The judge who presided over the notorious Casey Anthony trial has said he believes the former murder suspect accidentally killed her child while trying to sedate her.
In a much reported case, Ms Anthony, whose daughter Caylee went missing and was later found dead in 2011, was found guilty of lying to the police but cleared of manslaughter and child abuse charges.
The trial captured the public imagination and prior to her acquittal, Ms Anthony, from Florida, was referred to as “one of the most hated women in America” by a Department of Corrections spokeswoman.
Now, retired Judge Belvin Perry Jr, who presided over the trial, has said he thinks it is possible that Ms Anthony accidentally killed Caylee with chloroform, a sedative.
“The most logical thing that occurred, in my eyesight, based on everything I know about the case was that (Ms Anthony) did not intentionally kill her daughter,” Mr Perry told WFTV.
“I think upon the evidence, the most logical thing that happened was that she tried to knock her daughter out by use of chloroform.”
Evidence presented at the trial showed how Ms Anthony had researched how to use chloroform online. A scientist also reported finding the chemical in Ms Anthony’s car, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
“There was a possibility that she may have utilised that to keep the baby quiet ... and just used too much of it, and the baby died,” Mr Perry told the newspaper.
Caylee Anthony’s remains were found months after she disappeared and investigators were never able to establish a cause of death.
Mr Perry maintained: “The only person that really knows what happened was Casey.”
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