As the case against Casey Anthony continues, one of her death penalty defence lawyers has quit.
Anthony (left) and Lyons (right) before the split. Image provided by, westorlandonews.com
Head lawyer Jose Baez spoke out stating, a motion had been filed on Wednesday afternoon at the Orange County Courthouse. It states, lawyer Andrea Lyon is leaving the case for financial reasons.
Chicago born Lyon was named as Anthony’s star lawyer and had she been on the defense team for over a year.
The experts
WFTV’s Legal Analyst Bill Sheaffer has said he is not surprised with the decision. With the lack of publicity surrounding the Lyon’s book, Sheaffer said it was only a matter of time and no significant loss.
Sheaffer believes that local lawyer J. Cheney Mason, a high profile Orlando defence lawyer can perform Lyon’s duties.
According to Baez, Mason has begun performing Lyon’s responsibilities including the filling of motions involving death penalty related arguments.
Money Matters
Lyon received a little more than $20,000 from Casey Anthony before the court declared her penniless.
But Sheaffer and others believe that Lyon was not a true believer in Anthony and that is why she quit.
Baez defended his former collogue claiming Lyon made financial sacrifices by paying for her own travel from Chicago to Orlando because she believed Anthony.
Lyon’s Future
There are no plans to replace Lyon but she will be focusing on a death penalty legal clinic that she runs.
Last year, Lyon appeared in the headlines when some controversial recordings surfaced prior to her joining Anthony’s defence team.
At one point, she referred to judges as “ugly,” alongside, verbally insulting female prosecutors and victim’s advocates, she called jurors “killers.”
The Case
Casey Anthony is accused of murdering her three-year-old daughter Caylee Marie Anthony in 2008, when she called the police claiming her daughter was missing.
The case became suspicious when the police found that Anthony had not reported her daughter missing until a month after she claimed to have seen her for the last time.
Anthony faces a first-degree murder charge but maintains her innocence along with family and friends but the toddler’s body was found outside the mothers home.
stillnews.wordpress.com 