LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The parents of Casey Anthony, who was acquitted in July of charges that she killed her young daughter, will sit with Dr. Phil for their first interview since the trial, the program announced on Tuesday.
Anthony's trial in the death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee became a media sensation when it aired on television, and since it ended, the 25-year-old mother and her parents George and Cindy have stayed away from the public spotlight.
"I looked them straight in the eye and asked them some very tough questions," Dr. Phil McGraw said in a statement. The interview will air on September 12.
"Despite living under a 'media microscope' for years, their story has never really been told and there's so much more to it than we've heard in the media," McGraw said, adding that "nothing is off limits during this interview."
The case of Casey and Caylee Anthony took many twists and turns after the two-year-old's skeletal remains were found in a plastic bag near the Anthony's Florida home in December, 2008.
Casey Anthony never reported her daughter missing and, in fact, it was Cindy Anthony who first told police. Casey Anthony initially gave false statements about her and her daughter's whereabouts, and she eventually was charged for the murder.
The trial began in May 2011, and included the prosecution's contention that Casey Anthony wanted only to party and avoid parenting, so she researched the use of chloroform and used the chemical to put her daughter to sleep then suffocate her.
The defense claimed that Caylee had drowned in the family's pool and was found by George Anthony, who then covered up the death. The defense also claimed that George Anthony had sexually abused Casey since the time she was a young girl.
On the witness stand, George Anthony denied he had ever abused Casey, and Cindy Anthony claimed it was she, not Casey, who researched the use of chloroform.
Eventually, a jury found Casey not guilty of murder, but agreed with prosecutors that she had lied to police. Anthony is currently out of jail and in seclusion at an unknown location.
"We appreciate the way in which Dr. Phil has helped others, and we trust him enough to completely open our hearts in telling our story," George Anthony said in a statement.
The "Dr. Phil" episode with the Anthony interview will air on September 12, when the program returns for a 10th season.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant)
