"CASEY ANTHONY: NOT GUILTY - PART 2"

0:03 Callaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm Reed Carter. Sunday, November twenty three, twenty twenty five. Yesterday we covered Kaylee Anthony's disappearance, the thirty one days Casey partied while her daughter was missing, the lies, the Beautiful Life tattoo, the discovery of Kaylee's remains in the woods. Today, the trial that shocked America. May twenty fourth, twenty eleven, Opening statements began in Orlando, Orange County Courthouse Judge Belvin Perry, presiding Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick versus defense attorney jose Baiez. The prosecution's case seemed air tight, computer searches for chloroform air samples from Casey's car showing decomposition, duct tape, Kaylee's remains found in trash bags from the Anthony home. Thirty one days of lies, Casey's partying behavehavior the smell of death, but Jose Biez had a bombshell one nobody saw coming. Kaylee Anthony died on June sixteenth, two thousand and eight, when she drowned in her family's swimming pool. The courtroom gasped drowned an accident, then Why the lies, why the cover up? Bias continued.

1:23 George Anthony was there, He took Kaylee from the pool, told Casey she'd be okay. Then he disposed of the body, made it look like a kidnapping. And he's been lying ever since. Then, Biaz went further. Casey was sexually abused by her father from age eight, Taught to lie, taught to hide the truth. That's why she didn't report Kaylee missing. That's why she acted like nothing happened. America watched in disbelief. Was this defense credible or desperate? July fifth, twenty eleven, after six weeks of test stimony, the jury deliberated eleven hours, returned with a verdict that stunned the nation. Not guilty of first degree murder, not guilty of aggravated child abuse, not guilty of aggravated manslaughter, guilty only of four misdemeanor counts of lying to police. Casey Anthony walked free. Two weeks later, America exploded in rage. How did she get away with it? How did tot mom beat a murder charge?

2:27 I'm read Carter, this is Celebrity Trials Today, Part two of Casey Anthony. The trial The verdict. The outrage that followed. This is celebrity trials. May twenty fourth, twenty eleven, Orange County Courthouse, Courtroom twenty three, Judge Belvin Perry Stern and no Nonsense, presiding over the trial of the century. Prosecutor Linda Draine Burdick stood to deliver opening statements, confident, prepared, ready to prove Casey Anthony murder her daughter. The evidence in this case will show that Kaylee Marie Anthony died as a result of chloroform, and that she died by having three pieces of duct tape placed over her nose and mouth. Burdick laid out the timeline June fifteenth, Father's Day, the last time George and Cindy saw Kaylee alive. June sixteenth, Casey borrowed a shovel from neighbor Brian Berner said she was digging up bamboo. Why does someone need a shovel the day their child disappears? June sixteenth through July fifteenth, thirty one days of partying, no calls to police, no missing person report, just Casey living her beautiful life while Kaylee's body decomposed in the woods. The prosecution's theory Casey wanted freedom, wanted to party with Tony Lazarro, wanted to go to Fusion nightclub without worrying about childcare. Kaylee was an obstacle, so Casey removed that obstacle mark which two

4:00 thousand and eight, three months before Kaylee died, someone using Casey's computer searched for chloroform eighty four times. Also searched how to make chloroform, chloroform inhalation and death. The defense would later claim those searches were for chlorophyll, not chloroform, that the eighty four number was wrong. It was only searched once, but the prosecution hammered it home. Casey researched how to kill the trunk of Casey's Pontiac Sunfire. Cadaver dogs hit on it, indicating human decomposition. Air samples showed chemical signatures consistent with a dead body. George Anthony testified it smelled like death. Cindy Anthony's nine to one one call, it smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car. The duct tape, same brand found at the crime scene and in the Anthony garage. Henkel duct tape applied to Kaylee's face over her nose and mouth. Prosecution argued this was how Casey killed her, chloroformed her unconscious, applied duct tape, suffocated her. The laundry bag came from the Anthony home. Kaylee's body found inside it, wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh blanket placed in black trash bags.

5:18 All items traced back to the Anthony house. Casey's behavior after June sixteenth, The Beautiful Life tattoo on June twenty fifth, the partying at Fusion nightclub, the photos of her in a tight dress, drinking, dancing, entering a hot body contest nine days after Kaylee died, not the behavior of a grieving mother. The lies. Casey told police she worked at Universal Studios, she hadn't worked there in two years. Told them Kaylee was with Zanni, the nanny. Zanny didn't exist. Told them she was at Sawgrass Apartments, the apartment was vacant. Gave a fake phone number, made up an entire person. Why lie if your child was accidentally killed. Burdick's closing argument to the jury Casey Anthony wanted the life she had before Kaylee was born. She wanted her life back, and the only way to get that life back was to get rid of Kaylee. The prosecution rested. The case seemed overwhelming, damning America watched and waited for conviction. Then Jose Bias stood up. Good morning, the two worst words in the English language. I'm sorry. Casey apologizes for her lies, but she didn't kill her daughter. This was an accident that snowballed out of control. Bias' opening statement dropped a bomb.

6:40 Kaylee Anthony died on June sixteenth, two thousand and eight. She drowned in the family pool. George Anthony found her, took her body, told Casey, I'll handle it, and that's when the lies began. George Anthony, the former police officer, the grandfather who cried on the witness stand about losing Kaylee. He disposed of her body. Bias continued, George Anthony sexually abused Casey from age eight until she moved out. Casey was taught to lie, taught to hide the truth, taught to pretend everything was fine even when it wasn't. That's why she didn't call nine one one. That's why she acted like nothing happened, because her father told her he'd handle it, and she believed him. The courtroom was stunned.

7:27 Social media exploded, Cable news ran with it for days. Was this legitimate defense strategy or disgusting character assassination? George Anthony took the stand, denied everything, denied disposing of Kaylee's body, Denied the sexual abuse allegations, broke down, crying, I would never do anything to harm my granddaughter. I loved Kaylee more than anything. The defense argued George had motive to cover up Kaylee's death. If she drowned in the pool on his watch, he'd be blamed. Better to make it look like a kidnapping, better to point the finger at Casey. But here's the problem with the drowning theory, the duct tape.

8:10 If Kaylee drowned accidentally, why was duct tape applied to her face? Why wrap her in trash bags and dumper in the woods? Why not call nine to one one? The defense claimed the duct tape was applied after death by someone trying to stage a kidnapping, that George placed it there to throw off investigators. Prosecutors argued that made no sense. Duct tape over the nose and mouth of a drowned victim, that's not staging a kidnapping. That's murder, Forensic evidence became a battleground. The prosecution's expert testified that air samples from the trunk showed chemical compounds consistent with human decomposition. The defense's expert testified those compounds could come from garbage, food, anything. Doctor rpad Vas, forensic anthropologist from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, testified about the air samples, said the chemical signature was unmistakable human decomposition. The defense attacked his methodology, said it wasn't peer reviewed, said it wasn't accepted science. Doctor Jan Garivalia Orange County medical examiner known as Doctor G from her reality TV show, testified Kaylee's death was a homicide. Duct tape over the face, body dumped in the woods, not consistent with accidental drowning, consistent with murder. The defense argued no cause of death could be determined the body was too decomposed. The medical examiner was speculating. The chloroform searches. Prosecution expert testified someone searched chloroform eighty four times in March two thousand and eight.

9:42 Defense expert John Bradley later admitted he made an error. It was searched once, not eighty four times, but the search still happened. Why search for chloroform at all? Defense claimed it was a typo. The user meant to search chlorophyll because Casey was looking up information for her boyfriend's marijuana use. Prosecutors scoffed, you don't accidentally search how to make chloroform. Roy Kronk, the utility worker who found Caylee's remains. Defense tried to paint him as suspicious. Suggested he move the body, suggested he was involved somehow. Why because he'd called about the location three times before actually finding the body, Defense implied he knew where Caylee was all along. Prosecutors argued that was absurd. Kronk was a good samaritan who saw something suspicious and reported it nothing more. Cindy Anthony took the stand Casey's mother, Kaylee's grandmother, the woman who made that infamous nine one one call. Initially, Cindy supported the prosecution, but on the stand, she suddenly claimed she made the chloroform searches, not Casey her. Why would Cindy search for chloroform? I was looking up chlorophyll for my dog, Cindy testified, I must have accidentally typed chloroform prosecutors later proved Cindy was at work when those searches were made. Timesheets, computer logs, witness testimony all showed Cindy couldn't have been home, but she lied to protect her daughter, committed perjury, was

11:12 never charged. Make it make sense a mother so desperate to save her daughter from death row that she commits a crime on the witness stand. Six weeks of testimony, hundreds of witnesses, thousands of pieces of evidence. The prosecution argued murder, The defense argued accident. The jury had to decide. We'll be right back with July fifth, twenty eleven, the verdict that shocked America, not guilty, and the aftermath that's still reverberating today. July fifth, twenty eleven, two fifteen pm, Courtroom twenty three. Judge Belvin Perry received word from the jury after eleven hours of deliberation over two days, they'd reached a verdict. The courtroom filled media protesters, George and Cindy Anthony in the front row, Casey Anthony at the defense table, emotionless America watching on live television. The jury filed in twelve people, seven women, five men. They wouldn't look at Casey. That's usually a bad sign for the defendant.

12:31 When jurors avoid eye contact, it often means guilty, But not this time. Judge Perry asked the four person if they'd reached a verdict. Yes, your honor. The clerk read the verdict. Count one, first degree murder. We the jury find the defendant not guilty. Casey's face crumpled. She started crying. Jose Biaz hugged her. The defense team celebrated in the gallery. People gasped. Cindy Anthony collapsed into George's arms, sobbing. Protesters outside the courthouse screamed. Someone yelled murderer. Count two aggravated child abuse. We the jury find the defendant not guilty.

13:11 Count three, aggravated manslaughter of a child. We the jury find the defendant not guilty. Three murder related charges. Three not guilty verdicts, the only guilty verdicts. Four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement for lying about Zanni, lying about working at Universal Studios, lying about the Sawgrass apartments, lying about receiving phone calls from Kayley. Judge Perry sentenced Casey to one year in jail per count four years total, but she'd already served nearly three years awaiting trial. Credit for time served, she'd be released in days. Casey Anthony, accused of murdering her two year old daughter, convicted only of lying. Maximum sentence four years, actual time served, two weeks, Your tax dollars at work America exploded, Social media erupted.

14:06 Protesters gathered outside the courthouse, screaming for justice. Nancy Grace called it the worst miscarriage of justice I've ever seen. Legal experts were stunned. How did the prosecution lose this case? The jury spoke later, Some gave interviews their reasoning. The prosecution didn't prove how Kaylee died, didn't prove Casey was the one who killed her, didn't prove murder beyond a reasonable doubt. Juror Jennifer Ford told ABC News, I did not say she was innocent. I just said there was not enough evidence. If you cannot prove what the crime was, you cannot determine what the punishment should be. The prosecution's case was circumstantial, no eyewitnesses, no confession, no definitive cause of death. The medical examiner said homicide, but couldn't prove exactly how Kaylee died. Was it chloroform? Duct tapes? Upification? Drowning? Unknown?

15:02 The defense created reasonable doubt, not about Casey's character, she was clearly a liar, clearly a bad mother, but about whether she murdered Kayley. Could it have been an accident? George covered up? The jury thought maybe. Juror Russell Huckler said, the prosecution didn't show us how the death happened. They didn't show the motive, They didn't show anything that happened in that household. On June sixteenth, two thousand and eight, translation, prove she did it, or we can't convict. Welcome to the American justice system. July seventeenth, twenty eleven, twelve thirty two am Casey Anthony released from Orange County Jail. Secret exit suv with tinted windows driven to an undisclosed location.

15:49 Free protesters lined the streets, cameras everywhere. Someone threw a drink at the vehicle police escort. Casey disappeared into the night. Backlash was immediate and ferocious death threats, online harassment. Someone created a website tracking Casey's whereabouts. Others called for vigilante justice. The anger was visceral America wanted Casey punished. The jury said no. Some jurors later expressed regret. Russell Huckler said, I think now I would have voted differently, but at the time I followed the law, I had to vote not guilty because they didn't prove it. Others stood by their decision, said the prosecution overcharged, should have gone for manslaughter instead of first degree murder, might have gotten a conviction.

16:38 Prosecutor Jeff Ashton later wrote a book, Imperfect Justice, prosecuting Casey Anthony. Defended the decision to charge first degree murder, said the evidence supported it, said the jury got it wrong. Defense attorney Jose Bias wrote his own book, Presumed Guilty Casey Anthony. The Inside Story, claimed vindication, said Casey was innocent, said George was responsible. George and Cindy Anthony appeared on Doctor Phil said they believed Casey was innocent, said Kaylee's death was an accident. Said they forgave Casey, but their marriage deteriorated. They're still together, but fractured. The family destroyed.

17:28 Casey Anthony today lives in South Florida, changed her name legally documents sealed, works as a legal assistant for her former defense attorney, rarely seen in public, occasionally photographed by paparazzi, still receives death threats. She gave one major interview in twenty seventeen to the Associated Press, said I don't give a shit about what anyone thinks about me. I'm okay with myself. I sleep pretty good at night. Asked if she killed Kaylee Casey, he said, obviously, I didn't kill my daughter. If anything, there's nothing in this world have ever been more proud of, and there's no one I loved more than my daughter. But she didn't explain the thirty one days, didn't explain the lies, didn't explain the partying, didn't explain the beautiful life. Tattoo just said she's at peace. America.

18:22 Isn't The name Casey Anthony still triggers rage. Thirteen years later. People still believe she got away with murder, still believe justice wasn't served. The case changed how trials are covered, intensified the media circus proved that public opinion doesn't determine guilt, that juries sometimes surprise us. That everyone knows she did it doesn't mean conviction. Some cases haunt the justice system. Kaylee Anthony's is one of them. That's the Casey Anthony case. June sixteenth, two thousand and eight, to your old, Kaylee Marie Anthony disappeared. Her mother didn't report it for thirty one days. Spent that time partying, lying, getting a Beautiful life tattoo. December eleventh, two thousand and eight, Kaylee's remains found in woods near her home, duct tape, Winnie the Pooh blanket. The search was over July fifth, twenty eleven, after six weeks of testimony, jury deliberated eleven hours. Not guilty of murder, not guilty of manslaughter, not guilty of child abuse, guilty only of lying to police. Casey Anthony walked free. Two weeks later. America exploded in outrage. How did tot mom get away with it? The answer reasonable doubt.

19:45 The prosecution couldn't prove exactly how Kaylee died. Couldn't prove Casey was the one who killed her. The jury said, not proven, not guilty. Kaylee Marie Anthony was two years old born August ninth, two thousand and five, found December eleventh, eight. Loved Winnie the Pooh, loved swimming, loved her grandparents called them chee Chee and Jojoe said, I love you constantly. She should be nineteen years old today, should have graduated high school, should be in college, should be planning her future, should have a whole life ahead of her. Instead, she's buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Orlando, a small white headstone, a life that ended it too. Someone has to say her name, someone has to remember she was a person, not just the Casey Anthony, case not just tot mom's daughter, a little girl two years old who deserved to grow up.

20:38 Rest in peace, Kaylee Marie Anthony. I'm read Carter. This is celebrity trials.