And Then Blondie Came Unhinged About Casey Anthony

Sweet Caylee Marie Anthony. I hope you find justice one day.

I've been sitting here in the silence of Farmhouse Villa wondering how to best express my thoughts on the Not Guilty verdicts in the Casey Anthony trial. To be clear, I listened to the judge's instructions carefully. I even downloaded them and read them to make sure I understood them right.

The jury instructions stated that if they found that Caylee Marie Anthony was dead and that Casey Marie Anthony was there when it happened--even if it was an ACCIDENT--that she would have to be found guilty. There were many options for guilty verdicts. Somehow, she was found Not Guilty on all charges--except lying to law enforcement. Since she's been in jail this whole time, she could get time served and WALK out of jail on Thursday.

(deep breaths)

I am disappointed and furious for a number of reasons. And yes, I'm taking this personally. I realize that's weird. I know, I know, I need to "get a life." But look UP there at the top of my screen and then think about this with me:

• Caylee Anthony was not even 3 years old when she had her nose and mouth covered in three pieces of duct tape. Let's hope the chloroform came first.
• Then she was placed in 3 separate garbage bags.
• Then she was placed in a laundry bag from the Anthony home.
• Then she was dumped in the woods, where she sat for roughly 6 months.
• During that time, animals ate her.

As was stated in the court, she was "gnawed." Is this brutal to write on my blog? Yes. Is it hard to read/hear? Yes. It should be.

By the time they found Caylee, she was dismembered and gnawed--nothing but a clump of bones in a garbage dump. Her defense attorneys admitted in their opening statement that Caylee died on July 16, 2008, and that CASEY WAS THERE. Her own attorneys said it! She wept about it during opening statements. So how is she not responsible for the duct tape, garbage bags, laundry bag, and dump site?

The prosecution pointed out that Caylee had to die when she did because she was becoming verbal. She wouldn't have been able to lie for Casey. So true. There was no job, no nanny, no friends. Casey's whole life was a lie. At least Caylee never got the chance to learn that sh*t from her mother. She will maintain her innocence. For that, I'm grateful.

I am upset about Caylee's brutal demise. I've had a few nightmares about it actually. But how about Casey Anthony? I've been watching her closely. Oh, yes I have. Is she mourning? Hell no. I've seen a lot of this:



And this:


And this:


And this (Oh, isn't he cute? Maybe they can go out on Friday for a date.):


Meanwhile, Casey's mother is devastated by the loss of her granddaughter. I put up this photo below to show the bracelets Cindy Anthony has been wearing in court. Each day, she has some kind of Caylee jewelry on. She is a wreck:


At least Caylee's grandparents and uncle mourn her and take her mother's case seriously.

I have no idea why Cindy tried to take the fall for Casey by claiming she searched for "chloroform" on the computer while she was actually at WORK. (She denied "how to make chloroform," which was proven to be on the home computer lest we forget.) I am curious as to how she feels now. Happy that her daughter is off the hook? Sad because she helped cause reasonable doubt that led to the Not Guilty verdict in her own granddaughter's death? I saw Cindy sob on the stand. That is a destroyed woman. I cried with her. I cried for her. Yep, I totally did. How can your heart not go out to the Anthony family? Yes, they are weird. Yes, they are a bit dysfunctional. If you could have seen the nuclear Blonderson family circa 1993, you would have seen a whole lot of dysfunction, too. That doesn't mean we kill our kin OR let them get away with murder.

I think Casey killed Caylee because grandma Cindy was THIS CLOSE to taking custody and kicking Casey to the curb. Not in evidence? Hundreds of checks Casey stole from Cindy. Cindy providing food, shelter, and clothing for Caylee. Casey was up sh*t creek with her family. Solution? No more Caylee.

I truly believe this jury fell victim to the CSI Effect. Everyone is waiting for the DNA--the smoking gun. I read a LOT of true crime. I follow a LOT of criminal evidence. There usually isn't DNA. True story. It's hard to find trace evidence. I don't know why everyone thinks it's so easy. Especially in the Florida heat when a HURRICANE blew through the crime scene while Caylee was rotting. And you know why it smelled like a dead body but there was no blood in the trunk? Think about it: THREE GARBAGE BAGS AND A LAUNDRY BAG. I've said it before, and I'll say it again--my garbage bags don't leak. And they certainly wouldn't leak if there were THREE of them.

The jury doesn't want to speak to the press, so we will have to wonder what happened. What made them think she was Not Guilty on all charges? I don't know. Maybe it's because Casey had her chair down to the floor to make her look tiny and innocent while she faced the jury the whole time? Maybe they didn't like the lawyers. I don't know. I could speculate myself into a whirlwind. It's time to stop. Amen.

So what now for Casey Anthony and her family? Lee wasn't around unless he was called, so I think he's now lost his family forever. George and Cindy bailed after the verdict, so I don't know how they feel. Cindy did have a hint of a smile on her face when the Not Guilty verdict was read, so I have no idea what that means. George Anthony already attempted suicide back when this whole thing happened, and now he will forever be known as the molester who dumped his granddaughter in the woods (*according to Casey*). I feel horrible for this family. But I think Casey will LOVE it. I think she will do interviews and go on reality shows and make a grand parade of her innocence for the rest of her life. Actually, I know what she will do because I read her jailhouse letters to her cell buddy. She will buy an RV and drive around the country and eat her favorite foods and watch her favorite movies and find hot men. Good times.

To be clear, I am somewhat of a pop culture junkie. I like my trash magazines. I enjoy a good scandal. But this case has nothing to do with that in my mind. I have followed this case since 2008 when Caylee was simply "missing" because I saw a People Magazine picture of her in the grocery store one day and fell in love with her little face. I was a new auntie, in love with my own niece, bowled over by cute little girls everywhere. This was the picture I saw:



Caylee was born in 2005, so she would be 6 years old now. I love girls at that age. They are SO silly and adorable. I wonder what Caylee would be up to now? Certainly, she would have become stunningly beautiful. You can tell by how cute she was even as a toddler. I wonder what life she could have had?

Then again, when I stop to really think about it, maybe it's best this way. It would NOT have been a "Bella Vita" for her.

------------------------------------------------------

In honor of Caylee's memory, let's all take a moment to look at some faces of missing children in our own states to see if we recognize anyone: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.