Topic: Caylee Marie Anthony

The Casey Anthony trial (officially titled the State of Florida v. Casey Marie Anthony, 48-2008-CF-015606-O) was a criminal trial held in Orlando, Florida from May 9 to July 5, 2011 in the state's Ninth Judicial Circuit Court. Caylee Marie Anthony (August 9, 2005 – c. June 16, 2008) was a child whose disappearance attracted prominent media attention in the United States. Her skeletal remains were discovered on December 11, 2008, almost five months after she was reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy Anthony. Caylee's mother, Casey Marie Anthony, was arrested on July 18, 2008 and indicted on charges of first degree murder on October 14, 2008. She continued to maintain her innocence throughout her trial.

On July 5, 2011, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of first degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, and aggravated child abuse. She was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. On July 7, 2011 she was sentenced to one year in jail and $1,000 in fines for each count. With credit for time served and good behavior, her release date was set for July 17, 2011.

According to Casey Anthony's father, George Anthony, Casey left the family's home on June 16, 2008, taking Caylee (who was almost 3) with her and did not return for 31 days. Casey's mother Cindy asked repeatedly during the month to see Caylee, but Casey claimed that she was too busy with a work assignment in Tampa, Florida. At other times, she said Caylee was with a nanny, later identified by Casey as Zenaida "Zanny" Fernandez-Gonzalez, or at theme parks or the beach. It was eventually determined that although Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez did in fact exist, she had never met Casey nor Caylee Anthony, any member of the Anthony family, or any of Casey's friends.