125. Casey Anthony: America's Most Hated Woman

Casey Anthony's story has many similarities to the O.J. Simpson case. Both people are generally thought to have gotten away with murder. In 2011, Anthony topped the list of most hated Americans, and today she is still in the top five of that same list.

This all stems from the results of a 2011 murder trial, where Anthony was acquitted of killing her two-year-old daughter. As in the O.J. Simpson trial, public opinion was highly in want of a guilty charge. All evidence seemed to point to Anthony as the guilty person. 

To this day, Americans still feel the justice system did not work in this case. Anthony's daughter Caylee was born on August 9, 2005, but the day of her death remains unknown. It is simply listed as 2008. The reason for this is because the exact time and date of her death was never determined. 

Caylee Anthony was last seen alive on June 16, 2008, but it wasn't until July 15 that her grandmother reported her missing. A total of 30 days passed from the time Casey Anthony reported leaving her daughter at a babysitter's house to the time Caylee was reported missing. 

During that time period, Casey was seen enjoying the nightlife in Southern Florida. Many photos exist of her partying away while her daughter was missing. The public perceived this behavior as unnatural for a caring, loving mother. 

When Casey was asked of her daughter's whereabouts, the lies began. Casey said she had left her daughter at a babysitter's house, which was not true. She also lied several times to the police about where her daughter was. However, a forensic scientist concluded that a smell coming from Casey's trunk was decomposing flesh. 

Casey was convicted of lying to the police, and other charges, but she was acquitted in the murder trial despite the evidence against her. Today she is free, but lives in hiding for fear of retaliation.

Vocabulary Words

                                                           

No.	Word	Definition	Example Sentence
01	similarities	features that resemble one another	Casey Anthony's story has many similarities to the O.J. Simpson case.
02	generally thought	commonly believed by the public	Both people are generally thought to have gotten away with murder.
03	gotten away with murder	avoided punishment for committing a homicide	Both people are generally thought to have gotten away with murder.
04	topped the list	ranked as number one	In 2011, Anthony topped the list of most hated Americans.
05	stems from	originates or is caused by	This all stems from the results of a 2011 murder trial.
06	acquitted	formally declared not guilty of a criminal charge	Anthony was acquitted of killing her two-year-old daughter.
07	public opinion	the views prevalent among the general population	As in the O.J. Simpson trial, public opinion was highly in want of a guilty charge.
08	guilty charge	a formal accusation of committing a crime that is believed to be true	Public opinion was highly in want of a guilty charge.
09	justice system	the established structure of courts, police, and lawyers intended to maintain social control and uphold the law	Americans still feel the justice system did not work in this case.
10	remains unknown	the specific details are still not discovered or identified	The day of her death remains unknown.
11	exact time and date	the precise moment and day	The exact time and date of her death was never determined.
12	last seen alive	the final recorded sighting of a person before their death	Caylee Anthony was last seen alive on June 16, 2008.
13	reported her missing	formally notified the authorities that the person cannot be found	It wasn't until July 15 that her grandmother reported her missing.
14	time period	a specific duration of time	During that time period, Casey was seen enjoying the nightlife.
15	enjoying the nightlife	spending time participating in evening social activities, such as parties or clubs	Casey was seen enjoying the nightlife in Southern Florida.
16	partying away	spending time socializing and celebrating, often carelessly	Many photos exist of her partying away while her daughter was missing.
17	perceived this behavior	understood or interpreted this conduct	The public perceived this behavior as unnatural.
18	daughter's whereabouts	the location of her daughter	When Casey was asked of her daughter's whereabouts, the lies began.
19	forensic scientist	a professional who applies scientific methods to crime investigation	A forensic scientist concluded that a smell... was decomposing flesh.
20	retaliation	the act of returning an injury or wrong; revenge	She lives in hiding for fear of retaliation.

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Comprehension Questions

                                                       

No.	Question	Answer
01	What major case is the Casey Anthony story compared to?	The O.J. Simpson case.
02	What is the general public opinion regarding the outcomes of both the Anthony and Simpson trials?	Both people are generally thought to have gotten away with murder.
03	Where did Casey Anthony rank in the list of most hated Americans in 2011?	She topped the list.
04	What was the result of the 2011 murder trial for Casey Anthony?	She was acquitted of killing her daughter.
05	What was public opinion highly in want of during the trial?	A guilty charge.
06	What is the public's current feeling about the justice system regarding this case?	Americans still feel the justice system did not work.
07	What was the name of Casey Anthony's daughter?	Caylee Anthony.
08	What is the reason the day of Caylee's death remains unknown?	The exact time and date of her death was never determined.
09	When was Caylee Anthony last seen alive?	June 16, 2008.
10	Who reported Caylee Anthony missing?	Her grandmother.
11	How many days passed between Casey Anthony reporting leaving her daughter at a babysitter's house and the child being reported missing?	30 days.
12	What was Casey Anthony seen doing during the time her daughter was missing?	Enjoying the nightlife/partying away in Southern Florida.
13	How did the public perceive Casey Anthony's behavior while her daughter was missing?	As unnatural for a caring, loving mother.
14	What was the first lie Casey told about her daughter's whereabouts?	She said she had left her daughter at a babysitter's house.
15	Who concluded that a smell coming from Casey's trunk was decomposing flesh?	A forensic scientist.
16	Of what charges was Casey Anthony convicted?	Lying to the police, and other charges.
17	What was the ultimate verdict in the murder trial?	She was acquitted.
18	Why does Casey Anthony live in hiding today?	For fear of retaliation.
19	In what year was Caylee Anthony born?	2005.
20	What was found in the trunk of Casey's car?	A smell that a forensic scientist concluded was decomposing flesh.