Posts Tagged ‘casey anthony’

Criminal Law Update

Casey Anthony reports to probation

Casey Anthony reported to probation on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida and began her 1 year term of probation for her check fraud case.  A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said that Anthony was cooperative and polite and met with her new probation officer for over an hour.  The spokesperson said that Anthony told her probation officer that she intended to do well on probation and that she pledged to satisfy her conditions of her probation.  Due to numerous death threats to Anthony, the Department of Corrections said they would not reveal her location or the county where Anthony will serve the probation.

 

Couple in pet python case sentenced

Charles Darnell, 34, and live in girlfriend, Jaren Hare, 21, were sentenced to 12 years in state prison on manslaughter and child neglect charges.  They were found guilty in July by a Jury in Orlando, Florida, for failing to protect Hare’s daughter from their 12 foot long albino Burmese Python.  The snake had not been properly secured in its cage and was able to escape.  It entered the child’s room and wrapped around the child ultimately strangling her to death.

The couple’s lawyers blamed the not guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony trial for the guilty verdict in their clients case.  Darnell’s attorney said, “I don’t think after watching one Central Florida accused child killer walk free … that they wanted that to happen to anyone else accused [in a child killing] whether they fully believed the case was proven to them beyond a reasonable doubt or not.”

The couple will serve their 12 year sentence followed by 5 years of probation.

Our original blog post on this case can be seen here.

 

Strauss-Kahn has his French passport back

Dominique Strauss-Kahn had dinner in New York Thursday night and is planning a visit to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. early next week.  Strauss-Kahn wants to personally say goodbye to his staff at the IMF.

He will then return to his home in France for the first time since May.

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Judge rules Casey Anthony must return to Orlando and serve 1 year of probation

A week after  hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defense and with input from the Department of Corrections, Judge Belvin Perry has ruled that Casey Anthony must return to Orlando on or before August 26th to begin serving one year of probation for her check fraud case.  Her probation will begin as soon as she reports.  In support of his order, Judge Perry wrote, “It is clear the court stated the defendant’s probation was to start once she was released from jail.”  He continued, “To permit the Defendant, whose counsel was well aware that the probation was to begin upon the Defendant’s release from jail, to avoid serving probation now, would take a lawfully imposed sentence and make it a mockery of justice.  This would allow a defendant to take advantage of a scrivener’s error and be rewarded. This is not the message the courts want to send to the public or defendants.”

Judge Perry did make an exception to Anthony’s probation.  He authorized the Department of Corrections to keep her address private while she is on probation.  In support of this he wrote, “This Court is very mindful that it is a high probability that there are many that would like to see physical harm visited upon the Defendant.”

The complete order may be seen here: Order denying defense’s motion to quash, vacate and set aside court’s order of probation.

Will the defense appeal this ruling or will Casey Anthony report as directed?  Stay tuned…

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Judge Belvin Perry says issue of whether Casey Anthony must return to serve a year of probation on her check fraud case is “a mess”

“If anything could go wrong, it went wrong here.”  That is what Judge Belvin Perry said after hearing over an hour of arguments from both prosecution and defense attorneys.  Judge Perry ended the hearing without a ruling.  The Judge said he needed more time to decide whether or not Casey Anthony must return to serve 1 year of probation on her check fraud case.  He did not say when he expected to have a ruling.

At the hearing, defense attorneys argued that Anthony had already served her term of probation while she was incarcerated.  Therefore, if she were required to serve probation now, it would constitute double jeopardy.  The defense further argued that any amendment to Anthony’s sentence must have been done within 60 days of her original sentence back in January of 2010 and that the court now lacked jurisdiction to go back and change or modify the order.

Department of Corrections officials explained that they believed the sentence required Anthony to serve the probation while she was in jail awaiting her murder trial and that she had, in fact, completed her probation.

The prosecution argued that the failure by the Trial Judge to put the words, “upon release” was a scrivener‘s error and therefore could be amended by the Judge without causing double jeopardy.

Judge Perry called the case, “a legal morass” and “a mess.”  To be continued…

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Stay issued on order requiring Casey Anthony to report to probation

The order issued on Monday by Judge Stan Strickland requiring Casey Anthony to report in person to probation in Orlando by Thursday has been stayed by Judge Belvin Perry.  Judge Strickland’s order reassigned the matter to Judge Perry so he will be the one who ultimately decides Anthony’s probationary fate.  The Judge has scheduled a hearing on Friday morning at 9am to address the issue.

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Casey Anthony ordered to serve probation in check fraud case

Orlando Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland has signed an amended court document ordering Casey Anthony to serve one year of supervised probation on her check fraud case number 2008-CF-013331-A-O.  Under the order, Casey Anthony must report to Orange County within 72 hours.

On January 25, 2010, Anthony was sentenced on 13 counts of fraud while she was in jail pending her trial for the murder of her daughter, Caylee Anthony.  At that time, the sentence was 412 days in jail with credit for time served of 412 days, 1 year probation and court costs.  The original document sentencing Anthony back in Jan did not have the important words, “upon release” after the imposed requirement of 1 year of probation.

The new order by Judge Strickland, imposes 1 year of probation, $20 per month in cost of supervision and $348 in court costs.  Additionally, Anthony may not leave Orange County Florida without the permission of her probation officer.

The order can be seen here: Casey Anthony – Order

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Casey Anthony released from jail

As expected, Casey Anthony was released from the Orange County Jail early Sunday morning.  She walked out of the jail booking center at 12:10am with her attorney, Jose Baez and was whisked away in a dark colored SUV.  She was given $537.68 from her jail account upon her release.

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Casey Anthony Sentenced

Casey Anthony was sentenced this morning to 4 years in the county jail for her conviction on four counts of Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer. The Judge, Belvin Perry, gave her the maximum possible time in jail allowed under the law by handing down the 4 one-year terms in jail to be served consecutively. She will also receive over 3 years of credit for time served as well as gain time from the jail for good behavior. Some early estimates indicate that she could be released later this month or sometime in early August.

Update: Casey Anthony will be released on Sunday, July 17th due to credit for time already served and gain time for good behavior. It will be her 1,007th day in jail.

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Breaking News: Casey Anthony found Not Guilty of 1st Degree Murder

After deliberating for a day and a half the jury of 7 women and 5 men has found Casey Anthony not guilty of the murder of her 2 year old child Caylee Anthony.

Casey Anthony – Not Guilty Verdict

The final verdict was as follows:

  • Count 1:  1st Degree Murder – Not Guilty
  • Count 2:  Aggravated Child Abuse – Not Guilty
  • Count 3:  Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child – Not Guilty
  • Count 4:  Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer – Guilty
  • Count 5:  Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer – Guilty
  • Count 6:  Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer – Guilty
  • Count 7:  Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer – Guilty

Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer is a 1st degree misdemeanor punishable by 1 year in jail.  See Florida Statutes §837.055.  Sentencing is set for Thursday at 9 am.  Casey Anthony will likely receive credit for the time she has served and be released from custody.  She has already served 3 years pending her trial.

 

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Criminal Law Update

Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case is falling apart for the Government

Strauss-Kahn is the former IMF leader (and French future presidential candidate) who was charged with attempting to rape a maid in his $3,000 per night hotel suite in New York City on May 14,2011.

According to numerous published reports, the sexual assault case against the former IMF leader is very near collapse.  There will be a court hearing today, July 1, to determine whether there will be a change in Strauss-Kahn’s bond as he is presently on house arrest in New York.  It is also possible that the charges could be dismissed.

Numerous new revelations about his alleged accuser have surfaced that will make it nearly impossible for the Prosecution to move ahead with a case.

Some noted revelations:

  • When the accuser came to the United States for Guinea, she alleged that she had been raped in her native country on her political asylum application.  She has since admitted that this was a lie.
  • Prosecutors have discovered possible links between the accuser and criminal activities which include money laundering and drug dealing.
  • The accuser had a recorded telephone conversation with an incarcerated man where she discussed the potential benefits of bringing a case against Strauss-Kahn.
  • Over the past two years, the incarcerated man, as well as numerous other individuals, have deposited over $100,000 into the accuser’s bank account.

It appears that it will be very likely that this case will be ultimately be dismissed.  It is certainly headed in that direction.

UPDATE:  Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest today.  He is now free  to come and go as he pleases in New York and his $6 million dollar bond has been returned.  As of now, he will not be returned his passport to allow international travel back to France.

 

Defense Rests in Casey Anthony Trial, will not call her to the stand

The defense finished their case in the Casey Anthony trial without calling the her as a witness.  Earlier in the week, the defense asked to have Ms. Anthony evaluated for competency.  This may or may not have been due to a desire by her to testify.  After reviewing the evaluating doctor’s reports, the Judge found Ms. Anthony to be competent and the trial continued.

 

There are certainly times where it is a good idea for a defendant to testify on their own behalf.  This case definitely is not one of those times.  Casey Anthony has told far too many outrageous stories since this investigation began to risk putting her on the stand.  The prosecution would likely have destroyed any credibility Ms. Anthony has left if she had taken the stand.

The prosecution will put on a brief rebuttal case today and closing arguments could begin as early as Saturday.

 

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