US mom acquitted of killing toddler
Source: Agencies |
July 7, 2011, Thursday
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A CASE that involved years of forensic investigation, weeks of often highly technical testimony and untold hours of media analysis turned out to be a quick decision for the jurors weighing whether Casey Anthony killed her toddler daughter.
Early in their second day of deliberations on Tuesday, the 12 men and women concluded the 25-year-old lied to investigators but wasn't guilty in her 2-year-old child's death.
Now Anthony waits to learn if she could spend her first night out of jail in almost three years since she was first accused in the case. She was only convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators, and it's possible that Judge Belvin Perry in Orlando, Florida, may sentence her to time already served for those crimes.
Anthony has been in jail since her October 2008 arrest on first-degree murder charges. She avoided a possible death sentence thanks to her acquittal on the murder count. The case began in July 2008 when Caylee Anthony was reported missing.
"I'm very happy for Casey, ecstatic for her and I want her to be able to grieve and grow and somehow get her life back together," defense attorney Jose Baez said on Tuesday. "I think this case is a perfect example of why the death penalty does not work."
The trial became a national sensation on cable TV, with its CSI-style testimony about duct-tape marks on the child's face and the smell of death inside a car trunk.
Caylee's disappearance went unreported by her mother for a month. The child's decomposed body was eventually found in the woods near her grandparents' home six months after she was last seen. A medical examiner was not able to establish how she died.
Prosecutors contended that Anthony - a single mother living with her parents - suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she wanted to be free to hit the nightclubs and spend time with her boyfriend.
Defense attorneys argued that the little girl accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool and that Anthony panicked and hid the body because of the traumatic effects of being sexually abused by her father. Anthony's father has denied the abuse charge.
After a month and a half of testimony, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.
Tears welled in Anthony's eyes, her face reddened, and her lips trembled as she listened to the verdict.
Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, left court quickly after the verdict. Their attorney, Mark Lippman, told ABC television yesterday that they hadn't spoken with their daughter since the verdict. Lippman wouldn't answer whether the Anthonys believe their daughter killed Caylee.
Early in their second day of deliberations on Tuesday, the 12 men and women concluded the 25-year-old lied to investigators but wasn't guilty in her 2-year-old child's death.
Now Anthony waits to learn if she could spend her first night out of jail in almost three years since she was first accused in the case. She was only convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators, and it's possible that Judge Belvin Perry in Orlando, Florida, may sentence her to time already served for those crimes.
Anthony has been in jail since her October 2008 arrest on first-degree murder charges. She avoided a possible death sentence thanks to her acquittal on the murder count. The case began in July 2008 when Caylee Anthony was reported missing.
"I'm very happy for Casey, ecstatic for her and I want her to be able to grieve and grow and somehow get her life back together," defense attorney Jose Baez said on Tuesday. "I think this case is a perfect example of why the death penalty does not work."
The trial became a national sensation on cable TV, with its CSI-style testimony about duct-tape marks on the child's face and the smell of death inside a car trunk.
Caylee's disappearance went unreported by her mother for a month. The child's decomposed body was eventually found in the woods near her grandparents' home six months after she was last seen. A medical examiner was not able to establish how she died.
Prosecutors contended that Anthony - a single mother living with her parents - suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she wanted to be free to hit the nightclubs and spend time with her boyfriend.
Defense attorneys argued that the little girl accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool and that Anthony panicked and hid the body because of the traumatic effects of being sexually abused by her father. Anthony's father has denied the abuse charge.
After a month and a half of testimony, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.
Tears welled in Anthony's eyes, her face reddened, and her lips trembled as she listened to the verdict.
Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, left court quickly after the verdict. Their attorney, Mark Lippman, told ABC television yesterday that they hadn't spoken with their daughter since the verdict. Lippman wouldn't answer whether the Anthonys believe their daughter killed Caylee.
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