Casey Anthony Appeal: 2 of 4 Convictions Set Aside
Casey Anthony had appealed the four misdemeanor charges she was convicted of back in 2011 for lying to law enforcement. Today, she was able to get two of the four convictions set aside.
Anthony was at the center of a nationwide media frenzy in 2011 when she was tried for the murder of her daughter Caylee. While her lawyer was subject to great criticism, he was able get Anthony acquitted of the most serious charges including murder.
As a result, Anthony was only convicted on four misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to probation, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
The primary issue in Casey Anthony's appeal was whether she should have been charged with four separate crimes for lying to law enforcement. Her attorney argued that Anthony's lies to detectives about what happened to her 2-year-old daughter constituted a single offense, and so the woman should have been charged with only one crime.
Prosecutors argued that each of Anthony's false statements represented a separate offense, and so she was appropriately charged with four separate misdemeanor offenses, according to the Sentinel.
So which side did the appellate court agree with?
Well, neither.
Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeals rejected both parties' arguments. The court held that Anthony could properly be convicted of two counts of providing false information to a law-enforcement officer, and that she was not being charged multiple times for the same crime.
The court distinguished four false statements Anthony made to detectives during an interview at her home as one offense. The second offense came in a later interview, when Anthony told detectives more lies.
Given that a significant period of time passed between the two events where false information was given, the court found that Anthony could have been charged with two separate crimes.
The court rejected Anthony's other argument that she was technically under arrest and hadn't been read her Miranda rights when she was questioned by authorities.
While the court recognized that Anthony had been handcuffed, the court believed that no reasonable person would have believed herself to be under arrest during the questioning, reports the Sentinel. Had the court agreed with Anthony's argument, it could have thrown out all of the evidence regarding Anthony's lying to police, and she could have had all of her convictions set aside.
Related Resources:
- Court Sets Aside 2 of Casey Anthony's Convictions (The Associated Press)
- Casey Anthony Verdict: She's Guilty...of Lying (FindLaw's Blotter)
- Casey Anthony is Off Probation (FindLaw's Blotter)