Casey Anthony acquitted

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

its interesting.  someone on another forum pointed out that scott peterson is on death row with less evidence

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

its interesting.  someone on another forum pointed out that scott peterson is on death row with less evidence

He's a dude. A dude needs somebody like Johnny Cochran to get him off. Attractive (white) women don't need so much. No idea about attractive women of other colors.

I have a hard time believing the state screwed up so thoroughly.  Usually the state does a better job of matching charges to evidence.  It is almost like the state deemed her guilty and decided to shoot the moon on charges with little regard to evidence in hand.

My guess is that the prosecutor loves the CSI shows, and decided to make forensic evidence the cornerstone of his argument. When a relatively smart defense attorney shows that this forensic evidence is untrustworthy, the jury feels betrayed and thinks the prosecutor is lying about the more solid evidence, too. Having an attractive woman as client just makes it even easier.

[dogmush]

My understanding (from trying hard not to watch the wall to wall coverage in Tampa)is that there was no more solid evidence.  When the forensics were shown not to be 100%, that's all the state had.  They didn't even have a solid cause of death to refute the swimming pool tale.

Life ain't CSI.  If the state doesn't meet the burden of proof, then I'm glad we still presume innocence, even in cases like this one.

[De Selby]

its interesting.  someone on another forum pointed out that scott peterson is on death row with less evidence

That would be incorrect - The evidence against Scott Peterson would have had to be a video tape to be any stronger.

Anthony's defense was a realistic alternative.  The monkey business about finding the body only helped.  It's quite possible (even reasonably believable) that she did not intentionally murder the girl.

Scott Petersons case left no alternative conclusion.

[280plus]

Ah America. GMA is running a whole big thing on this right now with Nancy Grace calling the jury "kooky" and talks about "This is a bad verdict". The most telling of all about the quality of people that made this the circus that it is? At the swamp were cayley was found theres a memorial with flowers, balloons etc. Right smack dab in the middle, big sign, red letters, "Your safe in the arms of Jesus now"

Didn't know Cayley had a safe... 

 

[280plus]

My gut feeling. She used chloroform to put the kid to sleep so she could go out and she accidentally killed her with it instead. The tape was either for keeping fluids in or keeping insects out. I think if the prosecutors had pursued that avenue instead of the intentional killing scenario they might have gotten a little further. Just my $0.02 of course.

[T.O.M.]

My opinions, watching as little as possible, from the perspective of someone who prosecuted for 12 years (2 more than Nancy Grace)...

1. evidence was pretty good that the child was the victim of a wrongful death.  Murder, neglect, etc., not clear, but clearly a wrongful death.
2. Casey Anthony was a party girl who refused to let smoething as trivial as the death of her daughter spoil her good time.
3. Detectives caught Anthony in a web of lies.  As I've learned, to many cops, someone who lies about a crime is guilty of the crime, whether there is actual evidence to prove it or not.
4. the prosecution jumped the gun in filing the bog charges without evidenec to tie Anthony directoly to the death, or more correctly, the cause of death.
5. Nancy Grace was right in that the law does not require that the State prove motive, but I've never seen a jury convict without some evidence presented on that issue.
6. defense counsel made the best argument you could, that Anthony is a terrible human being, but that does not prove she is guilty of the murder (which may or may not actually be a murder).
7. Nancy Grace and some of the other talking heads on television are the biggest problem with the criminal justice system at this time. proclaiming guilt before a trial starts, lambasting the jury for doing what they were suppposed to do and not simply signing off on the prosecutor's charges...I'm about as pro-cop/pro-prosecution as you get around here, and she makes me want to shoot my television.

As an aside, I truly believe that, in the end, there is final justice.  Someday, in some way, Casey Anthony will have to answer for her role in all of this.  We may not be able to watch it happen on CNN, but I believe it will happen.

[Stand_watie]

7. Nancy Grace...I'm about as pro-cop/pro-prosecution as you get around here, and she makes me want to shoot my television.

   +eleventy

[280plus]

Thanks Chris, all excellent points.

I liked how NG went on about Casey getting money for a book deal etc and how she'll cash in on the whole thing. Anyone bother to ask NG how much money the situation has put into HER pocket? How much money do you get for being a guest talking head on GMA? Hmmm? 

[280plus]

Looked this up just now. Notice the statement I highlighted right at the bottom. Like I said, I think she, not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, just plain old screwed up and killed the kid instead of putting her to sleep:

http://howtomakechloroform.com/

It is possible for you to make chloroform at home. But you need to remember that using this chemical should be limited to as a solvent and nothing else.

•To learn how to make chloroform, you will need the following materials: acetone, water, pitcher, ice, and shock powder. The mixture of shock powder and acetone creates a mix that is potent and at the same time dangerous. Shock powder is Calcium Hypochlorite and is used for swimming pools. You can purchase this in hardware or pool supply stores.
•To make the chloroform, you will need to put the water first into the pitcher. As soon as you have poured the water, put the shock powder, and use a wooden stick to help dissolve the powder. As soon as you are done, you will need to put some ice in the pitcher. And then slowly pour the acetone in. Slowly stir the acetone while pouring the acetone into the pitcher. You need to do this slowly since there will be a chemical reaction when the water starts to change in its temperature. Usually 135 degrees will keep the chloroform working.
•As soon as you are done stirring, you will notice that there are 3 layers in the pitcher. The acetone, water, and the chloroform. When distilling the chloroform, you need to be careful, so you will need a funnel to help separate the layers. Always wear some protective clothing when handling the chemicals. Wear a mask as well since chloroform has intoxicating effects. Now that you have transferred the chemical in its bottle, seal the bottle well, and store it in a place out of children's reach. You will have to put a label outside the bottle just in case you forget its contents. Always wipe the spills with gloves. Use a dispersing agent to make sure the affected area is now okay. If you don't have any dispersing agent, you will need to shovel some sand on the affected area to prevent the gas from diffusing into the room.
•If someone swallows chloroform, do not let the person take anything except for milk. Loosen the person's clothing and bring this person as soon as possible to the doctor to get some treatment. Take note of the person's contaminated clothing, and put it immediately in the washer to prevent further contamination. This is very potent, even small amounts of this chemical could lead to coma and even death.

[roo_ster]

It is times like these that I am glad I can't watch cable or network news.

That lack of broadcast or cable teevee about caused my mom fits the last time she visited.  She is the kindof person who turns it on when she comes home from work and turns it off when she goes to bed. 

She doesn't sit and watch, but works around the house while the idiot box fills the house with sound and images.  (A state of affairs that is akin to HELL IMO.)

[MicroBalrog]

The woman was not on trial on charges of being a bad mother. She would no doubt be convicted.

She was not on trial on charges being an irresponsible, and highly creepy person. There is no juror who would have voted to acquit if such charges existed.

But the prosecution had to prove specific crimes. They had failed to do so, and therefore this person(oid) was acquitted.

[280plus]

True, unfortunately the trailer trash side of the tracks people here in the US are unable to fathom this.

[Hawkmoon]

Ah America. GMA is running a whole big thing on this right now with Nancy Grace calling the jury "kooky" and talks about "This is a bad verdict".

I guess there's a reason Nancy Grace is a television celebrity now rather than a prosecutor. You'd think a former prosecutor would (a) have more respect for the legal/jury system; and (b) be more objective in acknowledging that the prosecution did a really poor job.

The most telling of all about the quality of people that made this the circus that it is? At the swamp were cayley was found theres a memorial with flowers, balloons etc. Right smack dab in the middle, big sign, red letters, "Your safe in the arms of Jesus now"

Didn't know Cayley had a safe...

Dyslexics-R-Us

[Hawkmoon]

As an aside, I truly believe that, in the end, there is final justice.  Someday, in some way, Casey Anthony will have to answer for her role in all of this.  We may not be able to watch it happen on CNN, but I believe it will happen.

Well said, Chris. I agree completely. We will probably never know what really happened, and it doesn't matter at this point. Whatever her role and whatever her degree of culpability, Casey Anthony will eventually be judged, and that's when justice will prevail.

[grislyatoms]

IMO, and strictly IMO, Casey Anthony was directly involved in her daughter's death.
Both sides failed to indicate (much less prove) beyond a reasonable doubt how Caylee died. There just wasn't enough evidence, and under the circumstances, I think the jury acted correctly.

If Belvin has any sense, he will sentence her to the max for her convictions. Also, I wouldn't want to give odds on how long she will last in a women's prison.  

[TechMan]

IMO, and strictly IMO, Casey Anthony was directly involved in her daughter's death.
Both sides failed to indicate (much less prove) beyond a reasonable doubt how Caylee died. There just wasn't enough evidence, and under the circumstances, I think the jury acted correctly.

If Belvin has any sense, he will sentence her to the max for her convictions. Also, I wouldn't want to give odds on how long she will last in a women's prison.  

And that is why he will release her with time served and prison over crowding.

[seeker_two]

With this case over, I'm eagerly awaiting the next wall-to-wall-coverage court case....the one where Casey Anthony sues the heck out of Nancy Grace for slander (& maybe libel, if Grace put anything in print or blog)..... 

[AJ Dual]

With this case over, I'm eagerly awaiting the next wall-to-wall-coverage court case....the one where Casey Anthony sues the heck out of Nancy Grace for slander (& maybe libel, if Grace put anything in print or blog)..... 

That's the proverbial "Catching Hitler and Stalin fighting in an alley and not knowing who to root for"-scenario if I've ever seen one.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

That's the proverbial "Catching Hitler and Stalin fighting in an alley and not knowing who to root for"-scenario if I've ever seen one.

Don't root for anyone. Sell tickets.

[280plus]

I guess there's a reason Nancy Grace is a television celebrity now rather than a prosecutor. You'd think a former prosecutor would (a) have more respect for the legal/jury system; and (b) be more objective in acknowledging that the prosecution did a really poor job.

+1

[T.O.M.]

I didn't catch any of the trial, and a minimal amount of the talking heads going on about anything important in the trial.  but from the little I know and have gathered reading about the case, I think where the prosecution dropped the ball was bringing on the murder charges when they couldn't prove there was a murder.  Sounds like the trial went about as well as they could have hoped, but the jury wasn't swayed by the emotion so much as to overlook the absence of evidence regarding the murder.  More to the point, it looks like there was no evidence directly linking Anthony to the death.  Somewhere along the line, a prosecutor must have thrown this issue up for discussion, and someone higher up made a bad choice to proceed without that evidence.,,

[Boomhauer]

I didn't catch any of the trial, and a minimal amount of the talking heads going on about anything important in the trial.  but from the little I know and have gathered reading about the case, I think where the prosecution dropped the ball was bringing on the murder charges when they couldn't prove there was a murder.  Sounds like the trial went about as well as they could have hoped, but the jury wasn't swayed by the emotion so much as to overlook the absence of evidence regarding the murder.  More to the point, it looks like there was no evidence directly linking Anthony to the death.  Somewhere along the line, a prosecutor must have thrown this issue up for discussion, and someone higher up made a bad choice to proceed without that evidence.,,

I hate this case. I'm glad the jury did their job properly...but I'm very angry that the prosecution couldn't get the ball together.

It's obvious Anthony did the deed. Here's hoping she has a rendevous with judgement earlier than she expects. The woman has no regret, she will not be "living with it" as some say.

Unfortunately, the law of scumbag survival dictates she will live and party for a long time more...

Because we all know she did it, but the jury did their job (but will be remembered as the ones that let the baby killer go)

[Viking]

That's the proverbial "Catching Hitler and Stalin fighting in an alley and not knowing who to root for"-scenario if I've ever seen one.

Drop napalm on the alley .

[Balog]

Drop napalm on the alley .

When I take power you're going to be my Minister on Internal Relations.