The Casey Anthony Case Essay Sample

Overview: 

In July of 2008, Cindy Anthony reported her granddaughter Caylee Anthony missing. Five months later, Casey’s body would be found by Roy Kronk, a former resident of Kingsport, Florida. Her body was placed inside a black plastic bag with her Winnie the Pooh blanket and duct tape near her mouth. While many believe her mother, Casey Anthony, had a direct connection with the disappearance and murder of Caylee, some reject this stance and believe Casey not only did not murder her child but also is a victim herself. 

Background:

A singular question dominated people's minds in mid-2008: what happened to 2-year-old Caylee Anthony? Prior to Caylee Anthony’s disappearance, Casey Anthony had a falling out with her parents. Having only recently moved out and into her boyfriend's home, Casey frequently visited her parents' home; however, “In mid-June 2008, with her suitability as a mother called into question by Cindy, Casey left her parents' home after a major argument, taking Caylee with her” (Pafundi 46). This was the last time Caylee Anthony would be seen alive by anyone other than her mother. Five months after being reported missing, Caylee Anthony’s remains were found. After months and numerous search efforts, “Human remains of a child were found in a wooded area approximately ¼ mile from the Anthony residence on Thursday, December 11, 2008” (Pafundi 44). As seen in figure 1, her body was found wrapped in a garbage bag, solidifying her case as a murder. Being the prime suspect, Casey Anthony is indicted on charges of first-degree murder; however, concluding the trial, jurors found Casey Anthony not guilty. Three years after the disappearance of Caylee, “the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder or manslaughter but did find her guilty on four counts of providing false information to the authorities” (Battaglia 12). Due to the state of decomposition of the body, a cause of death was never definitively determined. Without knowing the exact circumstances leading to the death of Caylee, many jurors felt they did not have enough evidence to decide on a fair and accurate punishment.  

Perspective #1: Caylee Anthony Murdered and Disposed Of Her Childs's Body.

The not-guilty verdict was met with the outrage of millions across the nation who maintained their belief that Casey Anthony took part in the murder and disposal of 2-year-old Caylee. A strong proponent of the distrust of Casey Anthony was due to her actions following her daughter's disappearance. Caylee Anthony was missing for roughly a month before being reported to authorities. Not only was Caylee not reported missing for a long duration of time, but “It was Cindy Anthony who first reported Caylee missing on July 15, 2008, saying she had not seen the child for 30 days” (Helling 55). Many found Casey Anthony’s apathy for her missing daughter suspicious. Not only did she fail to report her child missing, but as seen in figure 2, she also was photographed partying four days after a nanny had allegedly taken her daughter. Casey Anthony had also interfered in the investigation of Caylee Anthony’s disappearance by repeatedly lying to the police. Casey’s initial arrest was not for murder. It was only “after speaking to and taking authorities on multiple false leads surrounding the disappearance of her daughter Caylee, that Casey was arrested July 16, 2008, on charges of child neglect, obstructing a criminal investigation, and filing false statements" (Battaglia 9). Some examples of the false leads provided by Casey include fabricating a nanny, claiming she had taken Caylee and disappeared, and working for universal studios. This behavior left many people questioning why a mother would divert investigative work being done away from their child to dead-end leads and unavailing lies. ADD

Perspective #2: Casey Anthony Did Not Murder Caylee Anthony and is a Victim Herself. After years of investigative and legal work, the trial of Casey Anthony concluded: not guilty. While some consider this a miscarriage of justice, others believe Casey Anthony did not murder her child, but rather her death was an accident which spiraled out of control. One of the primary reasons for the support behind Casey's innocence is the lack of definitiveness about her daughter's death. Because the pathologist could not pinpoint a particular method of such as strangulation or blunt force trauma, the defense team of Casey brought forth their version of events: the death of Caylee Anthony was accidental, not a murder. Caylee spent many days at her grandparent's home swimming in the family’s pool, “defense attorney Jose Baez claimed that the little girl had drowned in her grandparents’ pool and that Casey had been afraid to say anything” (Helling 55). To many, the probability of a young, unattended child drowning in a pool is extremely high and statistically more likely than a murder. The defense alleges it was not Casey who found Caylee but grandfather George Anthony. George told Casey she would go to jail for the rest of her life for neglect had they reported the child's death, and he would proceed to try to conceal Caylee's death. These claims caught the attention of millions, as prior to this information being brought to light, the only narrative of Casey was of being murderous and dismissive. However, after being presented with a new possible version of events, many viewed the possibility of accidental death to be plausible. A child accidentally drowning is likely; however, the actions of Casey after the death of her child left some with suspicions. Her odd behavior was explained as Casey Anthony allegedly became conditioned to hide her pain after years of sexual abuse from her father. Caylee had not failed to report her child out of disinterest but rather because of a history of family dysfunction and fear. As a defense mechanism against years of abuse, “Casey grew up learning to lie (i.e., cover up secrets) and to live in denial. The defence claimed that Casey was terrified of her father and, consequently, did not report him covering up the accidental death or even her own alleged sexual abuse” (Lawrence 21). While most people recognized Casey’s demeanor after her daughter's disappearance as out of the ordinary, her behavior was not that of someone who is murderous, but instead of an abused woman who was managing her daughter's death the only way she was conditioned to do so. Many contend, although her actions were unusual, they were not an indictment of guilt and should not be used to decide whether she had murdered her child.