© ReutersCasey Anthony wipes away tears during her murder trial, as her attorney Dorothy Clay Sims looks on, in the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando
The Casey Anthony trial, for the alleged murder of her toddler Caylee Anthony, is chilling and bizarre. It's a mystery that has captured the public's attention ever since the media started covering it in late 2008.
It's irresistible to us because we can't accept the notion that a mother would willingly kill her child out of convenience, so we either think she's innocent or that she's not one of us but a psychopath.
Psychopathy is something else that mystifies and fascinates the public.
Medical science defines it as individuals who don't have the psychological capacity for conscience. They manipulate, lie, and deflect responsibility without batting an eye. They unashamedly gratify their base desires while minimizing their chances of harm. They do things normal people wouldn't think of - like killing your own child to shed some of life's responsibilities.
Below is the Hare Psychopathy Checklist of traits that define psychopathy (from minddisorders.com):
- glib and superficial charm
- grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
- need for stimulation
- pathological lying
- cunning and manipulativeness
- lack of remorse or guilt
- shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
- callousness and lack of empathy
- parasitic lifestyle
- poor behavioral controls
- sexual promiscuity
- early behavior problems
- lack of realistic long-term goals
- impulsivity
- irresponsibility
- failure to accept responsibility for own actions
- many short-term marital relationships
- juvenile delinquency
- revocation of conditional release
- criminal versatility
She emphasized Anthony's repeated and outrageous lies to the police and her parents regarding the whereabouts of her missing daughter. Then, each time she's confronted with evidence against her lie, she invents an entirely different story.
She detailed how Anthony visited several nightclubs, visited a tattoo parlor (and got a tattoo that read "Bella Vita," or beautiful life), attended parties, visited friends, went shopping, and hung out with her boyfriend - all while her daughter was missing.
"Caylee's death allowed Casey Anthony to live the good life," said Burdick.
"Casey Anthony ... appeared to be ... a loving mother, trying to provide support for her daughter. But as the evidence in this case will show, that was an illusion," she said, reported Fox News.
At the trial, Anthony's defense attorney claimed Caylee Anthony drowned in the family's swimming pool. Then, she hid the secret just like the way she hid her alleged childhood sexual abuse. The allegation of sexual abuse just surfaced today at the trial.
Ultimately, we may never know what really happened - Caylee Anthony's death wasn't recorded or witnessed in anyway. Even if a jury renders a decision, the truth may never be known.
What we do know is that we as a society cannot accept the notion that a mother would kill her own child out of convenience. We cannot accept the acts and behavior of psychopathy in general, hence the need to give it the psychopath label.
Comment: Indeed. Normal human beings, even if ponerized or wounded, cannot accept acts done with complete disregard of conscience. Therefore, it's not a matter of labeling per se, but a matter of calling a spade a spade. It's a matter of recognition, on an instinctual or visceral level, that this person is not really human.
We're afraid that we have traces of it in ourselves, yet we are fascinated by these brazen individuals. Whatever the case, we will always be drawn to cases like Casey Anthony.
Comment: There is no doubt that since we live in a poisonous environment ruled by psychopaths, some of their distorted notions became part of normal people's perceptions. It's a human tragedy as a result of ignorance and falling in confluence with something which is essentially foreign to humanity's make-up. Talking about it and bringing the topic into mass awareness can assist with educating people about the enormity of the lie and the gravity of the danger.
Read: Casey Anthony Trial: Crocodile Tears or Genuine Grief? [photos]
Casey Anthony, accused of killing her toddler daughter Caylee Anthony, turned on the waterworks at her trial today.
When the prosecution presented their opening statement, Anthony sobbed and shook her head, especially on the part about the last day her daughter was seen alive.
However, when the prosecution described Caylee's decomposing body, Anthony was "stone faced," reported ABC News.
The Anthony case, which has captured the public's attention, has become somewhat of a spectacle due to extensive media coverage and the victim's young age.
AP reported that a 51-year-old retired poker player arrived at the courthouse at 4 a.m. to grab a spectator seat for the court case.
A key question for these spectators and the public is if Anthony's tears are genuine, especially give the allegations that she repeatedly lied to her family and the police about the disappearance of her daughter.
"I personally don't think she's that diabolical that they've trained her to do that on cue. It comes back to reality when everyone is looking at you. Everything else is shut down. And at the end of the day, it's a 25-year-old girl that has no idea what is going on," observer Orlando criminal defense attorney Richard Hornsby told the Chicago Tribune.
However, body language expert Joe Navarro, who also talked to the Chicago Tribune, disagreed.
"Casey Anthony has a lot of the features of both a pathologically narcissistic person and histrionic personality. This is a strategy she has used over and over. Tears come out on demand. If she were in a room by herself, she wouldn't be crying," he said.
Reader Comments
to our Newsletter