Casey Anthony to Be Released From Jail July 17

ORLANDO, Fla. July 7, 2011— -- Casey Anthony, acquitted of killing her daughter Caylee, will be released from jail on July 17 instead of July 13, according to court officials.

Anthony, 25, was ordered today to remain in jail after Judge Belvin Perry sentenced her to four years in jail and a fine of $4,000 on her conviction of lying to law enforcement officials.

The judge gave her four consecutive jail sentences, but she has already served nearly three years and would get credit for time served as well as good behavior. Perry originally estimated Anthony could be freed in late July or early August, but Anthony's attorney Jose Baez told ABC News that she would be released July 13.

But according to an updated statement from the Orange County Corrections Department, Anthony's projected release date was adjusted to July 17.

Anthony entered the courtroom with her long hair down, as opposed to the tight ponytails she has been sporting throughout the trial. Visibly relaxed before the sentencing, Anthony chatted with her attorneys, laughed and even winked a few times. As the proceeding began, her demeanor became much more reserved and she looked downcast as the judge read the sentence.

Anthony's attorneys argued that the four counts of lying should be regarded by the court as one continuous criminal act since all of the lies were told on July 16, 2008. They said that there must be a separation of time, place or circumstance in order to not invoke double jeopardy. They believed that the four separate counts should be reduced to one conviction.

The prosecution, however, argued that the lies were told during three seperate statements to police over the course of 12 hours. The prosecutor said that each lie was intended to to mislead law enforcement and send them on a "wild goose chase."

Casey Anthony: From Arrest to Sentencing

The judge sided with the prosecution. "As a result of those four seperate and distinct lies, law enforcement expended a great deal of time, energy and manpower looking for young Caylee Marie Anthony," he said.

Perry could have ordered the four sentences served concurrently, or all at the same time. That would likely have allowed Casey Anthony to leave jail.

Casey Anthony Ordered to Stay in Jail

Instead, he took the more punitive route and ordered that they be served consecutively, one after another, totally four years.

Perry said he would need to meet with attorneys for at least an hour today to determine how much time Anthony will serve, based on how much credit she will receive for the three years she has already spent in jail.

On Tuesday, after being acquitted of first-degree murder and all of the top counts against her, Anthony was found guilty of four charges of providing false information to law enforcement. Two of the counts were related to her lies about being employed at Universal Studios, one was about the fictional nanny she claimed had stolen Caylee, and the fourth count was saying she spoke to her daughter on the phone on July 15, a time when Caylee was already dead for a month.

The judge said that all of these lies led police to search for Caylee from July to December 2008. Anthony may be taxed later on for special costs of the investigation.

Spectators lined up all night to get seats for Anthony's final appearance in her murder trial, and if the day of the verdict is any indication, it will be another highly charged crowd.

A protestor at the courthouse today arrived with duct tape and a heart sticker over their mouth.

After the verdict was announced Tuesday, where law enforcement had to rope off the front of the courthouse as all of the key players in the case were expected to exit, bystanders chanted "Appeal, Appeal" and "Justice for Caylee."

Corrections officials in Orlando have said that the "intense, emotional interest" in Anthony's case means they'll take special measures to make sure she's safe.

"I've just followed it from start to finish from seeing all of the tabloids. Just being able to come out here live is totally different than seeing it on TV," said one spectator, who was able to obtain tickets to the sentencing.

Meanwhile, Jose Baez, the unknown lawyer who shot to stardom as the lead defense attorney representing Casey Anthony, spoke with ABC News' Barbara Walters Wednesday about what the soon-to-be-free Anthony can expect once she leaves jail.

"I think Casey could have been anything she wanted in this world, and I think there are still plenty of things that Casey can do in life, and I think Casey can be a productive member of society," Baez said. "So I think she's going to be able to, with a little help and guidance, move on."

There are some looming questions about Casey Anthony's exit from jail, including where she will live and whether she will be safe from the angry legions of spectators who believe she killed her daughter.

Also, a look back at Anthony's jailhouse letters show that she might be planning to have children upon her release. The letters might also provide a glimpse into what Anthony might do with the money some speculate she could make from a book or movie deal.

"I'm thinking of a partial memoir … a way to settle many rumors and to share my insight about love, life and most important –- god," Anthony wrote in one of several letters sent to fellow inmate Robyn Adams between 2008 and 2009, when the two were housed in Orlando County Jail.

Further Legal Hurdles for Casey

Baez says that he is worried about how she will be treated by an angry public that watched the trial closely.

"I'm afraid for her, and I don't think it's fair," Baez said.

Prosecutors, too, have said that they're worried for Casey's safety.

One of the prosecutors said "I wouldn't want anyone in the community to be so upset by this that they try to do something to her … she was acquitted and people just need to accept that."

Anthony's death penalty lawyer, Ann Finnell, told ABC News, "I hope she takes the high road."

Anthony willl have to return to court again soon because the state of Florida has filed a motion to recoup some of the costs of investigating her case.

She also faces a defamation case. Anthony was served while in jail with a subpoena from the real Zenaida Gonzalez, a name Anthony used to describe a fictional nanny she claimed stole her child.

Anthony admitted in court that the kidnap story was a lie, and Gonzalez now wants that on the record for the libel case she has launched against Anthony.

"I want the truth to come out. I want them to know that I didn't do anything wrong," Gonzalez told ABC News Orlando affiliate WFTV.

There is a video deposition scheduled for July 19, whether Casey Anthony is free or not.