How I got into true crime & Casey Anthony

Before I talk about the Casey Anthony case, I thought I'd fill you in on how I got into true crime in the first place. At some point in college, I got interested in Forensic Files. I liked learning the science behind solving crimes. Also in college, my mom got me into watching trials on Court TV. One of the first trials I watched was when NBA player Jayson Williams was accused of shooting his limousine driver.

Of course I became a "fan" of Nancy Grace and other talking heads on HLN and Court TV. I'll sometimes watch shows like Dateline and 48 Hours but not religiously. I'm much more of a true crime podcast girl at this point.

Right now, my favorite kinds of cases to learn about are the ones where there is a mystery or disappearance to solve. For instance, I'm not interested in hearing about how Ted Bundy killed his victims, but I am interested in trying to figure out a missing person case or a crime that is not solved yet. Examples: JonBenet, Asha Degree, Brandon Lawson. (Just to name a few!)

I hope that gives you a little info on my true  crime background!

Now, let's get into Casey Anthony!

On Thursday night, I watched the new docu-series by Marcia Clark called The First 48. Marcia investigates the first 48 hours of infamous crimes. I was so thankful my friend Katy told me this show would be on because I had no idea!

The first case Marcia tackled was Casey Anthony. I watched most of of the trial, listened to the talking heads/pundits, and was very invested. I remember when the verdict was read. I was on my spin bike and I bawled as she was found innocent of all charges except lying to police officers. I called my mom, sobbing. She took the news better than I did.

I will never forget what Nancy Grace said following the verdict....

"Friends, the devil is dancing tonight."

Since that day, I have had some time away from the trial. I read books about the case and lots of different people's opinions on reddit. With time and perspective, it was easier to accept the not guilty verdict. The jurors simply didn't think the prosecutors proved a murder even occurred. As time passed, I was less angry. I still 100% believed Casey knew how her daughter died and was responsible for her death- whether it was intentional, accident, or neglect. But was it premeditated murder? During the trial, I was 100% in the premeditated camp. But as time passed, I hovered on 60% premeditation, 40% accident with cover up...

.... UNTIL I WATCHED THE FIRST 48!!!!

There were two pieces of evidence I had never heard before! The first piece of evidence was that cadaver dogs did indeed hit on Casey's car trunk. To me, that is some compelling evidence that there was a body decomposing in the back of Casey's car.

Then, a computer analyst discovered that on the day Caylee died, Casey did an internet search for "full proof suffocation". No one else was at the home when Casey searched for those terms- just Casey and Caylee. And then Caylee disappears that day.

Now, I Google some STRANGE SHIT (mostly due to my true crime obesession) but that has got to be some TERRIBLE LUCK to search for "full proof suffocation" on the day your daughter disappears.

Due to these two pieces of evidence that are new to me, I am now 90% premeditated murder and 10% accident with cover up. And the 10% is simply because I feel like nothing is ever 100%. But to me, that 10% of doubt does not rise to the level of reasonable doubt... mainly because the only thing Casey did after Caylee's death was hide it for 31 days and then lie about it FOREVER.

So those are my thoughts. I love listening to other theories and viewpoints, so if you have one, leave it in the comments!