Correct- regular old manslaughter without aggravation was also a choice. This jury couldn’t find one fact in the prosecution’s case- I don’t understand it- but that’s what happened. Apparently they were completely persuaded by the defense’s theory.
The prosecution would not have won this case even if Baez had stood up to begin and said "the defense rests".
Have you ever been on a criminal jury?
I have. It's true, as the case starts, you do wonder what actually happened, and, just like the idiots watching on cable, you begin to form theories.
But that's not why you are there. You are not there to stand up for Caylee. You are not there to deduce what might have happened.
You are there to try certain facts, and, if the judge does his job, to determine if the tried facts, if proven, meet the State's burden.
That did not happen in this case. The required elements of the charged offenses were not proven by the State, and it wasn't even hard for the jury to determine that.
They would have reached the same verdict if Baez hadn't said a word.