Casey Anthony Can Face Death Penalty, Judge Rules
ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS/AP) The judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial has rejected arguments from her attorneys that the death penalty should be taken off the table.
PICTURES: Casey Anthony Personal Photos
Chief Judge Belvin Perry made his ruling against Anthony, who is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, at a hearing Tuesday in Orlando, Fla.
Anthony's attorneys argued that the prosecutors had a gender bias in seeking the death penalty and put on an expert witness who testified that a mother who is perceived as "deviant" by a jury faces a difficult time in defending herself against criminal charges.
Anthony's attorneys also argued that "Societal biases against women provide the state with a way of deflecting attention away from the insufficiency of the evidence in Miss Anthony's case," according to the defense motion.
These arguments did not convince Judge Perry, who said that defense attorneys had failed to prove a gender bias in regard to the death penalty in this case.
Judge Perry previously ruled on Monday that jurors in the trial will be picked from outside Orlando after Anthony's attorneys argued residents there were tainted by negative media reports.
The judge also said he will tell attorneys when he decides where to hold the trial, but that information will be kept secret until just before the trial begins.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty to murdering Caylee. Anthony said a babysitter kidnapped the toddler. Her trial is set to start in May 2011.
MEDIAPICTURES: Casey Anthony Personal Photos
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