As much as everyone wishes it were over, the drama over the Casey Anthony trial continues.
On Friday morning in Orlando came yet another bombshell in the case: ABC News paid $200,000 to the Anthony family, and the money went towards Casey’s legal defense. The revelation comes as the judge decided whether to declare her indigent, which would mean the state of Florida would have to pay for pursuing the case against her.
Anthony’s legal team told the court it has spent $275,000 on her defense so far. More than two-thirds of that has come from the money given to the family by ABC News.
An ABC News spokesperson told Mediabistro’s TVNewser blog: “In August 2008 we licensed exclusive rights to an extensive library of photos and home video for use by our broadcasts, platforms, affiliates and international partners. No use of the material was tied to any interview.”
It isn’t the first time ABC News has given money to the family. TVNewser also reports that in February 2009, the network paid for a three-night hotel stay at a Ritz-Carlton in Central Florida for Casey Anthony’s parents. During their stay, they dined with an ABC News producer hoping to land an exclusive interview. The Anthonys declined.
Casey Anthony was indicted on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse in October 2008, months after her daughter, Caylee, went missing. The trial finally ended this week, when Anthony was acquitted of any serious charges, and found guilty on four counts of giving false information to law enforcement officials.
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