A Sociopath In The Family

The system worked. The system didn't work. The jurors were boneheads. The jurors were doing their jobs. The prosecution team was brilliant. The jurors were turned off by Jeff Ashton's laughter at Baez's closing arguments. Jose Baez is a Bozo. Jose Baez is the man of the moment, hailed as "Juani Cochran" by those making comparisons to the O.J. trial. Nancy Grace was responsible for the "Not Guilty" verdict because of her extensive coverage of Caylee Anthony. Nancy Grace is a saint for championing missing children. Did George Anthony molest Casey Anthony? Is Cindy Anthony writing a book? Lee Anthony is just plain weird. Is Casey going to get rich after she's released from jail? Let's pass Caylee's law. No, let's not pass Caylee's Law. God will ultimately judge Casey. God would have never allowed Caylee to die. Casey Anthony will be a pariah when she's released. Hell, no, she's hot! Casey was an amazing mother. What mother would not report her daughter's disappearance?

Pick your opinion from the list above, or add your own - have I missed one? About the only thing everyone agrees on is that Casey is a liar. Even the simpletons who acquitted Casey couldn't overlook her lies.

With Casey Anthony, lying was elevated to an art form. The length, breadth, depth, and detail of her lying was mind-boggling. Heck, she lied when no lie was necessary. But why?

Because Casey Anthony is a narcissistic sociopath. A sociopath, according to the dictionary definition, is "a person, as a psychopathic personality, whose behavior is antisocial, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience." No need to define narcissistic - anyone who watched the trial and observed Casey's incessent preening saw narcissism in action.

Living with the aftermath of the damage a sociopath can wreak is akin to a sentence of life without parole. Whether you like or dislike the words and actions of George, Cindy, and Lee Anthony, their lives have been destroyed by the lies sociopathic daughter and sister.

Were they enablers? Were they dysfunctional? Yes, of course they were. But my theory is that the family dynamic was not always so appalling. At one point, the Anthonys, more then likely, WERE a fairly normal family.

Understand, I am not making excuses for the Anthonys. It's obvious that staring down a cobra would be a more attractive option then scrapping with Cindy Anthony - one has only to look at Cindy in her deposition tapes. Certainly Cindy loves the limelight as much as her daughter, and Cindy also has issues with telling the truth.

But a sociopath in the family is like the slow spread of a deadly cancer. Casey the sociopath was the cancer in the Anthony family. Over the years, the Anthonys were debilitated by dealing with Casey's lies.

Casey sentenced her family to a life without parole when she killed Caylee. Her rage toward her family increased when they demanded of her the one thing that a sociopath feels they never have to do - account for their actions. When her mother demanded truth and accountabilty from Casey for Casey's stealing, she retailated by taking away the one thing her family cherished - Caylee.

Clearly Casey dismissed any thought of Caylee the moment she tossed Caylee's body in the woods. Casey's arrogance and narcissism allowed her to think she would be able to handily manage the requisite web of lies necessary to explain Caylee away.

Jose Baez was the mouthpiece in the courtroom when Casey fired off her biggest round of lies yet. Not content with the damage she had done to her family in killing Caylee, she "killed" her family with accusations of sexual abuse.

Cindy (until she perjured herself on the stand), the law enforcement officers, and the legal system tried to hold Casey accountable for her lies. Unfortunately, sociopaths can be charming. The jurors were charmed by Casey Anthony's lies, as Jose Baez repeated them.

So, Casey was rewarded by the jurors with a get-out-of-jail card. Justice, as many felt it should be meted out, didn't happen when Casey was found not guilty.

Yes, sadly, there may be media outlets that will want to pay Casey for an exclusive interview. There will be questionable characters and unsavory hangers-on that will bask in the tawdry glow of Casey's temporary fame and fortune. Because, in time, Casey Anthony will not have the fame and fortune she no doubt feels she deserves.

Casey remains a sociopath, and, therefore, a ticking time bomb. Her true justice may only come when the spotlight fades and she is left alone with only her lies to protect her from a world that considers her a pariah.