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Leak, Hack, PR Stunt: How Did That Casey Anthony Video Get Released, Anyway? And Are There More?

E! News exclusively speaks to person claiming responsibility for originally posting the video diary online; has at least one more in their possession, with no plans to release it

By Gina Serpe, Holly Passalaqua Jan 06, 2012 4:31 PMTags
Casey Anthonyyoutube.com

Plenty of questions surround the now ubiquitous Casey Anthony video diary, though there's one thing everyone can agree on: whether or not it was by her own design, the entry has placed Anthony squarely back in the public consciousness (that is, if she ever really went away).

Everyone also seems to have an opinion on how the video got out. Leaked, hacked or stolen? Mistakenly, intentionally or regrettably released by Anthony herself?

Well, E! News has exclusively spoken to the person claiming to be the original poster of the video on YouTube, who detailed exactly how he came to be in possession of the footage—and whether or not there's more to come.

Since its widespread release yesterday, pundits have been filling cable and morning news shows with theories about whether it was released by Anthony or not.

Arguments that it was: it's in black and white, and in mirror image, thus making it harder to possibly pinpoint her location. There are off audio edits throughout, potentially indicating that someone thought better of some of her less than salient points and thus removed them. And reports that the video was initially placed on a pay-per-view site (though the poster denies this to E! News) suggest that it was intentionally released and then pulled back as it was deemed not quite ready for viewing.

As for the arguments that it was stolen or Anthony's computer was broken into by a sophisticated hacker: well, we'll get back to you. So far, the only backer of that theory is Anthony's attorney Cheney Mason, who told the Today show this morning, "If we find out who did it and how they did it, then they are going to be, I hope, answering to state and federal law enforcement agencies."

Meanwhile, the original YouTube poster, who asked to have his name withheld, spoke to E! News about how he got his hands on the footage.

"I checked Facebook one day and I had a message saying, 'I have some things that you might be interested in and I trust you with it,' " the poster told E! News, adding that he was sent the video by an unnamed aquaintance.

"They gave me the video because they trusted me with the video and the pictures and knew I would not try and make money off it. And if it did leak onto the Internet, they would be authentic and that they were not fake Caseys."

As we now know, it didn't take long before "if it did leak" turned into "when it did leak."

The poster said that before releasing it onto YouTube, he blocked out the names of specific people Casey mentioned—which might refute those who believe that Casey intentionally released the video herself—before posting it onto his channel as "unlisted."

Asked why he released the clip at all, the poster said he simply wanted Casey's supporters to see that she "is happy." And despite the viral spread of the footage, the poster insisted that Casey never intended the video for public consumption.

"Casey did not want people to see these videos. Cheney Mason, her lawyer, says that Casey is doing the video diaries as a form of therapy. She has nobody. She has her dog and her webcam."

And yes, that was video diaries, plural. The poster confirmed he was in possession of a second video of Casey but at this time does not plan on releasing it.

The first video was up for just four minutes before, according to the poster, the Facebook group The People Against 'We Support Casey Anthony' found it and reposted it, from which it quickly spread around the Internet.

"I did not mean for this to happen and wish it would all go away," the poster said. "It snowballed out of control. I feel sorry for her because the media is ripping her and the video apart. They need to let the girl live. I respect the constitution and she was found not guilty."

The poster clarified that he does not know and has never met or been in contact with Casey, but claimed to know that Anthony has since altered her physical appearance from the blond bob and glasses look she had in the video.

The poster also said there are additional audio recordings in addition to another video. He is meeting with his lawyer today and plans to turn over all remaining pieces of material he has on Anthony.