Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

More Crime & Courts Stories»

Fla. Seeks Death for Casey Anthony

Prosecution reverses earlier decision after remains found

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 14, 2009 7:12 AM CDT

(Newser) – Reversing an earlier decision, Florida will pursue the death penalty for Casey Anthony, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Daughter Caylee Anthony’s remains were found a week after prosecutors initially decided not to pursue capital punishment. A former member of Anthony’s defense team noted the prosecution may simply want “death-qualified jurors” because they are more likely to convict, and indicated the move could signal a weak case.

The prosecution filed a notice yesterday stating that additional information unearthed after their original waiver Dec. 5 justifies the death penalty. Legal experts called such a reversal unusual, with one attributing the most likely reason to frustration on the prosecution’s part that Anthony won’t accept a plea. “We don't execute women in Florida,” he added. “Juries find it very difficult to send young women to death row.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

Casey Anthony, 22, smiles Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, as she attends a court hearing at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Red Huber,pool)

In a Tuesday, July 22, 2008 file photo, Casey Anthony, mother of missing 3-year old Caylee Anthony, wipes away tears during a bond hearing at the Orange County courthouse in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Red Huber, File)

This undated photo released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Fla. on Friday, July 18, 2008, shows Caylee Marie Anthony. (AP Photo/Orange County Sheriff's Office)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

This is not a death penalty case. We will do whatever is necessary to defend Casey Anthony from the state trying to take her life.
- Marti Mackenzie, spokeswoman for Anthony's defense lawyer

I'm greatly disappointed the State Attorney's Office has decided to take this route. - Terence Lenamon, a former member of Anthony's defense team

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Prozac Made Teen Kill 9-Year-Old: Doctor

Alyssa Bustamante admitted to murder in her diary

(NEWSER) - A Prozac prescription may have led a teenager to murder a 9-year-old Missouri girl and describe it as "ahmazing," the News Tribune reports. Testifying today at the trial of Alyssa Bustamante—who has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder—defense witness Dr. Edwin Johnstone said that Prozac "needs to be prescribed in a very careful way." He noted reports that showed "an abundance of suicides and violent events, including homicides" among Prozac users, particularly younger ones. More»

Casey Anthony: Date Rape Led to Caylee Pregnancy

She told doctors she passed out at party

(NEWSER) - Casey Anthony told doctors who interviewed her in prison that she got pregnant with Caylee when she passed out at a party in 2004. She told one psychiatrist that she suspected her drink had been spiked, reports the Orlando Sentinel . "Two beers, possibly given another drug. Woke up passed out," said a second psychiatrist, reading from his notes, according to newly released depositions. (The AP has that quote.) "Don't remember anything at a party, age 18. This is how she said she got pregnant." More»

Man Who Found Remains Sues Casey Anthony

Roy Kronk alleges defamation

(NEWSER) - Casey Anthony is apparently nowhere near done with the courts. The meter reader who found Caylee's remains has sued her for defamation, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Roy Kronk says her lawyers tried to pin the blame on him after he made the discovery, and he points out a logical contradiction: If Anthony was telling the truth in court that Caylee drowned in the family pool, why did she let her lawyers smear his name publicly and suggest he kidnapped the girl? More»

NJ Man Acquitted in 1978 Murders

Defends self in mysterious disappearance of 5 boys

(NEWSER) - Some 33 years after five boys went missing, a man charged in their deaths has been acquitted. Lee Evans, who was arrested last year, was found not guilty on all counts, but there was “no jumping up and down or hooting and hollering. That type of feeling wasn’t there,” he says. The mysterious disappearance of the boys—who were never heard from again after all five were due to meet with Evans, who sometimes employed them—was followed by a bizarre trial, the New York Times reports. More»

Dad: Here's How I Think Casey Killed Caylee

His theory: She pumped Caylee full of drugs so she could party

(NEWSER) - Dr. Phil has certainly squeezed a number of juicy revelations out of George and Cindy Anthony, but the money quote (or quotes) appeared in yesterday's show, as both parents shared their personal theories on how their daughter played a part in Caylee's death—or actually killed her. Mom, for her part, believes there's a kernel of truth to the drowning story put forth by the defense. "I buy the part that Caylee drowned, but I don't buy the circumstances surrounding the drowning." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Fla. Seeks Death for Casey Anthony