Casey Anthony, acquitted in daughter's death, says she's now a legal advocate on TikTok
Casey Anthony, the Florida woman dubbed "America's most hated mom" after she was accused and acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter, has launched a TikTok and a newsletter to "reintroduce" herself personally and professionally as a legal advocate.
Anthony, 38, gained national notoriety after she was accused of killing her daughter, Caylee Anthony, in 2008 in a case that attracted a media frenzy much like the O.J. Simpson trial. Anthony initially told investigators Caylee had been kidnapped, prompting a massive search for the girl. In 2011, after more than 10 hours of jury deliberations, she was acquitted of murder but convicted of providing false information to law enforcement. She has since admitted lying to police in multiple interviews.
Anthony said in a TikTok video recorded Saturday that to continue working as a "legal advocate," she felt compelled to advocate for herself and for her daughter. She said she believes it's important to use her platform this way after people close to her were recently "targeted and attacked."
"As a proponent for the LGBTQ community, for our legal community, women's rights, I feel that it's important that I use this platform that was thrust upon me, and now look at as a blessing, as opposed to the curse that it has been since 2008," she said.
What was Casey Anthony accused of?
Prosecutors said Anthony suffocated her daughter, dumped her body in the woods near her home and didn't report her missing for more than a month. The state argued Anthony tried to resume her normal life after her daughter disappeared, including partying and getting "Bella Vita" − "Beautiful Life" − tattooed on her back.
Anthony's attorneys argued Caylee drowned in an above-ground swimming pool and Anthony's parents tried to cover it up. The defense team also accused her father and brother of abuse.
Anthony was found not guilty of killing her daughter and guilty of four counts of providing false information to law enforcement, though two were later overturned.
After the verdict, a Paste BN/ Gallup poll found that about two-thirds or 64% of Americans believed Anthony definitely or probably killed her daughter. Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. Perry told Orlando television station WFTV9 in 2017 that he believes Anthony killed her daughter unintentionally.
"The most logical thing that happened was that she tried to knock her daughter out by the use of chloroform and gave her too much of chloroform, which caused her daughter to die," he said.
Casey Anthony breaks her silence after acquittal
Anthony spoke about the case for the first time since her acquittal in a 2017 interview with The Associated Press. She admitted in the interview that she lied to police about her employment, leaving Caylee with a babysitter and receiving a call from Caylee before she vanished but said she was "still not certain" what really happened to her daughter.
At the time, The AP reported that Anthony was living with Patrick McKenna, the lead investigator on her case, and "doing online social media searches and other investigative work" for him.
Anthony reentered the spotlight in 2022 upon the release of a three-part docuseries, "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies," which featured her first on-camera interview since 2011. Anthony, who has been described as a pathological liar, said she began lying to cope with and cover up sexual abuse by her brother and her father, who has denied the allegations.
She said in the series that she believes her father was also abusing Caylee. She claimed he brought Caylee's wet body to her, assured her the child "would be OK," took her away and told Anthony to lie to the police. Anthony said that she did not launch her series on TikTok in response to anything that her parents have said or done but said she may at some point respond to them.
Casey Anthony promotes legal advocacy on TikTok
Anthony said on TikTok that she has worked in the legal field since 2011, though she did not say in exactly what capacity. The now-defunct news website The Messenger reported in 2023 that Anthony was still working for McKenna and had also started a private investigation business.
Anthony directed viewers to her Substack, an online newsletter platform, and said she plans to set up an email address where people can correspond with her directly on a limited basis regarding legal issues. She said she still plans to protect her privacy and will "explain in great detail" why doing so is important for public and private figures.
"My goal is to continue to help give a voice to people, to give people tools and resources that they can utilize so they actually know where they can turn to."
Contributing: Erin Jensen and Sean Rossman