Why Casey Anthony Spent Only 2 Weeks in Prison After Getting a 4-Year Sentence

Many people were shocked in 2011 when a Florida jury acquitted Casey Anthony of murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee— but how long did the mother actually spend in jail? Keep reading to find out everything we know about Casey Anthony’s jail sentence.

How Long Was Casey Anthony’s Jail Sentence?

Anthony was found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of lying to police, and Judge Belvin Perry Jr. sentenced her to four years in prison, one year for each count. And because he ordered the four years would be served consecutively, Judge Perry imposed the maximum jail time he possibly could. His ruling surprised legal expert Jeffrey Toobin, who observed, “Most people convicted of misdemeanors do not get prison time.”

How Long Did Casey Anthony Actually Serve in Prison?

Since Anthony had already served approximately three years in prison — and exhibited good behavior — she only owed 10 more days in prison at the time of her sentencing. Anthony was originally scheduled to serve only six more days, but a “detailed recalculation of the projected release date” pushed her release back.

“I don’t know how free she’s going to be, but she’s going to be out a cage,” defense attorney Cheney Mason said after Anthony’s sentencing, per CNN. “I doubt there’s any place in this country that she could walk the streets freely … I think she wants to get away from all this and try to find some way to start a life.”

Has Casey Anthony Had Run-ins With the Law Since?

Indeed, it seems like Anthony has had a hard time acclimating to life beyond the bars and has often found herself back in court. In December 2018, she was pulled over one month prior after she ran a stop sign in Florida, according to documents obtained by In Touch. Anthony pleaded guilty a

nd paid a fine of $264 to close the case.

Later, in May 2021, Anthony was involved in a bar fight in West Palm Beach, Florida, with a woman named Thelma Moya. A verbal argument between Anthony and Moya began over “an ex-boyfriend they were dating at the same time,” In Touch confirmed.

Anthony told law enforcement it had been “an ongoing issue” with Moya “for years,” in the police report. Ultimately, she decided against pressing charges against Moya.

In June 2021, Moya broke her silence on the altercation. “It’s all an act, she’s starved for attention,” she alleged to Fox News. “Truth is, it just proves how miserable she is, this isn’t just over an ex we both dated in the past. Her losing control, her unknowing of my current life or what I’m doing, has [caused] her to do things like this.” 

Moya went on to suggest that Anthony staged the whole thing to help promote an upcoming documentary about her murder trial.

A decade after her acquittal, José Báez, Anthony’s lead attorney, opened up to Fox35 about her trial and sentencing.

“I think people who were not intimately involved with the case really, truly, do not know all the players,” Báez said in the November 2021 interview. “Even those who were intimately involved will never know all the answers.”  

“[The trial] seems like another lifetime ago to me,” Báez added. “I’m always going to be grateful for everything that that case brought, but it hasn’t defined me.”

What Is Casey Anthony Doing Now?

In November 2022, Anthony is set to break her silence on her side of the infamous 2011 trial in the Peacock limited series, Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies. The Florida native is set to share her account of the notorious murder investigation along with the aftermath of her daughter’s death.