-17

Casey Anthony Trial: Jurors Wanted 'More'

30 Comments

ORLANDO, FL – She would have been convicted on “CSI.”

The evidence to convict Casey Anthony in the tragic death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, was there.

More than enough to convict, everyone thought – everyone but the 12 jurors who had the only votes that counted.

But this isn’t TV, and the real world was shocked Tuesday when a Florida jury came back with a not guilty verdict on first-degree murder and manslaughter charges against Anthony.

Sitting there sobbing at her luck, she must have thought she was imagining things. She’s good at imagining things, like having a big job at Universal Studios in Orlando or having a nanny named Zanny – a name plucked right out of Dr. Seuss – who Casey told cops had kidnapped her daughter.

Then, she said – or imagined – Caylee drowned.

Counter this nonsense with forensic evidence.

A veteran FBI specialist on hair samples, Karen Korsberg Lowe, testified a 9-inch strand of light brown hair found in Casey Anthony’s trunk not only matched DNA in the Anthony family, but also matched hairs pulled from Caylee’s brush.

What’s more, Lowe said the hair showed dark “postmortem root banding.” In plain English: It came from a dead person.

Prosecutors went to scientist Arpad Vass, of the prestigious Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. This guy is so good he can analyze air. He found “overwhelming” evidence in the trunk’s atmosphere that a decomposed body had been in it. He also found “shockingly high” levels of chloroform in the trunk.

The Florida jury wasn’t satisfied with that reality.

They also weren’t satisfied with evidence that someone used Casey Anthony’s computer to search the Internet for instructions on how to make chloroform.

Prosecutors charged Casey Anthony chloroformed little Caylee, and then put duct tape over her daughter’s mouth and nose to suffocate her. It was an unusual type of duct tape, and matched a rare brand found in the Anthony family garage.

On “CSI,” Casey Anthony would have been a goner – locked up forever or dead with a hot shot.

But these days jurors seem to want more. The jurors who acquitted the so-called Rape Cops said they wanted to see some DNA. Before DNA, the jails were full of rapists, but now we want DNA.

There was plenty of DNA against Casey Anthony, but the jurors seemed to want more evidence, like a date of death, a time of death, a murder location and maybe even a stronger motive than wanting to be a party girl instead of a mom.

None of the jurors wanted to talk Tuesday – and why should they, when there is money to be made, an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 from the tabloids or networks that disguise their checkbook journalism as licensing fees.

I guess we’ll have to wait until then to find out why more than enough evidence just wasn’t good enough.

Flag as inappropriate

-17

pfinn_98

almost 2 years ago

26 Comments

The illusion produced by the "CSI Effect" is the unrealistic expectation that every crime scene will yield plentiful evidence that can be analyzed through a foolproof forensic science technique and will be presented as such in the courtroom - ergo, a slam dunk. In a study in Maricopa County, prosecutors believe that jurors are often disappointed in the lack of forensic evidence presented at trial. Some jurors have even requested to know if certain tests performed (though not mentioned previously in the trial).

Many people discount how the "CSI Effect" affects jurors. From what I have seen it can certainly be a factor unless addressed upfront by the prosecutor.
navy_cop

almost 2 years ago

104 Comments

Now I am not in any way on Casey Anthony's side...I think she is a true POS....however there is a thing called "beyond a reasonable doubt" in law and the state never had anything near that.
philfroggy

almost 2 years ago

1564 Comments

I disagree with anyone who says that the trial included smoke and mirrors. What I seen during the trial was solid forensic evidence and should have ended with Casey on death row. Karma is real...
Hbryant188

almost 2 years ago

594 Comments

@dui43 it was not the jury's fault. The state did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that casey anthony did not kill her child. you can not simply rule on someone's life when you don't have all the sufficent evidence in front of you. all the evidence the state presented in court was circumstantial, that may have worked 100 years ago in court but this is the modern day, people don't make court rulings based on raw emotion anymore.
dui43

almost 2 years ago

24 Comments

This jury was pulled from the tampa area, the same place that lost three officers in the begining of this year, just imagine how the people are going to rule in those cases? Maybe its time for a better way of selecting a jury. She is guilty there is no doubt in my mind. However, public jurys have been known for letting ones go that need to be taken care of, and taking care of the ones that could do with less.

I am just getting tired of the people who would actually learn from their mistakes and become better getting punished severly and the ones that will do it again getting away scott free.
DALLASCRANE

almost 2 years ago

19386 Comments

Precious Caylee is in Perfect Peace in the garden around God's throne. "Mom" will make millions. All the $$$ will not bring her peace just another party with booze and more tattoos to drown Casey's pain.
matts123

almost 2 years ago

44 Comments

@ Glennberg no the people can't request a retrial because of double jepardy since she was aquitted and found not guilt on the charge of murder in the 1st and felony child abuse she cant be charged with the murder or child abuse of caylee she can only be charged with something not relating to the charges she was bought up on
Hbryant188

almost 2 years ago

594 Comments

Bump MZ66.... I disagree with the article saying "there was plenty of DNA evidence against Casey Anthony but the jury wanted more..." When in reality there was not a single peice of DNA evidence linking Casey Anthony to the murder of her daughter. Do I think Casey Anthony killed her daughter? Absolutely. However in our court system it's not what you think (or know) it's what you can prove. This article sounds like nothing more than another Nancy Grace biased rambling. Like MZ66 said, it's not the jury's fault. Its the state of Florida's fault for presenting a piss poor prosecution. End of story.
mz66

almost 2 years ago

3462 Comments

People aren't going to want to hear this, but...

I call BS on this editorial. The "CSI Effect" is just what the state was hoping to exploit precisely because they did not have what they needed to convince a jury that the defendant was guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt".

A lot of fancy forensic evidence with no direct links to anything. In other words: smoke and mirrors. This has nothing to do with a TV-CSI-biased jury and everything to do with the fact that the state could not prove Caylee's death was a homicide.

The jury is not at fault here. Now she can't be tried again on these charges because the state rushed their investigation. Maybe they should've taken their time. Instead, they decided to roll the dice with a sensational CSI-filled show and LOST. >>There is no statute of limitations on murder.<< There was no good reason to rush that would serve to give justice to the victim.
Glennberg

almost 2 years ago

150 Comments

Can the people request a retrial?...that would be nice. With a new jury.....
revCCBeasley

almost 2 years ago

2944 Comments

No comment.God is taking care of the child. Mom?
Anonymous

almost 2 years ago

Casey Anthony is the female O.J. Simpson. There's evidence that she's guilty, she lied about her daughter's whereabouts, and she even accused an imaginary nanny of kidnapping her daughter. While all this is taking place, she's out partying, having the time of her life and even getting a tattoo that says "The Good Life" in Italian knowing her daughter is missing, "kidnapped", and dead. This person is no mother or human. She's a monster. Time will make her pay for what she did. What goes around comes around. All of America hates her. We'll see how she'll end up. ♥RIP Caylee♥
FireDad

almost 2 years ago

7348 Comments

Where did common sense go? Don't people realize that all these "CSI" shows are not real??? They are just entertainment..
AKangel

almost 2 years ago

4824 Comments

A special place in Hell for Casey Anthony, an animal that calls herself a Mother.
Rest in peace Lil Angel Caylee, Justice will come even if it is in the form of carma, Hope Casey Anthony never has a peaceful nights sleep and is haunted every waking moment by what she did to you......
headbrer

almost 2 years ago

5032 Comments

I believe the jury of public opinion, having also having heard all the evidence, believe she is guilty. I sure do!!!