Casey Anthony Father: 'I Wanted Daughter to be Convicted for Caylee Murder'
Two months after Casey Anthony’s acquittal for the murder of her daughter, the Anthony parents have continued their interview series on the Dr. Phil show to reveal publicly their differing perspectives on their granddaughter's death.
Dr. Phil McGraw met with the Anthony parents for 9 ½ hours over the period of two days, compiling a televised interview which aired September 13 and 14 on “The Dr. Phil Show.”
Dr. Phil describes the interview as “very informative,” primarily because he thinks it may change the public’s view of the Anthony family as vilified conspirators to Casey’s actions.
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“This is a fractured family,” said Dr. Phil, affirming that the Anthony’s will not be likely to find peace and tranquility together again.
Casey Anthony’s relationship with her parents has been far from normal. Criticized as a compulsive liar, Anthony hid her pregnancy from her parents for five months.
The parents also played a major role in the case. The mother, Cindy, was accused of lying under oath, while the father, George Anthony, was accused as sexually molesting his daughter as a child, a charge he vehemently denies to this day.
Midway into the trial, critics began to suspect the father as an object of reasonable doubt possessing a “selective memory,” and somehow being involved with the death of his granddaughter.
The father’s public outbursts at reporters did not help his defense, and the public remains skeptical about his true motives.
One of the most poignant aspects of the interview was the differing perspectives of the two parents. When Casey was acquitted, George claimed injustice, while the mother felt "elated."
At one point, Casey’s attorneys claimed the father had found Caylee dead after an accidental drowning, and both Casey and George participated in the child’s burial, which involved duct taping the child’s mouth, concealing her in a plastic trash bag and burying her in the woods.
The mother believes that Caylee did in fact drowned, but that George was uninvolved. George, however, denies involvement and cannot comprehend how Caylee’s drowned body ended up in the woods behind their house.
The father instead thinks Caylee was “drugged, possibly with a sedative,” such as Xanax.
“We’ve been through this for three years and that’s the first time I’ve heard that out of his mouth,” replied Cindy.
Dr. Phil brought up an array of questions, including asking the parents why they remained so negligent for the 31 days that they did not see Caylee.
The parents attribute their lack of action to Casey’s compulsive lying, which included intricate lies lasting for years. One such lie revolved around a fictitious nanny, ironically named "Zanny," who Casey blamed for abducting Caylee for 31 days.
When Dr. Phil asked George Anthony if he believed the smell emanating from Casey’s trunk was due to his granddaughter’s decomposing body, George replied, “There are parts of me that do believe that, I do.”
“She continued to lie after knowing Caylee was gone,” the parents agreed.
The mother affirmed Casey’s partial guilt: “I believe that Casey had knowledge or something to do with placing Caylee [in the woods].”
The father’s reaction was stronger.
“I blame Casey for Caylee not being here today,” said George Anthony. “I don’t want to see my daughter put to death, but I wanted her held responsible for my granddaughter. I did, and I still do.”
