Casey Anthony Judge Opens up
We know what will be leading the newscasts this evening in Orlando, even though the O-Town stations had nothing to do with getting the story.
The judge that presided over the Casey Anthony trial went on the Today Show and was very open about what he saw during the trial.
Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. said he was shocked to see Anthony found not guilty of the murder of her daughter Caylee.
He also said that Anthony "very manipulative" and and acted different when the jury was not in the courtroom.
"There were always two sides to Casey," Perry told Savannah Guthrie. "There was the public persona that she wanted the jury to see. And there was that side she showed when the jury was not there."
Perry described that public persona by saying Anthony "portrayed the role of a mother who had lost a child."
Perry said "you could notice the change and transformation in her when the jury went out. She was very commanding. She took charge of different things. You could see sometime her scolding her attorneys.”
The judge said he would never forget Anthony shouting from a holding cell and using four-letter words when she was offered a possible plea deal, which she rejected. "She was quite upset," the judge said.
Perry also defended cameras in the courtroom ("people need to know how their justice system works") and said that the prosecution had proved its case against Anthony.
But he added that all the defense had to do was create reasonable doubt, and that's what it did. Perry also praised defense attorney Jose Baez.
“The state had better lawyers, but Mr. Baez was very personable," Perry said. "He came across as someone that you would like." Perry compared Baez to the most likable used-car salesman that a customer might find.
Look for the Orlando stations to go way overboard with the Today Show interview and dissect it from every angle.