This past Tuesday, Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys were set to appear in court in an attempt to appeal her four convictions that involved lying to authorities while they searched for her daughter Caylee Anthony in 2008. In 2011, Anthony, 26, was acquitted for murdering her 2-year-old daughter, but was convicted on four counts of providing false statements after sharing her initial statements with detectives. One of the main statements being that Anthony told authorities that a nanny by the name of Zenaida Gonzalez had kidnapped her daughter Caylee. Since 2011, Anthony, who has been dubbed the most hated woman in America has concealed herself from the public and thus was not expected to appear at the hearing held at the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Daytona Beach, Florida.
According to ABC News’ Orlando affiliate WFTV, the court’s main task is to answer whether Anthony was in police custody when she made her statements. This is of importance since the conviction could be overturned on the grounds that the statements were inadmissible since she had failed to be Mirandized. Lastly, the case could also impact Anthony’s current civil suit from Zenaida Gonzalez, a woman who is suing for defamation. Gonzalez claims that because of Anthony’s tale she lost her job and was evicted from her own house. And while the irony lies in the fact that both women are complete strangers, Gonzalez’s attorney (Matt Morgan) told ABCNews.com on Tuesday “this hearing today is critical for our case because, at this junction, we have been unable to get testimony from Casey Anthony…because she has been hiding behind the shell of the Fifth Amendment.”
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In California, lying to the authorities could be prosecuted under a variety of criminal laws. Any person that knowingly files a false police report is guilty of violating Penal Code section 148.5, a misdemeanor. A person who falsely identifies themselves to a police officer can be charged with a misdemeanor violation of Penal Code section 148.9. Any person who knowingly gives false information to a police officer while the officer is enforcing traffic laws is guilty of a Vehicle Code section 31, a misdemeanor. Any person who uses a false name, knowingly makes a false statement or knowingly conceals a material fact from a statement filed with the DMV or the CHP is guilty of violating Vehicle Code section 20, a misdemeanor.