Is tot mom Casey Anthony Guilty?

Casey Anthony Who killed Caylee?

The acquittal of Casey Anthony, the 25-year-old young mother, of the murder of her photogenic 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony has caused outrage across the United States. 2 out of 3 Americans believe Casey Anthony to be guilty of the murder.

Why the fury at the acquittal? Is this the result of reality TV, Nancy Grace, CSI or the American tradition that one side must win in sport, or a mix of all these? A murder trial is a real life event and not TV entertainment, which Nancy Grace is.

The United States justice system is imperfect, but then no justice system in any country, society, or culture can be perfect. The subject is too complex. There is always a system of checks and balances necessary to save the innocent. This means that some guilty people will slip through the net. A society where innocents can be sent to jail on circumstantial evidence to make sure that ALL guilty are punished is barbaric and brutal.

It might be difficult to see that someone, in real life, can be not guilty, while still being not innocent. Reality TV, CSI and Judge Judy fog the issue.

In this specific case:

• Casey Anthony is probably not innocent, but we do not know what she is guilty of.
• We do not know who murdered Caylee. Only the Anthony family does.
• We do not know exactly how Caylee was killed.
• We do not even know if Caylee was murdered or if it was due to callous stupidity, neglect or an “accident.”
• We do not know if Casey was sexually abused as a child by her father George, or by her brother Lee.

What we know:

• Casey behaved in a way that is pathological. But not totally abnormal for an immature victim of sexual abuse as a child.
• Casey’s family is dysfunctional. No, Casey’s family is toxically dysfunctional.
• Casey’s family do not understand the concept of loyalty. But they do appear closed like a narcissistic family.
• Casey is a pathological liar. Is this a result of nature or nurture? How much is learned behavior from her parents’ behavior?
• Casey’s father, George Anthony, is a liar.
• Casey’s mother, Cindy Anthony, is not only a liar, but an embarrassingly lousy liar.
• Cindy Anthony is controlling.

Vengeance or Justice?

This is a fundamental question in the Caylee Anthony case. That there is nobody held accountable for the murder of this beautiful child cuts into the heart of the sense of justice all normal people feel.

Vengeance directed against a person who did not do the callous deed is not justice. In our Western societies, there is the idea of prison as a reforming institution. There are two major reasons people are sent to prison: firstly to prevent others from committing similar crimes, and secondly to reform the criminal so that on release he or she will not reoffend.

The question of the death sentence is a debate on the side of these two issues. There are some people who cannot feel remorse and cannot be reformed. Psychopaths.

Casey Anthony’s behavior was disgusting, that a mother can behave in such a way when her 2-year-old daughter is missing, or had recently died, is difficult for normal people to understand.

How much of that behavior was due to psychological issues resulting from Casey’s father molesting her when she was a child?

Her mother Cindy was in denial while Casey was pregnant. Casey’s pregnancy was not treated in a normal way. There was a rejection of Caylee before birth and a rejection of Casey after Caylee’s birth. Cindy Anthony used Caylee to control Casey. This family had narcissistic and toxic  behavior patterns. Was this that which resulted in Casey to lie and act without apparent remorse after Caylee went missing

If Casey Anthony had been found guilty and sentenced to death she would not have been given a lethal injection. The waiting list in Florida’s death row is so long she would die of old age before her turn came.

What Future for Casey Anthony?

Casey Anthony has spent the last few years in jail. Mainly in solitary confinement.


She has been separated from her toxic family. That is maybe the main benefit she has had from her stay in jail. She must stay away from her family, as in never contact again, for the rest of her life.

She has had plenty of time for reflection.

She has matured. Casey is probably still not an adult emotionally, psychologically and mentally.

She will still need years of therapy before she “finds herself.” One therapy that would be beneficial for Casey is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.


If she can go through that there is a possibility that Casey Anthony can be reformed and live her life as a constructive member of society. If this happens, she will be filled daily with a cringe inducing shame for how she behaved, and what she did when she was an early twenty something.

She will remember photographs of her beautiful 2-year-old daughter. That is a worse punishment than locking her away without therapy, keeping her in a pre-programmed narcissistic mind frame, where she is angry, but unrepentant and constantly blaming others.