Casey Anthony: Judge Strickland Steps Down, Judge Perry Takes Up Case
Circuit Judge Stan Strickland, who earlier this week issued the order for Casey Anthony to return to Florida, stepped down from the probation case Wednesday.
Strickland did not give any reasons as to why he is recusing himself from the case. However, Anthony's lawyers have accused Strickland of prejudice following his public interviews about Anthony's acquittal.
Judge Stan Strickland issued an order Monday for Anthony to return to Orange County, Florida, to serve her probation on a check fraud conviction. According to court documents, Anthony was mandated to return to Orange County within 72 hours.
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Judge Belvin Perry, who presided over Casey Anthony's murder trial, will take over the probation case.
Yesterday, Casey Anthony’s lawyer appeared before Strickland to argue that Florida posed a threat to Anthony’s safety and she would need security if she had to return under the judge’s court order.
Jose Baez told NBC’s "Today" Show that having Anthony come back to Florida would add a “circus-like atmosphere” around her case.
Anthony went into hiding after she was acquitted in July of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.
"The last thing we want to do is put Casey in harm's way. We're very concerned. It's not something we're taking lightly," Baez told "Today".
Casey Anthony’s lawyers have filed a motion to "quash, vacate, and set aside the court's order," making the argument that the judge cannot change his sentence, signed in January 2010, because over 60 days had passed.
"She has done her probation, if you all go read what we just filed you'll see how blatantly clear it is and how blatantly wrong Mr. Strickland was," said Attorney Cheney Mason, who filed the emergency motion.
On July 5, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murder - a verdict that sparked reactions of outrage and disbelief.
Bystanders outside the courtroom screamed, "Appeal! Appeal!" and "Justice for Caylee," ABC News reported.
"[The verdict] is going to make millions of people think they can get away with killing their child. ... That isn't a good depiction of what our justice system is like or should be," one woman told ABC News.
The volatility surrounding the trial was concerning and Anthony was moved to an undisclosed location after her release.
On Sunday, Casey Anthony was reportedly spotted in Ohio. TMZ published photos of Anthony wearing an Ohio State University baseball hat and shopping at an Old Navy.
