Tag Archive for: Casey Anthony

Casey Anthony’s Apology: Fake?

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A reader requested that I review Casey Anthony’s apology to her friend, Amy Huizenga, in the case of check fraud. Anonymous asks on my “Feedback” request page:

http://www.wftv.com/video/22335848/index.html She has super-twitchy microexpressions particularly compared to her blank face a few minutes earlier during her plea form responses http://www.wftv.com/video/22335740/index.html at 1:58 to 3:11 and during the prosecution’s descriptions of her crimes at 4:32 to 4:58 (where I swear I see smiling microexpressions while the prosecutor is talking about Casey‘s purchases at Target.)

Thanks for your request! Here are my thoughts: Read more

When I watch Casey in the second video link, where the judge talks to Casey and asks her questions about her plea deal (at the time marker’s specified above), I see no micro expressions. I do not see any positive emotions either. I do, however, see that Casey is swallowing frequently, which is an indication she is likely uncomfortable or nervous.

In the first video link, when I watch Casey as she apologizes to the court (and her friend), I believe that Casey is truly sincere. Her breakdown is genuine and real. It is not fake. I do not see any micro expressions, but what I suspect you are seeing are the normal stress movements of the face as Casey Anthony is trying to hold herself back from crying.

Micro expressions are flashes of hidden emotion that occur in 1/25th of a second. They are fast and fleeting.

What is fascinating to me, and it is very common, is that once people see someone in a negative light, they are unable to accept or see that a person with a negative history can still do genuine and positive things. I suspect this is due to an emotional bias. Emotional biases are a huge blinder to seeing the truth for every one of us. It’s one of the biggest pitfalls to being accurate at deception detection…

Thanks, anonymous, for sharing your thoughts with us.

Clarification (2-6-2010): While Casey’s crying episode was real and genuine, what we don’t know was “what she was crying about”. It may have been feelings of sorrow for her friend. It may have been tears for herself, but the emotions were genuine. That’s all I can ever say 🙂 I’m not a mind reader 🙂

The Anthonys on The Early Show: Part 2

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Watch CBS Videos Online

Read moreWhen I watch the video above, I don’t see any indications of deceit. George is truly proud of his daughter when he speaks about her.

I also believe the Anthonys when they say they just don’t know what Casey was thinking, and that they still have questions. That makes sense. Casey likely has refused to answer questions. She probably has used excuses like she fears her conversations will be released to the media, she’s still afraid of what “these people” might do to her parents, she’s too stressed out to talk, and if the Anthonys have pressured her, I am sure she has threatened them on some level.

There was one interesting slip that Cindy made that was notable here:

RODRIGUEZ: What finally prompted you, Cindy, to call the police?

CINDY ANTHONY: I could sm…when I saw Casey, I could tell something was wrong.

I think she didn’t want to bring up the smell of the car again. That is what truly concerned Cindy, and she has already told us that. Of course, today, she doesn’t want to believe that Casey could have left Caylee in the car, dead and decomposing, and I am sure she doesn’t want to open that can of worms again. She is reminded about it every day, if she turns on her TV.

When Rodriquez ask the Anthonys, “Do you fault her for anything?” I think George’s response is interesting. Watch how he presses his lips together and up. It’s indicative that George is holding back.

Do I think the Anthony’s knew their daughter was a liar? I do, but I don’t think they thought that equated to the potential for murder. There are many pathological liars who never murder.

While people are hard on the Anthonys for standing beside their daughter, I wonder how people would feel if they stood up and threw her under the bus? What would be more outrageous?

I commend the Anthonys on their unconditional love for their daughter. Love doesn’t mean that they approve of her actions, should they come to terms with them. And if I were in Cindy Anthony’s shoes, I would continue to speak publicly in defense of my daughter as well. I think it is all that the Anthonys have left in a very hopeless situation regardless of what they believe is the truth.

Tomorrow on The Early Show

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Here is a preview of Part 2 of the interview the Anthonys did with Maggie Rodriguez of The Early Show that will air tomorrow. Cindy Anthony talks about writing suicide notes last summer.

Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the entire segment!

The Anthonys on The Early Show

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George and Cindy Anthony were on The Early Show today. It was heart-wrenching listening to them.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Read moreThe one notable element in this video for me was that Cindy is clinging steadfast to the belief that Casey is innocent, but when I watch George, I see indications that lead me to believe that George has come to terms with Casey and Caylee, and the real potential that Casey killed Caylee, but he is unable to share it because either Cindy cannot cope with it, or he doesn’t want to talk publicly about it because it could obviously affect a fair trial for Casey. I get this feeling from the subtle moves George makes when Maggie Rodriquez asks Cindy and George questions about their belief in Casey’s innocence.

RODRIGUEZ: How are you so sure? Why do you say with such conviction that she didn’t do this?

C. ANTHONY: We love our daughter. We stand behind her. We know what kind of mother she was.

RODRIGUEZ: Is it because you love her (ph) daughter that you need to believe this or because you believe unflinchingly that it’s not possible that she did this?

G. ANTHONY: I don’t think it’s possible for my daughter to hurt anyone. And she wouldn’t definitely hurt her own child. I mean, my gosh, I’ve seen the love every single day that she had for her. You know, she took care of her being with us. So, I mean, she wouldn’t hurt her.

George’s answer here also just strikes me as a cover for his real feelings. “I mean”, “my gosh”, and “so I mean” sound like he is trying to convince us of something he doesn’t likely believe. He also shrugs his shoulders several times, which indicates doubt or a lack of conviction for what he is saying. George also seems to be on the verge of breaking down through much of the interview. If he has potentially come to terms with everything, we would expect that he would be very emotional. Cindy, on the other hand, has strength and does seem to get some peace from her beliefs about Casey.

Cindy looks slightly different in this video. Did you notice? There is a heaviness about her here, unlike I have ever seen before. I see it most in her eyes. I wonder if she is facing depression, or if she is just exhausted from a nightmare year. The other potential is that she is on some type of medication to relax her or help her cope with the emotional turmoil in her life.

I can’t imagine being George or Cindy Anthony. I can’t imagine the hell their lives have become. I don’t blame them for what Casey did. I think Casey was a very troubled and difficult woman to deal with, who put George and Cindy in positions that were nearly impossible to deal with. If you’ve never known the fury of a psychopath, you couldn’t possible understand the predicaments psychopaths will put you in. They put you in places where there is no winning solution. I suspect Cindy was ready to kick Casey out and fight for Caylee, and Casey’s ultimate revenge against her mother for that threat was to kill Caylee. How can anyone predict such insane behavior?

Anthony Depositions and Requests

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Several of you have emailed me stating that you want me to review the Anthony depositions from this past week. Please know that this general request is very broad and time consuming, and in light of that, I will consider smaller and more specific requests, but at this time, I don’t think it would benefit anyone if I watched the entire deposition.

Read moreIf you have interest in this, please provide me with time markers, video links and tell me briefly about the segment you are interested in. It shows me that you are truly interested in my opinion. Many times when I ask people for this information, they don’t respond, which leads me to believe they aren’t that interested in the topic. And if people aren’t interested, I don’t see the value for me to invest my time. Providing me with specifics to your questions, I think is a fair trade for my time and insight, and a great mutual and beneficial relationship for both of us.

Remember, I don’t give general personality reviews. People change constantly and I can’t say anything across the board about a person. I can only tell you what I see with regard to specific content.

People also seem to be shy to use my topic suggestion tool here. Can I ask why? It makes my life so much easier to have all suggestions in one centralized place. Don’t be shy, please! And if I move one aspect of a case off the main page, it doesn’t mean you can’t suggest it again in a slightly different variation. I’m happy to have suggestions! Thanks.