AP file
Casey Anthony smiles before the start of her sentencing hearing in Orlando, Fla., on July 7, 2011.
By Vignesh Ramachandran, Staff Writer, NBC News
A Florida appeals court Friday tossed two of the four charges against Casey Anthony that were centered around the Florida mother's alleged lies to authorities after her 2-year-old daughter disappeared.
Anthony, 26, was?acquitted of major charges in a highly publicized case in 2011,?after spending three years in jail awaiting trial on a murder charge.
Her daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, disappeared in 2008, and months later, authorities?found?the 2-year-old's body in the woods near the Orlando-area Anthony family home. Though she was acquitted of the murder charge, Casey Anthony was convicted of four counts of lying to police. She was sentenced to time served.
Previous story:?Casey Anthony appealing convictions for lying
The Fifth District Court of Appeal on Friday upheld two of the lying convictions, but concluded that two others should be set aside because of double?jeopardy.
Lawyers for Anthony had argued the four lies should only be considered one offense, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Double jeopardy means being?convicted?twice for a single crime, not permitted under the law. However, state prosecutors had argued that each of Anthony's false statements were separate offenses, so double jeopardy was not violated, according to the newspaper.
"Where there is a sufficient temporal break between two alleged criminal acts so as to have allowed a defendant time to pause, reflect and form a new criminal intent, a separate criminal episode will have occurred," the judges said, according to the AP.
Read Friday's entire opinion from the court
In August, Anthony completed one year of probation at a secret location for a check fraud charge.
From the archives, Aug. 2012:?Casey Anthony off probation; lawyer fears for her safety
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