Casey Anthony is not guilty of first degree murder...

[WDWmazprty]

Check it out:


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-casey-anthony-verdict-20110704,0,1425780.story


Casey Anthony is not guilty of first degree murder
Or of aggravated manslaughter or aggravated child abuse. She is guilty of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
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Casey Anthony goes through a range of expressions during a short conversation with her attorney Dorothy Clay Sims in court on Tuesday. (Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)


By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel

2:03 p.m. EDT, July 5, 2011
Casey Anthony is not guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of her two-year-old daughter Caylee Marie.

Prosecutors did not prove Casey Anthony was guilty of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Marie, a 12-member jury found this afternoon.


FBI Casey Anthony embraced defense attorney Jose Baez when the verdict was read, but the courtroom was silent. The prosecutors in the case, Jeff Ashton and Linda Drane Burdick, looked somber.

As soon as the jury left the courtroom, Casey hugged Baez, and then the rest of her defense team. All of them appeared to be crying.



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Text CASEY to 43886 to get the verdict
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Her parents, George and Cindy Anthony, walked out of the courtroom while Casey Anthony was being fingerprinted.

The verdict means 25-year-old Anthony was found not guilty of all charges except for four counts of providing false information to law enforcement officer. She will be spared a death sentence, but could still potentially face years behind bars in a Florida prison.

Jurors deliberated for less than 11 hours over two days, pondering the witness testimony and hundreds of pieces evidence they were presented with over the several-week trial. The jury found Anthony not-guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Their decision is arguably the most anticipated verdict in the nation at present. A crowd of hundreds outside of the Orange County Courthouse gathered 30 minutes before the verdict was read.

Court spectators, prosecutors, detectives and others involved in the case, including Casey's parents — George and Cindy Anthony — are filing back into the courtroom right now in anticipation of hearing the verdict.

George and Cindy Anthony are sitting next to each other with their attorney Mark Lippman. George looks concerned, hand to his mouth, looking down.

Lippman said he would not hold a news conference after the verdict is read.

Deputies are warning members of the public to express "absolutely nothing"

Sheriff Jerry Demings is sitting in the courtroom. He is in uniform, sitting this time in the second row of the gallery, on the first floor.

The case's lead investigators -- Orange County detectives Eric Edwards, Yuri Melich and John Allen; as well as FBI agent Nick Savage are seated together in the last row of the balcony.

About 150 people have gathered outside the courthouse to await the verdict. Deputies are stationed around the grounds directing gawkers to keep walkways clear. Two women discussed the case with each other loudly before chanting "guilty! Guilty!"

Media from all over the state and nation are swarming the courthouse complex.

Onlookers are everywhere.

"She should do life in prison, but not injection," said Kerry Fischer, 58, a lifelong Orlando resident who was standing in the courtyard in front of the courthouse. He had been following the case on television on and off for the better part of a year.

If convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Marie, Anthony could be sent to Florida's death row.

 

[Jakester]

She did do it. She got away with murder. What a shocking end

 

[sweetpee_1993]

It really does make you question the legal system in our country. That's the sickest thing I've seen since she killed her kid. Sick. Absolutely sick. Tired of being saddled with the responsibility of a child? Just off 'em. No need to worry about the rap in court.

Just like OJ, God will have His say. That I have faith in. Her life will never be the same. I don't wish death upon the little sociopath because that'd be too merciful. I hope her suffering is slow, deep, and long-lived. I hope every day she lives it is in a constant state of hell. She deserves no better.

 

[plaz10]

im shocked.

 

[Master Yoda]

I wish I could say that I am surprised but I am not. The state had a really weak case. It seemed like every road of evidence leading to Casey stopped just short of the driveway.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I wish I could say that I am surprised but I am not. The state had a really weak case. It seemed like every road of evidence leading to Casey stopped just short of the driveway.

That was my feeling on it too. They had the burden of proof and they just didn't make a full argument to truly show her guilt.

 

[Patrick_Ears]

I was a bit shocked to hear this, but i guess the evidence was not 100% proven that she did it. That was the jury’s decision. WOW!!!

Someone knows something, but who....

 

[WDWmazprty]

I had a feeling it would be a not guilty verdict. :brick:

It sucks!

 

[LilSuzy]

Completely disgusted.....poor sweet little Caylee

 

[Laura]

The lawyers did an excellent job, the judge did an excellent job, and the jury did an excellent job. Justice was served. You'd have to be ignorant, or completely unaware of the incredible system of law our country has to disagree with that.

There was way too much reasonable doubt in this case for a jury to convict her of anything more than being a liar. Being a juror is a huge responsibility as someone's life hangs in the balance. If you don't know what happened, and the state hasn't backed up their theories with enough proof to convince you, you can't just throw someone in prison because of a hunch or a guess.

I watched a good majority of the case with an open mind and formed my own opinions about what happened. I believe Casey knows what happened, and I believe whatever happened to Caylee made her go completely CRAZY. She was so crazy, she invented an entire fantasy world and proceeded to live in that world for months afterwards. I think she actually BELIEVED her fantasies were true (the Zanny the nanny thing and all that). In her fantasy world her daughter wasn't really dead. I don't think she knew what to do when she found her daughter dead, and thought she should bury her the way her family buried the pets. If she had done it the normal way with a funeral service and all that, she wouldn't be able to continue living in la-la land and she'd actually have to accept that Caylee was dead.

 

[wizards8507]

The lawyers did an excellent job, the judge did an excellent job, and the jury did an excellent job. Justice was served. You'd have to be ignorant, or completely unaware of the incredible system of law our country has to disagree with that.

The defense in this case did an extremely good job of convincing the jury to completely ignore the way in which such a great legal system is supposed to operate. A verdict of "not guilty" is supposed to be rendered when the prosecution fails to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The key here is reasonable. There might be some miniscule slivers of far-fetched doubt that Casey Anthony didn't murder her daughter in cold blood, but I'm at a loss to determine which of these slivers the jury deemed to be reasonable.

The defense contended that Caylee Anthony drowned and that her body was wrapped in a bag and hidden away. Evidence showed that duct tape was put around the child's jaw before the child died. Doubt? Perhaps. Reasonable doubt? Come on.

I don't give a crap if there weren't slivers of hair, fingerprints, or DNA. Not every case has such evidence, but in a world of CSI and Law and Order, we expect it every time. Stacks upon stacks of circumstantial evidence is still enough to meet this burden of proof.

 

[Tater48]

It really does make you question the legal system in our country. That's the sickest thing I've seen since she killed her kid. Sick. Absolutely sick. Tired of being saddled with the responsibility of a child? Just off 'em. No need to worry about the rap in court.

Just like OJ, God will have His say. That I have faith in. Her life will never be the same. I don't wish death upon the little sociopath because that'd be too merciful. I hope her suffering is slow, deep, and long-lived. I hope every day she lives it is in a constant state of hell. She deserves no better.

While I agree with most of this, she would have to have a conscience for that little girls death for it to bother her. She has shown that this does not apply to her. She will be out of jail on Thursday, after time served on the misdemeanors. The partying might not start immediately for her, but you can bet it will not be long before she is enjoying her "Bella Vita". We have to remember too that the jury wasn't able to see and hear all that we were able to see and hear from all the coverage, and this is a verdict that everyone will have to live with. The justice system is not perfect and needs some much needed reform, but it is so much better than the majority of places in the world. You are right sweetpee, God is going to render the final judgement on her. This was a case of narcissistic personality disorder at it's best. By the way, 5 of the jurors had had prior run ins with the law.

Maybe she and O.J. could hook up and go out and find the real killers. :shrug:

 

[_Scar]

The lawyers did an excellent job, the judge did an excellent job, and the jury did an excellent job. Justice was served. You'd have to be ignorant, or completely unaware of the incredible system of law our country has to disagree with that.

There was way too much reasonable doubt in this case for a jury to convict her of anything more than being a liar. Being a juror is a huge responsibility as someone's life hangs in the balance. If you don't know what happened, and the state hasn't backed up their theories with enough proof to convince you, you can't just throw someone in prison because of a hunch or a guess.

I watched a good majority of the case with an open mind and formed my own opinions about what happened. I believe Casey knows what happened, and I believe whatever happened to Caylee made her go completely CRAZY. She was so crazy, she invented an entire fantasy world and proceeded to live in that world for months afterwards. I think she actually BELIEVED her fantasies were true (the Zanny the nanny thing and all that). In her fantasy world her daughter wasn't really dead. I don't think she knew what to do when she found her daughter dead, and thought she should bury her the way her family buried the pets. If she had done it the normal way with a funeral service and all that, she wouldn't be able to continue living in la-la land and she'd actually have to accept that Caylee was dead.

I think I agree with this. From what I got from what little I watched of the case, there was no clear evidence that she killed the baby. And there's no way around that, and you can't kill someone on an assumption in my opinion.

And before someone implies I'm saying she didn't do it, I'm not. There just wasn't enough evidence.

 

[Laura]

The defense in this case did an extremely good job of convincing the jury to completely ignore the way in which such a great legal system is supposed to operate. A verdict of "not guilty" is supposed to be rendered when the prosecution fails to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The key here is reasonable. There might be some miniscule slivers of far-fetched doubt that Casey Anthony didn't murder her daughter in cold blood, but I'm at a loss to determine which of these slivers the jury deemed to be reasonable.

The defense contended that Caylee Anthony drowned and that her body was wrapped in a bag and hidden away. Evidence showed that duct tape was put around the child's jaw before the child died. Doubt? Perhaps. Reasonable doubt? Come on.

I don't give a crap if there weren't slivers of hair, fingerprints, or DNA. Not every case has such evidence, but in a world of CSI and Law and Order, we expect it every time. Stacks upon stacks of circumstantial evidence is still enough to meet this burden of proof.

I know the difference between doubt and reasonable doubt.

I have personally thought of several reasonable scenarios that may have happened that don't involve Casey killing her daughter in cold blood. It's been established that Casey is a nut job, and the scenarios that are reasonable for someone who is that crazy are endless. To me, killing her daughter in cold blood to "party" is not a reasonable hypothesis for a crazy person. Killing her daughter by mistake and then inventing imaginary people as a coping mechanism is a more reasonable hypothesis for a crazy person. That is the essence of reasonable doubt.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

While I agree with most of this, she would have to have a conscience for that little girls death for it to bother her. She has shown that this does not apply to her. She will be out of jail on Thursday, after time served on the misdemeanors. The partying might not start immediately for her, but you can bet it will not be long before she is enjoying her "Bella Vita". We have to remember too that the jury wasn't able to see and hear all that we were able to see and hear from all the coverage, and this is a verdict that everyone will have to live with. The justice system is not perfect and needs some much needed reform, but it is so much better than the majority of places in the world. You are right sweetpee, God is going to render the final judgement on her. This was a case of narcissistic personality disorder at it's best. By the way, 5 of the jurors had had prior run ins with the law.

Maybe she and O.J. could hook up and go out and find the real killers. :shrug:

Oh yeah. If she had a normal conscience and was any sort of a real mother she'd certainly not be in this position at all. I can honestly say as a mother that when both/either of my children were 2 years old there was NEVER a time that I didn't know what they were doing or who they were with. If any sort of accident had occured with either of them covering or changing the appearance of said occurance would be the farthest thing ~ever~ from my brain. I think she does know what happened as does her also crazy mother. Ultimately God knows, too, and they'll never escape that. Whether or not they feel guilt or have success in convincing themselves that they are innocent doesn't matter. God knows. He is always watching. Every road their lives go down will be plagued with His disdain. Ultimately they will stand before Him and there will be no excuse or lie that can cover their actions. No amount of pleading will help. No lawyers will be around to put on a show. They will be held accountable before Him. I have faith in that.

As for the legal system, I said the same thing when OJ was acquitted. If I had seen and heard only what the jury had seen and heard then I can't say that I would've convicted. The job of the defense is not to prove innocence, it is ony to instill the smallest bit of doubt. The prosecution's job is to leave no doubt. If the jury had seen and heard everything the rest of us did then there would be no doubt. But on the limited info they actually get during the trial that's a different story. I can't imagine what it would be like to make the best decision I could then find out that I might have been wrong. I know that's unfair to oneself if you did the best you could in the moment. What more can you do but your best at any time? Right? But I know me. I would find out the stuff I didn't know at the time and it would bother me. I would carry that forever and it would be a daily problem for me. That's just me, tho.

And let's talk about the defense. At what point is that stupid defense lawyer guy held accountable for his contempt charges? I'd love to see him disbarred but I know that won't happen. If he truly believed Casey was innocent then why did he ask for a mistrial at the end of every day? I dunno. If it looks like fish and smells like fish it must be pretty dang fishy. What a complete jack*ss. There's another I'm happy to know will stand before his Maker. Oh yeah.

A screw-up like Casey Anthony won't stay out of trouble forever. She's started the ball rolling. It's only a matter of time before garbage like that ends up where it belongs. Yep, perhaps then she & OJ can hook up and compare notes. What a lovely couple they would be. :lol:

 

[wizards8507]

I know the difference between doubt and reasonable doubt.

I have personally thought of several reasonable scenarios that may have happened that don't involve Casey killing her daughter in cold blood. It's been established that Casey is a nut job, and the scenarios that are reasonable for someone who is that crazy are endless. To me, killing her daughter in cold blood to "party" is not a reasonable hypothesis for a crazy person. Killing her daughter by mistake and then inventing imaginary people as a coping mechanism is a more reasonable hypothesis for a crazy person. That is the essence of reasonable doubt.

Her sanity or lake thereof is irrelevant. The defense had the decision to plead an affirmative defense of "not guilty by mental disease or defect" and they chose not to. The important difference is that in an insanity (or self-defense) case, the burden of proof shifts to the defense, not the prosecution. She didn't plead insanity and she was deemed competent to stand trial so the jury's duty was to assume that she was, in fact, sane.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Her sanity or lake thereof is irrelevant. The defense had the decision to plead an affirmative defense of "not guilty by mental disease or defect" and they chose not to. The important difference is that in an insanity (or self-defense) case, the burden of proof shifts to the defense, not the prosecution. She didn't plead insanity and she was deemed competent to stand trial so the jury's duty was to assume that she was, in fact, sane.

Additionally, wasn't she examined on more than one occasion by more than one psychiatrist/psychologist all of whom found her competant? If she had been schizo they would've found that.

Laura, it does bother me that the defense tried to play all the angles. They tried to go the insanity route ala Paula Yates. They tried to go the molested route ala Susan Smith. They tried all these angles with no success for a reason. There's always scenarios that can explain away things but all those that begin & end with Anthony being mentally ill were put to rest when she was found competant more than once and proven to be nothing more than a crappy liar. What it boils down to is she didn't want to have the responsibility of a child anymore. She wanted to live the "Bella Vita". The scary part is that other young mothers might look at this and think "Hey! That could be me! I could get out from under the burden of my responsibilities, too!" The sad part is that there are plenty of people who would love to have been a loving parent to that sweet little girl. She wasn't given that chance. Instead she was smothered, stashed in the trunk, then tossed out on the side of the road like garbage. So utterly sad. Justice was not served on her behalf. Bless her little angel heart. So sad.

 

[Laura]

Her sanity or lake thereof is irrelevant. The defense had the decision to plead an affirmative defense of "not guilty by mental disease or defect" and they chose not to. The important difference is that in an insanity (or self-defense) case, the burden of proof shifts to the defense, not the prosecution. She didn't plead insanity and she was deemed competent to stand trial so the jury's duty was to assume that she was, in fact, sane.

This was definitely not an insanity case. I'm not saying Casey murdered her daughter and her excuse is insanity. I am saying her behavior AFTER Caylee died was that of a crazy person. So you can't convict someone of murder because of their behavior AFTER the child is dead. There are several "reasonable" conclusions one could make as to why Casey behaved so strangely after Caylee died, and the evidence brought out in court proved that she had imaginary friends and came from a dysfunctional lying family. Therefore her behavior after the Caylee's death is irrelevant. The state had to prove the manner of death to win this case and they failed to do that.

 

[tizzo]

Bottom line is that they didn't prove it, so she walks. Nothing against the prosecution specifically, I don't see how they could have proven it given the evidence they had.

From my perspective as a Florida taxpayer, this was probably the best of several bad outcomes. There were problems with the prosecution's case, and with the conduct of the trial, that I think would have guaranteed a new trial at some point. Certainly endless appeals. And with the defendant having been declared indigent, we the taxpayers of Florida would have had to pay for both sides of all of them, just like we had to pay for both sides of this trial. And I frankly don't think the prosecution's case was going to get any better. They just didn't have enough evidence, through no apparent fault of their own, to prove her guilt with sufficient certainty to justify a conviction.

 

[Laura]

Additionally, wasn't she examined on more than one occasion by more than one psychiatrist/psychologist all of whom found her competant? If she had been schizo they would've found that.

Laura, it does bother me that the defense tried to play all the angles. They tried to go the insanity route ala Paula Yates. They tried to go the molested route ala Susan Smith. They tried all these angles with no success for a reason. There's always scenarios that can explain away things but all those that begin & end with Anthony being mentally ill were put to rest when she was found competant more than once and proven to be nothing more than a crappy liar. What it boils down to is she didn't want to have the responsibility of a child anymore. She wanted to live the "Bella Vita". The scary part is that other young mothers might look at this and think "Hey! That could be me! I could get out from under the burden of my responsibilities, too!" The sad part is that there are plenty of people who would love to have been a loving parent to that sweet little girl. She wasn't given that chance. Instead she was smothered, stashed in the trunk, then tossed out on the side of the road like garbage. So utterly sad. Justice was not served on her behalf. Bless her little angel heart. So sad.

You don't have to believe anything the defense says as a juror. But that doesn't mean the prosecution automatically wins.

Bella Vita could have very well been a tribute to Caylee.