the death penalty back on the table; however, it is the belief of some legal analysts that the move was a result of Anthony's failure to accept a plea deal.
"I suspect that one of the considerations the state made was that there may be an offer for something lesser, such as life in prison, if the death penalty is taken off the table," Orlando defense attorney Mark Nejame said in an interview with WDBO.com.
It is unlikely that any deals will be made; however, given the past history of this case, anything is possible.
Anthony's current lead attorney, Jose Baez, is not certified to handle a death penalty case. His office, however, does not seem concerned by the new development, as is evident in comments that Marti Mackenzie, spokeswoman for Baez, made to Orlandosentinel.com.
"This is not a death-penalty case. We will do whatever is necessary to defend Casey Anthony from the state trying to take her life," Mackenzie said, adding, "We already have death-qualified defense lawyers on our team and are prepared for a vigorous defense."
Casey Anthony's trial is scheduled to begin in October 2009.

http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/04/florida-prosecutors-seek-death-penalty-in-caylee-anthony-case.html

Well, I wonder why this has happened. Is it because she failed to take a plea?

Notice that death penalty can be sought if the victim is under 12 years of age, and dear little Caylee was certainly that.

Sometimes I think that Casey may have deliberately killed Caylee, but I am really unsure, and my own morals dont want to accept that a mother could cold bloodedly kill her own child. But I still have this nagging suspicion that it may have been an accident. Why would Casey have driven around with her dead daughter in the boot of the car, and hidden her body not far from home, if it was all planned ahead of time. This part doesnt quite ring true. And accidentally doesnt mean without liability. If Casey drugged her daughter and she died of an overdose, that is I believe life in prison in Florida if convicted, so she has every reason to keep this hidden. An ordinary type of accident is probably not realistic (eg a drowing or a fall) as there is no reason to hide the body, so I believe that Casey is probably responsible for Caylee's death but whether it is deliberate and first degree murder, I can only speculate.

Unlike other cases, we have been given a lot of evidence on this one, as under Florida's sunshine laws, all sort of things are released. But we must still be careful, as this evidence is spun by the media in such a way to make Casey look guilty. As I said, I believe (from evidence that has been released) that Casey was involved in her daughter's death. But I will not believe her guilty of first degree murder until it is proven in a court of law.

It is difficult to not form an opinion with so much evidence released, and where we are able to read the original documents ourselves. I believe in innocent until proven guilty, but with so much evidence around, it is difficult to keep thinking that, however there are some things that just dont match with first degree planned murder. But it is the degree of malice in the actions which is I think crucial to this case, and this is the difficulty that the prosecution will have. Disposing of the body indicates involvement but does it indicate premeditation, or panic? THere is much to this case that has yet to be made public, and we must await the court case for it to be resolved.

I tend to agree Diane - I tend to think that Casey accidentally killed her daughter. I am not at all crazy at how the Florida legal system gave out so much information to the media. If you google the Caylee Anthony case, it is amazing how many blogs have tried and convicted Casey.

And, I admit I have doubts about the Zanny Gonzales civil case taking place now. Seems to me that the civil case should have taken place AFTER the murder trial. I suppose for some people it is entertaining but I think it is all in very poor taste.

HI Calcite

I dont think that Zaneida Gonzales even has a case. It wouldnt stand up in court here. Casey made her up (Zanny Gonzales), so there is no way that a real 'Zanny' can claim it was aimed at her. It looks like Casey took the name from her year book, it was the first name of one person and the last name of another and they were onthe same page. Having the same name is just a coincidence. Zanny would have to prove that Casey knew about her and intended to frame her and cause her harm. Which of course she hadnt even heard of her. She just picked a common enough hispanic name, thinking there is probably heaps of Zanny's with that name in the phone book.

And I totally agree that it shouldnt be happening now. Even if Casey confessed to killing Caylee, it still doesnt prove that she wilfully caused harm to Zaneida. BUT Zaneida will need to prove that Casey knew what happened to Caylee and that she lied, and that cant be proved until after the criminal case is finished.

The US legal system is very very strange.