In a stunning verdict reached in just 10 hours and 40 minutes of deliberation, a jury acquitted Casey Anthony of murder this afternoon in Orlando, Fla. A red-faced Anthony held back tears after the verdict. Having sat grim faced for almost six weeks of testimony, she beamed when she learned her fate. Comprised of seven women and five men, ranging in ages from 32 to 65, the 12 members of the jury handed down the decision at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. The jurors spent four hours Sunday and six today breaking down the case against Casey. Ultimately, they found reasonable doubt and she walked. Accused of killing two-year-old daughter Caylee, she was found not guilty of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. Casey Anthony was found guilty on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement officers. Those charges are misdemeanor offenses. Anthony could face a year in prison for each of the four counts, but since she’s been incarcerated for three years already, she may go free altogether. Sentencing on the guilty counts will be held on 9 a.m. Thursday. The high-profile trial began on May 24. Much of the 33 days of testimony and two of closing arguments made a compelling case against Anthony. Not enough, apparently. The absence of hard, physical evidence against her and a defense theory that was just plausible enough led to an acquittal. Prosecutors claimed Casey Anthony killed Caylee with chloroform and suffocated her with duct tape over her mouth and nose, then left her in the woods. Casey’s defense team admitted she weaved a complex web of lies about what happened, but suggested that Caylee drowned in the pool by accident. As for why Casey lied, her attorneys said that she behaved that way because she had been “trained to lie” through years of sexual abuse by her father. Judge Belvin Perry ruled, however, that there was no evidence that Casey was abused and ordered that it not be mentioned in closing arguments. Did the jury get it right? What do you think …
Read more from the original source:
Casey Anthony Verdict: Not Guilty!
