Casey Anthony Latest News: Prosecutor Says Anthony 'May Have Deserved' Death Penalty
Casey Anthony's prosecutor revealed that Anthony "may have deserved" the death penalty in her daughter's murder case and that he tried to get her to accept a plea deal towards the end of the trial.
Jeff Ashton's new book, Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, was released Tuesday and gives in depth detail of the trial.
He said that Anthony might have deserved the death penalty if she was found guilty of killing her daughter. Although, Ashton said he wanted it removed the prosecution, because he did not think the jury would ever agree to it.
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"Personally, I think I would have been happier if the death penalty had not been reintroduced into the case, even though I think on some level I think Casey may have deserved it. Simply put, I just didn’t think the jury would go there,” said Ashton.
Ashton also slammed Anthony's defense lawyer, Jose Baez, in the book.
"There is an unearned air of arrogance about the man that is incredibly frustrating to witness... The word I used in describing Jose is smarmy: somebody who is slick, underhanded and doesn’t shoot straight," Ashton said.
Ashton claimed Baez advised Anthony to not cooperate with authorities in the investigation.
In July, Anthony was found not guilty in the murder of her 2-year old daughter Caylee. The case garnered national attention.
Caylee went missing in July 2008. Her remains were found five months later near her east Orange County home in Florida. Anthony did not report Caylee missing for 31 days.
Anthony claimed Zanny Gonzalez, also known as "Zanny the Nanny" kidnapped her daughter Caylee. Anthony upheld the claim for three years until her legal team said the nanny never existed.
In the following days after Anthony reported Caylee missing, she gave false statements to law enforcement and it was discovered she partied in the days following her daughter’s disappearance.
Recently, Anthony met with her probation officer for her monthly meeting. The report revealed Anthony has yet to find a job and has no income.
