Who Is Krystal Holloway From The Casey Anthony Murder Trial?

The Casey Anthony murder trial was an absolute goldmine for television executives. The trial shot HLN and Nancy Grace ahead of cable giants Fox News and MSNBC in many of the timeslots, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And who could blame viewers? The trial had everything: the tragic death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, an attractive yet cold 25-year-old mother the world had determined was the murderer, and some truly bombastic personalities running the defense for Casey Anthony. Per NBC News, the prosecution had lined up so many of Casey's lies they were confident they could get the death penalty as justice for Caylee's death. And America was glued to their televisions for six weeks in the summer of 2011 to see if the prosecution would win its case.

What viewers couldn't have anticipated is the string of bizarre testimonies from witnesses called by the prosecution and the defense over the course of trial. Colorful forensic experts depicted smells of human decomposition (via The Washington Post). Former friends, boyfriends, neighbors, and roommates of Casey Anthony took the stand, sometimes providing intimate details of the woman standing trial, per CBS News. And then there was Krystal Holloway (above), who also went by the name River Cruz. In her entertaining testimony, she told of her secret relationship with Casey's father, George Anthony, and his bombshell confession to her.

On day 32 of the trial, Casey Anthony's defense team called Krystal Holloway to the stand to testify on her relationship with George Anthony, as well as a starting revelation regarding what she said she witnessed. During her testimony, Holloway said she met George when she volunteered in search efforts for Caylee and soon after the two began a sexual relationship, which lasted several months, per HuffPost. She said the relationship went south in February 2009, when he stopped calling and only sent her text messages. "I didn't think it was appropriate, being that I was sleeping with him and I wasn't good enough for him to call me," she said.

However, it wasn't the alleged affair that compelled the defense team to call Holloway to the stand. She said George made a shocking comment involving Caylee during a conversation at her home sometime around Thanksgiving 2008. "We were talking about his daughter and I mentioned that I didn't think he could raise somebody that was capable of harming her child," she told the court. And that's when George allegedly dropped the bomb on her. "He was sitting on my couch, and I was sitting on the floor. He said it was an accident that snowballed out of control. I was caught off guard by it, and when I looked up he had tears in his eyes," she told the jury, per the Christian Science Monitor.

Soon after Holloway's testimony, George Anthony (above) took the stand. He claimed he visited Holloway at her home a few times with the knowledge of his wife, Cindy Anthony. He said he considered her to be a friend like other volunteers who were helping his family search for Caylee. He said the first visit was out of compassion after Holloway had disclosed to him that she had a brain tumor and was dying. "I felt that she was so giving of herself, to me and my family, to help look for our granddaughter, it was the least I could do to go in and show some compassion and respect," he said in court, per the Daily Mail. 

When he was presented with a text message he sent to Holloway that read, "Just thinking about you. I need you in my life" (via CBS News), Anthony said it didn't mean anything romantic. "I sent text messages to many, many volunteers ... and yes, I did need those people in my life. I have nothing to hide," he said. And that's when he turned defense to offense. "I never had a romantic affair with Crystal Holloway, River Cruz or whatever names she ever wanted to give you or the world. If I'm not mistaken, sir, she had a questionable past, OK?" He piled on further: "She also had been arrested for fraud, breaking and entering, and things like that. She's not a good person, sir" (via the Daily Mail).

During cross examination, Holloway admitted to the prosecution that she sold her story about an alleged affair with George Holloway for $4,000 to the National Enquirer, the tabloid not exactly known for its journalistic integrity. "You felt the National Enquirer was the one place that would tell your story in a fair, honest and sensational way?" prosecutor Jeff Ashton asked (per HuffPost). "(They) did," Holloway replied. Ashton pushed further: "And the story is much, much better if you're actually having an affair with George, right? It's much more sensational." Holloway was undeterred, saying as simply as she could, "I did have an affair with George."

As for the National Enquirer money, Holloway later said in a television interview (via Mediaite) that she gave George Anthony about $4,000. "He told me he couldn't get a job and that he couldn't pay his bills and he couldn't eat." Even though her life had been turned upside down — much of it she recognized was her own doing — she said she felt sorry for George Anthony for the loss of his granddaughter, Caylee, and for his daughter's unwillingness to testify in court. Still, Holloway said in the interview, "I did wrong, I want him to take responsibility, too."