By Geno McGahee

It has been over a year since the world heard the verdict: “Not Guilty.” The shockwave cut through the viewers like a knife and left the majority of those that followed the case left with their jaws on the floor. Nancy Grace, the talk show host that was most animate about the guilt of Anthony, was enraged and actually cried when she had heard that they were letting Casey go free.

The case grabbed a hold of the public and became the best show on TV. Anyone with children could not fathom a parent murdering their own child, but that is what happened in the minds of most. Anthony was a partier and didn’t like a life of responsibility. Her 2 year old daughter, Caylee, was standing in her way of freedom and with her removed; the party could go on forever.

On June 16th of 2008, Caylee Anthony was last seen alive by her grandparents, George and Cindy. A month later, Casey was arrested and that’s when the lies began. She would tell authorities that she dropped off her child with a babysitter, the infamous and non-existent “Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez.”

Casey would lie about her employment, bringing the detectives to Universal Studios before finally admitting that she did not work there. Her behavior during the time her daughter was missing was strange, going on shopping sprees and carrying on as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

On December 11th, 2008, the remains of young Caylee were found near the Anthony home. One of the most compelling pieces of evidence was the odor of decomposition in the trunk of Anthony’s car. George, her father and a former cop, knew the smell well and testified as such. The smell was determined by an expert to be that of human remains, while the defense tried to convince the jury that it was just a smell of garbage that had been left in the trunk.

Computer searches determined that Casey had searched for “neck breaking,” “making weapons” and “how to make chloroform.” Her mother would later testify that she was the one making the searches.

The trial took a turn and the defense shifted attention to father George. Allegations of sexual abuse against his daughter Casey were made, and the charge that he tried to cover up an accidental drowning of Caylee by dumping her into the woods. George became a villain and he did himself no favors by being rather gruff on the stand.

The cold demeanor of Casey Anthony began to change and she showed emotion and it became hard for the jury to imagine that this young woman could have killed a child. They couldn’t wrap their minds around it and, in the end, would let her go, despite the majority of the public believing that she was a murderer. If nothing else, she was absolutely a pathological liar.

When the dust settled, she was a free woman, minus a few lesser charges which surrounded her lies and dishonest behavior. The major charge was gone and she was going to be able to resume her life. Her relationship with her parents is forever strained and it’s easy to understand. Either George is an outed molester or he was raked over the coals, accused of the worst thing imaginable, to better the chances of his daughter going free.

Several Casey lookalikes were attacked and beaten pretty bad by crazed Nancy Grace fans, mostly. She has a tendency to get her audience fired up, and sometimes that can be dangerous, especially when dealing with mental midgets. Several rumors of movie and book deals have so far been dismissed by Casey Anthony, but it is certainly likely that she would consider this possibility. There is money to be made.

Her lawyer, Jose Baez, did release a book questioning the sanity of his client. He believes in her innocence, but believes her to be a mentally sick woman.

The Casey Anthony Trial was big news for the world. One year later, not much has changed. Anthony will be news for quite some time and the debate to her guilt will continue as the years go on…or until a new trial captures the imagination of the public.