Was Casey Anthony Raped? and Would that Change How You Feel About Her "not Guilty" Verdict?
New revelations in the Casey Anthony case surfaced this week when her psychiatrist, Dr. Jeffery Danziger, revealed that her murdered 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, may have been conceived by rape.
"Got pregnant, had the baby," he wrote in his notes from a meeting in November 2010. "Took two beers, possibly given another drug. Woke up passed out unclothed bottom. Don't remember anything at a party. Age 18. This is how she became pregnant." He said that she didn't know who Caylee's father was.
Dr. William Weitz also conducted the psychological evaluations; according to his testimony, Anthony said that she "never considered, once she was pregnant, having an abortion or having the baby put up for adoption. She wanted the child."
The details came to light when Anthony's psychological evaluations were unsealed this week; Danziger's and Weitz's notes were from depositions taken on April 7 and April 13, 2011. Neither psychiatrist testified during her trial last summer.
The evaluations show that Danziger found no evidence of mental illness, and that he felt she was competent enough to stand trial. But there were a few results of the psychological testing that surprised him: Even while she was in jail in July 2008, her child missing and presumed dead, Anthony seemed "normal," "surprisingly cheerful but not manic," and "calm, cooperative and pleasant, as if we were discussing someone who had a parking ticket."
"If my child was missing and I was in jail and being accused of it, I probably wouldn't eat or wouldn't be cheerful and wouldn't been able to read," he said during the April 2010 deposition, adding that he had never seen anyone in similar circumstances have "normal" results on a psych evaluation.
In contrast, it was while talking about her family in November 2010 that Anthony finally seemed upset. Danziger noted Anthony's mouth was pursed, her jaw clenched, and her eyes narrowed. "It's painful and distressing," he noted that she said of her mother, father, and brother's actions when she was a young teenager -- but not about her child's disappearance.
While Anthony was publicly condemned for her actions -- the prosecution described her as a carefree party girl who got a tattoo saying "beautiful life" in Italian while her daughter was still missing, moved in with a boyfriend, reportedly did not seem anxious or sad about her child, lied to her parents about her daughter's whereabouts and didn't tell people that her toddler was missing -- the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) points out that the effects of sexual assault can include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, substance abuse, self-harm.
Does the fact that she my have gotten pregnant as a result of rape change the way you feel about Casey Anthony or her not-guilty verdict? Or, given that Anthony was convicted of four counts of lying to law enforcement, does the new information make you wonder why it wasn't brought up during the trial?
Also on Shine:
Why letting Casey Anthony adopt a dog makes perfect sense
We are obsessed with Casey Anthony because she violates gender norms
Casey Anthony's video diary: Things are starting to look up, she says
Casey Anthony found not-guilty of 2-year-old Caylee's murder
New definition of rape is more realistic
