“She was as guilty as O.J.,” one commenter on social media recently opined about Casey Anthony, the Florida mother found not guilty by a jury in 2011 of murdering her 34-month daughter in a case that captivated the nation.
As with O.J. Simpson, a sizable portion of the country believed she was guilty of killing daughter Caylee, whose skeletal remains were found with a blanket inside a laundry bag in a wooded area not far from the Anthony family residence.
Maternal grandmother Cindy Anthony first reported Caylee missing on July 15, 2008, telling a 911 dispatcher her daughter’s car smelled like a dead body and she had not seen her granddaughter in 31 days. Casey Anthony provided various explanations as to where Caylee was before telling her mother she had not seen the little girl for weeks. She eventually called police and spun a fanciful tale, reporting that Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny on June 9.
Police arrested the young mother in October, charging her with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. At her 2011 trial, prosecutors said Casey Anthony had tired of being a mother and wanted her freedom back.
They alleged Anthony killed her daughter by giving her chloroform then applying duct tape to her nose and mouth. Defense attorney Jose Baez called the state’s theory “fantasy forensics,” attacking the prosecution’s largely circumstantial case. They claim that Caylee drowned accidentally in the family’s swimming pool and that her mother’s father, George Anthony, disposed of the body.
On July 5, 2011, she was acquitted on those charges and found guilty on just four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. Two of those convictions were overturned by a Florida appellate court in 2013.
Casey Anthony, known to some as “America’s most hated mom,” was 25 when her trial ended. She continued pointing the finger at her father and said she plans to use her expanded social media profile to “reintroduce herself.”
“This is my first of probably many recordings on a series that I’m starting,” Anthony said in her introductory TikTok video, posted Saturday. “I am a legal advocate. I am a researcher. I’ve been in the legal field since 2011 and in this capacity, I feel that it’s necessary, if I’m going to continue to operate appropriately as a legal advocate, that I start to advocate for myself and also advocate for my daughter.”
She said she would be speaking mostly in a professional capacity.
“My goal is to continue to help give a voice to people — to give people tools and resources they can utilize so they actually know where they can turn to,” Anthony said.
On Substack, people will be able to email her directly about “legal issues.” Anthony said she decided to start the new video series after people “close to” her were “targeted and attacked recently.”
She said she plans to use “this platform that was thrust upon me” to advocate on behalf of the LGBT community and women’s rights.
“I am proverbially standing in the light, embracing this piece, still going to keep my privacy intact…and I will explain in great detail why it’s so important for people to protect their privacy. … With the current climate in our country especially, it’s that much more important,” Anthony said.
The public appears to be largely unconvinced with the now 38-year-old’s attempted reinvention.
“It’s appalling that Casey Anthony is now offering legal advice to people, given her past,” wrote one commenter on X. “The fact that she’s trying to profit from it is downright disgusting.”
“This is definitely a controversial development,” added another. “While everyone has the right to rebuild their life, public trust is hard to regain after such a high-profile case. Advocacy work is important, but many will question whether Casey Anthony’s voice is the right one for these causes.”
At least one X user had an open mind about Anthony’s past and future.
“She has actually been a fascinating voice regarding issues with her own case and the missing pieces of the puzzle,” she wrote. “She got involved with some high-profile investigators and has exposed some very interesting insight that explains why she was acquitted, despite media portrayal of the case. If you ever get a chance, it’s well worth listening to what she and the other investigators have been able to uncover. I wouldn’t dismiss her voice in the public forum just yet.”
But this X user’s take spoke for most who opined, “No one should be supporting or following her.”
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