I didn’t actually know too much about the Casey Anthony case but perusing the Internet for photos fired up an interest I didn’t even know I had. I’ve been reading about the case like mad. I’m a true crime nut, but I largely ignored the case when it was all over the media. At the time of the case and trial, I did pay close attention to the portrayal of Casey Anthony in the media. It was similar to the way Amanda Knox was treated during her murder trial. Like an evil vixen. I’d say, though, in Anthony’s case, there was definitely a lot more evidence but there’s something about the way the media portrays women on trial that really bugs me. There’s so much focus on how they look. I still can’t say that I have a real opinion about her guilt or innocence since there’s just so much evidence to sift through, but it’s hard to ignore some of what was brought up during the trial. I’ve also never been a member of a jury and it always fascinates me when I think about what must be going through their heads when they discuss a case together and decide someone’s fate. Below you’ll find 15 photographs of Casey Anthony or of evidence in the case that I’m sure Anthony herself would forever want erased from the Internet.

14. Smiling In Court

Here’s what you’re going to get while reading this: I’m going to try my best to offer up both sides of the story for each image. If anything, I’ll try to bring up questions for you to mull over. Sure, when you first look at this photograph you probably have a gut reaction. It’s a bit jarring to see someone smiling while they’re in court and on trial for murder. This particular photograph was taken on July 7, 2011. It was snapped during Casey Anthony’s sentencing hearing. Anthony was found guilty of the most serious charges laid against her (murder for example) but she was still found guilty of lying to police which is why she was at a sentencing hearing in the first place.

13. Smoking A Cigar

Classy pic. A cigar and alcohol. Be honest, you’ve probably got some photos on Facebook that are strikingly similar. FYI: make your Facebook private. It’s just good common sense. The media, and prosecution, portrayed Casey Anthony as a huge partier who wasn’t very concerned with the well being of her child, Caylee Anthony. She was depicted as someone who just didn’t want to prioritize being a mom. If a mom likes to party, does that necessarily make her a murderer? I don’t think so. It might signify that she’s neglectful, though. Does it mean she planned to get rid of her daughter in cold blood? Not necessarily. It could have all been an accident. But is it really a mistake if you’re not properly caring for your child?

12. Butt Grab

I’m pretty sure I have a photo like this somewhere. Girlfriends goof off with one another. It’s normal. If you were put on trial for murder, the police would likely dig into your social media accounts and find all your embarrassing photographs. Think about how that would look. Sure, you might be innocent, but pictures tell a one-sided story. They are a snapshot in time. There’s no telling what happened a few seconds before or after and the image is forever immortalized. Sift through your online photos right now, is there anything there you’d rather have hidden away? I’m sure there is.

11. Yard Sale

Look, I could be wrong but I think Casey Anthony would prefer not to be the subject of a TMZ article. She’s seemingly moved on and is having a garage sale. She probably doesn’t want to get back onto the public’s radar. If I were her, I’d want to hide my face. The thing is, I bet some random neighbourhood person snapped this pic and then sold it to TMZ. She was none the wiser. She just wanted to sell antiques and then her face ends up all over the media again. I bet she really regrets having that garage sale.

10. Fake News About Her Death

Yeah, no one wants to see this kind of fake news about themselves. Sure, it’s not real but there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it, it’s really eerie. Imagine seeing a news story like this about yourself. You know you’re not dead and dismembered but then it makes you think about all the ways someone might hunt you down and cut you apart. Eeek! The story popped up on a fake news site called Breaking News 13. Naturally, the headline garnered clicks since Casey Anthony’s name is pretty well known by most people. But it’s totally fake. Anthony is still alive and well and hosting garage sales.

9. Trump Rally

Here’s another recent pic of Casey Anthony. Here she’s pictured at a Trump protest rally. Again, I doubt she’s thrilled about being picked out of a crowd. She likely just wanted to go to the anti-Trump rally and lay low. We know one more thing about her now, she’s opposed to Trump. It’s interesting that for someone who often tries to keep a low profile heads to such a big event. It must mean that the cause is important to her. It shows that she cares about something. Or maybe she was just passing by and it seemed like a big fun party?

8. Party Girl

Aha. Another party girl photograph. The fresh-faced woman in the photo wearing the pretty blue dress barely looks like a mom. She looks like a fun-loving college student. This photo looked very familiar to me and it’s likely because I saw it on the news at the time of the trial. Anthony was photographed at a club called Fusion Lounge as she partied with friends. So what? It’s been estimated that Caylee’s likely date of disappearance was June 15, 2008. The photo above was taken on June 20, 2008. Which means that Anthony was potentially partying while her child was missing.

7. Target Surveillance Photo

Okay, so what’s with this photo? This is a photo of a surveillance video at Target. Surveillance on the 8th and 10th of July show Casey Anthony purchasing items and then writing out fraudulent cheques from an account that was not hers. Stuff like this is used in court to make a defendant look bad. Someone who steals money from someone also can thus be capable of murder! I call BS. But here’s why this footage might actually have been important to the investigation.They show Casey WITHOUT her daughter. Many weeks after little Caylee was last seen living and breathing. It definitely seems a bit suspicious.

6. Suspicious Diary Entry

Of course, you knew there was going to be a photograph of a diary entry somewhere on this list. So why should we care about a stupid diary? I actually find it impressive that someone can keep up a journal. It takes some discipline to be able to write in it every day and reflect on events. The left-hand side of the diary has some interesting phrases that many people thought were a bit strange. It’s thought that the diary entry in question was written on June 21, a little after Caylee was believed to have gone missing. The contents are strange considering the circumstances. Here’s an excerpt for those who may not be able to read the words: “I completely trust my own judgement [sic] & know that I made the right decision. I just hope that the end justifies the means…I am finally happy.”

5. Evidence That She Googled “Chloroform”

Uh oh. That’s a pretty incriminating Internet search history to have. Who actually looks up ‘chloroform’ online? The prosecution suggested that it was evidence that Casey used the substance to render her daughter incapacitated before murdering her. Here’s the thing, it’s totally possible that Casey just did a search on chloroform because she was curious. I have Googled way stranger things. When it’s 2 a.m. you can’t predict what your mind is going to want to ask Google. Everyone does it. Nowadays we don’t wait for answers, they’re at our fingertips. Just click and go. Even if you’re curious about how to obtain chloroform. You don’t want to use it, you just want to know more about it. Totally legit.

4. Bank Surveillance Footage

Here’s another piece of evidence that came up during the Casey Anthony trial that was used to demonstrate that Anthony was a bad person. Bad people do bad things. Do you do drugs? Do you drink too much booze? Are you a selfish person? Naturally, it’s not much a leap to assume you’d also murder someone. On July 15, 2008, Anthony went to the Bank of America to cash a fraudulent cheque. Once again, she’s not with her daughter so where the heck is Caylee? That’s probably the most important part of all the surveillance evidence. Caylee just isn’t there. So why is her mom going all around town without her daughter? Well, on that same day, Casey apparently fessed up that Caylee had been missing for about a month already. Her story? The babysitter stole her. Hmmm….

3. 4th of July Party

This photograph was taken at a party dubbed the ‘Anything But Clothes’ party. Casey Anthony attended this fun party on May 25, 2008. This was before Caylee’s disappearance. Of course, people naturally see this kind of partying and assume Casey was a bad mom, disinterested in parenting and being a parent at all. It could be true. They might be right. But photographs like these just don’t prove anything to me. I’m all about hard physical evidence. There was evidence like that in the case, but I still find it troubling that a lot of the evidence was meant to discredit Casey for her penchant for parties and nightlife.

2. Her Crazy 21st Birthday

Here’s another photograph that was taken way before the disappearance of little Caylee Anthony. This was taken during Casey’s 21st birthday party (it took place a year before Caylee’s death). Uh oh. She’s throwing up, she must have had a lot of booze, and what mother dares drink alcohol and party!? Yeah, she’s not mom of the year. But it’s also her birthday. We all do crazy things when it’s time to celebrate our birth. I personally prefer quieter gatherings, but I do understand why a young woman would want to go all out for her 21st birthday bash. It’s not that hard to relate to.

1. Partying Hard

Finally, we’ve got yet another party photo. I don’t know when this one was taken but it’s just another one of the kinds of photos that were shared by the media and helped to portray Casey Anthony as a hot mom who didn’t give AF about her young child. The media and the prosecution also referred to some photos of Anthony that were taken during the time Caylee was missing. Who in the world would party when their daughter was missing? Here’s the thing, it’s impossible to know how someone will react when faced with tragedy. We all think we know how a “normal” person should behave but that’s not how it works. Grief and trauma elicit different reactions from different individuals. There’s no one way to behave if your child is missing. We shouldn’t use affect as a way to point to or prove guilt. We still don’t know what happened to precious Caylee and there’s definitely something amiss, despite the not-guilty verdict. But the only persons who truly know what happened probably won’t ever tell us the full story.

Sources: ABC News, Bizarrepedia, Fox News, Orlando Sentinel, Snopes