(Newser)
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Casey Anthony's lawyer criticizes cops, prosecutors, reporters, and "groupies" in his new book, Presumed Guilty, Casey Anthony: The Inside Story. Jose Baez says his client had "serious mental health issues," reports the AP in a look at an advance copy, and detectives should have realized that her lies were the results of her living in a fantasy world. When she took cops to Universal Studios, where she falsely claimed to have a job, they "should have stopped and realized, 'Wait a minute, we're not dealing with someone who is playing with a full deck,'" he writes.
In the book, Baez underscores the defense's allegations that Anthony had been sexually abused by her father, which contributed to her panic after her 2-year-old daughter Caylee drowned in the family pool. The abuse contributed to Anthony's mental health issues, he writes. Her defense thought about having her testify, but decided that "we had everything to lose and very little to gain," writes Baez, who also hits back at the media for portraying him as green and in over his head. "The public may have been convinced that I was an idiot but I let it all roll off my back," he writes. Anthony, who spoke to CNN's Piers Morgan earlier this month, wasn't available for comment. The book hits the streets on Tuesday.
