Where is Casey Anthony?
07/25/2011
It's Easier to Find Waldo than Casey Anthony
Where is Casey Anthony? Enquiring minds want to know. She’s been reported to still be in Orlando. However, her lawyer, agent, friend and protector, Jose Baez has said she’s not in Orlando. Of course, we have every reason to believe Baez is telling the truth – not! Reportedly, she had a discussion with a producer who offered Casey Anthony $1 million for an interview. Al Taylor told cable news channel HLN reporter Nancy Grace that he met with Casey in Palm Springs, Calif. "I got a call early Tuesday morning from a representative saying if you want to meet with her, be at this certain area in 15 minutes. I was game. I showed up. I wasn't sure if I was going to meet her. And sure enough she was there," Taylor said. Taylor said Anthony's first words to him were about his financial offer. "Where's the check?" "She wanted that million dollar check." Apparently, Taylor was only willing to give her $50,000 up front for a signed agreement with the rest to come later on. Taylor said he may sell the interview overseas and then give it away in the U.S. to avoid a boycott.
Other Casey sightings include Puerto Rico, Prescott, Arizona, and the Mandarin Hotel in New York City. Personally, I believe Casey went to the leper colony on Molokai Island in Hawaii. In 1866 the first sufferers were abandoned on Kalaupapa, a small peninsula on the north side of Molokai. Surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and with sea cliffs 2000 feet high on the fourth, Kalaupapa was a prison from which escape was impossible. Other lepers live there including Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos, Springer’s protégé, both of whom have reportedly made lucrative offers to Casey for her first interview.
Casey needs money. In March 2010, a Florida judge examined Anthony's financial affairs and found her indigent. The state, the judge ruled, must pay all of Anthony's court costs, except for her lawyer fees. The $537 balance Casey received from her jail canteen fund from “admirers” is hardly enough to live on. Moreover, “Zanny the Nanny” is suing for $15,000 for lost wages and punitive damages. Also, Tim Miller and Texas Equusearch filed a lawsuit against the family of Casey Anthony in connection with the searches for two year old Caylee. TES searched multiple times for her and claims to have spent more than $100,000. Miller said that Cindy and George knew that Caylee was never missing and is seeking damages. Fat chance Casey will pay the bill for the family.
The Casey Anthony murder trial is over, but for the citizens of Florida -- the people covering her massive defense expense tab -- the bills are still mounting. The Florida Justice Administrative Commission computed that the more than two years of investigating and trying the first-degree murder case has cost $147,018.60. This amount is for mental health evaluations, investigative services, services provided by expert witnesses and subpoena services. The state has refused to pay nearly $12,000 of the defense's cost. The contested amount includes deposition transcripts and travel expenses.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Casey was initially able to cover some of her defense expenses. She reportedly turned over $200,000 she received from ABC News for exclusive rights to family photos and videos, $5,000 she received from a private donor and $70,000 from California attorney Todd Macaluso who was once a member of Casey’s legal team. Roughly $90,000 of that money went to Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez.
Perhaps the ethical question is why do we care where Casey is holed up? After all, most Americans believe she committed a heinous crime in killing her beautiful two-year-old child, Caylee, and then hiding her crime for 31 days, all the while blaming “Zanny the nanny.” That’s why the public is so enthralled by the case. That's while we want to see justice for Caylee. While we all want to see justice done, threats of physical violence against Casey is not the answer. The leper colony is.
Blog posted by Steven Mintz, aka Ethics Sage, on July 25, 2011