Presumed Guilty

Casey Anthony: The Inside Story

By: Peter Golenbock, Jose Baez

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

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.

Interesting retelling of events

I found this to be an interesting recap of one of the most famous trials of the century from pre-arrest to post-release. If you followed the trial closely, there is not a lot of new information you likely don’t already know. But it was compelling to listen to the perspective presented, no matter your personal opinion about the events, conviction or acquittal. It gave me cause to reflect and question. There were times I chuckled at the back story. It was an enjoyable read I easily could have digested in one sitting, had I had the time.

The presentation quality was excellent. The reader is clearly spoken with good voice. It made for an easy and pleasurable listening experience.

The truth is hard to come by...

Reading several books on this case and reviews claiming this one are biased (they all are), I can’t help but struggle with how people view the world. One simple truism should guide the reading of this book: There are two sides to every story, and then there is the truth. What really happened? We will never know, but this book bias and all will get you closer to the truth, even if it still remains elusive.

Long Winded But Worth It

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

If you need a longer book to listen to, for say a plane ride, this one is perfect. Especially if you like crime and law books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Insider information from Jose

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

Everything You Knew But Didn't Want To Believe

If you Don't Have an Open Mind, Don't Bother

I followed this this story and trial so the book was only a natural step for me. I was pleasantly surprised at the new information presented. I found things about Jose Baez I did not know. I think everyone deserves a chance to be heard and defended, even zealously defended if their attorney is so inclined. After reading this book, you will understand the need for such a defense maybe a little better. If your mind is totally closed on this case, maybe you will at least have respect for an attorney who believed in the responsibility of his job and the commitment to his client.
The book is an easy listen.
The only complaint is the narrator's voice is a little odd sounding since most of us have Jose Baez's voice in our head from the trial. I think there could have been a better choice made.

what a defense attorney should be

I listed to the prosecution's perspective of the story before listening to this one. well I don't feel like I know what happened to that little girl I definitely feel that her defense attorney was truly the type of person that all defense attorney should be and in the end his story makes sense and the prosecution's perspective while very interesting fell short of beyond reasonable doubt.

A Different View

Having followed the case when it was going down in 2011, the was a breath of fresh air, a different view. This book is Not for people that think Casey Anthony is guilty of murder beyond anything. you won't appreciate the views here at all if you are biased. remember that this is the defense lawyer's story. if what Baez is saying is truthful, then there was a lot of shady things going on in the case and in the courtroom. I was a big believer that Casey was guilty, but now I'm not so sure, and I feel bad coming to such a conclusion based on the media reports and watching the actual trial unfold like everyone else did. Sounds like George was holding back a lot in this case and may be responsible for the death of Caliee. I will never take to heart what the media says again. Ive known for a while that the media is toxic anyway, but now I know I shouldn't have listened so attentively back then. it was a great read and I learned new things about the case and new perspectives. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves true crime and is interested in the Casey Anthony case (who isn't?). To Casey: If you truly are Not Guilty of murder (and only you know for sure), then I am sorry for what you had to go through and I wish you the best in life, even though it sounds like your life may never be normal or very exciting again. The sad thing about this case is you hear more about Casey Anthony then you do about Caliee. RIP beautiful girl.

Mind = Blown

I remember seeing all of the media coverage on this case as it was happening. I was a teenager and had never seen (or, I guess, paid attention) to Nancy Grace before. Her coverage of the case was the first I had ever heard of her. I remember thinking just how far from impartial she really was, and that she was using emotion to sway her audience. At 17 years old, the one thought on my mind, was that this woman is portraying Casey as guilty before she could be proven so - that goes against the entire structure of the system. "Innocent until proven guilty," is what we all sometimes forget.

In the remaining years, I was fascinated by the details of this case, and why everything was so open-ended and indeterminate.
I read (or rather, listened to) "Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony" by Jeff Ashton. I really enjoyed that book, but still remember thinking that there were no solid answers, and some things still didn't make sense. Were certain things being omitted to save face?

This book answered my questions.
As a mother, I couldn't fathom the idea that Casey had murdered her 2 year old daughter, Caylee.
The State of Florida Prosecution presented evidence, yes. But, even they had admitted that their evidence could not directly put a "smoking gun" in Casey's hand.

Jose Baez was painted as this inexperienced dirt bag lawyer just out to gain publicity and recognition for himself. That's what the media wanted us to think - and, let's just admit, that the level of persuasion the media has on the public is, quite frankly, unsettling.
My opinion on this case was exactly what the media (and Jeff Ashton) wanted me to think prior to this story.
That Casey Anthony got away with murder.

After watching countless documentaries, news reports, The First 48, reading/listening to Jeff Ashton's book, I decided I needed to be fair and give Jose a chance.

And boy, am I glad I finally did. This man is the only one involved who found answers - and factual evidence - of any of the questions being asked in this case.
I went from the far left of my opinion on this case, to the far right.
Baez presents "receipts" for everything, and even admits that he sounds like he was whining about the "biased" treatment of him during the trial. The message Baez portrays rings true throughout the entire book:
In the justice system, facts and evidence must be black OR white, and emotion does not belong in the courtroom.

The defense team stuck to their guns and won the case fairly, and didn't use emotional persuasion tactics to do so.

Planted the seed of doubt

I followed the case closely as it unfolded and never once thought Casey was potentially innocent. This book definitely shed a new light for me.

Truth

This book was a must finish. I was non stop listening. Hearing what this women went through is unbelievable. I hope she finds peace. As a mother I couldn’t imagine being in her position. With that being said I don’t agree with the way she handled things but we all handle things differently.

liked the book could not put it down

Where does Presumed Guilty rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

because this is a true story and describes very well what Beaz' motivations and thoughts were behind his defending. This side of the story needed to be told and deserved to be told. It was a shame to see how the media had decided to declare CA guilty before the trial and went out of its way to prove this. Media coverage during this trial was very manipulative and unilateral therefore I greatly welcomed to hear another side of the story but there is still a part of me wondering whether it was ethically correct for a lawyer to write this book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cheney Mason too bad he was not mentioned more often.

Any additional comments?

The Casey Anthony story has taught me a lot,we never will know for sure what really happened. It might be possible that she is innocent. It was a shame to see how many people, influenced by the media, were and are willing to display so much hatred and call themselves Christian in the same sentence.
This shows to me how we all are being influenced by the mass media, maybe we should give some thought to that..... How far are we willing to go as a result of this?........