Casey Anthony: Rob Lowe to Star in Lifetime Movie

It appears that Rob Lowe is returning to Lifetime to play Florida prosecutor Jeff Ashton in the new flick “Prosecuting Casey Anthony.”

From Entertainment Weekly:

Rob Lowe is quickly becoming Lifetime’s go-to guy for sordid crime trial docudramas. After his turn this past January as Drew Peterson in Drew Peterson: Untouchable, Lowe will next star in the network’s upcoming movie Prosecuting Casey Anthony as Jeff Ashton, the prosecutor in the Casey Anthony trial.

The film is based on a book by Ashton and according to the network “will examine what the prosecution got right, what they got wrong and why Ashton remains convinced of Casey Anthony’s guilt.”

 

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Casey Anthony: Civil Trial Before Criminal Trial

It’s like “I before E except after C” or something like that, right? 🙂

Judge Belvin Perry ruled today that Casey Anthony’s civil trial will take place early next year, well before the criminal trial takes place in mid-2011.

From The TV Guy:

WFTV-Channel 9 anchor Martie Salt noted that the civil case could unfold in the first quarter of next year – before the murder trial. WFTV said the murder case would start June 14, 2011, but May 9, 2011, is  the actual date.

“The civil trial is not about whether Casey murdered Caylee, so there’s no legal reason to hold it up,” WFTV’s Kathi Belich said. “Zenaida Gonzalez’s lawyers say if the civil trial makes Casey look bad right before her murder trial, that’s her problem.”

From WESH:

The civil case deals with a lawsuit filed by Zenaida Gonzalez against Anthony. Gonzalez claims her reputation was ruined when Anthony said she was the last person to look after Anthony’s daughter Caylee.

Gonzalez has denied the claims. Casey was not required to attend today’s hearing.

Casey Anthony: Zenaida Gonzalez Hearing Today

Lawyers for Casey Anthony are expected in court later this afternoon to defend her in a defamation suit filed by Zenaida Gonzalez.

Any thoughts on what we may or may not hear today?

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Anthony is being sued in circuit court in Orange County by Zenaida Gonzalez, a Kissimmee woman who accuses Anthony of damaging her reputation.

Gonzalez is seeking unspecified damages. She filed suit two years ago, saying she was harmed by Anthony’s statement about the baby sitter.

It’s not clear what will happen at the 1:30 p.m. hearing, a routine pretrial conference.

Casey Anthony: Judge Perry Sets Series of Hearings

Looks like Judge Belvin Perry is living up to his reputation as he’s already set up three hearings for the first two weeks of May!

From the Orlando Sentinel:

In another signal that he intends to push forward the murder case against Casey Anthony, Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry Jr. set an aggressive new deadline for attorneys.

Perry gave them two-and-a-half weeks to file a detailed deposition schedule — no small undertaking.

It means that by May 17, attorneys must contact more than 50 witnesses and schedule them for sessions during which they’ll be questioned — sometimes sharply — under oath about the case.

From WESH:

Next week, a series of important defense motions will be heard, including a hearing on the trial’s location and another to discuss whether evidence can be introduced suggesting the man who discovered Caylee’s remain, Roy Kronk, should have been investigated as a possible suspect.

Perry said he also plans to consider a series of defense motions challenging the death penalty.

Casey Anthony: Linda Kenney Baden Vs. The Local Media

Another great post by The TV Guy Hal Boedeker today discussing Linda Kenney Baden’s appearance on the Today Show.

It seems that according to her comments on the show, Baden is not a fan of the local media coverage down there in Florida.

Probably because they are doing such a good job reporting the news! Yes, it’s true that sometimes there are stories that are reported that really aren’t “hard news” but people are still interested in what’s going on and the media covers what they feel their readers want to read about.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

“Every single day, since I’ve been in this case, which is Dec. 11th, there has been a story, a story, a story,” Baden told Ann Curry. “Even when there’s a non-story, there’s a story.”

So true. It’s been the most-covered local story of the past year, even as the economy tanked. Yes, the extravagant coverage has turned off many people. But I’d rather hear from the public on that point than some high-profile defense lawyer in the case. Casey Anthony is charged with daughter Caylee’s murder.

Baden continued her stint as media critic. “You, for instance, the national media gives us a fair shake,” Baden told Curry.

Ah, the national media. Let’s talk hypocrisy.

Baden complained about the rehashing in the case. But the national media pick up what the local media have covered.

And the national media, notably ABC, also have been the source of licensing fees for photographs and video. The national media have supplied trips to New York and Los Angeles for people in the case. ABC even put up George and Cindy in a ritzy hotel after Caylee’s remains were found.

Yes, the local media can’t compete in that regard.

Curry continued: “You’re saying the local media has not given you a fair shake?”

“Absolutely not,” Baden said. “The local media rushes to take news leak sources, law enforcement sources say. A lot of times the evidence that law enforcement sources have leaked was improper.”

Casey Anthony: Will We See a Change of Venue?

Maybe…maybe not. But we’re about to hear more about it.

The defense team for Casey Anthony will file for a change of venue, hoping to get the high-profile case moved out of Central Florida.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

The legal team, headed by Jose Baez, will file the motion today in Orange County Circuit Court, WKMG-Channel 6 is reporting.

Prosecutors have been anticipating such a filing but did not know when it would come and don’t know if it will come Monday, said Randy Means, a spokesman for the State Attorney’s office.