Casey Anthony Appeals Lying Conviction

July 15, 2011 — -- Casey Anthony, acquitted of charges that she murdered her daughter Caylee, filed an appeal today of her conviction that she lied to law enforcement officers.

The appeal came days before Anthony, 25, is scheduled to leave jail. She was sentenced to four years on four counts of lying to investigators about Caylee's death. Since she has already served three years and is credited for good behavior, she will be released from the Orange County jail on Sunday.

The jury that acquitted her of murder agreed that she broke the law when she told police she worked at Universal Studios, that she left her daughter with a babysitter named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, when she claimed that Caylee was missing, and when she claimed that Caylee was still alive and she had spoken to her on the phone July 15, 2008. None of those statements were true.

Besides the jail time, Judge Belvin Perry fined Anthony $4,000.

Casey Anthony's father has joined a campaign to sign the Caylee's Law petition to create new laws that would have made it a crime for his daughter to not report Caylee's disappearance or death.

Caylee Anthony died in June 2008 and wasn't reported missing for 31 days. Casey Anthony claimed for three years that she was kidnapped by a babysitter. Her decomposed body was found six months later in a swampy area near the Anthony home.

At the beginning of her murder trial, Casey Anthony's lawyer said that Caylee actually drowned in the family pool.

"Please take time to sign this petition for Caylee Marie," George Anthony wrote. "This will assist other children.... I do not want to see another child go thru what Caylee endured...God Bless."

More than 1.2 million people have signed have signed a petition at Change.org for "Caylee's Law," which would make it a felony for parents not to report missing children within 24 hours of their disappearance. So far, legislators in at least 18 states plan on introducing the law.

Jurors in the Casey Anthony case have said they regretted there wasn't a more serious charge for them to consider besides murder.

When Casey Anthony leaves jail, she will have to deal with several lawsuits, including one filed by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez who claims Anthony cost her a house, a job and subjected her to death threats when Anthony claimed that a babysitter of the same name stole Caylee.

Gonzalez's lawyers wanted to be able to depose Casey Anthony before she left jail because they feared Anthony would "leave the jurisdiction of this court, disguise herself, change her name, etc., making it impossible to ever depose her."

Casey Anthony's lawyers asked that the deposition be delayed because the trial was "a grueling experience that has left [Casey Anthony] emotionally and mentally exhausted."

At a hearing this morning, the judge recused himself and a new hearing was set for this afternoon.

Public outrage over Casey Anthony's acquittal has shown up in strange ways.

People who share Casey Anthony's name have received death threats and other forms of harassment.

Casey Anthony jurors continue to struggle with their verdict of acquittal.