The Traumatized Argument

(Posted on 01/06/11)

With the world watching, U.S. lawyer Jose Baez presented his opening statements in the sensational Casey Anthony murder trial last week. Many were confident that he'd be using sexual trauma inflicted on his client to justify many of her behaviors in the months before and after the disappearance of her daughter. That's exactly what he did.

Baez told jurors that George Anthony molested his daughter from the time she was eight years old and from that moment forward, she learned and mastered the "everything is fine" mentality, even when her daughter drowned in the family swimming pool (that's another bit of information released during Baez's opening statements). Baez wrapped up his opening arguments by saying Lee Anthony, Casey's brother, also molested her, though not to the degree of her father's abuse.

Frankly, Casey Anthony displays many behaviors adult incest survivors present. She became promiscuous and she very likely wasn't completely sure of who Caylee's father was (it was learned today that Caylee Anthony's birth certificate does not have a father listed). She suffers from anxiety and depression and has exhibited other behaviors throughout her life. Her ability to dissociate is one for the textbooks. Perhaps what's most striking, however, is the visible tension between Casey and her mother, Cindy. Their epic battles are slowly being revealed in the Orlando courtroom and from a psychological stance, it appears there is a certain love/hate dynamic deeply woven in their relationship.

The question becomes: Is this a viable defense? If so, to what degree? If she is found guilty of murdering her two year old daughter, should she be sentenced to spend the rest of her life in a Florida prison? It's a death penalty case and it's certainly what the prosecution is seeking. Or would time spent in a psychiatric ward be justice served?

One thing's for sure; the slam dunk the state was hoping for in this case has quickly become a fascinating legal and psychological study. Jose Baez might have been underestimated since he's clearly hit the gate running. The Casey Anthony trial is expected to last eight weeks.