Caylee Anthony Last Seen In Mid-June
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The attorney representing George and Cindy Anthony, the parents of Casey Anthony, who is charged with first-degree murder in the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee, resigned on Thursday, saying he didn't have the control over the case or his clients that he needed to be effective.
Casey Anthony, 22, remains jailed in the disappearance of Caylee, who was last seen in mid-June.
Mark NeJame had represented George and Cindy Anthony since Sept. 4.
"I won't comment about what they did or didn't do. All I will say is that I need to be in control of my clients. I need to be in control of my cases," NeJame said.
NeJame released a statement about his decision:
"Unfortunately, I have made the decision that it is best not to continue my representation of George and Cindy Anthony.
"George and Cindy have a belief that their beloved granddaughter, Caylee, is still alive. Tips and leads continue to come in. I believe strongly that they should have every right to maintain their hope and faith that one of these "sightings" will miraculously be the one that brings Caylee home to them. What parent or grandparent would surrender such hope?
"Who is one person to tell another parent or grandparent when it is time for them to abandon their faith? When does a stranger have the right to judge another who has endured such a loss? The attacks made against them by some are deplorable.
"Let them be to do what they feel they must to find their beloved granddaughter, Caylee. Knowing this case as well as probably anyone on earth, there is no doubt that they do not know where Caylee is. Allow them to walk their own path.
"I only agreed to represent George and Cindy Anthony, so long as there were no restrictions placed on me whatsoever as to finding Caylee, regardless of where this might lead. Quite simply, this meant that I could do whatever I needed to find Caylee whether she was alive or not. It impressed me that George and Cindy, both believing that Caylee was still with us, had an overriding and primary concern in finding Caylee, even if the result was not as they would hope. The other condition I required was that I would have absolutely nothing to do with representing Casey or assisting in her legal defense.
"Abundant efforts have been made towards finding Caylee. I have worked with so many involved in this matter towards the goal of finding this dear, missing child who has captured the hearts of so many. Some ignorant and judgmental members of the public though have made hateful and inaccurate accusations against me and others, when they had no idea whatsoever what was really going on. As my new, good friend, Tim Miller from Equusearch, tells me 'everybody associated with this case gets body slammed.' However, like Tim, when you know in your heart that you're doing the right thing, you just move forward knowing that right will ultimately win out. Some have falsely accused me and some others of being in this for the money. If they only knew how utterly wrong and misguided they are.
"I had come to a personal opinion and theory for quite some time whether Caylee was still with us or not. However, my opinion was only one like any other … an opinion. The only person without an opinion though is Casey Anthony as only she knows the truth.
"I believe that the singular person out of the 6 billion people in the world who holds the key to finding Caylee is her mother, Casey Anthony. Although I was quite successful in resolving a multitude of matters, I am unable to go further to help George and Cindy find Caylee in my current role. I can only provide my best advice and must respect any client's prerogative to do what they deem is best, whether they choose to follow my guidance or not. However, there is little value or use I can provide to any client if they choose to act and comment at will.
"As someone who has learned and knows the inner workings and details of the case and its various characters intimately, the rampant sensationalism and unfounded accusations must stop. Allow Cindy and George Anthony the respect and decency of dealing with their hope and efforts to find their missing and beloved Caylee as they need to. Allow those with differing opinions on finding and searching for Caylee, whether she is with us or not, to do their jobs without interruption. Finally, the judicial system is in play and justice will be best served by mindless meddlers staying out of something they know little of. There are many wonderful people involved in efforts to find Caylee and there are, unfortunately, many who are exploiting this child. Sadly, most in the public are clueless about who is doing what and what is really going on. The negative actions of some are only counterproductive and hurtful to the cause of those many good people who are doing so much to do something positive with this most sad and tragic situation.
"There should only be one goal and that is to find Caylee Marie Anthony."
George and Cindy Anthony told Local 6 News that they will seek new representation.
They released a statement, thanking NeJame for his work:
"We appreciate the time and energy that Mr. NeJame and his law firm has dedicated to representing us in the last several months. We respect Mr. NeJame's decision to resign as our representative as we agree that he can no longer benefit us in our quest to find our missing granddaughter Caylee Marie. We wish Mark and his staff all the best."
