The Jury determined that there was not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Casey Anthony killed her daughter. The burden of proof rest with the State, the Jury is not supposed to let personal emotions dictate their verdict. The Jury cannot convict if the State has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The Jury is made up of twelve individuals that came to a common conclusion. Any time that you can get twelve individuals with different backgrounds, and beliefs to reach a common conclusion on an issue (or issues) you have nothing short of a miracle; unless the case for or against has been argued beyond a reasonable doubt. In this particular case the arguments of the Defense outweighed the arguments of the Prosecution. My opinions on the handling of this case are as follows:
First and foremost, all parties are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a Court of Law. Yet the Media has for too long Tried, Convicted, and dealt out punishment to those who have not had their day in court. The Media contends that it has a right to report under the 1st Amendment of the Constitution, however the accused are also protected under the Constitution by the 6th Amendment. When in the defense of one Constitutional Right has it become okay to violate another’s Constitutional Rights? The Rights of Casey Anthony were severely jeopardized by the Media coverage that ensued prior to the Trial, as well as the release of information pertaining to the investigation and evidence obtained by the Florida State Attorney's Office.
Homicide is a crime that carries no Statute of Limitations, therefore there is an indefinite amount of time in which the crime can be investigated, and the accused can be indicted. However, once indicted the accused is afforded the right to a speedy Trial under the 6th Amendment. Being that there is not a Statute of Limitations for the charge of Homicide, the Investigator(s) of the crime could have taken the time necessary to obtain enough evidence to secure a conviction prior to the Indictment. It is my opinion that due to the Media Blitz surrounding this case the Prosecutors rushed the investigation and Indictment in order to put the public at ease. Another reason for the hasty Indictment in my opinion was due purely to the Statute of Limitations regarding the (1st degree) misdemeanor providing false information to a law enforcement officer, which expired 2 years after the violation (Florida Statutes, Section 775.15 Time limitations; general time limitations; exceptions. (1) (c) A prosecution for a misdemeanor of the first degree must be commenced within 2 years after it is committed. The Prosecution basically performed a “Let’s throw it against the wall and see what sticks!” mentality in regards the prosecuting this case.
Many have attributed Casey’s actions after the disappearance (or accidental death) of her daughter as indisputable proof of her guilt. The loss of a child for a Mother can be devastating, the psychological impact can have severe and varying results, including a complete and total denial of the loss. Coupled with the allegations of abuse during Casey’s childhood, her rational for dealing with the loss of her daughter very well could have been one that most reasonable people would not have considered proper. Court Psychologist determined that Casey was fit for Trial, but did anyone dig deeper? Questions have arisen as to why Casey did not mention her experiences of Sexual Abuse prior to being arrested. Many times victims of Sexual Abuse will repress those memories as a defense mechanism. Once repressed, the memories of the abuse can be triggered at any time. Victims of Sexual Abuse may also repress their memories, and continue to interact with the attacker as if nothing happened, once the attacks have stopped.
As previously stated for far too long the Media has infringed upon the Rights of others by presenting their opinions as fact. The Public’s opinions are based on what’s released by the Media. Furthermore, the Rights of the accused are further violated by the release of information by the Prosecutors Office, and this perpetuates a condition of Trial by Public Opinion. Do I believe that Casey may have had something to do with the death of her daughter? Yes, but possibly not an active part. The allegations of Sexual Abuse at the hands of her Step Father and Brother, coupled with the reactions of her Mother when she was approached by Casey would most likely be the door of doubt the Jury peered through. The alleged reactions of Casey’s Mother in defense of Husband and Son are typical in many Sexual Abuse cases, but being so does not mean that Casey made them up. Could it possibly be that Casey’s Step Father is the culprit? If in fact Casey suffered Sexual Abuse at the hands of her Brother and Step Father, and the Mother is in denial of these facts, the Mother may be more willing to sacrifice Casey rather than her husband.
Being that the ME was unable to determine an exact cause of death, the Prosecution’s contention that Casey used Chloroform and Duct Tape as a method of killing her daughter are purely speculative, as the ME was not able to state with any degree of certainty that either were used as a method for taking Caylee’s life. Additionally the ME was unable to disprove that Caylee’s death was the result of her drowning in the pool. The only thing the ME could state as fact is that Caylee did not die as a result of Blunt Force Trauma.
The Bottom Line: Casey was found not guilty in the death of her daughter by a Jury in a Court of Law. The Prosecution did not have a strong enough case to convict her in the death of her daughter. Casey will sever time for lying to Investigators during the investigation; this is the only crime which the State was able to present in a manner that removed reasonable doubt in the Jury’s minds. The Public has convicted her purely based on reports from the Media. With that said, Casey has now become the Victim, as it has already been stated that people are now willing to take matters into their own hands in the form of a Lynch Mob. I blame the Media for this!
We have a case that share similarities to this one going on here in Arizona, the case of Baby Gabriel Johnson. Elizabeth Johnson is set to stand trial beginning August 8, and is charged with Kidnapping, Child Abuse and Custodial Interference. Johnson was arrested December 30, 2009 for the above stated charges while investigators are still trying to determine the whereabouts of Gabriel, whom the mother states has been killed (recanted), then given to an unknown couple in a Texas Park. Due to the Media coverage of this case prior to any Trial, the Public has already convicted Elizabeth in the court of Public Opinion; many have already sentenced her to death. Do I feel that her actions are suspect? Yes. Do I feel that she has killed her son? Not enough evidence has been presented to prove that Gabriel is deceased. Since the State is only seeking conviction on known violations, any time it is determined that Gabriel is in fact deceased, the State will be able to file new charges if the results of the investigation point to Elizabeth as the suspect. But again, I feel that the Media coverage of this case as in the Casey Anthony case has severely jeopardized her protection under the 6th Amendment, prior to being convicted in a Court of Law.
In closing I would like to ask a question of those you who took the time to read through this:
How would you feel if you were accused of committing a crime which you had not committed, and prior to your day in Court, the Media had already Tried, Convicted and Sentenced you, and based purely on this, the Public (your Friends, Family and Neighbors) had already done the same?
Regardless of Guilt or Innocence Casey Anthony will never be able to escape the persecution of the Public, and if she did in kill Caylee, this is something that will haunt her for the rest of her life.
