Casey Anthony: Important Hearing Set for Monday Morning

Well…we’re going to see something this coming Monday morning. It appears that the defense team’s motion for access to Texas Equusearch records will be argued during this hearing as well as further discussions surrounding a possible plea deal.

The question I have is this: Is there REALLY a plea deal on the table? Hard to say. There seem to be so many conflicting reports.

I guess we’ll have to wait until Monday to learn more!

From WESH:

The 23-year-old has a plea offer on the table in her bank fraud case. Judge Stan Strickland will decide whether to accept it at that same hearing.

Jose Baez, Anthony’s attorney, would neither confirm nor deny that a plea deal has been struck or even discussed.

From The TV Guy:

Maybe a plea deal will happen on Monday at a hearing. There’s a lot of room to speculate because neither prosecutors nor the defense is talking.

Yet WFTV’s Kathi Belich has been responsible for confusion in her reporting. After reporting the plea deal on Tuesday, she started talking on Wednesday about a “plea to the bench” in which Judge Stan Strickland would decide Anthony’s sentence.

But a plea to the bench is not a plea deal. The terminology undoubtedly confused viewers.

Contrast what WFTV offered with what WKMG-Channel 6 has reported. WKMG reported there is no plea deal because there was no agreement by the state and the defense to such a deal.

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Casey Anthony: FAMU Hires Jose Baez To Teach Law Students

According to WFTV, Jose Baez has been hired by FAMU law school to teach up-and-coming lawyers.

For those of you who do not like Mr. Baez, just imagine what he will be teaching his new students? Thoughts?

From WFTV:

Baez is not teaching freshmen, he’s teaching upper-level classes how to get ready for trial.

Jose Baez passed the bar exam just three years ago. He has already confused jurisdiction and botched a motion in the Casey Anthony case. Now, he’s teaching law students at FAMU.

“How’s it going so far?” WFTV reporter Sean Lavin asked FAMU College of Law Dean Leroy Pernell.

“I don’t know yet. We’ve only been in session since here for a couple weeks at best,” he said.

Baez is also under Florida Bar investigation over allegations he spread false statements about the prosecutors.

“If he’s being investigated by the Bar, there’s a reason why, and they’re supposed to be setting examples for us,” FAMU law student Chris Hancock said.The law school’s dean did not even know about the Bar investigation until Eyewitness News told him.

“Are you guys going to stay on top of it and see how it comes out and review it?” Lavin asked Pernell.

“Well, I think with any teacher or instructor, if there are matters that occur that would interfere with experience of students in course, we’ll monitor that and take appropriate steps,” he said.

Pernell said he will take no action until the investigation is over. That means Baez will keep teaching at FAMU and will earn $4,500 per semester.

Even though students were told not to talk to Eyewitness News, several said Baez has hired FAMU students to help him work on the Anthony case outside of the classroom.Eyewitness News was unable to reach Baez for comment.

Caylee Anthony: Grandfather “Wanted To Be With Caylee”

According to various news reports, George Anthony texted family members saying that he “did not want to live anymore and that he wanted to be with Caylee”.

No matter how you feel about this case and the people involved, you must feel for George Anthony who is struggling with the death of his granddaughter and his daughter, Casey, in jail, accused of the murder.

Thoughts on today’s developments?

From CNN:

The distraught grandfather of slain Florida toddler Caylee Anthony sent his family and friends text messages saying he “did not want to live anymore and that he wanted to be with Caylee,” according to a police report.

George Anthony, 57, then disappeared for several hours, and his family’s worried attorney called police.

“You can see that George has been pushed to the brink of what could have been another tragedy in this case,” said the attorney, Brad Conway. “This has been nothing less than hell” for the couple, he added.

He asked reporters to respect “the pain and the anguish” the Anthonys have gone through and “give them a little bit of space.” He pointed out that they have not yet been able to bury Caylee, whose remains were found in December.

Casey Anthony Required to Appear at All Future Hearings

Judge Stan Strickland has spoken!

This may have been missed this morning with all of the talk about George Anthony’s suicide attempt but Judge Strickland signed an order today requiring that Casey Anthony must attend all future hearings.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

The one page order states that although Casey Anthony has a right to waive her appearance in writing, her absence may create future problems.

At a hearing earlier this month to discuss several motions in case Strickland postponed the hearing for about an hour while Casey Anthony was transported from the Orange County Jail to the courthouse because she had not filed a written waiver.

The order states that Casey Anthony does not have to attend any scheduling or trial status hearings.

Casey Anthony: Father’s Suicide Note Was 5 Pages Long

According to ABC News, George Anthony wrote a five-page suicide note before police found him alive in a Daytona Beach motel earlier today.

I’m sure that he had a lot on his mind and a lot that he wanted to get off his chest.

Do you think that anything was written in the note that could help the prosecution convict his daughter, Casey? Could this be used as evidence if in fact he did say anything incriminating? Thoughts?

Full Video of Brad Conway News Conference

From ABC News:

Anthony was taken into police custody early this morning and transported to Halifax Medical Center for evaluation under a Florida law called the Baker Act, which allows authorities to hold people without their consent for up to 72 hours pending a psychiatric evaluation.

In addition to the letter, Anthony sent suicidal text messages to his family saying he “doesn’t want to live anymore,” Daytona Police Department spokesman Jimmie Flynt said.

Police would not comment on the contents of the letter, but Flynt told ABC News it did not raise speculation that George Anthony was involved in his 2-year-old granddaughter Caylee’s murder.

Anthony’s daughter, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, was charged with Caylee’s murder in October before the toddler’s decomposed body was found less than a mile from the Anthony family home in December.

Halifax spokeswoman Salina Wang told ABC News that Anthony is in stable condition.

Anthony was reported missing by his family Thursday when he failed to show up for a scheduled meeting. Police were able to track Anthony to Daytona’s Hawaii Motel through his cell phone, which he used to send his family text messages that implied he intended to kill himself, Daytona Police Chief Mike Chitwood told ABC’s Orlando affiliate WFTV.

Chitwood, who spoke to Anthony when he was discovered at the motel, said Anthony was low-key and “melancholy” when they spoke.

“[Anthony] basically said to us, ‘You know, I just need to get away. I need to think things through.’ That’s why he was there,” Chitwood told WFTV.

Police then invoked the Baker Act and took him to the hospital.

Anthony “went willingly” and fully cooperated with police and was not handcuffed on the way to the hospital, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Carlos Padilla said.

“He was not arrested. He has not committed a crime,” Padilla told ABC News.

According to Padilla, George Anthony’s most recent actions have had no bearing on his status in the investigation into Caylee’s murder and does not draw suspicion that he was somehow involved.

“The pressures and everything may have gotten to him,” Padilla said. “My heart goes out to him.”

Casey Anthony: Did Law Enforcement Save Her Father’s Life?

Anthony attorney Brad Conway sure thinks so.

Conway stated this morning that law enforcement’s quick response and search for a despondent George Anthony early this morning inevitably saved his life.

OK, I can understand that he was suicidal. His granddaughter has been murdered. His daughter is in jail, accused of the terrible crime. But I have a question: Do you believe that he was actually going to take his life? Was this an elaborate plan to take the focus of the case off of his daughter Casey and the recently released documents? Thoughts?

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Anthony, who reportedly sent several text messages to relatives suggesting that he wanted to end his life, was found alive in a Daytona Beach motel with what appeared to be a suicide note after his family reported him missing late Thursday.

“Had it not been for (law-enforcement), this might have been a different outcome,” lawyer Brad Conway said. “They deserve a huge thank you.”

Conway said he wanted to acknowledge the “outstanding” actions of Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. John Allen, the lead detective on the murder case involving Anthony’s granddaughter Caylee Marie; Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood; and the deputies and officers who helped track Anthony down.

“They went above and beyond, and they saved this guy’s life,” Conway said.

Daytona Beach police took Anthony into custody under the Baker Act after finding him in a motel on South Ridgewood Avenue. The Baker Act allows authorities to hold someone at a mental-health facility for up to 72 hours while they are evaluated by physicians.

Anthony, 57, was taken to the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach where he is being evaluated. A hospital spokeswoman said this morning Anthony was in stable condition and would be receiving a physical evaluation before being admitted to the hospital.

Anthony left his home on Hopespring Drive in east Orange County Thursday morning and failed to show up for a 4 p.m. meeting with his wife, Cindy, and Conway.

Beginning at about 10:30 p.m., Anthony began to send his family text messages. Conway wouldn’t disclose exactly what the messages stated, but said they “caused us great concern.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office released the incident report and the three-and-a-half-minute 911 call Conway made last night at the direction of Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John Allen, the lead detective handling the homicide of Caylee Marie.

Conway told dispatchers that George Anthony left the Anthony home around 10 a.m. Thursday morning to go on a job interview. Cindy Anthony relayed that her husband had been “upset and depressed” about his granddaughter’s death recently. On Wednesday Cindy had asked George to pick out jewelry for Caylee’s funeral, which seemed to upset him more, reports show.

“We’re worried that something is — he’s done something to himself,” Conway told a dispatcher.

Conway gave the call taker a description of Anthony and his clothing.

Reports show that Cindy Anthony grew increasingly concerned throughout the day because George Anthony canceled several meetings, including a 4 p.m. appointment with Conway.

She tried to reach him but he would not respond to calls or messages left on his cell phone, reports show. She checked her husband’s night stand and saw that his medication was missing as well as picture of Cindy with their daughter Casey Anthony. Friends and other family members had not been able to contact George Anthony throughout the day.

Around 10:45 p.m. George Anthony began sending text messages to friends and family stating “he did not want to live anymore and that he wanted to be with Caylee,” records show. He also sent messages that said he “wanted to make sure Caylee was in God’s arms.” He would not tell them where he was.

Several Orange County deputies responded to the Anthony home and met with Cindy Anthony and Conway. They also used the K-9 unit to search the area for George Anthony while others began looking for his Chevy HHR, reports show.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office felony squad immediately began its search for George Anthony. Allen drove to the Anthony home to meet with Cindy Anthony. He left after George Anthony was located.

Orange County detectives were able to use pings from George Anthony’s cell phone to track him to Daytona Beach near Bethune Point, according to Daytona Beach police. Officers began searching for George Anthony’s black vehicle and spotted it at the Hawaii Motel in the 1300 block of South Ridgewood Avenue.

Chitwood, Daytona Beach’s police chief, spoke with George Anthony and convinced him to seek medical attention.

Casey Anthony: Father To Undergo Psychiatric Evaluation

George Anthony is expected to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after an apparent suicide scare overnight.

Anthony is currently listed in stable condition and his medical evaluation, that should take place today, will determine the length of his stay.

It’s my assumption that the documents that were released this week may have led to this but this is just speculation on my part. Thoughts?

From WESH:

A member of the Orange County Jail’s health services staff notified Casey Anthony on Friday of the situation with her father.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Michael Chitwood transported George Anthony to a Daytona Beach hospital for psychiatric evaluation after he was found early Friday morning at a motel along U.S. Highway 1.

According to officials, George Anthony and his wife were expected to meet with their attorney Brad Conway on Thursday, but he never showed up. Both Conway and Cindy Anthony decided to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Office together to file a missing person’s report.

Daytona Beach Police located George Anthony at the Hawaii Motel on Ridgewood Avenue near Wilder Boulevard shortly before 2 a.m. Investigators said they used Florida’s Baker Act to take Anthony to Halifax Health Medical Center for a mental evaluation.

From the Criminal Report Daily:

George Anthony, father of 22-year-old Casey Anthony and grandfather of now deceased 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, was escorted to a hospital by police early this morning after he allegedly sent suicidal text messages to family members.

Anthony was reported missing yesterday, when he failed to show up for a meeting with his attorney. Later that day, he made contact with family members via text messages, in which he reportedly indicated that he wanted to “end his own life.”

Investigators were able to trace pings from Anthony’s cell phone to the Bethune Point area. His vehicle was located at the Hawaiian Inn, a motel near Daytona Beach, at about 2:30 a.m. this morning.

According to Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood, Anthony was upset and stated that he was under a lot of pressure.

“We do know George Anthony is saying I don’t want to live anymore,” Chitwood told Fox News.

Chitwood personally transported Anthony to Halifax Hospital, where he was Baker Acted – involuntarily admitted – for an evaluation.

Tim Miller, founder and director of Texas EquuSearch, was notified of Anthony’s disappearance last night and was preparing to fly to Orlando to help in the search when he received the news that Anthony had been located.

“I know what I went through with the death of my daughter Laura, which doesn’t even compare to what George is going through,” Miller told Investigation Discovery. “George has my full support, and whatever he needs from me, I am there for him.  Texas EquuSearch will continue to hold George up in prayer as he goes through this most difficult time.”