Legacy of Caylee Anthony … Florida Looks to Make Lying about Missing Children to Become a Felony Offense … Too Bad its Not Retroactive for Casey Anthony

It is the backlash of the Casey Anthony murder verdict where a jury failed to provide Justice for Caylee.

Florida politicians are looking to make it a felony offense to lie to law enforcement when a child goes missing, is hurt or killed. This is in direct response to the outrage and miscarriage of justice in the murder trial of Casey Anthony in the death of her daughter Caylee.  Casey Anthony was acquitted of murdering her daughter by a clueless jury but convicted of four counts of misleading law enforcement officers. Hardly justice, especially when most common sense thinking people believe that Casey Anthony was guilty as sin.

A special state Senate committee created in response to the death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony and acquittal of her mother, Casey, wants to make it a felony to lie to law enforcement officials when a child goes missing and is hurt or killed, punishable by five years in prison.

Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chairman of the Select Committee on Protecting Florida’s Children, proposed revising the law that currently classifies lying to law enforcement officials investigating crimes as a misdemeanor. Negron’s measure would make it a third-degree felony for anyone to “knowingly and willfully” give false information to law enforcement officers conducting an investigation involving a child 16 years of age or younger.

Florida Senator Joe Negron is not looking to create a new law; however, looks to make it a third-degree felony for intentionally and willfully misleading law enforcement when a child is missing.  Had this law been in place when the Casey Anthony murder trial took place this past summer, Casey Anthony could have received up to 20 years behind bars instead of just four for lying to police who were investigating the disappearance of her 2 year-old daughter, Caylee,

Anthony’s acquittal on murder charges prompted Florida legislators to file a flurry of “Caylee’s Law” measures, but Negron said he did not want to craft a new law specifically in response to the Anthony verdict. Unlike the other bills, Negron said he would not attach the child’s name to the measure.

“But the bottom line is, if your child is missing and you’re intentionally and willfully misleading law enforcement, that’s evil behavior and it won’t be tolerated. By making it a third-degree felony, I think we’re making that statement,” he said.