Throngs of television camera crews and a handful of demonstrators ticked away the minutes outside the Orange County jail late Saturday night in anticipation of Casey Anthony's release -- three years and one day after she was first arrested for her role in the disappearance and, eventually, death of her 2-year-old daughter.The Orlando woman is scheduled to be released sometime Sunday, and those who gathered in the drizzle in the jail parking lot expected it to take place shortly after 12 a.m.Most of those who waved placards were there to voice their opposition to Anthony's release, but they did so peacefully.Outnumbered but undaunted, one man held a sign that read, "Casey, Will You Marry Me." Earlier Saturday, someone toted another sign: "She's not guilty. Get over it."
TV crews, demonstrators await Casey Anthony's release
The Orlando woman's release comes 12 days after a jury acquitted her on murder and child neglect charges. That verdict brought an abrupt end to a six-week trial that drew intense media hype for its elements of family drama and the continued mystery over what happened to young Caylee Anthony.
Around 10 p.m. Saturday, a print reporter, videographer and photographer went inside the Orange County jail facility so they could document Anthony's release. They will then share details with the legions of other journalists camped out in a staging area outside the jail's booking center.
While Anthony was cleared on the more serious charges, the jury of seven women and five men did convict her on four counts of misleading law enforcement agents who were investigating Caylee's whereabouts.
Orange County Superior Court Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. gave Anthony credit for time served in determining the release date. She was initially taken into custody July 16, 2008, and had been jailed -- with some brief exceptions, having been freed on bail on multiple occasions -- for most of the past three years.
Her toddler girl's skeletal remains were eventually found in a wooded field not far from the home of Casey Anthony's parents in December 2008, seven months after she was last seen.
Prosecutors tried, unsuccessfully, to convince jurors that the mother used chloroform to render her daughter unconscious and then duct-taped her mouth and nose to suffocate her. Her defense lawyers, meanwhile, painted Caylee's death as an accident, claiming that she'd drowned accidentally at the family pool and that Casey and her father George Anthony both covered it up.
