Judge Belvin Perry says he was very surprised at how many people were interested in the Casey Anthony murder trial.

The Orlando Sentinel writes that Chief Judge Perry says he was “totally surprised” by the number of people who were “totally fixated” by the Casey Anthony case.

In a revealing interview on WFTV-Channel 9’s “Central Florida Spotlight,” Perry mentioned several reasons for that fixation: Grandparents George and Cindy Anthony were “pulling out all stops” to find their granddaughter, Calyee.

“Then you had the face of a completely adorable little girl that probably pulled on the heartstrings of every individual that had an opportunity to view her,” Perry said of Caylee.

Perry, however, declined to discuss Casey Anthony because he has to vacate two of her convictions for lying to law enforcement.  Anthony was acquitted of murder in her child’s death.

Yet the interview went far beyond the Anthony trial to explore the interests and style of one of the most famous judges in the country. Perry said he had no concerns about security and revealed that he receives about a death threat a year. “You just can’t dwell on it, because if you dwell on it, Greg, you become paralyzed,” Perry told moderator Greg Warmoth.   

In the interview, Perry also said:

***He doesn’t drink at social affairs, and he doesn’t associate with a lot of people, because being a judge is “extremely difficult.” He advises young judges to stay away from happy hours. If Perry drinks “every blue moon,” he’ll do it at home.

***The “fine gentleman” who played him in “Prosecuting Casey Anthony” on Lifetime “did not act like me or in any way portray Belvin Perry, but that’s Hollywood.” (Actor Philip Akin had a very minor role as Perry in the movie based on Jeff Ashton’s book.)

***GPS technology is helping alert victims of domestic violence to dangers from suspects. “It stops victims from becoming sitting ducks,” Perry said. (That issue was discussed first in the program, and that placement suggested it mattered most to Perry.)

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