Casey Anthony: Cheney Mason wanted to help Jose Baez - Hal

Casey Anthony: Cheney Mason wanted to help Jose Baez
posted by halboedeker on May, 3 2011 1:05 PM

Cheney Mason tells “In Session” that he wanted to help Jose Baez when joining the Casey Anthony case and combat unfair media coverage.

“Initially I saw what I felt to be a very one-sided abuse by the local news media, unfairly attacking not so much necessarily Casey but her lawyer,” Mason told Jean Casarez in an exclusive interview that aired at noon today. “And it made no sense to me. A lawyer is not on trial, but the thrust of the attack was they continued to try to insult Jose and talk about his lack of experience or whatever. They don’t know what his experiences are or not. And it was just wrong.”

It was an interesting interview, because Mason rarely talks to local reporters, and because he gave insights into his motivations.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder, and her trial is scheduled to begin later this month.

Mason said he saw it as his job in the Anthony case to help and defend unfairly attacked lawyers. “I didn’t even know Mr. Baez initially,” Mason said. “Over a period of time, he would sometimes call or visit to ask for some suggestions or some advice from an old guy. I was more than willing to do that. It was all private. It went on for a very long time.”

Ultimately, Mason said he was willing to help more at Baez’s request. Mason said he has worked 800 hours on the case without pay. To help Baez was a difficult decision because, at 67, Mason said he has been considering retirement.

Casarez said she had conducted the interview with Mason in his office, but she later visited the attorney and his wife in their home. Shirley Mason revealed that some of the couple’s friends had fallen away after they learned Cheney was representing Anthony.

Mason said he has issues with the media, Casarez said. He wants “significant” questions from reporters and not queries such as, “So did she do it?”

“He doesn’t respect that question,” Casarez said. “He really has a disdain for media that does not focus on what they should focus. He’s a great advocate of the First Amendment, you can imagine, but he’s concerned about where media is going today.”

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/