Casey Anthony: Conspiracy Theories

If you read the internet and Twitter, you will see a host of conspiracy theories involving Casey Anthony, her daughter and the Anthony household. Most of these can be debunked or explained with a little research and deductive reasoning. Here are just a few:

Casey Anthony used to drug Caylee and put her in the trunk to go partying

This myth stems from the story that Casey “went to work” with Caylee and dropped her off at the “nanny.” It’s actually fairly easy to dismiss when you read all the police reports and look at the cell phone ping data. We can get a pretty good idea of where Casey was and where her child was. Since I have to piece together numerous reports, I will not cite them. I invite you to read the reports yourself. The links are provided in the Blogroll.

Casey had a “good job” where she could “work” at home often. So, when she didn’t physically go to “work,” she would be at home. Her child was with her. Usually when her parents came home, Casey and her child were still there. They were described as “homebodies.”

When Casey went to “work” in the morning, she was usually just killing time in order to go back home after her parents left according to the cell phone pings. Since George was unemployed for some time, she usually hung out at a friend’s place if she could not go back home. Early on, she would drop off the child at a friend’s place and either stay there or come back later to pick up the child. Later on, the child was with her. She usually came back home early, as reported by her father. It didn’t seem like she went to “work” often, though.

When Casey had to “work late,” she would drop off her child at Cindy’s workplace according to Cindy and her coworkers (transcript, transcript, transcript). These are the days when Casey would go to a party. Friends noted that her mother would call frequently while she was at a party and tell Casey to come home because she couldn’t watch Caylee anymore – it was getting late (transcript).

When Casey told her parents she and her child were “staying at the nanny’s,” they were actually at a friend’s place hanging out. Her friends recalled Casey and Caylee spending the night numerous times.

When Casey told her friends that her child was with the nanny, she was really with Cindy. But her friends stated that the “nanny excuse” was used “once in a great while” with them prior to June 16, 2008.

George said they had the child at home “99% of the time.” Her friends stated that Casey did not party much; but the times she did, Cindy would call her.

Finally, the child’s hair was tested for drugs and the results were negative. The chemicals in the child’s hair would have revealed if she was being drugged over a long period of time (source).

Casey Anthony was going to kill her parents

I think some people believe Casey’s lies were not lies, but rather a foreshadowing of what she was going to do. She told Amy that her parents were splitting up, her mother was going to leave her the house, and they (Casey, Caylee, and Amy) would be able to move into the house together. Casey also texted her boyfriend, Tony, and told him he would be able to come over in a few days. She also got Amy to change her address to her parent’s home address.

I think the premise debunks itself because Caylee was supposed to be alive and the parents were supposed to be dead. She had “31 days” to kill her parents too. I wonder how 5 ft., 100 lb. Casey Anthony would do that? Perhaps breaking their necks with shovels? (read “The Computer Forensics”)

Even Judge Perry got a chuckle in at this theory (video @ 9:30).

The more interesting story is how the living situation with Amy would have played out.

Casey Anthony was pimpin’ her daughter

This myth stems from the fact that the “entire” contents of the Anthony’s hard drive was not released and “all” the personal photos of Caylee were not released. Casey was a talented photographer and took many, many pictures of her child.

The State had the hard drive contents very early on in this case. I’m sure they would have tried to tie anything incriminating to Casey. But they could only present what was “relevant” to what they thought the crime was.

This one is just bogus.

Casey Anthony confessed to an inmate

Supposedly, Casey Anthony confessed to another inmate named Maya Derkovic (article). Of course, an inmate would never tell a lie, especially to a reporter.

Casey Anthony was placed in “protective custody,” which is basically solitary confinement for her own safety – not the other inmates’. She was in her cell for 23 hours a day and had no physical contact other inmates.

I only listened to a few minutes of it and quickly realized most of what she was saying was regurgitated from media shows. Inmates such as Maya were not in PC and could watch shows in the “day room” and congregate with other inmates.

Maya said Casey confessed to her through the vents. I don’t deny the premise that they could have communicated. But the vents were not a secure two-way form of communication. Anyone with a vent in their cell (all inmates) could have heard the conversation. Casey often talked about her annoyance of the “vent talkers” in her jailhouse letters (read excerpt).

Here’s the real question: If she confessed through the vents, why didn’t any of the other inmates come forward? They would have heard it too. The story would be corroborated.

Every inmate has something to gain and anything can be used as a bargaining chip.

Casey Anthony can be tried in a federal court

No, she can’t. She was acquitted of murder. She was convicted of lies material to the crime. There is nothing new in this case for which she can face federal charges. She lied to a federal agent but has been convicted on the substance of those lies. You cannot be tried twice for the same crime.

She can face frivolous lawsuits and a wrongful death suit if it’s brought on by the deceased father of the child. But hey, if they can make her do probation twice, then who knows. Apparently, double jeopardy does not apply to Casey Anthony.

There is information online regarding this topic (read Q&A).

Caylee Anthony drowned (the defense’s version)

Well, this is the defense’s theory and the truth lies with the defendant.

In the defense’s theory, the part about George’s involvement in the cover-up can be debunked on common sense. Why would he frame his daughter? And why would he spend so much money to find his granddaughter? There’s an easy way to figure out whether George was involved or not. He had the keys to the shed, not Casey. If the duct tape, garbage bags, and laundry bag were stored in the shed, he was involved. If not, then he probably wasn’t. It seems like those items would be in the garage.

The part about the meter reader, Roy Kronk, can be debunked on coincidence. However, there are no meters to read where he went to “relieve” himself twice (in both August and December 2008). It’s actually quite far from the school meter. I mean, I hope it’s a coincidence.

I cannot debunk the drowning, however. The circumstantial evidence actually supports it (read “The Drowning Theory”).

How to spot a Casey Anthony hoax story

If a story or reporter says Casey said this or that, there is an easy way to debunk it. If what Casey allegedly said fits the 3 year old media portrayal of her, it’s a hoax. It’s that simple. Most of these stories have already been proven to be false.