HELP IS HERE
Call (407) 245-1232
Mark NeJame in the News
Attorney Mark NeJame on Caylee's Grandparents: 'Don't Forget George and Cindy Anthony are Also Victims'
By Sarah Lundy | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted September 10, 2008
George and Cindy Anthony's new lawyer left Orlando on Tuesday to launch a round of national TV appearances aimed at redirecting public attention away from the couple's family drama to the effort to find their 3-year-old granddaughter, Caylee Marie.
Mark NeJame, a well-known criminal-defense attorney, was to appear this morning on NBC's Today show and other programs that have featured Caylee's disappearance since it became public in mid-July.
The Anthonys have struggled in the media spotlight as they defended their daughter, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, against accusations she has lied about what happened to Caylee. News cameras have captured George Anthony shoving protesters on his property and Cindy Anthony yelling at reporters while wielding a hammer.
Orlando-based missing-children's organization Never Lose Hope Foundation hired NeJame to help the couple.
NeJame said he is representing George and Cindy Anthony and not their daughter, who is charged with child neglect, filing a false statement with law enforcement and check fraud. He said he has not spoken to Casey Anthony or her attorney, Jose Baez. Before he traveled to New York, NeJame sat down with the Orlando Sentinel to discuss his role.
What is your purpose in this case?
We believe and so many people believe that [George and Cindy Anthony] have been mischaracterized and misrepresented. They have been vilified in the media. It's important to get the attention off of them so we can refocus on finding Caylee.
Why does it seem the public has turned on the Anthonys?
I think a lot of it is the way it plays out in America's media. I think [George and Cindy Anthony] are very ill-equipped to handle the onslaught of attacks and the pressure. . . . These are people whose world 90 days or so ago imploded on them. Their daughter is looking at the possibility of tremendous prison time, and more importantly their beloved granddaughter is just gone. So one day the reality hits you and you are not equipped to deal with that under the best of circumstances, and but then to be under the media glare. . . . Every move you make is watched. Who knows how to handle that?
Why haven't they accepted that Caylee might be dead?
We don't criticize families of POWs or MIAs who 40 years after Vietnam are still holding on to hope and searching for their loved ones in the jungles of Vietnam despite overwhelming evidence that would suggest they are no longer with us. What do we do? We love these people. We sympathize with them.
Don't forget George and Cindy Anthony are also victims. They have lost their granddaughter. . . . Why are they not allowed to hold on to hope that their beloved granddaughter Caylee still might be with us? And other people say they are in denial. So what? Whose business is it? . . . They are going through what they need to go through. And if Caylee is still with us, then they are the ones who kept hope alive. . . . I think we have gotten consumed with making them media personalities rather than understanding that these are just grandparents.
Can you address rumors of any book or TV/movie deal with George and Cindy Anthony?
I have never had one conversation with Cindy or George about that. They have not received one penny from one person.
What do George and Cindy talk about with Casey?
I won't get into that. That is not my role. I do know they have spoken to investigators. And the investigators have strongly recommended that they not get into that.
Why did they not help Texas EquuSearch, a group of volunteers who searched for Caylee in the area near the Orlando International Airport?
EquuSearch did indicate clearly from the beginning that they were going to search for a live Caylee and that turned. And George and Cindy are very appreciative . . . for the people who have gone out there to search the fields. . . . People say why aren't they out there joining them? People think if [George and Cindy Anthony] put a shovel in a ground or if they go out searching for a dead body, then they admitted that Caylee is no longer with them to themselves and the universe. They don't believe that. For those who want to help, they bless them, but there is another group of people who are searching for a living Caylee. . . . Just don't beat them up over it if they have hope that their granddaughter is still with us.
Our Divisions
Contact our Firm
Confidential
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube