Casey Anthony judge: There was enough to convict

Well DUH!!!

Associated PressAssociated Press – 6 hrs ago

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The judge who presided over the trial of Casey Anthony said Monday he believed there was enough evidence to convict the Florida mother who was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter.

Judge Belvin Perry told NBC’s “Today” show that he thought there was sufficient evidence for a conviction on a first-degree murder charge, even though much of the evidence was circumstantial.

Anthony was acquitted almost two years ago of killing her daughter, Caylee, following a trial that attracted worldwide attention. She was convicted of making false statements to police and got credit for time served.

When he read the jury’s verdict, Belvin said he felt “surprise, shock, disbelief” and read it twice.

“I just wanted to be sure I was reading what I was reading,” Perry said.

Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, refused to say anything to The Associated Press about the interview when reached by phone. He said he would comment after a request had gone through his Los Angeles-based spokesman.

A spokeswoman for the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which oversees Florida judges, didn’t immediately return a phone call.

The judge said he saw two sides to Anthony. The one she showed to jurors was a wrongfully accused mother grieving for her child. The other was a woman wasn’t afraid to shout and swear at her attorneys, as she did when they talked to her about a possible plea deal for aggravated murder.

“There were always two sides to Casey,” Perry said. “The public persona that she wanted the jury to see and there was a side that she showed when the jury wasn’t there.”

Perry also said he thought prosecutors were better attorneys than Baez, who the judge described as “personable.” All the defense had to do was create reasonable doubt, which they did, he said.

“He came across as someone you would like,” Perry said of Baez. “Like someone trying to sell a used car. Who are you going to buy from? The most likable salesman.”

The judge also said he thought justice had been served with a jury verdict.

“Justice will finally be served one day by the Judge of Judges,” Perry said. “She is going to have to live with this and deal with this for the rest of her life.”

http://news.yahoo.com/casey-anthony-judge-enough-convict-153906749.html

Casey Anthony survives assassination attempt

Casey Anthony ‘Assassination Attempt’: Lawyer Tells HuffPost ‘None Of It Is True’

Casey Anthony Enquirer
First Posted: 11/17/11 07:15 PM ET Updated: 11/18/11 09:52 AM ET

You may want to consider donning a pair of quality hip waders before delving into the latest Casey Anthony article in the National Enquirer, according to her lawyer.

“None of it is true,” Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, told The Huffington Post.

The article in question, “Casey Anthony Survives Assassination Attempt,” appears in the tabloid’s latest issue. The Enquirer reports that someone found 25-year-old Anthony’s secret hideout in Florida and put on her door a threatening note that read, “I know where you are, I’m coming to put a bullet through your brain.”

On July 5 of this year, a jury of seven women and five men acquitted Anthony of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. The little girl’s remains were found in December 2008 near the family home, some six months after she was last seen. During the trial, Baez said Caylee had drowned in the family swimming pool. That revelation stood in direct contrast to previous statements Anthony had given police, saying her daughter had been kidnapped.

In August, Judge Belvin Perry ordered Anthony, who was living in another state at the time, to return to Florida to serve a year’s probation on charges stemming from a check fraud conviction.

According to the Daily Mail, the Enquirer cites an unnamed source to report that the death threat Anthony received “set off a complete panic,” prompting bodyguards to transport her to another safe house. Decoy vehicles, like those used during her trial, were reportedly used.

“The fact she is still hidden and still alive is testimony to just how good her team of bodyguards are. They’re the best, but it was a very close call,” the unnamed source told the Enquirer, according to the Mail.

The story fails to mention when the alleged assassination attempt occurred.

There is no denying that Anthony, whom Gretl Plessinger of the Florida Department of Corrections called “one of the most hated women in America,” has received death threats in the past. “Because of the death threats against her … we will not be disclosing the location or anything that will lead to the discovery of her location,” Plessinger said during an August press conference.

But no one who spoke to The Huffington Post has heard anything about any “assassination attempt.”

Plessinger has since left her job at the corrections department, but agency spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rack told HuffPost that the probation department is “not aware of any such [assassination] attempt.”

Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office — the agency that investigated Casey Anthony — said his office is also unaware of any attempts on her life. “We know nothing about it,” Williamson said, adding that not even his office is privy to Anthony’s current whereabouts.

The Enquirer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

According to her lawyer, Anthony remains in a safe location “somewhere in the state of Florida.”

Meanwhile, the parent company of the Enquirer, American Media Inc., is awaiting a judge’s decision on a motion it recently filed to dismiss a defamation suit by Roy Kronk. A former Orange County meter reader, Kronk was the man who discovered Caylee’s skeletal remains in 2008. He is seeking $15 million for allegations he claims the tabloid made about him. No word yet on when the judge will rule on the motion.

http://www.aol.com/2011/11/17/casey-anthony-assassination-attempt-national-enquirer_n_1101324.html?1321627883#s303664&title=Orange_County_Courthouse

Jose Baez faces two Bar complaints stemming from Casey Anthony case

Two complaints against Jose Baez have gone to a grievance committee, Florida Bar confirms.

By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel6:57 p.m. EDT, October 11, 2011

The Florida Bar confirmed Tuesday that two complaints over professional conduct filed against Casey Anthony attorney Jose Baez have progressed to a grievance committee.

This means the complaints have not closed without discipline and moved from staff level to the next point in the process.

The volunteer grievance committee is the rough equivalent of a grand jury. The nine-member panel will ultimately help determine whether to bring charges against Baez under Florida Bar rules of conduct.

It is not exactly clear what the two complaints involve, but they do cover Baez’s representation of Casey Anthony, according to Francine Walker with the Bar.

On Tuesday, Baez issued a statement saying there is nothing new regarding his two complaints because they are still pending.

“I look forward to the Florida Bar investigating these matters because they, like the many others that came before them, have no merit,” Baez said in a statement emailed to the Sentinel.

“When an attorney takes on an unpopular cause, especially one in the spotlight, he or she will face criticism,” Baez added. “It is a small price to pay for our individual rights under our criminal justice system.”

The progress of the complaints comes in the aftermath of Casey Anthony’s acquittal on the most serious charges against her, including first-degree murder, in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Marie.

They also come at a delicate time for Baez, who grew from a relatively obscure local attorney before the case to a national legal figure after the trial. As Anthony’s lead attorney, Baez is associated with dogged advocacy and he ended up on the winning end of a hard-fought, six-week trial.

The outcome of the Bar inquiries could undermine any professional gains Baez might be enjoying as a result of the Anthony case, or they could allow him to have his name cleared and avoid formal discipline.

The Bar’s lawyer discipline system is designed to address claims of lawyer misconduct.

“If a Bar counsel determines that the allegations in question could constitute a rule violation warranting further proceedings, the matter may be referred to a grievance committee for further consideration,” the Florida Bar website states. “The type of investigation varies with the…case.”

If probable cause is found in either complaint in the coming weeks and months, Baez would likely face a trial handled by a “referee.”

In such a scenario, the Bar would present a case against Baez, and he would have the opportunity to defend himself.

The cases would become much more public if probable cause is found.

The process is meant to determine if Baez violated any rules, such as ethical or professional practices, governing attorney behavior.

If probable cause were found and a trial occurred, the referee would ultimately make findings of fact, file a report and make a recommendation with the Florida Supreme Court. The high court would then decide whether the attorney is guilty and determine the discipline, ranging from admonishment to suspension of the practice of law to disbarment.

Any lawyer accused of misconduct could enter a guilty plea and consent to discipline.

Baez was fined early this year by Chief Judge Belvin Perry for willfully violating a court order to turn over discovery information to the prosecution.

Soon after that courtroom- based punishment, the Bar in early February confirmed a new complaint had been filed against Baez.

Perry also threatened possible sanctions during the Anthony trial due to some of Baez’s actions in court at that time.

But it is not clear whether those two episodes form the basis for the current complaints.

A number of earlier Bar complaints filed against Baez were dismissed without formal punishment, prompting Baez to say earlier this year, “I have been cleared of all Bar complaints filed against me.”

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/caylee-anthony/os-casey-anthony-jose-baez-investigation-20111011,0,921628.story

 

Casey Anthony Takes Video Deposition in Civil Case

Published October 08, 2011

July 5: Casey Anthony hugs her attorney, Jose Baez, after hearing a jury clear her of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

ORLANDO, Fla.– Disguised in sunglasses and a baseball cap, Casey Anthony was deposed Saturday for a civil lawsuit that accuses her of ruining another woman’s reputation.

Attorneys for Zenaida Gonzalez used videoconferencing to question Anthony, who was at an undisclosed location in Florida.

John Morgan, who is representing Gonzalez, said he asked Anthony about the disappearance of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Anthony told detectives in 2008 that Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny named Zenaida Gonzalez.

Detectives said no such baby sitter existed. Morgan’s client, who has the same name as the fictional baby sitter, has sued Anthony, claiming her reputation was ruined.

Anthony answered few questions and her attorney, Charles Greene, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment, Morgan said.

“I think there were times where some of the questions irritated her,” Morgan said, pointing to questions about her mother and father, and her brother’s testimony.

Morgan said Anthony tried to disguise herself by wearing a Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap and long, thick black hair that appeared to be from a wig. She also wore a large pair of Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, Morgan said.

He described her as “not happy to be there.”

A message left for Greene by The Associated Press on Saturday after the deposition was not immediately returned.

Anthony was acquitted of killing Caylee and released from jail in July. She is now serving probation on an unrelated charge at an undisclosed location in Florida.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/10/08/casey-anthony-takes-video-deposition-in-civil-case/?test=latestnews#ixzz1aEMwo69H

Judge ups the price on what Casey Anthony re-pays for investigation

Casey Anthony Owes $217K for Missing Daughter’s Search

Published September 23, 2011

| Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. –  A Florida judge on Friday increased the reimbursement costs Casey Anthony must pay to investigators for searching for her missing 2-year-old daughter three years ago.

Judge Belvin Perry added another $119,000 to the bill she owes four law enforcement agencies in central Florida, bringing the total to more than $217,000. That’s still short of the $500,000 prosecutors were seeking.

The additional amount comes from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office providing the judge with more details about their costs. The judge said in the earlier order that the sheriff’s office hadn’t sufficiently broken down the costs of its investigation from mid-July through September 2008.

Anthony was acquitted in July on charges of murdering her daughter, Caylee. But the 25-year-old was convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to authorities. She told officers a baby sitter had kidnapped the child. Authorities later learned the baby sitter never existed.

The costs only cover the missing person investigation and not the homicide investigation.

Anthony, who was declared indigent by the court so taxpayers paid for her defense, has appealed her misdemeanor convictions.

The judge said that Anthony’s payment obligations will be a civil judgment, meaning her creditors will have to sue to collect any money she earns from a book deal or the rights to her story. If she ever tries to buy a house, they will be able to put a lien on it.

Anthony currently is serving probation at an undisclosed location in Florida for unrelated check fraud charges.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/23/casey-anthony-owes-217k-for-missing-daughters-search/?test=latestnews#ixzz1YpoQDtYH

Anthonys: Casey Knew Where Caylee’s Body Was

George And Cindy Anthony Appear On National TV

Posted: 12:27 am EDT September 15, 2011Updated: 6:03 am EDT September 15, 2011
ORLANDO, Fla. — Casey Anthony’s parents offered differing views in a television interview with “Dr. Phil” host Phil McGraw about how they think their 2-year-old granddaughter died in 2008.Cindy Anthony said she believes that Caylee Anthony drowned, while her husband George Anthony was adamant that the toddler died by other means and that his daughter Casey Anthony had more intricate knowledge about how it happened.

The Anthonys shared their opinions during the second part of an interview with McGraw that aired Wednesday. They spoke with McGraw for a lengthy, taped interview over a two-day period recently. A portion of the interview devoted to Casey Anthony’s murder trial will also be shown later this month.

A message left by The Associated Press with one of Casey Anthony’s attorneys, Jose Baez, was not immediately returned.

George Anthony said he thinks Casey may have accidentally drugged his granddaughter and that she tried to cover it up. Cindy Anthony said she does think Casey knew where her Caylee’s body was and may have had help placing her body there.

“If Casey is watching this someday — Yes, I think she’s responsible for Caylee not being here,” George Anthony said.

Caylee Anthony was the focus of a wide-ranging search after her disappearance in June 2008. Casey Anthony told police that a fictitious babysitter had kidnapped the child. The 25-year-old maintained the same story to her family until the child’s skeletal remains were found in a wooded area in December 2008 not far from the Anthony family home.

“I think (Casey) was there and she probably had some help,” George Anthony told McGraw.

Casey Anthony stood trial for her toddler’s death this summer, with her defense attorneys telling jurors the child drowned by accident in the family pool. She was acquitted in July, but convicted of four charges of lying to police.

She is currently somewhere in Florida serving a year of probation on a separate check fraud conviction. Authorities are keeping her whereabouts confidential for her safety.

Anthony’s acquittal caused a national uproar, with people protesting their displeasure with the verdict both publicly and through social media.

Cindy Anthony said that while she believes her granddaughter drowned, she didn’t believe defense attorney Jose Baez’s assertion that George Anthony was there or helped cover up the death. She, too, said she thinks Casey knew where Caylee was buried and that is what upsets her most today.

“I believe Casey knew or had knowledge of placing Caylee there,” Cindy Anthony said. “…I’m not justifying what Casey did. But until I find out what happened to Caylee and what happened to Casey that day, I have to live with what I know.”

She also told McGraw that she prayed nightly during the past three years that if Casey was somehow responsible for Caylee’s death that she’d go to jail.

She said the fact that her daughter was acquitted tells her she wasn’t at fault.

“When that verdict came in and Casey was found not guilty, I got my answer,” Cindy Anthony said “…I’m not gonna be her judge and jury. God is her judge and he set her free.”

http://www.wftv.com/news/29189355/detail.html

Judge Orders Casey Anthony to Pay $100G in Fees for Investigation

Published September 15, 2011

| Associated Press

jury reaches verdict in Anthony trial

AP

July 5: Casey Anthony stands for the arrival of the jury at the start of the second day of jury deliberations in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla.

ORLANDO, Fla. –  Casey Anthony must pay almost $100,000 in law enforcement costs for investigating the death of her 2-year-old daughter, a Florida judge ruled Thursday.

Circuit Judge Belvin Perry’s ruling fell well short of the more than $500,000 that prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in Orlando asked for during a hearing earlier this month.

Prosecutors had asked that Anthony be forced to pay those costs since she lied repeatedly to investigators who were searching for her missing toddler, Caylee, in summer 2008. The judge said the costs should only cover the period when detectives were investigating a missing person and not the homicide investigation — a sum of $97,676.

Anthony was acquitted in July of murdering Caylee. But the 25-year-old was convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to authorities. She told officers a baby sitter had kidnapped the child. Authorities later learned the baby sitter never existed.

Anthony has appealed her misdemeanor convictions. Her attorneys didn’t respond immediately to emails seeking comment Thursday.

Perry denied requests to pay for prosecutors’ costs of pressing the murder charges and said they were only entitled to $50.

He ordered that $61,500 be paid to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, that $25,837 be paid to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and that $10,283 be paid to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation in central Florida. He left open the possibility that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office could recover more money if the agency re-files expenses with greater details.

Anthony is serving probation at an undisclosed location in Florida for unrelated check fraud charges. She is being hidden for her safety, since she received death threats after her acquittal.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/15/judge-orders-casey-anthony-to-pay-100k-in-fees-for-investigation/#ixzz1Y5JjIa7N

Cindy Anthony: “All I know is that Caylee’s not with us anymore.”

Casey Anthony’s Parents On Dr. Phil: ‘All I Know Is That Caylee’s Not With Us Anymore’

Posted on Sep 12, 2011 @ 10:30AM

By Amber GoodhandRadar Reporter

Dr. Phil holds nothing back during the first interview with Casey Anthony’s parents, George and Cindy, since their daughter was acquitted of murdering their granddaughter Caylee, and RadarOnline.com has a new clip.

In excerpts from Dr. Phil’s interview shown on Monday’s Today show, he drills Cindy on a chilling MySpace message she posted 12 days before she called 911 to declare Caylee missing.

“My Caylee is missing. She came into my life unexpectedly just as she has left me. Jealousy has taken her away, jealousy from the one person that should be thankful for all the love and support given to her,” the message reads.

“This mother gave chance after chance for her daughter to change but instead more lies, more betrayal.”

Cindy tells Dr. Phil that she didn’t mean it figuratively, and it wasn’t until the 31 days had passed that she really knew Caylee was missing.

“Caylee was missing in my heart that day. She wasn’t missing physically, in the sense, because I thought I knew where she was at,” Cindy said.

“I wanted Casey to know how much she was hurting me. And I thought she was purposely keeping Caylee away from me.”

When asked about the smell in the trunk of Casey’s car, that both of her parents admitted to smelling, and prosecutors claimed was Caylee’s decaying body, Cindy and George had no explanation for Dr. Phil.

“Truthfully, to this day I don’t know. To be honest,” Cindy said.

“Do you want to believe Caylee was back there? I don’t want to believe it. But I’m going by what investigators have told me,” George said.

“All I know is that Caylee’s not with us anymore. I know that, I know that.”

Dr. Phil told Matt Lauer on the Today show that he felt both of Casey’s parents held a tremendous amount of distain for the defense team that made numerous claims about the Anthony family, and George in particular.

“George would never have put us through those six months of not knowing where Caylee was if he knew where Caylee was,” Cindy said.

“Because I watched his heart break every single day and I watched him as frantic as he was.”

Dr. Phil’s interview with Cindy and George will be airing in two parts, on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14.

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/09/casey-anthony-parents-dr-phil-interview-preview-today-show

UPDATE: Dr. Phil’s interview with the Anthony’s

Mother tells Dr. Phil: Casey Anthony had seizures

By KYLE HIGHTOWER Associated Press
Posted: 09/13/2011 03:12:54 PM PDT
Updated: 09/13/2011 03:12:55 PM PDT

ORLANDO, Fla.—Cindy Anthony said in a television interview that daughter Casey Anthony has a history of seizures, but she is not sure if the condition had anything to do with Caylee Anthony’s disappearance in 2008.

The disclosure came during an interview with “Dr. Phil” host Phil McGraw that aired Tuesday.

Cindy and her husband George Anthony spoke with McGraw for a lengthy, taped interview. Another portion of the interview is scheduled to air Wednesday and a part devoted to their daughter’s murder trial also will be shown later this month.

Cindy Anthony said that Casey also had a seizure in 2007 and another in 2008 while out on bond following her initial arrest on check fraud charges. She said she is unsure if that condition contributed to her lying to her family and authorities regarding her 2-year-daughter’s whereabouts in mid-2008.

“I’m not making justification for (Casey’s lies), but there’s a cause for that,” Cindy Anthony told McGraw. “You just don’t have a grand mal seizure.”

Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys never raised the issue at trial, though late in the case did ask the judge to have doctors examine her to determine if she was mentally fit to stand trial. Three experts ruled her fit and the trial resumed. The reports from their examination were sealed.

Calls by The Associated Press to Anthony’s lead attorney, Jose Baez, were not immediately returned.

The toddler was the focus of a wide-ranging search after

her disappearance in June 2008. Casey Anthony told police that a fictitious babysitter had kidnapped the child. The 25-year-old maintained the same story to her family until the child’s skeletal remains were found in a wooded area in December 2008 not far from the Anthony family home.Casey Anthony was acquitted of killing Caylee in July, but convicted of four charges of lying to police.

She is currently somewhere in Florida serving a year of probation on a separate check fraud conviction. Authorities are keeping her whereabouts confidential for her safety.

Anthony’s acquittal caused a national uproar, with people protesting their displeasure with the verdict both publicly and through social media. It caused so much of a stir that the judge in the case has instituted a cooling-off period before he releases the names of jurors publicly.

The portion of the interview that aired Tuesday centered on what was taking place in the Anthony family before and immediately after they found out from their daughter in July 2008 that Caylee had been missing for a month. McGraw asked them why no red flags were raised in their minds during that time.

“There’s hindsight yes, but not in those 31 days,” Cindy Anthony said. “… I knew what I know now I would have called the Army, the Navy, anybody.”

But McGraw did ask Anthony’s parents directly if they thought Casey was responsible for their granddaughter’s death. Both said they thought it was strange how calm Casey was when she told them Caylee was missing.

“Well, the last one I saw Caylee with was Casey…In my book, one and one adds up to two,” George Anthony said.

He added that as Caylee’s mother, his daughter was ultimately responsible for her and that while she was in jail that “I didn’t believe 2/3 of what she was telling me. I thought she was keeping her away from Cindy.”

The Anthony’s were not paid for the interview, but McGraw said that the show is making a donation to a charity begun in Caylee’s name to support grandparents’ rights and missing and abused children.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18886778

Judge Weighs If Casey Anthony Should Pay $500G Tab

 Published September 02, 2011

| Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Casey Anthony’s attorney said Friday that Florida authorities are trying to recoup the money spent investigating her 2-year-old daughter’s disappearance only because of “sour grapes” over the woman’s acquittal on a murder charge.

Judge Belvin Perry said after hearing arguments on the issue that he would not issue a ruling until at least Sept. 22. He could extend that date but said he hopes to rule by then.

Anthony was acquitted in July on charges of murdering her daughter, Caylee. But the 25-year-old was convicted of four counts of lying to authorities. She told officers a baby sitter had the child. Authorities later learned the baby sitter never existed, but the investigation drained manpower.

Anthony has appealed her convictions.

Several agencies, including the sheriff’s office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, filed expenses of more than $517,000.

Anthony was not in court Friday and is serving probation in an undisclosed location in Florida. After the hearing, defense attorney Cheney Mason said she was progressing well.

“She’s fine,” Mason said as he walked out of the courthouse. “She’s getting help and she’s being taken care of and protected. That’s all I can tell you.”

Asked about Anthony’s financial outlook, Mason said that it is unchanged.

“I know of no deals with anybody and of nobody making any money,” Mason said. “Casey has no money. She’s indigent — period. So why are we doing this? Why are we wasting more and more taxpayers’ money chasing a ghost?”

Mason called the state’s attempt to make his client pay such high investigative costs unfair.

“What you have in essence is the state claiming 100 percent of the costs for a case they lost. … That to me has nothing to do with justice. It has to do with sour grapes,” he said.

Prosecutors spent the morning calling a handful of witnesses representing the four agencies seeking reimbursement. State attorney Linda Drane Burdick said though the totals seem high, all the costs arose from four lies Anthony was convicted of telling. — The sheriff’s office has asked for $293,123; the state attorney’s office has asked for $141,362; the FDLE is seeking $71,939; and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation is asking for $10,362.

She said it was unfair for taxpayers to cover those costs.

“But for Mrs. Anthony’s lying at the beginning of this case, there would no investigative costs,” Drane Burdick said. “… It would not have occurred if Mrs. Anthony had it in her to tell the truth.”

The state is not seeking to get back money spent helping Anthony’s defense or the money spent to sequester the jury during trial.

Anthony’s lead defense attorney, Jose Baez, was not in court Friday.

Instead, Mason attacked the state’s assertions, saying it was trying recoup all of its costs for the investigation and not just those related to what prosecutors say were Anthony’s lies.

Mason pointed to dates well after the October 2008 murder indictment and December 2008 discovery of Caylee Anthony’s remains that were included in the agency tallies. He also argued against court reporter invoices that didn’t take place until 2010 and 2011, well after the investigative phase of the case.

“I think it’s time (Florida state attorney) Lawson Lamar’s office accepts the fact they lost this case,” Mason said.