No surprise at all.
The State couldn’t even produce an expert to say how the child died.
As one of the judges before whom I practiced was fond of saying, “I’m suspicious that you are guilty, but that’s not guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Unless you want a police state (which we are getting to FAST), you will get verdicts like this one.
Yet with Scott Peterson a few years ago the result was a death penalty conviction based on 100% circumstantial evidence with a dash of blatant prosecutorial misconduct thrown in for good measure.
I’ve always hated that case because I followed it at the start and the police were bound and determined that he was their man. Every new fact that surfaced they’d just change their story to show how that made him guilty.
Peterson was a crappy excuse for a husband, no doubt, but that didn’t mean he killed his wife.
The surprise to me is that they found a jury that wouldn't be bulldozed by what the prosecution called evidence. I wouldn't have needed any of the defense's claptrap to wonder where was the prosecution's beef.
Real simple case. Woman has baby. Baby disappears. Woman says baby is with baby sitter. No baby sitter exists.
Some time later baby's remains are found in a swamp.
The fact the woman lied about the baby in her custody is more than suspicious.
The only thing to do after that is figure out the charges.
This jury was given a wide choice of charges. They elected to decide the woman had lied to the police.
Hmm.
Not sure I'd let those folks get a mortgage!
Fur Shur I wouldn't let Casey Anthony loose in my house or around my younger relatives.
The judge also said, to the members of the jury to discount evidence and testimony that doesn’t fit.
The jury wasn’t prepared to deal with a psychopath. Her defense should have been completely ignored.
The prosecution should have played the underlying evil up a lot more, not just closing remarks.
I guess it is better than the guilty get away rather than the innocent suffer, unless of course she ends up killing someone else, which she well may.
Remember OJ. He just ended up in jail for another crime, because as Agatha Christie always said, true murderers are arrogant.
On the bright side, OJ seems to have had a great life since then. My guess is Anthony will have the same joy - the sheriff right now is warning people not to target the Anthonys!