Here’s a look at the Casey Anthony trial of 2011. Anthony was accused of killing her two-year-old daughter in 2008.
Timeline:
August 9, 2005 – Casey Anthony, 19, gives birth to a daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony. The identity of Caylee’s father has not been publicly revealed.
June 16, 2008 – Caylee is reportedly seen alive for the last time.
July 15, 2008 – Casey’s mother, Cindy Anthony, reports that Caylee is missing.
July 16, 2008 – Casey Anthony is arrested for child neglect. She tells police her daughter vanished after she left her with a babysitter named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, who has also disappeared.
July 17, 2008 – Officers search Casey Anthony’s car and a cadaver dog picks up the scent of human decomposition.
August 27, 2008 – Authorities say an air sample test from Anthony’s car indicate there were human remains in the trunk.
September 24, 2008 – A Kissimmee, Florida woman with the same name as the one Casey Anthony gave to police, Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, files a lawsuit against Anthony for defamation.
October 14, 2008 – A grand jury indicts Casey on capital murder and other charges. Anthony pleads not guilty.
December 11, 2008 – Skeletal remains are found in a wooded area near the Anthony home by a utility worker.
December 19, 2008 – Authorities announce the remains have been identified as Caylee Anthony.
April 13, 2009 – Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty, reversing an earlier decision not to pursue capital punishment.
April 2010 – The original judge assigned to the case, Stan Strickland, recuses himself and is replaced by Judge Belvin Perry Jr.
May 9, 2011 – Jury selection begins.
May 24, 2011 – The prosecution and defense deliver opening statements in an Orlando courthouse.
June 6, 2011 – Forensic expert Arpad Vass testifies that the only plausible explanation for the odor in Casey’s car trunk is the presence of a decomposing human body.
June 9, 2011 – Anthony becomes ill and Judge Perry calls the court into recess for the day.
June 15, 2011 – The prosecution rests.
June 30, 2011 – The defense rests. Anthony does not testify.
July 5, 2011 – The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberates for 10 hours and 40 minutes before coming back with a verdict of not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child. Casey is found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement.
July 7, 2011 – Anthony is sentenced to four years in jail for four counts of lying to police. The years will be served consecutively and will include the time she has already served. She is also fined $1,000 for each count.
July 17, 2011 – Anthony is released from jail.
August 11, 2011 – A report is released by Florida’s Department of Children and Families concluding that Anthony is responsible for the death of her daughter, “The actions or the lack of actions by the alleged perpetrator ultimately resulted or contributed in the death of the child.”
September 15, 2011 – Judge Perry rules that Anthony owes authorities nearly $98,000 for the costs of investigating Caylee’s disappearance. Days later, he orders her to pay an additional $119,822.25 to the police, bringing the total to more than $217,000.
June 12, 2012 – In an exclusive interview with CNN, Anthony tells host Piers Morgan that she didn’t kill Caylee and says, “I’ve never been a party girl. I don’t drink now. I’ve probably had a handful of beers since I’ve been on probation…The caricature of me that is out there, it couldn’t be further from the truth.”
January 25, 2013 – An appeals court throws out two of Anthony’s convictions for providing false information to law enforcement. The same day as the ruling, Anthony files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. She claims to have almost $800,000 in liabilities, with just $1,000 in assets, including cash on hand and personal property.
September 17, 2015 – A federal bankruptcy judge tosses out the defamation lawsuit filed by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, who claimed that her reputation was hurt when Anthony reported that a nanny with her name had abducted Caylee.
