If you could give a victim impact statement, what would you say?

[LawRig]

Caylee Marie was not my daughter, my granddaughter or my niece. I can't pretend that her life and death impacted me in the way I'm sure it impacted many who knew her personally. Still, I share my experience to demonstrate the affects of this horrible crime.

I was suprised and sad when I found out Caylee was missing. As the months went by, I followed the case hoping that statistics would be proved wrong, and Caylee would come home to her family safe and sound. In the meantime, my daily life went on. I had real world concerns to attend to. One of those real world concerns was a friend of mine who was waiting for a liver transplant. Because of his condition he could not do everything around the house that an otherwise healthy husband might do. So, from time to time my husband and I and other family friends would do what we could to help him and his family.

So it was that I came to be in my friend's living room one night in December. I drove there straight from work and said hello to the others gathered there to help with the project of replacing the bath in the bathroom. My eyes were suddenly drawn to the television hanging on the wall, and I couldn't believe the caption on the news story: Caylee had been found. In a trashbag. Discarded. Alone.

This news would have been sad in and of itself. However, it hit me like a brick where I stood. One year ago, I had stood in this same room, in practically the same spot, saying goodbye to another beautiful little girl. I knew at the time that Natalie's cancer was winning. Her hospital bed from hospice was in the living room where the couch once stood. I had brought her a music box because she couldn't get up to play anymore and I thought maybe that would be something she could still enjoy even if she was too weak to play. Three days after that visit I stood there again, comforting her parents after she had left us. She was six.

Watching that television, I knew I couldn't stay. I made apologies and excuses and left for home, crying most of the way. I just couldn't get over how many years my friends spent in different hospitals, different doctors and treatments, going to the ends of the Earth to save their little girl, and the fact that a healthy Caylee's life was cut short for no reason. I couldn't get past Natalie's last days and how everyone was there for her 24/7, and that she died with her parents holding her hands and comforting her and that Caylee was thrown in a trunk. I couldn't get past seeing her in the casket in her favorite "princess" dress, and all the balloons that adorned the funeral home because she loved balloons, and Caylee was put in a trashbag in the woods alone.

I don't think I would have connected these two events were it not for happening to be right there when Caylee was found. From a personal standpoint, Natalie's death will always be more painful for me because she was someone I knew and loved. However from a human standpoint, Caylee's is infinitely more painful because Caylee did NOT have to die. She did not have to be discarded like trash. Caylee did not deserve a death sentence. She was shown no mercy. It is my fervent hope that justice will prevail and such a tragic loss will not go unpunished.

There is still hope and good in the world. My friend did eventually get his liver transplant. Some anonymous family, facing the pain of their own loss, made a choice to consider the pain of another, and give a miraculous gift to another family they have never known. As a community, this is what untold numbers across the globe have come together to do for Caylee. Much has been made of the sensational coverage of this case. I hear comments from time to time about our spectator society. I can only say that the day that we don't care when a crime like this occurs, is the day I will have lost some faith in our world. We could not help her when she needed help, but we're here now, and we can make sure that she will never again be forgotten, discarded, ignored. We will do what we can for her, and today that is to demand justice for Caylee.

Irish, that was just beautiful and is fprobably the most heart wrenching tribute to Caylee I've read. it just kills me that total strangerst to Caylee Marie are so deeply moved by her life and saddened by her death when her own family can't even manage to be truthful about it.

thank you wasn't enough....
I lost an adult son last year for a stupid reason and I would have gladly given my own life in exchange for his, but God didnt take me up on it . I cannot cannot wrap my mind around any of the Anthony's "grieving" and especially cannot understand Casey... I am almost a year from the loss of my son and I am still devastated and unable to conduct a normal life... and I had him for 39 years before he passed away. How can she not be affected at all?

So again, thank you for this warm and lovely human tribute with real emotion and real love... I felt very heartened to read your words.

 

[concentric]

As I said in the NG thread from the other night:

I hope Jesse Grund gives a victim impact statement.

 

[MissJames]

I don't know if I could get past the sobs. I would want to speak of Caylee only,and what she has come to mean to the all of us.

 

[MissJames]

Caylee Marie was not my daughter, my granddaughter or my niece. I can't pretend that her life and death impacted me in the way I'm sure it impacted many who knew her personally. Still, I share my experience to demonstrate the affects of this horrible crime.

I was suprised and sad when I found out Caylee was missing. As the months went by, I followed the case hoping that statistics would be proved wrong, and Caylee would come home to her family safe and sound. In the meantime, my daily life went on. I had real world concerns to attend to. One of those real world concerns was a friend of mine who was waiting for a liver transplant. Because of his condition he could not do everything around the house that an otherwise healthy husband might do. So, from time to time my husband and I and other family friends would do what we could to help him and his family.

So it was that I came to be in my friend's living room one night in December. I drove there straight from work and said hello to the others gathered there to help with the project of replacing the bath in the bathroom. My eyes were suddenly drawn to the television hanging on the wall, and I couldn't believe the caption on the news story: Caylee had been found. In a trashbag. Discarded. Alone.

This news would have been sad in and of itself. However, it hit me like a brick where I stood. One year ago, I had stood in this same room, in practically the same spot, saying goodbye to another beautiful little girl. I knew at the time that Natalie's cancer was winning. Her hospital bed from hospice was in the living room where the couch once stood. I had brought her a music box because she couldn't get up to play anymore and I thought maybe that would be something she could still enjoy even if she was too weak to play. Three days after that visit I stood there again, comforting her parents after she had left us. She was six.

Watching that television, I knew I couldn't stay. I made apologies and excuses and left for home, crying most of the way. I just couldn't get over how many years my friends spent in different hospitals, different doctors and treatments, going to the ends of the Earth to save their little girl, and the fact that a healthy Caylee's life was cut short for no reason. I couldn't get past Natalie's last days and how everyone was there for her 24/7, and that she died with her parents holding her hands and comforting her and that Caylee was thrown in a trunk. I couldn't get past seeing her in the casket in her favorite "princess" dress, and all the balloons that adorned the funeral home because she loved balloons, and Caylee was put in a trashbag in the woods alone.

I don't think I would have connected these two events were it not for happening to be right there when Caylee was found. From a personal standpoint, Natalie's death will always be more painful for me because she was someone I knew and loved. However from a human standpoint, Caylee's is infinitely more painful because Caylee did NOT have to die. She did not have to be discarded like trash. Caylee did not deserve a death sentence. She was shown no mercy. It is my fervent hope that justice will prevail and such a tragic loss will not go unpunished.

There is still hope and good in the world. My friend did eventually get his liver transplant. Some anonymous family, facing the pain of their own loss, made a choice to consider the pain of another, and give a miraculous gift to another family they have never known. As a community, this is what untold numbers across the globe have come together to do for Caylee. Much has been made of the sensational coverage of this case. I hear comments from time to time about our spectator society. I can only say that the day that we don't care when a crime like this occurs, is the day I will have lost some faith in our world. We could not help her when she needed help, but we're here now, and we can make sure that she will never again be forgotten, discarded, ignored. We will do what we can for her, and today that is to demand justice for Caylee.

:tyou:

 

[Aedrys]

From the first picture I ever saw of her, Caylee grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. There is just something about this little girl that I never knew, something about her innocence, her joy for life as seen in home videos, and her magnetism, her shining light of all of that is good and just and right in this world that has made me love her and wish that I knew her.

So I keep asking myself why? Why was she brought into this world, so beautiful and pure, just be taken out in a such an ugly and awful way? Why couldn't her own mother see what a GIFT from God she was? Anyone, including me, would have loved to take this child into a loving home and let her light continue to shine, to let her vast potential be realized. Anyone except the woman who gave her life in the first place. How ironic that is.

But no one can save her life now. She is gone, her light extinguished, her life but a brief memory in time. But let me tell you, it's a life that I will never forget. I will hold her in my heart forever. Her light will always shine in me, and in everyone that truly loved her, especially those who loved her and never knew her. That's how bright she is and continues to be, a light in the darkness of this cold, cruel world.

I am sad she is gone, but glad she was once here. She is a sign, a beacon to all of us of how good, and special, and wonderful life can be. She has shown me that life is special, and nothing should be taken for granted. No person or moment should be thrown away like it's nothing, but instead be treasured, kept close to our hearts, and help us live life to the fullest.

If her brief time on this earth was to show all of us these things, then Caylee truly did what she was supposed to do. And for that, we should all be glad and thankful. I know I am, and I know I always will be.

She is our sunshine. And she will continue to shine down on us everyday from heaven. So you see, she can never be taken away from us as long as truth and justice, what's right in our hearts and what is fair and honorable, is what is done everyday, every moment of our lives, and in this very courtroom. Justice for Caylee is justice for us all. It is what is right, what is fair, and what needs to happen to honor Caylee.

That is what Caylee continues to mean to me. And what she should mean to everyone. God bless Caylee Marie Anthony, and thank you God for giving her to all of us.

 

[Tulessa]

As I stated before, I'm still working on my brother's impact statement and I felt it would be too painful to try and do one here. I wrote something else though, in honor of you guys. For all the strength and compassion you have shown me through out my ordeal. I truly feel blessed to have found this forum with such wonderful Mods. I hope you enjoy a message from Caylee. It brought me comfort in writing it.

Don't cry for me, or for the life I lost,
Don't remember me, as being tossed.
Remember my voice, when singing a song,
Remember the good times, I'm not alone.

I see the moon, I see the stars,
I'm smiling at you from afar.
No more pain for me to bear,
No more tears, and being scared.

High five to you, for thinking of me,
But I truly still live, happy and free.
With Angel's wings, I roam around,
Exploring the beauty, in this place I found.

I know you miss me, I do understand,
But I am so happy, in my Fathers right hand.
My heart still beats, happily away,
They did not take, your sunshine away.

 

[panthera]

Such a beautiful poem, Tulessa, and thank you for writing it! :hug:

 

[shotgun09]

Thanks to all who have posted such beautiful statements and poems and such.
This thread needs to be sponsored by kleenex!!

 

[LambChop]

As I stated before, I'm still working on my brother's impact statement and I felt it would be too painful to try and do one here. I wrote something else though, in honor of you guys. For all the strength and compassion you have shown me through out my ordeal. I truly feel blessed to have found this forum with such wonderful Mods. I hope you enjoy a message from Caylee. It brought me comfort in writing it.

Don't cry for me, or for the life I lost,
Don't remember me, as being tossed.
Remember my voice, when singing a song,
Remember the good times, I'm not alone.

I see the moon, I see the stars,
I'm smiling at you from afar.
No more pain for me to bear,
No more tears, and being scared.

High five to you, for thinking of me,
But I truly still live, happy and free.
With Angel's wings, I roam around,
Exploring the beauty, in this place I found.

I know you miss me, I do understand,
But I am so happy, in my Fathers right hand.
My heart still beats, happily away,
They did not take, your sunshine away.

This is very beautiful Tulessa. And so true. He is very proud of you I am sure. There are times when you just know they are there for you even though we can't physically see them anymore. When I have dreams of my husband he is always laughing or smiling so I know he is still around me. It's comforting to know that. Thanks

 

[Trapshooter]

Tulessa :blowkiss:

Bless your heart dear friend. What a beautiful poem for Caylee. Thank you for writing from your heart and sharing it with us. :blowkiss:

 

[Nikimama]

Absoluately beautiful Tulessa, thanks so much for sharing this. It really made my heart lighter when I think of little Caylee.

 

[SideKick]

K, here we go...

Never in my life have I followed a case like this! My involvement is all due to THE most precious little girl I had ever seen. Caylee Marie Anthony.

I watched CNN one evening when the news broke ...31 days!
Shocked, I con't to follow this case thoroughly. Every day I grieve the loss of Caylee, whom I have never met, yet something about her struck me. I am the grandmother of twin boys age 21 months old and can't even imagine.

The fascination with KC and how she could do this to Caylee blows my mind and....how she also did this to herself, I am sure she has some illness of greed in her. I am upset the 'Anthony's never confronted this problem of lying, cheating her fellow man/family and Caylee it wakes me up to parenthood. The shock of her family never being aware KC didn't work at Universal floors me to no end!!

This little girl is blessed with all of the WS'ers who sincerely love her.

I am not used to the death penalty being a Canadian however, whatever it takes to receive justice in it's purist form, is ok with me tho................ Life with out parol still totally sucks. Can you imagine never having a cold cucumber on a hot night? A radish with a dash of salt? A giggle with friends, a drink? UGH. WTH was KC thinking??

Bless you all and bless Caylee Marie Anthony. RIP Darling.

 

[cecybeans]

I don’t think any little girl since Shirley Temple has captured the hearts and minds of Americans the way little Caylee Anthony did.

Her adorable, expressive little face touched all of us immediately. I used to watch NG long after I couldn’t stand all the shrillness simply to see that clip over and over of her singing “You Are My Sunshine” and asking her great-grandfather if he was “tired”.

We turned her into a symbol and reminder of the fact that our children are precious and bring such joy to our lives and the world, and how they deserve to be loved and protected by all of us, always. The loss of any child is terrible, but the senseless murder of one who was discarded down the street from her own home like trash, was simply beyond our abilities to process.

Over the past three years we used the story of this little girl and her tragically short life to make all kinds of positive connections. She brought many of us together as a community, to search for her, to write about her, to write about ourselves, to discuss and validate and argue, to contemplate good and evil, to learn about the law, about science, all kinds of new ideas and things in an effort to simply try to understand. We made acquaintances with people far away whom we never would have otherwise met. Some of my dearest and closest friends today are people I’ve met on line discussing and writing about this case. Those friendships will long outlast this trial and the absurd notoriety of Caylee’s mother and family. I’ve laughed and cried and been entertained and surprised and disturbed in ways that I could never have ever predicted. She helped us connect with each other and to create bonds that start with her but certainly will not end with her story. She has elevated the awareness of all of us when it comes to looking for ways to make our children safer.

This tiny fragile human being, whom none of us ever met but we feel we know, has caused us to experience and appreciate life more fully. I cannot think of another crime victim, one who wasn’t even old enough to express herself, that has caused so many people to come together in friendship and solidarity. We feel her loss strongly because she represents so much to us about our own experiences and lives and those we hold dear.

But regardless of how grateful I am for all she has given us in the way of discovering a new community of friends, I’d trade it all in tomorrow if she could have the life and opportunity back that was so cruelly stolen from her.

The most moving thing I ever saw was that photo of Caylee that was allegedly morphed by PhotoShop into a teenager (I realize it was fake or something). But that was the minute it hit me that, regardless of how we enjoyed her adorable little toddler pictures and videos, this was someone who would have been a teenager and young woman with her own dreams, aspirations and potential – someone whose fundamental rights were equal to any other Anthony and whose rights were not only viciously stolen but completely ignored by her entire family in their effort to salvage their horrible remaining daughter (and I think that’s exactly how Casey saw things – Caylee was somehow replacing her as the daughter George and Cindy would really want). Somehow her status as an adorable toddler was overshadowing her rights as an adult with her own voice who could stand and confront the accused and demand justice.

I wish the state could bring in a Caylee look-alike into the court – a little six-year old girl and sit her in the front row. Then I’d like to see another facsimile of her as a teenager, one as a young bride and one as a mother. I want the jury to see that the real impact of this victim is that, not only were all of us robbed of getting to know who she was and who she would be, but that her own private future was stolen from her by her mother and her memory was diminished and disrespected by a family that turned away from her to support the one who stole it.

 

[Tulessa]

Oh Cecy, that just made me bawl. Thank you!!!

 

[gngr~snap]

Thanks to all who have posted such beautiful statements and poems and such.
This thread needs to be sponsored by kleenex!!

lol! & some threads should be sponsored by Charmin, Immodium and Dramamine!

On a serious note, I can barely read these! Very Touching!!!

 

[Helpie Helperton]

All who have written: I AM SPEECHLESS... somehow you found the words, ALL OF YOU, to say what I would say if I could arrange my thoughts into a coherent sentence. What a beautiful testament to Caylee you have all written. Oh my.
:tyou:

 

[Tulessa]

All who have written: I AM SPEECHLESS... somehow you found the words, ALL OF YOU, to say what I would say if I could arrange my thoughts into a coherent sentence. What a beautiful testament to Caylee you have all written. Oh my.
:tyou:

Words from the heart. God bless you Helpie. :blowkiss:

 

[AbbieNormal]

Remember in Spector trial #1 when the Pros stood there and asked the jurors, knowing what they know now, what would they say to Lana Clarkson (the victim)? He showed a video surveillance of Lana getting in Spector's car at the club. His eerie way of saying right at the right moment.... "Don't Go!", made the hair stand up on my arms. I am sure many jurors thought "Don't Go" immediately also.
I hope the Pros. comes up with something like this, a pivotal moment in time that will have an effect on each and every juror.

 

[ZsaZsa]

For the last week or so, every night I've had a weird dream about courts, the law, someone being in trouble- the same theme... comes from watching the broadcast all week I suppose.
But last night I dreamed that I was in Court, watching the ICA trial, when a kindergarten teacher came in and proceeded to walk all of her little children around the court, past JB and ICA.
When HHJP asked her what she thought she was doing there, she told him this was the class that Caylee would have belonged to..
I can't tell you how odd and sad I felt when I woke up. That would be a victim statement of a sort...

 

[Tulessa]

:grouphug: