I'm glad you all went to bed so I could get caught up. Did not want to post without reading.
Is it just me or did anyone else read into George's statement that he feels she is guilty?
Yes.
So we let guilty people go? Its not about concrete smoking guns. Its about the preponderance of the evidence, circumstantial and otherwise. Its about looking at everything, using common sense and evaluating.
If we always needed a piece of concrete evidence, most of our criminals would be free. Reasonable doubt is not Possible doubt. This is not a CSI tv vshow
I thought that the defense in their closing statement really made it sound like 'if you have any doubt whatsoever, that is reasonable doubt and you must acquit.' That was said more than once.
.......
I absolutely believe she is guilty. I think the problem was that the jury wanted the case wrapped up in a neat little package as it is on TV. The prosecution couldn't give an exact cause of death so the jury believed the smokescreen thrown in front of them. Common sense begs an answer to why she lied to the police if she did nothing wrong. .
I agree.
I think the jury wanted every little piece to be neatly tied up like on TV.
......
The vast majority of murder cases depend on circumstantial evidence. (See Scott Peterson). Not many murderers are considerate enough to kill people in full view of an audience, and are actually apprehended by law enforcement with the murder weapon in hand.
The State in this case had a very strong circumstantial case. Perhaps some people were not paying attention.
This jury obviously gave this defendant the benefit of every unreasonable doubt and sent common sense flying out the window.
Let me leave you with this thought: Who was the parent and "caregiver" of little Caylee?
Answer -- Casey Anthony. Where was she when little Caylee died (of any cause). Where was she when little Caylee was wrapped in trash bags and dumped in a swamp? Why did she lie to her parents and law enforcement until so much evidence was destroyed. Child Neglect falls under the Child Abuse Statute. Where was Casey Anthony when her child died? Why was she not protecting her?
Casey Anthony should have been convicted of Aggravated Child Abuse at a minimum. Her child died in her care and she is responsible. End of story.
I agree.
........
Also, while I know they mean well, I get frustrated hearing people (including my DH

) who keep saying that she will have to live with what she's done. I keep asking whether they saw any of the pictures from the 31 days. She doesn't have any problem with living with it at all.

.
People who have a hard time living with things have a conscience.
I think the 31 days show that she does not.
I am so very sad that justice for Caylee was not served today. I do believe that she was guilty and that the evidence proved that, but i guess the jury sees it differently than i do. I still have difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that out of 12 people, nobody could get reasonable doubt does not equal without a doubt................and that to me is what caused the verdict.
I hope the jury is content with their decision as they have to live with it and i myself would not like to have to decide somebodys fate, but would if ever called upon. So many questions and so little answers that nobody will ever know other than Casey. I really think that she has herself convinced that the story she tells is the truth and will have no problem moving on from this while the rest of her family struggle to find a new normal. Dispite all her families faults i do feel bad for them and hope to never experience what they have.
Thanks to everyone for your contributions...its been an interesting read to see everyones view and take on things even when different than mine.
agree

Well there ya go!
Jesse Grund was just on NG with his father. Poor guy! He really loved Caylee. Said he can't "go there" to trying to figure out exactly what happened, because then he would have to picture what happened to Caylee.
Jesse's father was saying how dysfunctional the family is, pointing the finger at Cindy. I bet the Grunds are glad they dodged a bullet having her joining their family and having Casey give birth to any of their grandchildren.
The Anthonys got home at around 8:30, drove into the garage, and shut the door. I wonder how much of a relationship they have with any of their neighbors. I know many of them want them out of the neighborhood. As it is, they have to live with people coming around to the dumping ground down the street, but at least those people aren't at that location angry.
The interview with the Grunds was so sad.
Does anyone else feel like the prosecution did a very good job of presenting the evidence they had, but where they failed was NOT responding and to the defense's theory thrown out in opening statements and making more of an effort to disprove the accident/drowning theory?
They asked George on the witness stand if he sexually abused Casey, and if Caylee drowned in the pool...but other than that...what effort did they put out there to show this didn't happen.
It makes me sick that our legal system is so slanted to the defense side that those attorneys are allowed to make stories up and present them in their opening arguments, despite not having ANY evidence to back it up.
Sadly, he planted the seed and it worked in this case, the jury bought the drowning story hook line & sinker. Jose Baez succeeded in getting a child killer acquitted. I hope he's proud.
I think the prosecution had an impossible task. The jury was looking for proof positive of how she was killed and there is no way to determine that when all that is left is a skeleton that has no marks of violence on it.
.......
Also the jurors who had vacations starting on July 7---boy did coming down with the verdict today help them out. A not guilty gets them out in time to go on vacation whereas had they come back with a guilty they'd have to be sequestered for another two weeks.
There was so much wrong with the jury on this case it isn't funny. Add to that the alternate today talking as if he had been talking to the other jurors prior to yesterday about the case.
One of the commentators talked about that on July 4 after the jury went for deliberation.
If they came to a decision before the 7th, that juror would have been excused and one of the alternates would have been assigned. The alternate would have to agree to the verdict of the jury and would only be allowed to vote in the penalty phase.
Whattaya mean you only come here when planning a WDW trip!?
Just a heads up for next time == Michael Jackson's cardiologist is on trial in Sept, so we'll probably have a thread on that .... (or six or 10)!
Now, you would almost think that would not need a trial.
Product used as anesthetic with proper continuous monitoring should not be used to help someone sleep.
And "he asked me to give it to him" is not a defense.
As a former juror of a DUI case, I can answer this. I was looking for reasonable alternates - not just possible. On my case, there were things presented by the defense but they just did not make sense. I guess we could have tried to make it fit or just said "ooh - it is possible something else happened" but that was not what our instructions were. In fact, we were specifically told that we were allowed to make reasonable inferences.
My brother was a foreman on a murder trial. He is STUNNED that this came back as completely not guilty of anything. There were lesser charges available such as child neglect. His point is that Casey Anthony was this child's caregiver and in Casey's care the child died - how much more neglectful can you get?
Now - I will concede that the murder one charge was weak if you were only looking at it from a premeditated point of view. But here in Florida, felony murder is included as well. Meaning that if you commit aggravated child abuse that causes death - you are guilty of murder 1. Aggravated child abuse being the act of deliberately and willfully abusing a child that causes bodily harm, permanent disability or disfigurement. I would say duck taping a child's mouth would fall under this but that is just me.
So, if you see no proof to convict of either of those why not 2nd degree murder? They were able to select other lesser charges all the way down to manslaughter. The Florida definition for 2nd degree (my vote) is when someone is killed without any premeditation by an act that is dangerous to another and showing no regard for human life. Wouldn't you say there was enough evidence for this?
I am really curious what evidence the prosecution would have needed to convict this person. I mean specifically.
BTW - not just asking you but any that feel that there was no case.
I think this jury was looking for "no possible doubt".
I think they bought into the "George abused her....he must have been involved" that was promised in the opening statements (even without evidence).
I think he looked creepy and that was all the evidence that they needed that he must have been involved. Choosing between a creepy looking guy and a sweet looking girl, the sweet looking girl won.
(although, I don't know how you could listen to the phone calls from the jail that were played in the prosecution's closing statements and not realize that sweet girl was sweet looking on the outside and cold as ice on the inside).