In July 2008, a small town in Orlando Florida was rocked by a tragic mystery. After a fight with her parents, Casey Anthony and her young daughter Caylee left home. Caylee would never be seen again. One lengthy investigation later, Caylee’s remains were found in the woods, less than a mile from her past home. Many people cast their suspicion on Casey after alarming evidence was found, making it seem as though she was responsible for the death of her daughter. After an intense six-week trial, the jury decided Casey was not guilty. Although Casey Anthony was proven innocent of the murder of her daughter, Caylee, evidence strongly suggests she is guilty of the horrendous crime.
A parent’s lifestyle can be indicative of how prepared they are for parenthood and how much they care for their children. Casey Anthony’s life full of parties and drinking showed a blatant disregard for Caylee’s well-being. She was completely irresponsible, immature, and not ready to be a mother, which could have encouraged her to kill the three-year-old. It was hard for Casey to accept responsibility for any of her actions, including having a child. Casey refused to tell her family about her pregnancy until she was six months in. Once she did tell them, she also admitted she was not sure who the father was. After Caylee was born, Casey decided to continue living with her parents. More lies and deceit arose throughout their lives. Casey continued to lie about having a job and many other things. She even conned her parents into believing she would walk with her graduating class, even though she had been skipping classes for months. Casey simply was not able to own up to the things she did because her maturity level was not up to par. She was a young, stressed-out mother who was pushed to the edge, possibly close enough to commit murder. Casey was also bad with conflict, and her relationship between her and her parents was extremely tense. Their poor relationship and Casey’s immaturity led to Caylee’s disappearance. After getting into a fight with her mother over her parental capabilities, Casey took her daughter and left the home. Caylee was not seen alive again after this incident. Casey was not able to handle the pressure put on her by her mother and decided the only solution was to run away. This displays her inability to handle her problems and takes responsibility for not only herself but also her child. She did not have the maturity level to raise a child. Knowing this about herself, she could have easily decided that since she could not provide for Caylee, the young girl was better off dead. With nowhere else to go, Casey decided to move in with her boyfriend and his roommates. Each person living there recalled seeing Caylee many times, but after June the frequent visits stopped completely. They also testified saying during her time there Casey was often partying and drinking with them. All of this was going on during the time that she told investigators Caylee had been missing. She repeatedly told the roommates that Caylee was with a babysitter whenever they would ask. Instead of caring for her child and supporting her, Casey spent her nights at bars and clubs with her boyfriend. There are countless photos of Casey drunk and partying when Caylee was nowhere to be found. Casey was a young mother. She was in the middle of her wild teens and early twenties when she had a huge responsibility land in her lap. She simply could not handle it. She grew sick and tired of Caylee getting in the way of her fun and got rid of the distraction for good.
Along with a strong motive for the murder, an alarming amount of evidence was found in Casey Anthony’s car by investigators, helping prove she played a part in Caylee’s death. A huge part of the case against Casey was the unexplainable things found in her impounded car. After her father received a letter saying her car had been towed and was now in a lot, he went to pick it up. When questioned about it, he says that the smell of the car was so strong that it took his breath away, but he assumed it was nothing but the trash in the trunk. Further investigations would later conclude that his worst nightmare was now a reality. Once an air sample was taken around the car, it tested positive for decomposition and had chemicals similar to those that break down human flesh mixed throughout. Furthermore, when a cadaver dog was brought around the car, it was immediately alerted to the trunk. When investigators explored the trunk, they found strong evidence that confirmed their suspicions about Casey. One of the biggest pieces of evidence was a hair sample found in the trunk. The hair that was found had a black band on the root, meaning the hair had rotted off the scalp and the skin was still attached. There is no other explanation for the hair being there. The band only appears on hair from a decomposed body. Casey had no answer as to where the hair came from, but it was evident that Caylee Anthony’s body was stored in the trunk until Casey could dispose of it. The hair was not the only thing that had investigators convinced Casey was guilty. Along with soiled towels, a frightening amount of chloroform was found in the trunk. The substance was so concentrated it was as though she had used it recently. Casey used chloroform to knock Caylee out so she could easily kill her and then stored her in the trunk for days. With remnants of decomposition and evidence of a killing left in a car known to be Casey’s possession during the time of Caylee’s disappearance, there is no way she should have been proven innocent.
As if the contents of her trunk were not enough to indict her, Casey also had some extremely suspicious behavior surrounding Caylee’s death and disappearance. Casey Anthony was extremely dishonest with authorities throughout the entire investigation. She took several days to report her daughter missing. She claimed that the nanny had taken Caylee. However, when the police looked into it, they discovered it did not exist. Casey created a fake nanny to cover her own tracks. Casey’s strange activity did not stop there. When the police investigated her home, they found shocking information. The computer that Casey regularly used had a disturbing search history, including how to make chloroform, neck-breaking, and foolproof suffocation. When Caylee’s body was found, there was duct tape wrapped around the head and neck, leading doctors to believe she was suffocated. It is no mere coincidence that the mother googled the way her daughter would later be killed. Along with the strange search history, authorities found Casey’s diary with interesting entries detailing regret and fear over a big decision. She talks about a big decision she made as though it would get her into trouble. She is worried that in the end, whatever she does will not be worth what happens to her, which could be linked to Caylee’s death. She seems to be talking about her choice to kill Caylee. The little girl was a burden to Casey, and when she finally had enough, she got rid of her. She knows she could potentially get into trouble with the law, but seems happy regardless. Casey was only looking out for herself. She had no emotional attachment to Caylee whatsoever. The only thing she was concerned about was her own safety. A truly good and concerned mother would have been worried about where their young child had disappeared. Casey continually displayed behavior showing that she never cared about Caylee. Even several years after the trial and tragedy, she never grieved the loss of her only child. On many occasions, she was recorded saying inappropriate things about her daughter and her undeserved freedom. She does not express missing her, she pokes fun at what happened. Casey did not care about Caylee, which made it extremely easy to kill her.
Despite receiving a not-guilty verdict from the jury, there is no doubt that Casey Anthony killed her three-year-old daughter Caylee. Casey Anthony simply was not ready for motherhood, she was immature and irresponsible. She did not want or need a child, which led her to kill Caylee. There is plenty of evidence in Casey’s car supporting the fact that she is guilty. There was a concentrated amount of chloroform in her trunk and on rags. They also discovered decomposing hair that was similar to Caylee’s. Her behavior also made the investigators doubt her innocence. She used deceit to try and protect herself. She waited a month to report Caylee missing. Her strange searches on the Internet and inappropriate attitude towards Caylee’s death cast even more suspicion on the young woman. Using everything investigators found, the jury should have been more than sure that Casey Anthony was guilty of murdering her three-year-old daughter.
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The Casey Anthony Case: Summary Essay.
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