Three years after the acquittal of Casey Anthony in her trial for the murder of daughter Caylee, her lawyer and the judge who presided over the case are making headlines. Anthony’s lawyer, Jose Baez, recently gave an interview where he spoke about Anthony’s controversial case. Meanwhile, former judge Belvin Perry is stepping down from the bench to join a Florida law firm.
Baez sat down with WFTV’s Greg Warmoth to discuss his thoughts about the trial that put Casey in the international spotlight in 2011. He defended his opening statement in the trial, where he accused Anthony’s father George of sexually abusing her and of being part of a plan to cover up the alleged drowning of Caylee in a pool.
“There’s more evidence that she drowned in the pool, in my opinion, than there is that of chloroform or duct tape,” said Baez. He also addressed rumors of having an affair with Anthony by denying that she was doing legal research for him and saying he no longer is in contact with her.
“So many people think she got away with murder. I think not,” Baez said.
The lawyer, who recently opened an office in downtown Orlando, claimed that he felt Judge Belvin Perry talked down to him during the trial. Perry has officially resigned his post as chief judge of Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit. After serving 25 years as a judge there, he announced on September 1 that he was going back into private practice with the law firm of Morgan and Morgan.
Video: Casey Anthony trial judge has a new job http://t.co/BxqUSnWPYC pic.twitter.com/a9M30OLmg1
— WESH 2 News (@WESH) September 2, 2014
Perry is reportedly looking forward to returning to the courtroom trying cases, having served as a prosecutor for several years before becoming a judge. “I have a golden opportunity to do something that I’ve always wanted to do, and that’s to practice personal injury law,” he said of the new development in his career.