4 years later, what do we think of the case / verdict now?

[BUF]

Oh Cindy...
I live around the area that this all happened. Our local news constantly had sweet Caylee's photo up & the stories & lies got stranger & more bizarre. Tim Miller came into town. I decided that I needed to try to help, so I went down there with about 20-30 other folks to try to search for that sweet child. We searched in swampy areas, woods, and not what you would say easy places for any evidence. It wasn't pleasant, but needed to be done. That first day, they picked us up to return for lunch. We all were extremely hot, soaked with sweat & mud, covered in bug spray. Then I saw Cindy happily walk out of Tim's trailer with another woman...clean & fresh, not a hair out of place (like she had just walked out of a salon). The two of them happily "skipped" away to their air conditioned car. We all stood there with our mouths open. I realized then just how terribly warped this terrible situation was. The local news showed footage daily of some limo picking her up for an interview...she loved the attention. I could go on...but I won't.

 

[Kwest]

Like so many others, I devoted a lot of time pouring over the evidence in this case. I followed it from day 1 and I can say that I am still astonished about the verdict. Hindsight is 20/20 and upon reflection, it is clear that the prosecution made some mistakes, but I don't believe that it equates to a jury being able to justify an acquittal.

When I think back on all the hours I spent moderating a blog, discussing the case, and analyzing the case... I'm just sickened by the whole thing. The prosecution couldn't offer a sexy and exciting blockbuster trial. It was one based largely on circumstantial evidence that demanded a jury that could sit through hours of scientific testimony each day AND use their critical thinking skills.

By contrast, Jose Baez seemed to offer them a Razzle Dazzle defense. I've long suspected that Jose took a leaf from the page of Broadway's Chicago the Musical. Billy Flynn got Roxie off of a murder charge by making the trial a circus. That's exactly what Jose did. He offered the jury an exciting tale full of sex, lies, drama, and fireworks. His version of the truth was far more captivating and exciting... like a poorly written episode of Law & Order SVU. All the state could offer was the unsexy but reasonable voice of logic.

I can only make sense of the what happened by attributing it to a reflection of what our society has become. A group of people willing to believe whatever song and dance is presented to us, as long as the song is catchy, the costumes are pretty, and there's lots of flashing lights to keep us entertained.

Even so, my heart bleeds for little Caylee and the lack of justice that was served. I don't think any amount of time is going to change the certainty that I feel that a cold-blooded killer walked despite sufficient evidence to convict her.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I think the verdict was correct. The case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. They could not prove when she died or how she died or who she was with when she died.

There is plenty of room to believe that this could have been accidental and not intentional.
Of course we will never ever know. CA is a liar and so we will never hear the truth.

I believe her death could have been caused through neglect. I believe that CA moved the body and most likely hid her there. But I don't think they proved that.

I think the case had a lot of trouble and had the prosecutor not have been so zealous and charged CA with lesser charges of manslaughter and taken the death penalty off, she would have been convicted.

 

[coco puff]

I think the verdict was correct. The case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. They could not prove when she died or how she died or who she was with when she died.

There is plenty of room to believe that this could have been accidental and not intentional.
Of course we will never ever know. CA is a liar and so we will never hear the truth.

I believe her death could have been caused through neglect. I believe that CA moved the body and most likely hid her there. But I don't think they proved that.

I think the case had a lot of trouble and had the prosecutor not have been so zealous and charged CA with lesser charges of manslaughter and taken the death penalty off, she would have been convicted.

They Proved when she died by using the insect activity in the car that held her until she was dumped into the woods. They also proved that she was dead in the car of the only person that used the car and the last known person that had Caylee in her car... her mother. As to how she died. What i think you are saying is that if you can suffocate a small child and hide her body long enough to let the flesh rot off her bones, than you will never ever ever be convicted of murdering her. BUT murder convictions with body's never found or body's so decomposed, that no possible cause of death could be determined, have been made thousands of times. To this day FCA has NEVER said it was an accident, but she DID say she was kidnapped by a Nanny. She did say the nanny took her. she did say that she had no clue where Caylee was. There is NO ROOM to believe this was anything but murder. Nobody dumps their small child in a bag and puts her in the woods to rot after an accidental drowning then lies about it, spends 3 years in jail without ever telling the truth. Even CRACK moms call 911. Read my sig. It says it all. FCA is a murderer that got away with it.

 

[heidisams]

They Proved when she died by using the insect activity in the car that held her until she was dumped into the woods. They also proved that she was dead in the car of the only person that used the car and the last known person that had Caylee in her car... her mother. As to how she died. What i think you are saying is that if you can suffocate a small child and hide her body long enough to let the flesh rot off her bones, than you will never ever ever be convicted of murdering her. BUT murder convictions with body's never found or body's so decomposed, that no possible cause of death could be determined, have been made thousands of times. To this day FCA has NEVER said it was an accident, but she DID say she was kidnapped by a Nanny. She did say the nanny took her. she did say that she had no clue where Caylee was. There is NO ROOM to believe this was anything but murder. Nobody dumps their small child in a bag and puts her in the woods to rot after an accidental drowning then lies about it, spends 3 years in jail without ever telling the truth. Even CRACK moms call 911. Read my sig. It says it all. FCA is a murderer that got away with it.

BBM

And mothers grieve when their children tragically die in accidents. To believe that they'd be able to "just act normal" upon learning of the death is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I'm a mother, and it would be impossible to pull that off for 31 seconds, let alone 31 days... Actually, fca's never shown grief, not even when she wasn't under ga's supposed instructions to pretend to act normal - like during the 3 years she was in jail, or at trial - as a matter of fact, she's never even demonstrated any form of it, and for some grief "expert" to get on the stand and describe her behavior as such is a slap in the face to all mothers/parents who have lost a child and felt the true pain and agony of such a loss...

I do believe we all grieve different, but you have to grieve in order to fall somewhere on that spectrum, imo... Fca was surrounded by people for 31 days, and not one person reported witnessing anything but the opposite.... It was relief and celebration... Which is why I will never accept that Caylee's death was an accident... It was intentional murder, imo...

All jmo.

 

[Fifth Avenue]

I still think it's shocking Casey got away w/ it.

So far no indication whatsoever that she has a slightest idea what to do with her life., does she work or study - doubtful, wants to party only, no responsibilities. She seems very callous & narcissist to me.



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[Justiceseeker35]

I used to think what if it was an accident there was a small amount of doubt in the back of my mind but then the foolproof suffocation searches came out on the day Caylee was last seen and there was no doubt anymore. Justin Ross Harris is going to trial soon for the murder of his toddler and some of the evidence is based on him researching hot car deaths. I'd like to see how that one plays out.

 

[Quiet Time]

And as Dr.G. said, (not verbatim) 'that no child should have 3 pieces of duct tape around their face covering their mouth and nose'...
That, I felt was a very profound statement.

 

[wendybtn]

BBM - IIRC two jurors did ask to see the heart shaped sticker residue, but were denied. I remember my hinky meter going off, because it was during testimony and it appeared to me that they were discussing evidence when they shouldn't have been. I wish I could remember exactly when that happened. All I know is I was really bothered by it at the time.

Considering the almost over-reaching public info Laws as enforced in Florida, it is easy for me to see persons with an agenda lying their way onto juries. Once there, it would not take too long to figure out who was with you.

 

[wendybtn]

I still think it's shocking Casey got away w/ it.

So far no indication whatsoever that she has a slightest idea what to do with her life., does she work or study - doubtful, wants to party only, no responsibilities. She seems very callous & narcissist to me.



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Her mom threw her a graduation party even though she didn't graduate. Casey thought she could get away with any lie and her family would back her up.

 

[NikkiArmstrong]

Her mom threw her a graduation party even though she didn't graduate. Casey thought she could get away with any lie and her family would back her up.

And she was right! Any lie, even killing her baby! Effing Anthony's. I hope they never have a moment's peace, not even when they sleep. I hope Caylee's cries wake them every night for the rest of their miserable lives.

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[ScarlettScarpetta]

They Proved when she died by using the insect activity in the car that held her until she was dumped into the woods. They also proved that she was dead in the car of the only person that used the car and the last known person that had Caylee in her car... her mother. As to how she died. What i think you are saying is that if you can suffocate a small child and hide her body long enough to let the flesh rot off her bones, than you will never ever ever be convicted of murdering her. BUT murder convictions with body's never found or body's so decomposed, that no possible cause of death could be determined, have been made thousands of times. To this day FCA has NEVER said it was an accident, but she DID say she was kidnapped by a Nanny. She did say the nanny took her. she did say that she had no clue where Caylee was. There is NO ROOM to believe this was anything but murder. Nobody dumps their small child in a bag and puts her in the woods to rot after an accidental drowning then lies about it, spends 3 years in jail without ever telling the truth. Even CRACK moms call 911. Read my sig. It says it all. FCA is a murderer that got away with it.

IT does not prove how she died or who did it. We don't go on supposition we go on facts and evidence. You want to give someone the death penalty you have to prove how the person died and that that person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In court she said that she drowned accidentally. That was her defense. And it is plausible. No one can prove that is not what happened and that is why Baez came out on top. The prosecutor overreached and they should have pulled back.
There is plenty of room to believe this was an accidental or a neglectful death and not a murder.
We can all make up scenarios but it ain't proof.

 

[heidisams]

IT does not prove how she died or who did it. We don't go on supposition we go on facts and evidence. You want to give someone the death penalty you have to prove how the person died and that that person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In court she said that she drowned accidentally. That was her defense. And it is plausible. No one can prove that is not what happened and that is why Baez came out on top. The prosecutor overreached and they should have pulled back.
There is plenty of room to believe this was an accidental or a neglectful death and not a murder.
We can all make up scenarios but it ain't proof.

BBM


The state gets accused (by some) of overcharging, jumping to conclusions, speculating, etc, but what about the knowledge we now have of the foolproof suffocation search?... It seems they were right all along, even before they were aware of the search they understood what the duct tape meant. They knew that 3 pieces were used for a reason, to cover her airway until she stopped breathing, aka SUFFOCATION, aka MURDER...It's not a coincidence that their theory was suffocation, and then, later, proof of it appeared. Sounds like validation to me....Perhaps there was a lot less speculating going on than some would like for us to believe...

You mention that no one can prove she didn't accidentally drown, but I think that the discovery of the foolproof suffocation search, coupled with the timeline of June 16th, does just that... it pulls all the pieces of evidence together for me, leaving no room for an accidental drowning... But, it seems, by the above bold(s), that you don't want to give the search any value, choosing to ignore it instead... Perhaps it fits into the state's case too perfectly. IMO.

I know there are others who refuse to consider evidence that points to fca's guilt, and, more than likely, they've completely disregarded the search and/or made excuses for her, as well... But, regardless, the search she did was real, it happened, it's not some made up scenario or supposition. And just because the search was discovered after the acquittal doesn't mean it doesn't exist or that fca should get a free pass on it (at least not in the court of public opinion)... What it means is, she got away with murder, and we have a right to know the truth about her since she's walking free among us.... and trying to get paid for it...

All jmo.

 

[LinasK]

And as Dr.G. said, (not verbatim) 'that no child should have 3 pieces of duct tape around their face covering their mouth and nose'...
That, I felt was a very profound statement.

Yeah, even if you bought the "accidental drowning", which I don't and there was zero evidence for and not plausible in the least- then why duct tape her??? That evidence can't be disputed. That was intentional. Caylee didn't duct tape herself- that's murder!!!

 

[LinasK]

Considering the almost over-reaching public info Laws as enforced in Florida, it is easy for me to see persons with an agenda lying their way onto juries. Once there, it would not take too long to figure out who was with you.

BBM. It happened in Jodi Arias's Penalty Trial, so anything's possible...

 

[ohreally]

I will never forget Caylee. IMO there was a perfect storm that led to no charges for Casey. The prosecution IMO gave too much sympathy to George and Cindy. Cindy should of been charged for obstruction way back when she gave the wrong hairbrush to LE. Having charges placed against Cindy for what she did may of changed their thoughts about lying to protect Casey.
The jury was more interested in going to Disney and five figure book deals than discussing the evidence. They may not of found her guilty of first degree murder, but there was a whole list of lesser included charges.

 

[Kwest]

Several weeks back, I saw this thread and responded. Afterwards, I found Caylee's murder weighing heavily on my mind and heart again. So I decided that I would go ahead and watch the trial again while at work. The whole thing is posted on Youtube, so it's been easy to do. I've been watching and listening to it like some people listen to music at their desk. Considering that I haven't watched the trial since it was happening live, it has been interesting to go back and watch it again. Hindsight is 20/20 and it's crazy to watch it again and see how Baez may have been effective when (at the time of the trial) I thought the jury was sure to convict her. Don't get me wrong, I still think that she got away with murder. It's just interesting to watch and think about where things may have gone wrong. But it's also overwhelming me with thoughts:

1) I'm currently on Day 12. The amount of discussion that Judge Perry entertained regarding movie choices, hockey games, lunch & dinner choices for the jury says a lot. It really seems like the jury was treating this like a paid vacation and they wanted daily updates on what fun, new treats were available on the lido deck that day. I understand that you want a sequestered jury to be comfortable, but for heaven's sake. Hindsight really seems to indicate here that they were not taking this seriously at all.

2) The prosecution communicated in a very academic way and the forensic experts called to testify did too. By contrast, Baez always spoke in plain English. I don't mean to ruffle feathers, but I can't help but wonder if this wasn't part of their downfall. The jury members (IIRC) weren't particularly well-educated and professional individuals. I am wondering whether they just couldn't pick up on the significance of what was being presented to them when the State was presenting. Linda and Jeff didn't make a point to really, really, really spell out the points and significance the testimony. For a geeky woman like me, it wasn't necessary. I found the forensic evidence testimony to be fascinating and I followed every word. But then, I have a graduate degree and a high capacity to digest information that would put other people to sleep (haha). Whereas Baez, using his plain English approach and speaking emphatically (occasionally injecting a corny joke), was probably more effective in making his points. He wouldn't have with me, but by luck or design, he seems to have known his "audience" a bit better. I think the State's biggest fault was that they were presenting in a way that was too sophisticated and professional for the demographics of the jury.

3) Finally, I'm still just floored at the lies and deceit Casey employed. There really was no one she wasn't willing to throw under the bus to save her own skin. I was never a Cindy and George fan, but I can't imagine how they must have felt to watch someone they brought into this world have her defense get up and allege the things they did. Accusing George and Lee of molesting her when all the world was watching must have been horrific. I don't believe they did, but I am guessing that people still look at them funny to this day.

That's all for now. I may come back later to post more thoughts as I continue to watch this trial again.

 

[coco puff]

IT does not prove how she died or who did it. We don't go on supposition we go on facts and evidence. You want to give someone the death penalty you have to prove how the person died and that that person is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In court she said that she drowned accidentally. That was her defense. And it is plausible. No one can prove that is not what happened and that is why Baez came out on top. The prosecutor overreached and they should have pulled back.
There is plenty of room to believe this was an accidental or a neglectful death and not a murder.
We can all make up scenarios but it ain't proof.

First Bold. They DID prove what did NOT happen because they proved what DID happen
Second Bold. Circumstantial evidence and forensics told the story. The only scenario without proof was an accidental drowning.

So let’s stick to facts.
Fact: FCA Never reported her missing or dead
Fact: There was NO evidence that that it was an accident. NO 911 call, no grieving mother, no CPR, no funeral and there was that pesky duct tape
Fact: Blow fly parts were found in the trunk of FCA's car
Fact: FCA was the last person with Caylee
Fact: Cadaver dogs hit in her car
Fact: Death smell was identified by several people to have been in the car
Fact: A hair was found with a death band on it and it was either from Caylee or FCA and FCA is not dead
Fact: She NEVER said in court that it was a drowning. Baez did.
Fact: She searched neck breaking and fool-proof suffocation
Fact: She lied about where Caylee was for 31 days
Fact: The body had to get to the woods somehow and FCA’s car had evidence that a dead body had been in it. 2+2 always equals 4
Fact: She was in full possession of that car until it was towed.
Fact: There was duct tape found tangled in her hair and where her mouth should have been
Fact: Corner sited the manner of death as a homicide

 

[coco puff]

Several weeks back, I saw this thread and responded. Afterwards, I found Caylee's murder weighing heavily on my mind and heart again. So I decided that I would go ahead and watch the trial again while at work. The whole thing is posted on Youtube, so it's been easy to do. I've been watching and listening to it like some people listen to music at their desk. Considering that I haven't watched the trial since it was happening live, it has been interesting to go back and watch it again. Hindsight is 20/20 and it's crazy to watch it again and see how Baez may have been effective when (at the time of the trial) I thought the jury was sure to convict her. Don't get me wrong, I still think that she got away with murder. It's just interesting to watch and think about where things may have gone wrong. But it's also overwhelming me with thoughts:

1) I'm currently on Day 12. The amount of discussion that Judge Perry entertained regarding movie choices, hockey games, lunch & dinner choices for the jury says a lot. It really seems like the jury was treating this like a paid vacation and they wanted daily updates on what fun, new treats were available on the lido deck that day. I understand that you want a sequestered jury to be comfortable, but for heaven's sake. Hindsight really seems to indicate here that they were not taking this seriously at all.

2) The prosecution communicated in a very academic way and the forensic experts called to testify did too. By contrast, Baez always spoke in plain English. I don't mean to ruffle feathers, but I can't help but wonder if this wasn't part of their downfall. The jury members (IIRC) weren't particularly well-educated and professional individuals. I am wondering whether they just couldn't pick up on the significance of what was being presented to them when the State was presenting. Linda and Jeff didn't make a point to really, really, really spell out the points and significance the testimony. For a geeky woman like me, it wasn't necessary. I found the forensic evidence testimony to be fascinating and I followed every word. But then, I have a graduate degree and a high capacity to digest information that would put other people to sleep (haha). Whereas Baez, using his plain English approach and speaking emphatically (occasionally injecting a corny joke), was probably more effective in making his points. He wouldn't have with me, but by luck or design, he seems to have known his "audience" a bit better. I think the State's biggest fault was that they were presenting in a way that was too sophisticated and professional for the demographics of the jury.

3) Finally, I'm still just floored at the lies and deceit Casey employed. There really was no one she wasn't willing to throw under the bus to save her own skin. I was never a Cindy and George fan, but I can't imagine how they must have felt to watch someone they brought into this world have her defense get up and allege the things they did. Accusing George and Lee of molesting her when all the world was watching must have been horrific. I don't believe they did, but I am guessing that people still look at them funny to this day.

That's all for now. I may come back later to post more thoughts as I continue to watch this trial again.

Please do! I think I might have another look at it as well.

 

[BUF]

Casey Anthony wins defamation case

http://postoncourts.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/09/18/casey-anthony-wins-defamation-case/