Casey Anthony: The Verdict

Over the last 48 hours, much of my television-watching has been that of the Casey Anthony verdict.  I followed the trial, although not as thoroughly as I would have liked. But I think I know enough to form my own opinion on the matter.  At least based on what was actually made known to the general public.

Let me start out by saying that the number one thing we should all remember is little Caylee, and how her life -- whether intentionally or accidentally -- was taken at a tender age and nothing can ever change that.  Whether or not her mother was convicted of murdering her can't bring her back. 

Look, if we're going to base this decision on, you know, the judicial system of our country, then the jury got it right.  The prosecution did not prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Casey Anthony killed her daughter.  Now, I'm not saying that she didn't, or that she wasn't involved in some way.  But what many people fail to realize is that built into our judicial system is a level of protection for the accused.  Innocent until proven guilty. That's what our Constitution says, and these jurors understood that.  So instead of bashing them, we should give them credit for following the rules.

Emotions must have played a big part in the jurors' decision-making process.  A little girl is dead but how could her mother do it?

My version is simple:  There was an accident.  Perhaps, caused by neglect.  In which case, Casey, or whomever caused this child to die, knew they would be held responsible, even thought it wasn't intentional.  They got scared.  They created a story.  They covered up the truth.  A friend of mine pointed out that murderers cover things up to look like accidents, but people involved in accidents don't cover it up to look like a murder.  I don't particularly agree.  

Someone of Casey's character -- young, immature, scared, confused, and probably a little sick in the head -- would definitely be capable of at least attempting to make an accident look like a murder.  In that situation, she'd say and do anything to protect herself, because she obviously had a need to do so.

Proving murder is not an easy task, I don't care how good a lawyer you are.  The standard of proof may be too high and our justice system may need to be changed. And maybe better juror selection needs to be implemented.  But the jurors selected in this case did the right thing based on the footprint of the system as it is right now.  

Perhaps if the correct charges were brought upon her, Casey Anthony would've been convicted of more than just lying to law enforcement officers.  Had she been charged with negligent homicide, we may have seen the guilty verdict so many were calling for, and rightly so.  All we really know at this point is that a child is dead.  We don't really know how she died or who caused it.

The charge was murder. And while circumstantial evidence is important, in this case, it still didn't prove that Casey murdered her daughter.   Nothing proved that this even was a murder versus an accident that was covered up, or anything else, for that matter.  We can all speculate that if it wasn't a murder, why was this done or why wasn't that done.  But speculation is not proof.  Hunches and gut feelings don't count.

Casey Anthony may be a lot of things -- a slut, a party-girl, irresponsible, a liar -- but a murderer she is not.  I wouldn't go as far as saying she was a good mother. But I wouldn't say she is a killer either. Bad parent, bad character, and bad judgement does not equal murderer.  And while I would never condone her horrific behavior in the weeks following Caylee's death, I don't believe she is a menace to society.  I do, however, feel that some sort of psychological evaluation and treatment needs to be conducted.  We can't assume that she has learned from her mistakes, when the mistakes are of this magnitude.

I don't believe Casey wanted to get rid of her daughter so she could party.  Her parents were more then willing to watch Caylee for her.  And whoever says that she killed Caylee to spite her parents -- because they loved her so much -- is totally wrong too.  Yes, the duct tape matched that of the tape found in the Anthony home.  Yes the smell of death was found in Casey's car.  I don't ignore or disagree with these horrible facts that were proven.  But the question is why?  The answer is cover-up, not murder.  

Look, I want justice for little Caylee too.  But we can't seek justice if it's not there. And the proof was not there.  No one knows what really happened, and no one probably ever will. However, I have a feeling that in the years to come, and because of the double jeopardy laws in our country, Casey Anthony may tell the truth about what really happened to that little girl.  Then again, just because she can't be tried for murder again, she could face other charges that she hasn't already.

I'm not thrilled by the idea that Casey Anthony could make millions off of this tragic event.  If she is truly sorry for what happened to her daughter, she will not take part in any of it. But given her situation of probably not being able to go back to her parents's home when she gets out of jail in six days and not having any working skills or experience, she may have no choice. And this will, of course, add to the already lousy opinion people all across this country have of her.  Just another mess she got herself into.  But trust me, she will not live the "Bella Vita" she had tattooed on her back in memory of little Caylee.  Whatever karma is due her for the role she played in this will come to her. And while a jury of her peers did not punish her, she will face her final Judge in the end.  And only He has the right to judge her anyway.

RIP, sweet Caylee.