February 11, 2009 2:11 PM
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Murder Charge For Missing Fla. Girl's Mom
Casey Anthony wipes tears from her eyes at a bond hearing at the Orange County courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, July 22, 2008. The 22-year-old mother reported her daughter missing last week, more than a month after the little girl allegedly disappear (AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool)
(CBS/ AP)
The mother of a missing 3-year-old girl was accused Tuesday in an indictment of killing her daughter, prosecutors said, even though the child's body has not been found during an exhaustive four-month search.
A grand jury returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators against Casey Anthony in the death of her daughter, Caylee, State Attorney Lawson Lamar said. The mother is being held without bond.
A few hours before the sealed indictment was issued, the 22-year-old Anthony stood silently, sometimes crying, as her attorney told reporters she is innocent.
"Casey is going through a nightmare," Jose Baez said. "I sincerely believe that when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, 'Now, I understand. That explains it."
Casey Anthony's father, George, testified Tuesday behind closed doors to the 19-member grand jury along with a detective, a cadaver dog handler and an FBI agent.
The child's grandmother first called authorities in July to say that she hadn't seen Caylee for a month and that her daughter's car smelled like death.
Casey Anthony told authorities that she had left her daughter with a baby sitter in June, and that the two were gone when she returned from work. She says she spent the next month trying to find her daughter and didn't call authorities because she was scared.
Investigators immediately started poking holes in her story. The apartment where Casey Anthony said she had left her daughter had been vacant for months, they said. They said she also lied when she told them she had been working at an area theme park as a photographer.
Investigators also accused her of stealing checks from a friend and cashing them. She was charged with felony child neglect and making false statements along with forgery and theft. She was released on $500,000 bail and confined to her parents' home.
Baez called a news conference at his office Tuesday afternoon. The lawyer commented on speculation about his client's seemingly unexplainable behavior, reports CBS affiliate Local 6 in Orlando, and why Casey waited more than a month after her daughter's disappearance to seek help from law enforcement agencies - which insist the woman was uncooperative in their search for the missing girl. Then he lashed out at those agencies.
"The question should be posed and turned around toward law enforcement as to why they are behaving the way they are," Baez said. "Why they are attempting to circumvent our Constitution?"
Meanwhile, the grandmother of missing Caylee Anthony is blaming politics and the upcoming election on recent leaks concerning the case of her daughter, Casey, reports Local 6.
"I feel that a lot of what is going on right now is a political move on the state attorney's office - Lawson Lamar," Anthony said. "I feel that right now I think the reason these leaks are being let out - especially about the grand jury is because of the upcoming election."
A grand jury returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators against Casey Anthony in the death of her daughter, Caylee, State Attorney Lawson Lamar said. The mother is being held without bond.
A few hours before the sealed indictment was issued, the 22-year-old Anthony stood silently, sometimes crying, as her attorney told reporters she is innocent.
"Casey is going through a nightmare," Jose Baez said. "I sincerely believe that when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, 'Now, I understand. That explains it."
Casey Anthony's father, George, testified Tuesday behind closed doors to the 19-member grand jury along with a detective, a cadaver dog handler and an FBI agent.
The child's grandmother first called authorities in July to say that she hadn't seen Caylee for a month and that her daughter's car smelled like death.
Casey Anthony told authorities that she had left her daughter with a baby sitter in June, and that the two were gone when she returned from work. She says she spent the next month trying to find her daughter and didn't call authorities because she was scared.
Investigators immediately started poking holes in her story. The apartment where Casey Anthony said she had left her daughter had been vacant for months, they said. They said she also lied when she told them she had been working at an area theme park as a photographer.
Investigators also accused her of stealing checks from a friend and cashing them. She was charged with felony child neglect and making false statements along with forgery and theft. She was released on $500,000 bail and confined to her parents' home.
Baez called a news conference at his office Tuesday afternoon. The lawyer commented on speculation about his client's seemingly unexplainable behavior, reports CBS affiliate Local 6 in Orlando, and why Casey waited more than a month after her daughter's disappearance to seek help from law enforcement agencies - which insist the woman was uncooperative in their search for the missing girl. Then he lashed out at those agencies.
"The question should be posed and turned around toward law enforcement as to why they are behaving the way they are," Baez said. "Why they are attempting to circumvent our Constitution?"
Meanwhile, the grandmother of missing Caylee Anthony is blaming politics and the upcoming election on recent leaks concerning the case of her daughter, Casey, reports Local 6.
"I feel that a lot of what is going on right now is a political move on the state attorney's office - Lawson Lamar," Anthony said. "I feel that right now I think the reason these leaks are being let out - especially about the grand jury is because of the upcoming election."
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