ORLANDO, Fla. — Casey Anthony looked ready for freedom. For the first time since her trial began, she let her hair down, smiling and playing with it as she awaited the judge’s decision on when she would be released.
Then she turned stone-faced as the sentence was pronounced: Freedom won’t come just yet. She will have to spend more time in jail for lying to investigators about the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Under a sentence passed down Thursday, she was to be released Wednesday. Later in the day, authorities said she won’t be released until July 17.
Orange County corrections spokesman Allen Moore announced the new release date in a news release Thursday night. He said it was based on a “detailed recalculation” following a judge’s sentencing.
The extra time in jail did little to satisfy throngs of angry people convinced of her guilt who gathered outside the courthouse. But it could provide time for the public furor over her acquittal to ease somewhat and give Anthony’s attorneys a chance to plan for her safety.
Two days after the verdicts, most of the jury remained silent, with their names still kept secret by the court. One juror explained that the panel agreed to acquit Anthony because prosecutors did not show what happened to the toddler.
When she is released, the 25-year-old Anthony must decide whether to return to a community in which many onlookers long ago concluded that she is a killer, or to a home strained by her defense attorneys’ accusations of sexual abuse.
Judge Belvin Perry gave her the maximum sentence of four years for four convictions of lying to authorities. He denied a defense request to combine the misdemeanor counts, which could have made her eligible for immediate release.
“As a result of those four specific, distinct lies, law enforcement expended great time and resources looking for Caylee Marie Anthony,” the judge said.
Outside the courthouse, a cluster of protesters chanted “Justice for Caylee” as they waved signs that said “Arrest the Jury!!” and “Jurors 1-12 Guilty of Murder.”
One man had duct tape with a heart-shaped sticker over his mouth, similar to the way prosecutors contend Caylee died. Increased police presence included officers on horseback.
“At least she won’t get to pop the champagne cork tonight,” said Flora Reece, an Orlando real estate broker who stood outside the courthouse holding an “Arrest the Jury” sign.
Anthony’s parents were present for the hearing but left without speaking to reporters.Prosecutors and defense attorneys also did not comment.
