Charges against Casey Anthony:
Count One, First Degree Murder: If Casey Anthony is convicted of first degree murder, regardless of whether it is on a theory of Pre-meditated Murder or Felony Murder she will receive at a minimum a life sentence. A life sentence in Florida is a true life sentence, which means there is no parole or early release. A defendant convicted of first degree murder only leaves prison after his or her death. The only alternative to a life sentence is death by execution.
Lesser Included of Count One, Second Degree Murder: (depraved mind murder, not premeditated) The maximum penalty for Second Degree Murder is a life sentence. The minimum sentence is based on the Criminal Punishment Code. The estimated minimum sentence for this charge and other charges which might result in conviction along with this count would be 24 years, 6 months.
Count Two, Aggravated Child Abuse: The maximum penalty for aggravated child is 15 years in prison. The estimated minimum sentence for this charge and other charges which might result in conviction along with this count would be 12 years, 1 month.
Count Three, Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child: If Casey Anthony is convicted of causing the death of Caylee by culpable negligence the maximum sentence is 30 years in prison. The estimated minimum sentence for this charge and other charges which might result in conviction along with this count would be 16 years and 6 months.
Counts Four Through Seven, Giving False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer in Reference to a Missing Person: The charge in these four counts carries a maximum of one year in county jail for each count. As a result if convicted of all four of these counts, Casey Anthony could receive a sentence of four years if the sentence for each count is run consecutively.
If the jury felt there was reasonable doubt Casey killed Caylee, then at the very least she was guilty of this charge. If I had been on the jury I would have fought tooth and nail and Casey would either be convicted of at least Count Two or it would be a hung jury. The jurors that voted guilty initially had no guts and caved after a short time. That baby's life wasn't even worth more than a few more hours of their time. So sad. Not reporting your child missing for a month and partying the whole time may not prove you murdered the child but it sure is child abuse. If she knew her child wasn't missing then she had to have some part in her death or cover up, I don't see how that jury found her not guilty on all charges.
Are the jurors supposed to weigh the possible punishment when deciding guilt?