Casey Anthony Released Just After Midnight
Casey Anthony has been released from Orange County Jail at 12:09 a.m. Sunday after nearly three years in prison. Television footage showed Anthony walking through the entrance of the jail and straight out the front door.
A mass media presence had gathered outside the jail Saturday in anticipation of her release, and some experts had predicted that authorities would release her at night to avoid the full media glare that would await her if released during the day.
Casey Anthony was led to a car by security, and was quickly driven away from the prison.
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Now that she has been released, most people expect Casey to inevitably change her name, her hair and her looks, in an attempt to get away from the media spotlight and public scorn that her not guilty verdict has brought upon her.
Security experts have also said she is likely to move to a remote place before attempting to re-introduce herself to society.
Even though Casey Anthony has just come to the end of a long criminal court trial, she may still have to face a wave of civil cases being brought against her.
She is currently being sued by Zenaida Gonzalez, a woman by the same name as the woman Anthony claimed kidnapped her daughter. Gonzalez has said her name was ruined by Anthony’s lie.
Anthony also faces a lawsuit from Texas EquuSearch, which is a volunteer group that helped search for Caylee when she first disappeared. The group claims it spent more than $112,000, the second costliest in its history, searching for the toddler after 4,200 volunteers aided in the search. Damages in excess of $15,000 are being sought.
During the criminal trial, Casey Anthony’s defense lawyer told how Caylee had been dead since June 2008, and that she had drowned in a swimming pool. EquuSearch says that if Anthony had told the truth that Caylee was already dead, the group could have helped 15 other cases instead of conducting what turned out to be a wild goose chase.
It is thought that Casey Anthony could be in line to make millions now that she has been released – from book deals to television appearances. Independent television producer Al Taylor has claimed he would present Anthony with a check for $1 million.
Authorities this week have confirmed that Anthony will not be given any special security treatment, and that she will be treated just like any other convict being released.
Stuart Diamond, a U.S.-security expert, has said, “I'd tell her to go to a big house in the middle of nowhere. That would be the safest thing for her. It's more of an effort for someone to really follow through on a threat,” according to The Daily Mail.
According to The Daily Mail, Mark Geragos, a Los Angeles lawyer who has represented Winona Ryder, Michael Jackson and Nicole Ritchie, has said the best thing she can do for her safety is keep a low profile.
“She needs to lay as low as possible until the next big scandal or trial,” Geragos said. “It's not time to do a photo spread. It's not time to sit down with Diane Sawyer. None of those things. There is no reason to do any of that.”
