Motion: Casey Anthony 'Pauper To Princess'?

George, Cindy Take Stand Against Permanent Caylee Memorial
March 24, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A new hearing has been scheduled in the case against Casey Anthony.

Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland will hear a motion from the state at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in courtroom 23 in the county courthouse in Orlando. WESH.com is planning to stream the hearing live.

Wild Casey Anthony Pictures Published (May Be Unsuitable For Children)

The hearing is on a motion to determine whether Anthony's attorney has a conflict of interest. Prosecutors want to know if her main defense attorney, Jose Baez, has been selling the story of Casey and Caylee Anthony.

They point out that Casey Anthony has gone from "pauper to princess" and wonders how she is paying for the eight attorneys on her defense team. (Read The Motion)

Baez and Casey Anthony have filed sworn statements assuring the judge that Anthony did not give Baez the right to sell her story. Baez said he does not have a conflict of interest.

Baez and Casey Anthony both also admitted they had entered in to a retainer agreement.

Criminal defense attorney Richard Hornsby said he has a legal right to know if Casey Anthony paid Baez with money she stole.

Hornsby also said the judge needs to find out if Baez brokered the sale of Anthony's home videos to help fund her defense.

While Baez is not commenting further, the lawyer for George and Cindy Anthony said the couple is anxious about Wednesday's hearing. Brad Conway said it's time to put the money issue to bed.
"This is a major distraction. This takes away from everything that needs to be done in order to defend her," he said.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter Caylee, who was 2 when she was reported missing in July 2008. Caylee's remains were found in December 2008 in Orange County, not far from the home where she and her mother lived.

Also on Tuesday, the state released a list of about 250 names of potential witnesses in the case. The list is an updated version of one that was released earlier by prosecutors.

It includes the names of law enforcement officials, forensic lab experts, Anthony family members and Anthony's friends.

Meanwhile, Caylee's grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony, invited WESH 2 News to their home Tuesday. They are taking a stand against a permanent memorial to Caylee along Suburban Drive.

For the first time in months, George Anthony spoke one-on-one to WESH 2's Bob Kealing.
Caylee's grandparents are getting ready to unveil a Caylee Anthony foundation that will have a search and rescue component like a page from the Texas Equusearch playbook. At the same time, they're coming out against a permanent Caylee memorial along Suburban Drive.

George and Cindy Anthony unveiled a new search boat named for Caylee. They also unveiled plans for a Caylee Marie Anthony Foundation they both will spearhead.

The boat was built by the Anthony's long time ally Dennis Milstead of Kid Finder's network with $30,000 donated from the Never Lose Hope Foundation.

"They funded the boat and an ATV to start us out with the search group," Milstead said.
"I never want to look for a child in the water or the woods and stuff but if that's what we have to do that's what we're going to have to do," George Anthony said.

Cindy Anthony remained silent as her husband weighed in on the controversy surrounding what to do with the land along Suburban Drive. It's home to the Caylee memorial and currently up for sale.

"This is the kind of tribute I would rather see, not down at the end of the street. I think that's great, don't get me wrong," George Anthony said.

The couple's lawyer said the owner should not sell the land to bounty hunter Leonard Padilla who has talked about establishing a permanent memorial to Caylee.

"I think Mr. Padilla's motives are suspect and he's not the one to memorialize this little girl," George Anthony said.

The Anthonys also said they would like to see a park where children can play as the permanent memorial to Caylee.