Unfair for Casey Anthony to Pay $500,000 in Investigation Costs, Says Defense Attorney

Casey Anthony’s defense team now thinks that it’s unfair for her to pay $500,000 in prosecution and investigation costs.

Lisabeth Fryer, the defense attorney has filed a new six-page legal brief on Monday citing the legislative intent of the statute that permits the assessment of costs for investigation, Orlando Sentinel reported.

Anthony's lawyer who filed the brief on Monday argued that the state, during the hearing, did not present any proof that the $500,000 reimbursement that the state is looking for was related to the misbehavior that Anthony was convicted of during the murder trial.

“$50 per conviction is the limit unless the state proves extra costs,” Fryer said.

The state failed to present any evidence as to which of its costs were directly related to proving the four misdemeanors for which the defendant was convicted, Fryer wrote in her brief.

Fryer said that court has two choices in deciding whether Anthony should be made to pay the reimbursement the prosecution is asking for, “first is either ignore the essential requirements of the law and tax the defendant for every expense without any necessary evidence that the expenses were 'reasonably necessary to prove the charges for which (the defendant) was convicted,' or find that this lack of evidence entitles the state to the statutory minimum, Orlando Sentinel reported.

Back in July, Anthony, 25, was convicted of four counts of lying. She was acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, who disappeared in 2008 and sparked a nationwide search. At the time of the toddler's disappearance, Anthony lied that her daughter was kidnapped by a nanny as there was no nanny.

The toddler's skeletal remains were later found in the woods near Anthony's family home. When the trial came around, Anthony's defense team argued that Caylee died in an accidental drowning in the family's backyard pool. The jury, however, found Anthony guilty of misdemeanor charges of lying to the detectives during investigation.

After the initial reports that Caylee went missing, her defense wants to limit the costs of trial to $50 per conviction.

The state should not be able to boot-strap its efforts in proving first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child to the four misdemeanor convictions, Fryer wrote in the brief.

Prosecutors said the Orange County Sheriff's Office spent $293,123.77 on the case and the district attorney's office spent at least $140,390.60.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement spent $71,939.56 and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation spent $10,645.38, according to court documents.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry said he is expected to rule on the issue by Sept. 22.