It goes without saying that Casey Anthony cannot simply walk out the front door of the courtroom after sentencing. Although, in my opinion, I would certainly walk out the front door with my head held high (were it me and I was innocent). But, she’s a twenty-five year-old who isn’t experienced enough, and probably not smart (or tough) enough to deal with the media. Anyway, after the trial she just went through, she should be sheltered from as much media pressure/scrutiny as possible. This is MY opinion. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Reuters
By Barbara Liston | Reuters
ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) – If Casey Anthony is released from jail after her sentencing hearing on Thursday, she will not just walk out the front door.
Officials have readied a secret exit to ensure the infamous Florida mother’s safety following her acquittal on the murder charge prompted by her 2-year-old daughter Caylee’s 2008 death, a jail spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The exit plan will allow Casey, 25, to leave without having contact with the public or members of the media.
Casey was convicted of lying to police, but it is widely believed that she will not receive any more jail time after already spending nearly three years behind bars.
The next big question: Where will she go?
“She’s got to find someone to allow her to live with them,” said Karin Moore, a veteran trial lawyer and death penalty law specialist at Florida A&M University College of Law in Orlando.
“If I were (Casey’s parents), it seems pretty clear to me there is no way she’s going back home,” Moore said.
Casey cut off contact with her parents while in jail and then mounted a trial defense that accused her father of sexual abuse and involvement in a cover-up of Caylee’s death, allegations that George Anthony denied.
Caylee was last seen on June 16, 2008, a month before Casey told anyone that the toddler was gone.
Her skeletal remains were found six months later, dumped in woods near the home Casey shared with her parents just outside of Orlando.
Prosecutors said Casey smothered Caylee with the duct tape to free herself from the responsibilities of motherhood. The defense said the child died in an accidental drowning.
Public outrage followed Tuesday’s jury verdict, a stunning outcome to a trial that riveted millions of Americans over more than six weeks this summer.
Prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty if Casey was found guilty of first-degree murder. Now, the most she faces is one year in jail for each of the four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement officers.
Casey automatically receives credit for the almost three years she has served since her arrest.
Late Wednesday, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick filed a motion asking the trial judge to require Casey to pay for the costs of the investigation.
“The efforts and costs of the investigation were extensive,” the motion states.
Burdick asked for 60 days to tally the bill.
PERJURY CHARGES FOR CINDY ANTHONY?
Prosecutors have not determined whether they will pursue perjury charges against Cindy Anthony for testimony she gave during the trial.
Cindy stunned the prosecution last month when she testified she was the one who searched the family’s computer for information about chloroform three months before Caylee died.
The testimony seemed at odds with records that showed Cindy was at work when the Internet searches were performed. It also hurt the state’s case, as prosecutors pointed to the searches as proof that Casey planned to kill her daughter.
Asked on Wednesday about possible perjury charges, state attorney spokeswoman Danielle Tavernier said “there is nothing pending at this point.”
Lawyer Mark Lippman, who represents George and Cindy Anthony, previously told Reuters he did not expect the state to file such charges but said he was prepared to handle them if necessary.
Lippman did not respond Wednesday to an inquiry about the possibility of Casey returning to the Anthonys’ home.
The couple left the courtroom without speaking to Casey after the verdict. They issued a statement through Lippmann saying they believed jurors made a fair decision “despite the baseless defense chosen by Casey Anthony.”
Moore, who followed the case closely, doubts George Anthony would welcome his daughter back.
“I can’t see George ever accepting her,” Moore said. “Why set yourself up for some new allegation down the road?”
The case will follow Casey’s family for years, Moore said.
“It’s going to haunt them, and they have their own incredible personal pain they have to deal with. There are people that are just going to blame them for not protecting this child better when it really wasn’t their responsibility,” Moore said.
(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Greg McCune)
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I realize that many people believe that regardless of her acquittal on all but the lying charges, that Casey Anthony should serve out in full her previous conviction which result in her staying incarcerated for more than two more years. But, imo, I believe she should be immediately released because the time Casey has been there in custody, totally, has been under the auspices and the threat of facing the death penalty for years and years and the toll that takes to withstand has to be added into the time served she has already done. It is one thing to do some time for check fraud issues but a totally different time spent contemplating that the state was hoping to kill you, each and every day. I also believe the prosecution-team should be ordered to finish out the remainder of Caseys sentence to give them a taste of their own dysfunctions.
Agreed. Casey should be released tomorrow.