Casey Anthony Verdict: A Damn Shame

Casey Anthony not quilty verdict came as a shock to many. The case turned into media frenzy, there were numerous twists and turns reported by local and national media almost daily.

She was almost convicted in the media, but then exonerated by the court of law. This is why not quilty verdict was so stunning, who saw that coming?

While many Americans say their jury system promotes democracy, there are also serious doubts how effective jury system is because people with no legal background make important decisions, sometimes deliberating only hours.

There are hung jurys, mistrials, but the worst part is that the verdicts are so unpredictable proven many times. Everyone thought OJ Simpson was quilty, as well as Michael Jackson or Casey Anthony but they all ‘got away with it’.

So what went wrong? Was State’s case too ambitious, they introduced some evidence first time, was it too complex, difficult to understand or was it too speculative. Was Casey Anthony ‘overcharged’. Perhaps they should have concentrated on one theory, Jeff Ashton didn’t even say: If this is a murder one – is it felony or premeditated. You the jury must figure it out. But if attorneys with 30 years of experience can’t figure it out, how can ordinary citizens – cooks and carpenters – know? Their task was difficult, perhaps too confusing for them.

Defence did everything to confuse jurors too, they made state to disapprove their case – accident theory, claiming thay can say what they want and they have no burden of proof. In Finland if judges deliver verdict they also give an complete explanation why they reached the conclusion they did and what they think evidence proved or disapproved. This is mandatory, in USA obviously not, jury’s explanation can be found out only by media interviews whis is very strange. We don’t even know did the jury believe she drowned or did they think someone else was responsible. But it’s pretty obvious they didn’t like George Anthony, his violent outburst and clashes with protesters in front of the cameras , were reported by every news media outlet did hardly go unnoticed even for those who did not follow the case.

Maybe prosecutors should have hammered out an exact scenario what they think happened and brought in evidence to support their theory, perhaps that would have been more acceptable for the jury. Was murder weapon duct tape or chloroform, or was she suffocated. Unfortunately victim’s body was so badly decomposed that the cause of death is unknown. But the manner of death is homicide.

But putting legal battles aside for Caylee Anthony the justice was denied forever. It’s a damn shame.

Making History In The Courtroom

In 1987 DNA evidence in criminal trial was likely considered, novel, experimental science.

DNA got its first courtroom test in Orange County, Florida.  Casey Anthony prosecutor, Jeff Ashton gained the world’s first DNA conviction of a rapist more than 20 years ago. Florida appeals court upheld the conviction and Florida became the first state to affirm on appeal the use of DNA.  Since then DNA profiling has helped to acquit or convict suspects in many of the most violent crimes all over the world.

Jeff Ashton in 1987 arguing in courtroom for DNA evidence ‘That is not controversial or new procedure’ he says. (Image: credit wesh. com)

In Casey Anthony case, her defence team argued that the evidence such as hair samples, air samples and cadaver dogs evidence, that State wanted to present, are not simply credible. Anthony’s defence insisted such forensic evidence should not be admissible in court since the discovery is based on novel, experimental scientific research that is not generally accepted by scientific community. The defendant requested a Frye hearing to question the reliability of scientific evidence.

It’s the first time the air samples are introduced in a U.S. criminal case.

Hair sample with evidence of an apparent human decomposition or post-mortem root banding – the scientific name for the phenomenon – has never been used as evidence in a Florida criminal trial until the Anthony case. Prosecutors say these tests prove Caylee’s body was in the trunk of Casey’s car.
After voicing some concern that the issue ‘may come back to bite’ in the form of an appeal, Judge Belvin Perry decided to allow such ‘controversial’ evidence at Anthony’s trial.

Casey Anthony trial continues with expert scientific testimonies. She is accused of killing her 2 year old daughter, Caylee. She pleaded not guilty.

Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton retired in June 2011 after unsuccessfully arguing along with Linda Drane – Burdick that 2 year old Florida girl Caylee Anthony died in the hands of her mother.

48 Hours Mystery: Only Casey Knows

ORLANDO, Fla. – It has been two-and-a-half years since Casey Anthony was first arrested and charged with murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in a criminal case that has become a public obsession.

Casey was a 22-year-old single mother. She and her daughter lived with Casey’s parents, George and Cindy, in their Orlando home

Casey Anthony

“People hate her!” Casey’s father, George Anthony, told “48 Hours” in 2009.

“She’s been portrayed as an evil person,” added Cindy Anthony.

The little girl was described by most everyone around her as incredibly cute, happy and outgoing.

“She was just a beautiful child,” said Cindy.

But Caylee disappeared that summer after Casey took her daughter and left her parents’ home. Even more startling, is that Casey waited an entire month before revealing to her family and authorities that her child was missing. Casey claimed her nanny, a woman no one could find – much less even prove existed, had kidnapped the child. Six months after Caylee disappeared in December 2008, her skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area not far from her grandparents’ home

But now for the first time, a former member of Casey’s defense team tells “48 Hours Mystery” the nanny claim is a lie. Lawyer Linda Kenney Baden, who left the defense team in October, said, “She lied. Sure. I think everyone knows that was a lie.”

In Full: Open-and-shut case? Maybe not… Troy Roberts goes inside the defense of Casey Anthony link