Presumed Guilty

Casey Anthony: The Inside Story

By: Peter Golenbock, Jose Baez

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Presumed Guilty exposes shocking, never-before-revealed, exclusive information from the trial of the century and the verdict that shocked the nation.

When Caylee Anthony was reported missing in Orlando, Florida, in July 2008, the public spent the next three years following the investigation and the eventual trial of her mother, Casey Anthony. On July 5, 2011, the case that captured headlines worldwide exploded when, against all odds, defense attorney Jose Baez delivered one of the biggest legal upsets in American history: a not-guilty verdict.

In this tell-all, Baez shares secrets the defense knew but has not disclosed to anyone until now, and frankly reveals his experiences throughout the entire case - discovering the evidence, meeting Casey Anthony for the first time, being with George and Cindy Anthony day after day, leading defense strategy meetings, and spending weeks in the judge’s chambers.

Presumed Guilty shows how Baez, a struggling, high school dropout, became one of the nation’s most high-profile defense attorneys through his tireless efforts to seek justice for one of the country’s most vilified murder suspects.

©2012 Jose Baez (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

media circus

great info not media lie
THE MEDIA HAS BEEN LYING TO US FOR DECADES ABOUT EVERYTHING THEY ARE EVIL.

Every Lawyer should have this book!

Great book! Every lawyer should read or listen to this book. Learned so much from this awesome lawyer.

The Untold Story of Jose Baez

Amazing story of Jose Baez’s experience with Casey Anthony.

I was too young to really follow or care about the trial - even though I was 90 minutes away from Orlando and in law school at the time.

Even now, in 2022, I always believed Jose pulled a rabbit out of a hat. After listening to the book, I still believe he pulled a rabbit out of a hat - but in a fundamentally different way than I had believed.

He didn’t take the police at their word. He fought tooth and nail to prove his client was not guilty and he did a damn good job.

Ego Before Justice

Having just read 'Imperfect Justice' by one of the prosecuting team, Jeff Ashton, I just HAD to read something from the defense team. Have to say that this was so interesting. I think that in order to enjoy the content you have to try not to have a stroke in the process at the total injustice and try to listen how on earth a young woman literally got away with murder.

This book is filled with a lot of passive aggressive statements as it is more than obvious that the author has a huge inferiority complex and a badly hidden agenda. He had something to prove and THAT was why he put everything on the line in order to win. I do not think that even for one minute that he believed that his client was innocent.

Even with this in mind I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A really interesting read.

Baez or bias?

Would you consider the audio edition of Presumed Guilty to be better than the print version?

Yes, I would have had a hard time reading it over listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Presumed Guilty?

When a man found the alleged corpse months before it was formally acknowledged.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have a favorite scene, I think Jose did a great job of showing his side of the case. I suppose this is why he was hired;)

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

That Casey's parents were hiding something and to ths day I wonder why they were not more scrutinized.

Any additional comments?

Justice is not for the faint of heart, I am glad I have not had to play God in any such trial.

Excellent Book

If you could sum up Presumed Guilty in three words, what would they be?

suspense entertainment eye-opener

What other book might you compare Presumed Guilty to and why?

Inside The Mind of Casey Anthony - similar arguments

Which character – as performed by Jim Frangione – was your favorite?

Jose Baez

If you could give Presumed Guilty a new subtitle, what would it be?

The subtitle is perfect as is

Will we ever know the truth?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book. I like hearing the story from the other side.

Any additional comments?

Will we ever know the truth? Book arrises new questions for me.

I really wanted to hate this book but…

I really wanted to hate this book because I have always believed that Casey killed Caylee. All these years later I have always thought the jury got it wrong. I never would have believed that I would have a “reasonable” doubt about her guilt. After listening to this book, however, I can now understand how they found her not guilty.

If you listened to Jeff Ashton’s book you definitely need to listen to this one as well. I really enjoyed it from beginning to end.

One of the best

This is one of the best books I have read and listened to regarding a high profile case. Jose takes you through everything from the beginning to the end. Talks about the things that influence a criminal trial that many people do not realize. I highly recommend this book.

Where's the Truth? Somewhere in the middle?

This Casey Anthony case perfectly illustrates that our judicial system is NOT about finding the truth; it's about making a case and selling it to a jury. It also illustrates that the truth is often found somewhere in the middle of the two opposing sides. The 'truth' can be subjective, and in this case, the truth is something I believe we simply do not and will not know in full. We only know it in part, from Ashton, and only in part from Baez. And only in part, from Casey herself. And after all, the whole truth is not what they were after anyway.

I watched the trial in real time, end-to-end. I watched the jail house tapes online, I read Ashton's book, and now Baez's. I watched as Nancy Grace played prosecutor, judge, and jury all without vetting a single fact. And like NG, (even though I can't stand her) I too felt that 31 days of not looking for your child was enough for me to conclude this young woman was culpable - at the very least. I didn't buy the defense's pitch about George incesting Casey. But one thing Baez did in court, and has done again in this book, is introduce a shadow of a doubt. And that's ALL he had to do to win the case.

Facts can be pesky things - especially for lawyers. They certainly nipped at Baez's heels a few times in his book. I was disturbed by one inaccurate account in particular because it was something he could have easily double checked for accuracy. And this one misstep, for me, casts a shadow on every other thing he describes in the book as 'fact'.

It's the August jailhouse visitation with George and Cindy where they were telling Casey about the latest rumor going around: that Caylee had drowned in the pool. Baez claims that Casey responded to them with, "Oh well, oh well." She did not. She clearly said, "Surprise, surprise." It's easy to find this little gem online. Google "Casey Anthony Surprise Surprise" and you'll hear for yourself. I remembered this well because at the time, the media played this tape over and over in a seemingly endless loop.

If Baez can't report this verifiable occurrence with accuracy, what about the other "facts" he presents in his book? The ones we can't check by way of video tape?

After reading his book, I revisited some of the jail house visitation tapes and frankly, in spite of the doubt Baez managed to insert, I'm back to my initial feelings that Casey is clearly fully, entirely, and solely responsible for the death of Caylee. At one point when visiting with her parents she states, "The opportunity was there that I probably could have helped, I'm trying, I was trying, there's nothing more that I can say or do until I'm home...." For me, this could be an incriminating statement. At the very least, it begs more questions.

On those visitation tapes, there is no indication WHATSOEVER that Lee or George did ANYTHING inappropriate. There's nothing in their demeanor in those tapes, nothing in their words, nothing at all in their looks, glances, body language that appears remotely suspicious or creepy or weird. It's a story that simply doesn't add up for me. It's a dysfunctional family, no doubt. What father goes into the birthing room with their daughter, for instance.? But in every video tape of George, he looks like a man trying to piece this mess together. He's lost. He's confused. He's in denial and clearly dreading facing the truth about his daughter in its entirety. The only suspicious behavior is that of Casey.

It was stated from several sources that Cindy was considering vying for custody of Caylee. For me, this should have been a focus and more thoroughly explored because THAT would be motive! Casey could have said to herself, "If I can't have her, no one will." That might help to explain her going on with life normally that 31 days. Maybe. I dunno.

Could also be that an accidental drowning did occur and Casey covered it up, not knowing what to do. But if that's the case, it puzzles me all the more how she could go about a life of partying during that 31 days. I try to put myself there, hearing the deafening tick of the timer, knowing the inevitable end is near. Times up. Under such duress, one would think she'd lose weight from not eating, or have moments of despondency, or even panic. No one reports this having happened. No one reported a nervous note about her. How'd she do that?

This feels impossible. What the h-ll happened??? It's a complicated, multi-faceted, multi-layered tale that the lawyers only muddied with a legal game of chess. Each set the other up to go in for the kill ... winning was all that mattered... truth be da--ed and so ... we still don't know.

I do recommend the book. And Ashton's, and for people like me who get caught up in these things, I recommend re-visiting the jailhouse visits on YouTube. It's a fascinating, difficult tale that just hangs in the air like a bad stink.
The narration was terrific, btw!