Casey Anthony, the Florida mother who was accused of killing her two year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, has been found not guilty of all murder, manslaughter and child endangerment charges.
The five men and seven women jury deliberated just 10 hours over a two day period after 33 days of testimony, expert witnesses and rebuttal arguments to reach a unanimous verdict acquitting the now 25 year-old Casey of all charges relating to Caylee’s death.
She was found guilty on four counts of lying to investigators and providing false information to officials.
During the trial, the prosecution said Anthony knocked out her daughter with chloroform and suffocated her by putting duct tape over her nose and mouth. The defense argued the death was an accidental drowning in the family pool and that Casey’s father, George Anthony, a former law enforcement officer, helped dispose of the body – a claim he denied.
While no direct evidence linked Casey to her daughter’s death, the prosecution showed several incriminating photographs of Casey dancing and partying while the young mother maintained the story her daughter was taken by a nanny.
Casey’s mother Cindy Anthony, took the stand both as a prosecution and defense witness. The grandmother of Caylee claimed some of the home computer searches the prosecution offered as evidence of Casey’s premeditation to kill Caylee, were actually performed by her and not done Casey.
Prosecution offered rebuttal witnesses that said Cindy was at work at the time those computer searches were done at her house and Cindy could not have done them as she testified.
George Anthony’s attempted suicide, alleged affair with another woman and alleged molestation of Casey were part of the defense lawyer Jose Baez‘ strategy to inject reasonable doubt into the case.
Baez attacked the scientific evidence provided by the state and called it “fantasy forensics.”
In the end, Casey faces up to four years in prison for misleading investigators and can never be retried for the death of Caylee.
What do you think of the verdict? Is it the right outcome based on the evidence? Or did they find 12 very stupid people to sit on the jury?
Sound off below.
[image: Dr. Lillian Glass Body language blog]
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