Casey Anthony: Dr. Phil says Cindy is ‘desperately reaching’ for any excuse - Hal

Casey Anthony: Dr. Phil says Cindy is ‘desperately reaching’ for any excuse
posted by halboedeker on September, 13 2011 3:18 PM

“Take the mystery out of this story once and for all,” Dr. Phil McGraw told George and Cindy Anthony as their ballyhooed interview began.

Casey Anthony was responsible for Caylee, George said. Otherwise, it was an hour of tears and excuses, what people who follow the Anthonys have come to expect.

Casey Anthony, George and Cindy’s daughter, was acquitted in July of murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee. Cindy Anthony said she was over being angry with her daughter about the lies during the 31 days the grandparents didn’t see the child. “I think I’m past the anger stage,” she said.

When Cindy defended Casey’s behavior during those days, McGraw countered that she was making excuses for her daughter. Cindy said she had socialized during the six months that Caylee was gone, and the public might have gotten the wrong idea about her.

But McGraw said, “Cindy, you weren’t involved in the death.”

Cindy said she believed that Casey was “an awesome mother” and that she had been the victim of illness. In closing the hour, McGraw said that Cindy was “desperately reaching for any reason to excuse her daughter for her role in this tragedy.” Cindy suggested Casey could have suffered grand mal seizures, post-partum schizophrenia or a brain tumor. McGraw discounted each idea.

Cindy said she never threatened to take Caylee from her daughter, but Cindy said she confronted Casey about money issues in spring 2008. “The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I found out she had taken money from my mom,” Cindy said.

George, who owned up to taking money from the family, acknowledged that he could have set a bad example for his daughter. And he said he could have been parenting from guilt when he didn’t challenge his daughter about her lies. ”Was I taken for a fool? Absolutely,” George said.

McGraw wanted to know if there were warning signs about Casey’s strange behavior.

Cindy said she wondered if her daughter developed post-partum schizophrenia after giving birth to Caylee. The couple also revealed that Casey had been against their reconciling after a brief separation, and McGraw pointed to that as a key point in the story.

As the program started, McGraw said he knew the audience was divided by his interview with the Anthonys.

George Anthony said the couple trusted McGraw and that’s why they gave him the interview. At the top, the couple said they did ask for a donation to the Caylee Fund, which they are establishing.

The interview continues Wednesday, when McGraw said George will reveal what he thinks happened to Caylee.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/09/casey-anthony-she-was-against-parents-reconciliation-they-tell-dr-phil.html