Prosecutors seek death for accused mom

ORLANDO, Fla., April 14 (UPI) -- Florida prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty for Casey Anthony, the 23-year-old mother accused of killing her toddler, Caylee Marie Anthony.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, whose bones were found in December in woods near her Orlando, Fla., family home after a high-profile search. Prosecutors had previously said they were looking for a life sentence should Anthony be convicted, but since then investigators have found additional evidence, the Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday.

"Sufficient aggravating circumstances exist to justify the imposition of the death penalty" in event of a conviction, prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick wrote in a court filing.

Attorneys for Anthony, who maintains Caylee was taken by a babysitter who hasn't been found, criticized the move.

"This is not a death-penalty case," Marti Mackenzie, spokeswoman for defense lawyer Jose Baez, told the Sentinel. "We will do whatever is necessary to defend Casey Anthony from the state trying to take her life."