The Casey Anthony trial has been one of the most talked about trials in recent years. Just like the Scott Peterson trial, many people viewed this trial and many of them believed that Casey Anthony was guilty. I believe she was guilty, but I needed the prosecution to prove that. The jurors needed the prosecution to do that. Well, Jose Baez did his job a tad bit better.
Honestly, I don't believe the jurors when they said that they had not seen or read about the trial. I find it hard to believe that anybody in Florida with access to a television, a phone, a radio, the internet, or a newspaper hasn't heard about this. I also don't believe that the jurors have never went to a store that hasn't had a newspaper stand in front of it. I believe that Casey Anthony is in some way responsible for the death of her daughter. I believe that the prosecution did a poor job of making the jury believe that. Jose Baez went with a defense strategy that was similar to a sandwich with no meat. You either buy it or you don't. The jury bought it. I think the media coverage (especially on Nancy Grace and most of HLN) was completely against her and that's fine because I understand how that works. It was a modern day witch-hunt in the media. I think that instead of it being about justice for Caylee Anthony, it became 100% about annihilating Casey Anthony.
Whether you like his tactics or not, Jose Baez did an amazing job in this case. Sure his opening statements were lengthy. Sure his closing statements were lengthy as well. Sure he didn't prove that sexual abuse happened. Sure he doesn't seem like the best guy to walk next to on the street. All in all, I think he's a jerk. However, being a jerk doesn't make you a bad lawyer. All he had to do was allow doubt to enter the minds of the jury. The prosecution should've kept up. I'm not shocked at the verdict. I'm shocked at how quickly it was returned. They started deliberating yesterday and reached a "not guilty" verdict very quickly. She was found guilty on four charges of giving false information to the police and not guilty of aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, and murder.
This result has a lot of people angry and upset. You've probably heard someone say that there is no justice in this country. You've probably heard someone who happens to be religious say that the devil is loose. If you haven't heard it yet, you'll hear it soon. The thing is, justice was served. It just wasn't served for the person that a majority of people believe it should've been served for. The devil isn't loose. People do horrible things. Sometimes they get convicted. Sometimes they don't. O.J. Simpson got off, but Scott Peterson didn't. Casey Anthony got off, but John Couey didn't. That's the way the legal system works. A lot of people invested a lot in this case. They were looking for Casey Anthony to not only get convicted of murder, but perhaps get the death penalty. Those people were let down today. Expect the best and prepare for the worst. That's a lesson I think was learned today. I also think we learned that life is not always fair and that the legal system does in fact work. Whether you agree with the verdict or not. Jose Baez said something that I believe was true after the verdict was announced.
"The best feeling that I have today is I know when I go home my daughter will ask me what did you do today? And I can say I saved a life,"
He is right. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Caylee Anthony. Whether you agree with me on this issue or not, I think an important thing about this is that hopefully this family will be able to pick up what little pieces they have left and try to move on with their lives.
Thu Jul 07, 2011 at 9:05 AM PT: Casey Anthony is scheduled to be released from prison next Wednesday. Hopefully that will be an end to this nonsense. I doubt it. The media will continue to pound this story and people with nothing better to do will hold signs that read "ARREST THE JURY!" This is 21st century America. Try to enjoy it.
Sun Jul 10, 2011 at 11:49 AM PT: Casey Anthony's release date has been rescheduled to the 7/17/11. While I believe that she will be released any day between her original release date (7/13/11) and the new one in order to reduce the amount of attention, i'm certain that the lynch mob media will cover her release as if a nuclear attack had happened.
Sat Jul 16, 2011 at 11:13 PM PT: Casey Anthony was released from prison this morning a little after 12:00 AM. She was escorted out by police officers and her attorney, Jose Baez. Baez and Anthony got into a van and were taken to an airport were Casey will enter a plane and be taken to an undisclosed location.