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Caylee Marie Anthony (August 9, 2005 – c. June 16, 2008) was a child from Orlando, Florida, whose disappearance in June 2008 attracted media attention throughout the United States. Caylee's skeletal remains were discovered December 11, 2008, five months after she was reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy Anthony. Her mother, Casey Anthony, failed to report her daughter missing, and was indicted on charges of felony murder. She continued to maintain her innocence throughout her trial.

On July 5, 2011, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of felony murder (murder during the commission of a felony), first degree murder (premeditated murder), second degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. She was found guilty of four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. These charges are misdemeanors in the State of Florida.

Disappearance and discovery

According to Casey Anthony's father, George Anthony, Casey left the family's home on June 16, 2008, taking Caylee (who was almost 3) with her and did not return for 31 days. Casey's mother Cindy asked repeatedly during the month to see Caylee, but Casey claimed that she was too busy with a work assignment in Tampa, Florida. At other times, she said Caylee was with a nanny, later identified by Casey as Zenaida "Zanny" Fernandez-Gonzalez, or at theme parks or the beach. It was eventually determined that although Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez did in fact exist, she had never met Casey nor Caylee Anthony, any member of the Anthony family, or any of Casey's friends.

On July 13, 2008, while doing yard work, Cindy and George Anthony found a notice from the post office for a certified letter affixed on their front door. George Anthony picked up the certified letter from the post office on July 15, 2008, and found that his daughter's car was in a tow yard. When George picked up the car, both he and the tow yard attendant noted a strong smell coming from the trunk. Both later testified that they believed the odor to be that of a decomposing body. When the trunk was opened it contained a bag of trash, but no human remains.

Caylee Anthony was reported missing to the Orange County Sheriff's Office on July 15, 2008, by her grandmother, Cindy. During the same call, Casey Anthony acknowledged to the 911 operator that Caylee had been missing "for 31 days". A distraught Cindy also told the 911 operator "There is something wrong. I found my daughter's car today and it smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car."

Investigation

When Detective Yuri Melich, with the Orange County Sheriff's Department, began investigating the disappearance of Caylee Anthony, he found discrepancies in Casey's signed statement. When questioned, Casey said Caylee had been kidnapped by her nanny, Zanny. Although Casey had talked about Zanny, she had never been seen by Casey's family or friends, and in fact there was no nanny. Casey also told police that she worked at Universal Studios, a lie she had been telling her parents for years. Investigators brought Casey to Universal Studios on July 16, 2008, the day after Caylee was reported missing, and asked her to show them her office. Casey led police around for a while before admitting that she had been fired years before.

Casey Anthony was first arrested on July 16, 2008, and was charged the following day with giving false statements, child neglect, and obstruction of a criminal investigation. The judge denied bail, saying Casey had shown "woeful disregard for the welfare of her child". On August 21, 2008, after one month of incarceration, Casey Anthony was released from the Orange County jail after her $500,200 bond was posted by the nephew of California bail bondsman Leonard Padilla in hopes that Casey would cooperate and Caylee would be found. She was arrested again on August 29, 2008, on charges of forgery, fraudulent use of personal information, petty theft for forging $700 worth of checks and using her friend's credit cards without permission. Leonard Padilla, whose nephew posted Casey Anthony's bail, stated that if he had known before the bail was posted what he learned later, including that Anthony would not cooperate with him, he probably would not have helped get her out of jail.

On August 11, 12, and 13, 2008, tips of a suspicious object found in a forested area near the Anthony residence were called in to police by a meter reader, Roy Kronk. However, a search was not conducted at that time. After another report from the same man on December 11, 2008, human remains were found in a plastic bag. Duct tape was found on the face of the skull. On December 12, the remains were tentatively identified as Caylee's.

On December 15, WFTV reported that more bones were found in the wooded area near the spot where the remains had initially been discovered. On December 19, 2008, medical examiner Jan Garavaglia confirmed that the remains found were those of Caylee Anthony. The death was ruled a homicide and the cause of death listed as undetermined.

Arrests and charges

Casey Anthony
Casey Anthony's mugshot
Born	Casey Marie Anthony (1986-03-19) March 19, 1986 (age 38)
Criminal status	Not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter charges. Guilty on four counts of providing false information to police officers.

Casey Anthony was offered a limited immunity deal by prosecutors until September 2, 2008 but did not take it.

On September 5, 2008, Casey Anthony was released again on bail after being fitted with an electronic tracking device. Casey Anthony was arrested for the third time on September 15, 2008, on new charges of theft, and was released shortly afterward. Her $500,000 bond was posted anonymously, and it was later revealed that her parents, Cindy and George Anthony, signed a promissory note for the bond.

On October 14, 2008, Casey Anthony was indicted by a grand jury on charges of felony murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to police. She was arrested for the fourth time. She entered a plea of not-guilty to all charges. On October 21, 2008, the charges of child neglect were dropped against Casey. In a statement that morning, the State Attorney's Office explained: "The neglect charges were premised on the theory that Caylee was still alive. As the investigation progressed and it became clear that the evidence proved that the child was deceased, the State sought an indictment on the legally appropriate charges."

On April 13, 2009, prosecutors announced that they planned to seek the death penalty in this case.

Evidence

The Anthony case broke new ground in forensic science. The University of Tennessee's "Body farm" discovered "hair banding", a phenomenon in which hair roots can form a dark band after death. A hair found in the trunk of the Anthony car exhibited this pattern. Hair samples were to sent to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

On Friday, October 24, 2008, a forensic report by Dr. Arpad Vass of the ORNL stated that results from an air sampling procedure (called LIBS) performed in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car showed chemical compounds "consistent with a decompositional event" based on the presence of five key chemical compounds out of over 400 possible chemical compounds that Dr. Vass's research group considers typical of decomposition (human decomposition was not specified). Whether or not the decomposition was human is still unknown, but was indicated as a possibility. The process has not been affirmed by a Daubert Test in the courts. Dr. Vass's group also stated there was chloroform in the car trunk. In evidence hearings, Dr. Ken Furton, a professor in chemistry at Florida International University, stated that there is no consensus in the field on what chemicals are typical of human decomposition.

DNA samples could not confirm whether the source was alive or dead. The only DNA testing by the FBI was limited to 752 base pairs out of 16,569 base pairs (less than 5% of the mitochondrial genome sequence). Evidence was found that someone had searched the Internet on Casey Anthony's computer for the use of the chloroform and how to make it. On November 26, 2008, officials released 700 pages of documents related to the Anthony investigation, which included evidence of Google searches of the terms "neck breaking", "how to make chloroform", and "death" on Casey Anthony's home computer.

Investigators also entered into the body of evidence a photo from the computer of Ricardo Morales, an ex-boyfriend of Casey Anthony, which depicts a joke in which a man is using a chloroform-soaked rag to drug a woman.

On February 18, 2009, documents released by the State Attorney's Office in Florida indicated that the same type of laundry bag, duct tape, and plastic bags discovered at the crime scene were found in the house where Casey and Caylee resided. Heart-shaped stickers were also recovered by investigators. According to an FBI laboratory email, a heart-shaped outline was originally seen on the duct tape that was recovered from the mouth area of Caylee's skull, but the laboratory was not able to capture the heart shape photographically and could no longer see it after the duct tape was dusted for fingerprint processing. The documents also indicate that Cindy Anthony stated to them that a Winnie the Pooh blanket was missing from Caylee's bed. This type of blanket was found at the crime scene. An entry from Casey Anthony's diary was also released.

The following diary entry by Casey Anthony is dated "June 21" and reads:

I have no regrets, just a bit worried. I just want for everything to work out OK. I completely trust my own judgment and know that I made the right decision. I just hope that the end justifies the means. I just want to know what the future will hold for me. I guess I will soon see – This is the happiest that I have been in a very long time. I hope that my happiness will continue to grow– I've made new friends that I really like. I've surrounded myself with good people – I am finally happy. Let's just hope that it doesn't change.

Transfer writing (imprints of writing) from other pages of the diary revealed the mention of a person named Kenneth, whom Casey had dated in 2003. A member of Casey Anthony's defense team, spokeswoman Marti MacKenzie, contends that this entry was written in 2003 prior to Caylee's birth. The defense contends that the opposite page has "'03" written in one of the corners as the date, and the handwriting on the two pages matches. However, there was no authentication that the "'03" signified a date, or when it was entered in the diary or by whom. The prosecution acknowledged that it did not know when the entry was made. However, an FBI report released in the media stated that the diary in question was not on the market until 2004.

Civil case

Anthony told investigators that she had left 2-year-old Caylee on June 16 with a babysitter named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez – also known as "Zanny" – at a specific Orlando apartment complex. A woman named Zenaida Gonzalez who was on the apartment records as having visited apartments on that date was questioned by police and said she did not know Casey or Caylee. She has since filed a defamation suit seeking compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that Casey willfully damaged her reputation. It was reported that Anthony would exercise her rights under the Fifth Amendment in response to written questions in the civil case. The civil trial was set for August 29, 2011.

Former attorneys

On June 30, 2010, Andrea Lyon presented a Motion to Withdraw as Counsel representing Casey Anthony. Linda Kenney-Baden withdrew in October 2010. Both cited travel costs as a barrier in continuing to represent Anthony.

Brad Conway, the attorney representing Casey Anthony's parents, withdrew in mid-August 2010, citing allegations in a defense motion that he received special treatment in reviewing records. Conway claimed these allegations were false, but that this now made him a witness in the case, which forced him to withdraw.

Criminal trial

Jury selection began on May 9, 2011, at the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center in Clearwater, Florida, because the case had been so widely reported in the Orlando area. Jurors were brought from Pinellas County to Orlando. Jury selection took longer than expected and ended on May 20, 2011, with twelve jurors and five alternates being sworn in. The panel contained nine women and eight men. It was estimated that the trial would last about two months, during which the jury would be sequestered to avoid influence from information available outside the courtroom.

The trial began on May 24, 2011, at the Orange County Courthouse, with Judge Belvin Perry presiding. In the opening statements, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick described the story of the disappearance of Caylee Anthony day-by-day. The defense, led by Jose Baez, presented its claim that Caylee drowned accidentally in the family's pool on June 16, 2008, and was found by George Anthony, who then covered up Caylee's death. Baez also alleged that George Anthony had sexually abused Casey since she was eight years old, and also claimed that Casey's brother Lee had made sexual advances toward Casey; he was even given a paternity test to see if he was Caylee's father. However, the defense offered no proof of any sexual abuse of Casey by either George or Lee Anthony; consequently the defense was not allowed to mention claims of sexual abuse in their closing arguments.

The prosecution alleged an intentional murder and sought the death penalty against Casey Anthony.

On June 30, the defense team for Casey Anthony rested, without Anthony testifying in her own defense.

Closing arguments

On July 3, closing arguments were given. Jose Baez contended that there were holes in the prosecution's forensic evidence, saying it was based on a "fantasy". Fellow defense attorney Cheney Mason then followed with an additional hour-long closing argument.

The jury began deliberations on July 4.

Verdict

On July 5, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter, and aggravated child abuse, but guilty on four counts of misdemeanor providing false information to a law enforcement officer. Anthony will be sentenced on Thursday, July 7 at 9 am ET on the conviction of giving false information to law enforcement officers.

Anthony faces a maximum of one year in county jail on each of the four guilty verdicts. Due to already having spent almost three years in county jail awaiting trial, it is possible, having already time-served, that she may be released on the date of her sentencing, July 7, 2011.

Publicity and aftermath

Initial reports and reactions

The case attracted a large amount of national media attention, and was regularly the main topic of many TV talk shows, including those hosted by Greta Van Susteren, Nancy Grace, Geraldo Rivera, and others. It has been featured on Fox's America's Most Wanted, NBC's Dateline, and ABC's 20/20.

Nancy Grace first referred to Casey Anthony as the "tot mom" and urged the public to let "the professionals, the psychics and police" do their job.

Casey Anthony's parents, Cindy and George, appeared on The Today Show on October 22, 2008. They maintained their belief that Caylee was alive and would be found. Larry Garrison, president of SilverCreek Entertainment, was their spokesman until he resigned in November 2008, citing that he was leaving due to "the Anthony family's erratic behavior".

More than 6,000 pages of evidence released by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, including hundreds of instant messages between Casey and ex-boyfriend Tony Rusciano, have been the subject of increased scrutiny by the media for clues and possible motives in the homicide. Rusciano, a rookie Orange County deputy, was fired for lying about his sexual relationship with Casey Anthony.

Outside the Anthony home, WESH TV 2 reported that protesters repeatedly shouted "baby killer" and that George Anthony was physically attacked. George Anthony was reported missing on January 22, 2009, after he failed to show up for a meeting with his lawyer, Brad Conway. George was found in a Daytona Beach hotel the next day after sending messages to family members threatening suicide. He was taken to Halifax Hospital for psychiatric evaluation and later released.

During and after the trial

Public and media reactions

The trial has been compared to the OJ Simpson murder trial, both for its widespread media attention and reported "shock" at the "Not guilty" verdict. At the start of the trial, dozens of people raced to the Orange County Courthouse on Tuesday morning, hoping to secure one of 50 seats open to the public at the murder trial. Because the case received such thorough media attention in Orlando, jurors were brought in from the Tampa Bay area and sequestered for the entire trial. The case became a "macabre tourist attraction" as people camped outside for seats in the courtroom, where scuffles also broke out among those wanting seats inside. The New York Post described the trial as going "from being a newsworthy case to one of the biggest ratings draws in recent memory," and Time dubbed it "the social media trial of the century". Cable news channels and network news programs became intent upon covering the case as extensively as they could. "It's not about policy, it's not about international relations," stated executive vice president and general manager of HLN, Scot Safon. "It's a story that has a very, very strong human dimension to it," he stated. The audience for HLN's Nancy Grace rose more than 150 percent, and other news channels deciding to focus on the trial saw their ratings double and triple. According to recent statistics, the trial became the most publicized case in U.S. history. "The Simpson case was the longest trial ever held in California, costing more than $20 million to fight and defend, running up 50,000 pages of trial transcript in the process. Reports say the Casey Anthony trial these numbers." Records show 91 percent of the television viewing audience watched it and an 142 million people listened on radio and watched television as the verdict was delivered.

Opinions have varied on what has made the public thoroughly invested in the trial. Safon argued, "What turns the case into such addictive TV is that the Anthonys are "not famous people. On some level, this seems like such an unremarkable family. And yet, when you look underneath the hood, you're seeing this incredibly complex group of people and relationships." Frank Farley of CNN said, "In the Casey Anthony trial, circumstantial evidence is all over the map — and with the apparent lying, significant contradictions and flip-flops of testimony, and questionable or bizarre theories of human behavior, it is little wonder that this nation has been glued to the tube." He said it was a trial that was both a psychologist's dream and nightmare. Psychologist Dr. Karyl McBride said, "Not all mothers fit the saintly archetype that is seen and felt in the sacred institution of motherhood. We want so badly to hang onto the belief system that mothers don't harm children," she explained. "It's fascinating that the defense in the Anthony case found a way to blame the father. While we don't know what is true and maybe never will, it is worth taking a look at the narcissistic family when maternal narcissism rules the roost. Casey Anthony is a beautiful white woman and the fact that the case includes such things as sex, lies, and videotapes makes it irresistible."

When the "Not Guilty" verdict was rendered, there was seemingly unanimous outcry (among the general public and media) that the jury made the wrong decision. People took to Facebook and Twitter, as well as other media outlets, to express their outrage. Some referred to the verdict as "O.J. Number 2". Outside the courthouse, many in the crowd of 500 reacted with anger, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" and "Baby killer!" Various media personalities and celebrities, including, Joy Behar Ann Coulter, Star Jones, Sharon Osbourne, Kim Kardashian, and many others, also expressed outrage via Twitter. However, not everyone was outraged by the verdict. Some readers on sites such as the Toronto Star.com and CNN.com were more equivocal — with some suggesting the verdict was fair because there clearly was not enough evidence to determine guilt based on beyond a reasonable doubt, and that much of the public's fascination has to do with the uncertainty of a motive for the crime.

Around the time the verdict was announced, Akamai Technologies' "Net Usage Index for News" showed that traffic to news sites surged from about 2 million page views a minute to 3.3 million, with most of the visits coming from the United States. Mashable reported that between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., one million viewers were watching CNN.com/live, 30 times higher than the previous month's average. The Hollywood Reporter says CNN logged 12 million page views during the same time frame and the story became CNN's tenth most-popular video stream of all time. ABC News also saw traffic soar around the same time, with the number of visitors to the site increasing by five times the previous month's average. Between the hours of 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., ABC says 1.2 million videos were watched on ABCNews.com, three times more than the average in the previous month. MSNBC says there were 325,283 posts on Twitter related to the Casey Anthony trial on the day of the verdict, the majority of which were posted near the time the verdict was announced. Twitter's trending topics in the United States were mostly about the subjects related to the case and Newser reported that post on Facebook were coming in "too fast for all Facebook to even count them, meaning at least 10 per second".

The passionate disagreement with the jury's verdict has prompted media commentators, talk show hosts, and psychologists to put forward several theories for why the public has so widely rejected any notion that Anthony may not be responsible for her daughter's death, ranging from wanting justice for Caylee, to the circumstantial evidence having been strong enough, to some blaming the media. "The main reason that people are reacting so strongly is that the media convicted Casey before the jury decided on the verdict," said Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist in the department of psychiatry at UCLA. "The public has been whipped up into this frenzy wanting revenge for this poor little adorable child. And because of the desire for revenge, they've been whipped up into a lynch mob." She added, "Nobody likes a liar, and Anthony was a habitual liar. And nobody liked the fact that she was partying after Caylee's death. Casey obviously has a lot of psychological problems. Whether she murdered her daughter or not is another thing."

Cheney Mason, one of Casey Anthony's defense attorneys, also blamed the media for what he termed a "media assassination" of his client before and during the trial:

I hope that this is a lesson to those of you who have indulged in media assassination for three years, bias, and prejudice, and incompetent talking heads saying what would be and how to be... I can tell you that my colleagues from coast to coast and border to border have condemned this whole process of lawyers getting on television and talking about cases that they don't know a damn thing about, and don't have the experience to back up their words or the law to do it. Now you have learned a lesson.

Mason's response was especially viewed as critical of Nancy Grace, whose new program is largely considered to have contributed to the widespread media obsession with the Anthony family. Grace responded, "What does he care about what pundits are saying?" She stated that she imagines she has tried and covered as many cases as Mason, and criticized the defense attorneys for delivering media criticism before mentioning Caylee's name in their post-verdict news conference. "Caylee's death is now just a blip on the screen," she said. "It didn't mean anything. It didn't amount to a hill of beans." Grace also believes, "There is no way that this is a verdict that speaks the truth."

State's Attorney Lawson Lamar said, "We're disappointed in the verdict today because we know the facts and we've put in absolutely every piece of evidence that existed. This is a dry-bones case. Very, very difficult to prove. The delay in recovering little Caylee's remains worked to our considerable disadvantage." Jose Baez said, "While we're happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case. Caylee has passed on far, far too soon, and what my driving force has been for the last three years has been always to make sure that there has been justice for Caylee and Casey because Casey did not murder Caylee. It's that simple." He added, "And today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction."

Various explanations for why the jury chose a verdict of not guilty have been put forth. While most people, including the majority of media commentators, believe that there was enough circumstantial evidence to convict Anthony beyond a reasonable doubt, others state that there was not. Some believe that the prosecution overcharged the case by tagging on the death penalty; people in good conscience could not sentence Anthony to death based on circumstantial evidence.

The Anthony family

This section needs expansion. You can help by making an edit requestadding to it . (July 2011)

Timeline of case

This section is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by converting this section, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (June 2011)

2008

June 16, 2008 — 2-year-old Caylee Anthony is last seen alive leaving the home of her grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony, along with her mother Casey.

June 18, 2008 — Casey Anthony borrows a shovel from Brian Burner, a neighbor of George and Cindy Anthony. Burner says that Anthony returned it an hour later.

June 20, 2008 — Casey Anthony is captured in various photos partying at Fusion nightclub and participating in a “hard body contest.”

June 23, 2008 — Casey Anthony and her boyfriend, Lazzaro, break into a shed at the Anthony family home to borrow her father’s gas cans to fill her car, which had run empty.

June 24, 2008 — Casey Anthony gets into a fight with George Anthony about the gas can and she storms out of the home. She tells her father that Caylee is with the babysitter, Zanny.

June 25, 2008 — Cell phone records show she was in the area of her parents’ home.

July 15, 2008 — George and Cindy Anthony pick up Casey’s car from a tow yard. George Anthony observes a strong odor emanating from the vehicle. Later, back at the Anthony family home, Casey tells her mother and brother, Lee Anthony, that she hasn't seen Caylee in a month and that a babysitter named Zanaida Fernandez Gonzalez (Zanny) kidnapped her.

July 15-16, 2008 — Casey Anthony takes police to the last place she says she saw Caylee. It turns out to be a vacant apartment. Authorities also take her to Universal Studios where she said she worked. She kept walking with them and then suddenly halted when she was almost at the door of what she claimed was her office. The police testified that she then suddenly stopped and stated that she really did not work there. In fact, supervisors told the police that she hadn’t worked there in more than two years.

October 14, 2008 — Casey Anthony indicted on charges of first-degree murder, along with aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse and four counts of lying to police.

December 11, 2008 — The skeletal remains of Caylee Anthony are discovered in a wooded area not far from the Anthony family home.

2009

January 22, 2009 — The Florida State Attorney's Office releases 311 pages of new documents in the Caylee Anthony case. According to the documents, Caylee's skeletal remains had been placed in a cloth laundry hamper bag, prior to being placed inside a black plastic garbage bag. The documents further reveal that a backpack with the word 'adorable' on it, a Winnie the Pooh blanket, a size 3T shirt, a pair of child's striped white shorts and small, cloth-type, iron on letters were found inside the bag. A search-warrant affidavit which detailed the discovery of the remains also described a "heart shaped" sticker that had been placed on duct tape that was found wrapped around the child's skull.

January 23, 2009 — Casey Anthony's father, George Anthony, is escorted to a hospital by police after he allegedly sends suicidal text messages to family members.

April 14, 2009 — The State of Florida seeks the imposition of the Death Penalty.

June 19, 2009 — The Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office released the 36-page Medical Examiner's report on Caylee Marie Anthony's autopsy, along with dozens of other pages of forensic reports.

August 25, 2009 — The state releases more than 2,000 pages of documents in the case, including photos from a picture-sharing Web site and aerial photos of where Caylee's remains were found.

September 8, 2009 — A judge in Orlando postpones making a decision on whether to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against Casey Anthony by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez.

September 17, 2009 — Casey Anthony's defense team files a motion to dismiss the murder charges against her because the state allegedly failed to preserve evidence in the case.

September 29, 2009 — The state releases additional discovery documents in the case, including forensic reports from the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., that confirmed Caylee's identity. Among the documents is a report that states the duct tape found on Caylee's mouth had been contaminated by an FBI evidence examiner.

October 6, 2009 — Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick responds to the defenses motion to dismiss the charges against Casey Anthony, claiming the motion is "legally flawed". Burdick contends it will be decided at the "close of all evidence" whether the state has proven its case.

October 9, 2009 — The state releases 1,400 pages of documents in the case, including photos and evidence from the FBI crime lab. Among the photos are pictures of Casey Anthony's infamous "La Bella Vida" (beautiful life) tattoo.

October 20, 2009 — Judge Jose R. Rodriguez denies the motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against Casey Anthony.

November 6, 2009 — The state releases more discovery documents in the case, including reports that a bullet shell casing was found in the vicinity where Caylee Anthony's remains were found.

December 11, 2009 — Casey Anthony breaks down in court when Jeff Ashton gives the State's account of how Caylee was murdered.

December 18, 2009 — Judge Stan Strickland denies a request to take the death penalty off the table in the prosecution of Casey Anthony.

2010

February 16, 2010 — The state releases three CD's of photos and documents in the case, including photographs of a syringe, Gatorade bottle and a child's car seat.

April 6, 2010 — Prosecutors release copies of letters that were allegedly exchanged between Casey Anthony and a jailhouse companion. Within the letter, Anthony allegedly claims Zenaida Gonzalez does not exist. Prosecutors further allege the letter reveals details about Caylee's remains that only her killer would be privy to.

April 19, 2010 — Judge Stan Strickland steps down after Casey Anthony's defense team files a motion accusing him of having a personal relationship with a pro-prosecution blogger. Strickland granted the motion not on the basis that the relationship was inappropriate, but because the accusation would "generate renewed allegations of bias". Judge Belvin Perry Jr. is appointed to take over the case.

April 23, 2010 — The state releases 300 pages of documents in the case, including FBI lab notes, which show investigators tore apart four vacuum cleaners that had been taken from the Anthony family home. The vacuum cleaners were examined for human hair with characteristics of human decomposition. None were found.

July 15, 2010 — Judge Belvin Perry rules the jury will be permitted to hear a 911 call made by Casey Anthony's mother, Cindy, in which she says the odor coming from her daughters car smells like a dead body.

July 26, 2010 — Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, lashes out at an unidentified blogger for allegedly using photos from his Facebook profile. In addition to removing the photos, Baez claims he has contacted a civil lawyer to prepare a court case against the blogger.

July 30, 2010 — Casey Anthony's defense attorneys spend three hours deposing Roy Kronk, the former Orange County employee who found Caylee Anthony's remains in December 2008.

August 9, 2010 — Casey Anthony's defense team files a motion accusing George and Cindy Anthony's former attorney, Mark NeJame, of obstruction and promoting his own interests by approaching crime writer David Lohr about writing a book on the case and discussing a plea deal Anthony had allegedly been offered. NeJame acknowledged he did discuss a book with Lohr, but says there was a misunderstanding about the plea deal.

August 16, 2010 — George and Cindy Anthony's attorney, Brad Conway, steps down because of a motion filed by Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez. The defense attorney claimed Conway was given unrestricted access to documents belonging to Texas EquuSearch, the missing person search and recovery group that searched for two-year-old Caylee Anthony. Baez claimed he was not given the same access to the documents.

August 30, 2010 — Casey Anthony's lawyers submit an amended witness list to the court that includes Anthony's family members, expert witnesses, law enforcement officials and David Lohr, a crime writer who covered the search effort for Investigation Discovery.

September 28, 2010 — Judge Belvin Perry denies a request made by Casey Anthony's defense attorneys to allow Dutch experts to do additional DNA testing on evidence that is to be submitted at trial. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Perry said he did not feel comfortable allowing evidence to leave the court's jurisdiction.

November 2, 2010 — The State of Florida releases 1,000 pages of evidence in the Casey Anthony case. The documents include letters that were sent to Casey Anthony in jail, as well as e-mail conversations among Anthony family members from 2008.

November 29, 2010 — Judge Belvin Perry denies a request made by prosecutors to order Casey Anthony's defense team to turn over information about their expert witnesses, including contracts, communications and billing records. In making his decision, Perry said prosecutors could obtain the information via the witnesses themselves or a subpoena.

2011

February 11, 2011 — Judge Belvin Perry rules that Casey Anthony's alleged history of lying and stealing is admissible in court.

February 15, 2011 — Judge Belvin Perry rules that postings by Casey Anthony allegedly made to social networking websites prior to her indictment can be presented to a jury by prosecutors. Perry also ruled that only portions of Anthony's sex life will be admissible at trial.

April 27, 2011 — Judge Allows Chloroform Test evidence to be presented at trial, rejecting a motion by Casey Anthony. The prosecution claims tests revealed significant amounts of chloroform in the trunk of Casey's car.

May 9, 2011 — Jury selection begins in Clearwater for Casey Anthony’s murder trial.

May 24, 2011 — Trial begins in Orlando, Florida. The prosecution shows jurors a photo during opening statements of Caylee Anthony alive and smiling, along with a picture of the girl’s skull as it was found in 2008. They say Anthony used duct tape to suffocate her. The defense contends the child actually drowned in her grandparents’ swimming pool.

June 17, 2011 — Casey Anthony defense expert contradicts state entomologist.

July 5, 2011 — Casey Anthony acquitted of all felony charges (i.e., of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter, and aggravated child abuse), but is convicted of misdemeanor charges of giving false information to police.

See also

• Child abduction
• Unreported missing

References

1. Escherich, Katie (December 12, 2008). "ABC News, "TIMELINE: Caylee Anthony Case Captivates Country"". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
2. Muessig, Ben (June 19, 2011). "Caylee Anthony's Father's Identity Remains A Mystery At Casey Anthony Trial". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
3. Pavuk, Amy and ieto, Bianca. "Casey Anthony not guilty of murder: Jury finds Casey Anthony not guilty of murder, manslaughter, aggravated child abuse; guilty of providing false information to law enforcement". Orlando Sentinel. 5:07 pm EDT, July 5, 2011. Reprinted at the Hartford Current, Accessed July 5, 2011.
4. ^ Lundin, Leigh (June 6, 2010). "Timeline of Anthony Case". ADD Detective. Orlando: Criminal Brief.
5. "Former Anthony Attorney: Casey Lied". ClickOrlando. April 14, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
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