When I stop to consider the work of Dr. Robert Hare and his comprehensive work on psychopaths, people who live amongst us with a moral hollowness and deprave cunning, it’s no surprise I have been closely following the Casey Anthony case. We are all that much more disturbed when the seemingly innocuous — the girl scout next door — tries to sell us her poisoned cookies. Just as some of the most vicious and despicable crimes are committed by men in designer ties, Casey Anthony glaringly exemplifies a femme fatale seduced by her own pathology. Dennis Rader, the infamous “BTK killer,” would kiss his wife and kids goodbye as he carried his lunchbox to church, though lurking deep beneath the shallow veneer of that Americana was a brooding bloodlust. More notable is Ted Bundy, the suave and charming necrophile whose deceit was sharper than his smile. Then there’s Casey Anthony — a manipulative narcissist who attempts to entrench us in her web of lies and suffocate us in her swamp of sophistry (psychopathy is a term of psychiatric taxonomy that has symptoms which can characterize and overlap other antisocial disorders).
As the evidence informs us, Casey’s daughter (Caylee) “mysteriously” vanished amongst a network of people who don’t actually exist, the most significant being Zenaida “Zanny” Fernandez-Gonzalez. This is the nanny that Casey alleges last had custody of her daughter. A month passes before a police investigation even begins because Casey dealt with the grief of her missing daughter by entering a hot body contest and doing Jägerbombs at her favorite watering hole (yes, we all grieve differently — ahem). I understand this doesn’t prove intent in a strict legal sense, but suffice it to say Casey’s behavior was about as tactful as blowing a party favor at an abortion clinic. Nonetheless, her credibility remains as flimsy as Hugh Hefner’s cock — and her defense team is working diligently to cast aspersions on everyone involved in the case while Casey sits stoic, ruminating in the pits of her pathology.
Additional information has surfaced that Casey used to drug her daughter with the benzodiazepine Xanax, I assume because crib mobiles are just so passé. I can tell you from my own experience with Xanax that I used to call them “Zannys,” coincidentally the same name of the nanny Casey alleges has her daughter. Surely a drug like Xanax that is meant to relax a person (in this case, a child) could be thought of as a “nanny,” especially if the goal was to sedate Caylee long enough for Casey to imbibe with friends at last call. In my estimation, all evidence points to “Zanny the Nanny” being an imaginative concoction of beguilement and egocentrism, a clever, euphemistic ruse to divert police on a phantom chase. Make no mistake about it — Casey Anthony’s deceitful reputation precedes her to the point that she may have systemically coached herself to believe her own delusions. She is a haughty and hopeless enigma of innate corruption, a rotten apple not worthy of a worm. Even if she is not a calculating murderer, she is a calculating liar, a painful and disconcerting avatar of a human being. Well I’ve got news for you Casey Marie Anthony: “I see you.”
* A guilty verdict for 1st degree murder seems very conceivable given this timeline of events (read specifically the dates spanning June 15 thru July 15). There is your killer in my opinion. That said, I think Casey Anthony will get a verdict of life in prison and not receive the death penalty. Meanwhile, defense will be working diligently toward a sympathy plea and hung jury.










You couldn’t have hit the nail on the head any harder.
Thanks Gretchen. I guess I didn’t do too bad for a layman.
Tiny Correction: FernadEZ-Gonsalez not FernanO-Gonsalez
Thanks, Lorena. I corrected that. Appreciate it.
This is such an honest, brilliant and humorous piece. Not a lot of people write about her psyche .. Only her actions which make people go hmmm? Thanks for ur insightful analysis!
Thanks Vanessa! Much appreciated. I agree — I think this case will be studied and mulled over for a long time because authorities are simply astonished at the degree to which Casey could lie.
I too am fascinated by all the anti-socials .. And can’t get enough of the trial! I bet she will be studied in text books.
Question… Can a person who dies after being found guilty for capital murder such as in this case -either by death penalty or by doing life- can her brain be used for research? Does she “belong” to the government and could they use her brain to study what is wrong with her?
Good question. Um, all I can tell you without researching it further is that psychopathy has been associated with the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. I suppose they could discover abnormalities in these parts of a brain postmortem.
WOW! EXCELLENT and BRILLIANT info!!! I HOPE and PRAY that jury and the Judge will see through her web of lies, and see that the perpetrator is right in front of them!
Thanks Monica! Much appreciated. With 7 felony counts against her, her chances of walking free are slim I think.
I agree 100% with this..I see her too!
Thanks Nossyn. Appreciate it. :0)
Excellent read, thank you. Took the worlds right out of my mouth (Except the Hugh Hefner cock part, ugh)
It is clear that she is a psychopath but to me what is more interesting is how she became that way. Is it in your nature or environment? She clearly is not intelligent. She must have known that eventually people would notice that her child was missing, yet she waited, and waited, all along believing that people would keep believing her lies. I have known a few pathological liars and one who claims to have been sexually abused as a child.
Yes, that is interesting. I don’t know. I can only speculate that psychopaths are the result of nature-nurture influence. There is some scientific evidence that psychopathy has genetic factors and I think it’s reasonable to believe that family dysfunction and drugs/alcohol can play a significant role.
“a rotten apple not worthy of a worm.” “avatar of a human being.” You “have a way with words”! Great article! Thanks
Thank you. And thanks for reading.
I did pick up on the Xanax and Zanny connection.I just figured it was her drug of choice.Your position is more logical.
Thanks. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck — it’s almost always a duck. And that’s Casey Anthony.
I have been following this case since its inception which was shortly after the birth of my first child (a daughter). You have clearly and concisely summarized the atrocity that is Casey Anthony. I cannot articulate in words what she deserves. Thanks for the article
Thanks Ula. Appreciate that and thank you for reading. I’ve been following this since the day Nancy Grace ran the first show 3 years ago. I just can’t believe it’s taken 3 years to get to this point. That should never happen. Another gripe I have is that it should be mandatory that Casey Anthony take the stand given what her defense is. If she doesn’t take the stand then I see that as a major flaw in the judicial system.
Awesome piece, love the girl scout poisonous cookies! LMAOOO
Thanks, Lisa! Much appreciated.
Excellent article, and I learned a new word .. sophistry. We know a psychopath and he’s a real piece of work. Unfortunately, he’s the father of 2 of our grandchildren – my daughter’s ex. Sophistry is the perfect word for him. He leaves a trail of lies, destruction and burnt bridges behind him. We have nothing to do with him anymore, and his 3 siblings don’t ever see him. Sadly, the grandchildren live with him 50% of the time, poor things. They can’t stand him. Anyway, thanks for the article. Cheers.
Thanks very much, Charlene. Sorry to learn that you have a psychopath in your family. I agree that it’s sad family can’t all get along, but it sounds like you did the right thing.
I was thinking today of how her psychopathic behavior is of the narcissistic variety. She may have been able to manipulate people with her lies and seductive charms, but her lack of intelligence was her flaw. She was not very clever when she named the nanny, “Zanny”, and she got a tattoo (permanent) which reads “Bella Vita” just after the “disappearance” of her daughter. Obviously, she was ready for a beautiful life without the burden of motherhood. I wonder if she seduced her brother to get him to lie or cover for her? And, once again, the obvious: her daughter’s name — CAYLEE. Cay for Casey and Lee for Lee? Did she let him think that Caylee was his daughter and hold this shame over him?
Thanks for reading and commenting, Sue. Casey’s lies were unsustainable — so in that regard, not smart at all. I prefer the motive theory that she killed Caylee because Caylee was learning to speak and would soon be able to distinguish her lies and communicate the truth to others. I was never convinced of any of the molestation/rape allegations. Lee and George both had paternity tests done and neither is the father. Caylee’s father is just another missing puzzle piece that Casey gets to control by silence and lies. I think Casey’s attitude toward her family changed to revenge after they started to suspect her and stopped visiting her in jail. I think this is when she decided she would plot something that would throw them all under the bus.
Yes, I agree with you. But, in particular, when dissecting this case and trying to figure out her personality disorder and the control that it had over her family, the glimpse into the relationship between Casey and Lee is quite interesting. Having read many articles and books on antisocial behavior or psychopathology, and having first hand knowledge of same, believe me when I say that anyone close to such a person can be manipulated and used as a game piece in her game. Just as she sacrificed her daughter because she wanted to party, or change her game, she could have sexually enticed her brother to say, touch her inappropriately, when he was at an age of sexual curiosity. Then, she would hold it over his head to make him an unwilling accomplice, or at least a silent observer of her crimes. When he finally said or did something that displeased her, she proclaimed that he could be the father of her child since he sexually molested her (even if it was a “touch” at puberty). His shame was so apparent when he testified. Then, he did not attend the trial after that.
I understand that a sexually manipulative female could be capable of doing what you’ve described and perhaps there was some past “event” that Casey is using as the psycho-emotional basis for such accusations (like Lee watching her in the shower for example). For that matter, it’s even possible Casey is recalling false memories and so has conditioned herself to believe she was sexually violated in some way. It’s also entirely conceivable Casey was sexually violated by a past boyfriend or lover and is engaged in transference (to the males in her family). These are assumptions for which there is unfortunately no concrete evidence though still make sense in the context of her psychological profile.
Excellant points by writer, and reader/writers.No, clearly- there was some dysfunctioal sexual exchange between Casey and Lee-on some level. I do not believe there was child sexual abuse by George. Pedophiles do not give up their game, and there is no such trace with George. I think the family stopped visiting because of taped exposure.Clearly- the dysfunction began with George and Cindy. It begins where the web is first spun….
No doubt the family is very dysfunctional, but unfortunately dysfunction is not an alibi for murder. The prosecution just did an amazing job in their closing statements. Man, I think Casey Anthony is done.
Jeff I loved your comments regarding casey anthony case. She definitely is guilty of the charges against her and I think she should have testified but the laws of this country give us the rights of not taking the stand in our own defense. Especially if it may incriminate us . So I agree with it all except your point to Ula about forcing someone to take the stand.
Thanks Mike. Yea, I’m watching the prosecution tie it up in closing statements now. It doesn’t look good for Casey Anthony. I think she may be heading to death row.
Thank you. You explained to me why this case captivated me so. I’ve always been interested in the psychopathic mind and Casey is a classic psychopath. Interesting piece.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Much appreciated!