Anthony juror wanted to know how Caylee died
Casey Anthony was acquitted in the death of her daughter, Caylee, because prosecutors couldn't prove whether a murder took place, an alternate juror said.
On Tuesday, the panel of 12 Floridians returned three verdicts of not guilty on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse in the nearly three-year-old case against the 25-year-old mother.
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"They didn't show us how Caylee died, and that was important," Russell Huekler, an alternate juror, said of the prosecution. "No one could answer that."
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After the trial, in which Anthony's defense team alleged that her father, George Anthony, attempted to cover up Caylee's death, Huekler called the Anthony family "dysfunctional," "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Troy Roberts reports.
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"The family knows a lot more than what came out at the trial," Huekler said.
Jennifer Barringer, a consultant for Casey Anthony's defense team, told "Early Show" co-anchors Erica Hill and Chris Wragge that she was confident the state's attorneys wouldn't be able to link Caylee's death to her mother.
"I knew that they wouldn't be able to actually link her, but I was a little concerned that maybe a jury would not apply the law as properly as this jury had," she said. "Oftentimes it's a very emotional case and of course a tragedy, so if they became emotional. There's just no way to know which way they would go in this case."
Former prosecutor Vinnie Politan, who works for CNN's HLN channel, said the defense team successfully applied reasonable doubt to the prosecution's mountain of circumstantial evidence against Anthony.
"This jury found it reasonable to believe that a grandfather would see his granddaughter drown in an innocent manner, with no criminal liability, take that innocent accident, cover it up to frame his own daughter for first-degree murder and watch her have to battle a potential death penalty," he told Hill and Wragge. "They found it reasonable, so, under our system, she's not guilty."
Barringer told Hill and Wragge that the jury wanted to know if a crime was committed before they would consider specifics from the case, such as why Caylee's body was found with her mouth taped shut or why prosecutors said Anthony did Internet searches for ways to make chloroform.
"The problem that the state had was that you don't have a jury looking for a murderer if you can't prove murder to begin with," she said. "We don't know what the jury hung on ... If we're all talking about chloroform, the tape, all these other things that were so salacious but I imagine the jury didn't even get to discuss those because they couldn't get to murder. If you can't get there, you're not looking for a murderer."
Anthony faces sentencing Thursday for the three guilty verdicts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. Her sentencing is scheduled for Thursday.
What is amazing is that after weeks of testimony no jurors' took notes and yet they reached a verdict in a few hours.
by 1kbaron July 8, 2011 7:46 AM EDT
"Anthony juror wanted to know how Caylee died" . I am astounded by the jurors lack of common sense. Duck tape still adheared to the mandible ( mouth area ) & nose of Caylee's skull is a clear indication of suffocation, ie: EVIDENCE. Not just the mouth but the nose area. Both airways Jennifer !
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It seems both of you have been spoon fed by Nancy Grace.
The defense objected to hearing testimony from University of Florida professor and human identification laboratory director Michael Warren, who planned to present a computer animation of the way duct tape could have been used in the death.
The animation featured a picture of Caylee Anthony taken alongside her mother that was superimposed with an image of her decomposed skull, and another with a strip of duct tape that was recovered with her remains. The images were slowly brought together showing that the duct tape could have covered her nose and mouth.
"This disgusting superimposition is nothing more than a fantasy," lead defense attorney Jose Baez said while arguing against it. "...They're throwing things against the wall and seeing if it sticks."
Following a short recess to review some case law offered by the defense, Perry ruled that the video could be shown to the jury. When it was displayed, jurors were glued to their monitors and several could be seen taking notes.
Superimposing an image of how the duct tape COULD have been over the nose and mouth does not constitute evidence. The prosecutors lost all integrity with that stunt.
Scott Peterson was found quilty for the death of his wife and unborn son. Method of death was not present in that case and was not necessary. People are tried and found guilty with no body at all!
recall
Jennifer Ford may have been dazing off during the trial since she misinterpreted reasonable doubt along with a few other facts. I'm inclined to believe that they all did. Unfortunately the prosecution did have all of the evidence but it was presented poorly.
If a child of a prominent and outstanding citizen drowned in the pool and went into shock for days and didn't report it, no one would second guess that person. I was only the fact that she didn't report it, lied, and tried to cover it up.
There is no prove or real motive for killing her daughter. All claims that she partied and enjoyed life with no hint of grief is unsubstantiated.
Different people handle grief in different ways. Some people insist on laughing because they can't handle the emotional truth. It is weird but it happens.
The whole system of jurors being laymen should be ceased because total idiots who expect to find a smoking gun with the defendant?s fingerprints on it and DNA evidence are allowed as jurors.
In my case as a juror on a murder case, the judge was very specific in his instructions of finding Mr. James Moreno guilty of 1st degree murder.
Upon the overwhelming evidence we only had to prove either he was lying in wait or premeditated and in his case it was both.
Casey's trial was far more complicated than that.
It is the prosecutors fault this women walks free not the jurors fault. The jurors followed our constitution and our laws which say "innocent until proven guilty", not guilty until proven innocent. While I'm not happy she is free I am happy they didn't falsely convict based on public opinion.