New Year's Wish: One More Civil Case Against Casey Anthony

I am really befuddled by the court's decision to allow Casey Anthony to remain silent and cling to her fifth amendment rights.  On the one hand, she objected to answer questions in a deposition saying she would incriminate herself if she did so in the civil cases brought against her.  


Right now, there are three of them.  Zenaida Gonzalez has claimed she was damaged when Casey told lies about her.  Judge Lisa Monyon ruled that a deposition in this case would include questions that could directly impact her appeal on her four convictions for lying to law enforcement. Thus, her right to remain silent was upheld.


The judge has yet to reach a decisions in the Texas Equusearch lawsuit.  The organization requested reimbursement for the $110,000 they spent on a wild goose chase for a missing child that Casey knew, according to opening statements in her trial, was already deceased.  Munyon reserved her decision on this matter, writing that she needed "a more detailed explanation of the defendant's reasons for asserting her fifth amendment privilege."  There is little reason, however, to believe that she would rule differently in this case.


The third and most recent lawsuit was filed by Roy Kronk, the hapless meter-reader who found Caylee's body.  He claimed that Casey and her representatives, on numerous occasions, alleged that he was responsible for placing the remains where they were discovered.  In his filing, he asserted that this accusation has caused him humiliation and embarrassment.  The fifth amendment question has yet to arise in this case.  Again, it is suspected the courts would protect Casey's silence in the same manner.


On the other hand, a media interview with Casey Anthony has been peddled by an agent working on her behalf, originally for $750,000 and now bargain-priced for $500,000.  In addition to that, Dr. Keith Ablow reported that he was approached to do a combo therapy and book deal with Anthony.  He found the ethics of that offer questionable and declined to take part in it.


So, Casey Anthony is free to laugh at the court and at her victims because she is protected from answering questions to the people she has harmed in her deal with the devil to get away with murder.  But she is free to answer questions for a profit.  Does that make any sense to you?


Not a bit to me. I'm not saying that the protections against self-incrimination are wrong.  I am simply suggesting that when the person in question is trying to sell her story, she's fair game.  She shouldn't be able to have it both ways.  Yet, somehow, the courts are allowing that, leaving me wanting something else to top the current crop of claims against her.

Here's what I'd like to see happen on New Year's Day or any time soon after: George Anthony wakes up one morning with Caylee on his mind and enough gumption in his spine to do the right thing for his granddaughter.  He files a wrongful death suit against the woman clearly responsible for the little girl's death, Casey Anthony. 


Caylee's watching, George.  Wouldn't that be a nice way to start the new year?

Holiday Greetings to Everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Chanukah

Happy Kwanzaa

Happy New Year!

Breaking News: Novelist Michael Peterson Gets a New Trial

I posted on Forbes today about the possibility of Michael Peterson getting a new trial.

Ten years ago this month, New York Times bestselling novelistMichael Peterson murdered his wife Kathleen in the stairway of their home in Durham, North Carolina. He claimed he was sitting by the swimming pool when she went into the house, slipped, fell and died. Forty-five minutes later, he said, he discovered her body.

However, there was one pivotal piece of evidence that made his story a lie... 

Read More

Hardly had that post gone live when the news came down.

After many failed appeals, Peterson’s last attempt to have his conviction overturned was successful and he has just been granted a new trial...

Read more

Current rumor is that prosecutors won't go forward with a new trial.  Peterson will plead guilty to second degree murder and walk away with time served.  That is a dreadful prospect.  Justice for Kathleen's death  does not mean a mere 8 years behind bars--it should be there for life.  And the prosecutors should do everything they can to insure that happens.

Cold Colorado Warmed My Heart

Yes, it was cold in Colorado--snowy and never got above freezing while I was there.  However, after looking at yesterday's weather in Boulder, I am happy that I went last week and was not there on Monday where the high was 12 degrees and the low went down to 1 degree above freezing.  I can't recall ever living through a day like that.

I traveled there to do an interview to meet with Red Line Films who are shooting a new series, Deadly Sin, for the Investigation Discovery channel.  The crew is pictured above, from left to right, Clint the sound guy, me, Coti Villanueva, field producer, and Dan, the camera guy.

They set up shop at the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.  The lobby has a wall of historical photos including the one above of the Colorado Sheriff's Association.

There I met a new law enforcement friend, Detective Steve Ainsworth.  He delighted me by being a reader of my books and an admirer of my work.  No matter what any of us do for a living, it is always rewarding to be acknowledged by a professional in the field.

I sat down under the lights in a conference room transformed into a sea of chaos for the taping.  Coti asked questions about Richard Marc Evonitz, the subject of my book, Into the Water.  Evonitz kidnapped middle school and high school girls from the front yard in broad daylight without anyone noticing the abduction.  Sofia SIlvia, Kristen and Kati Lisk died before Kara survived and brought the killing spree to an end.


I had a special bonus on this trip--a delightful family moment.  

Living nearby was my niece Julie, her husband Sean and her two delightful boys, three-year-old Preston and three-month old Carter.  We met for breakfast and had a long, lovely visit around the table. Preston was so anxious to get his pancakes, I thought he might bolt from the table, barge into the kitchen and take them by force.  But in a great test of toddler patience he remained in or near his seat, albeit squirming and asking dozens of times for his breakfast.

And it was so nice to hold a baby again.

Despite the cold, I enjoyed returning to the beautiful state of Colorado--my first visit since attending a conference in Breckenridge a decade ago.  I'd love to go back--preferably in the summertime.