Casey Anthony Not Guilty Of Murder

At 2:15 this afternoon, a jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murder in the first degree of her 2 year old daughter Caylee Anthony. The jury’s verdict was read aloud, while Chief Judge Belvin Perry presided. She was also found not guilty of aggravated manslaughter of a child and not guilty of aggravated child abuse.

However, she was found guilty on 4 counts of giving false information to law enforcement officers.

Had Casey Anthony been found guilty of murder, her sentence would either have been lethal injection or life in prison. Had she been found guilty of aggravated manslaughter she would have faced a max of 30 years. Had she been found guilty of aggravated child abuse, she would have also faced 30 years.

Since she is guilty of giving false information to law enforcement officers regarding a missing person, she faces up to 4 years in prison (1 year for each count).

Photo of Casey and Caylee

Do you have 3 little words for Casey?

Photos of Casey Anthony’s reactions in the courtroom as the verdicts are read:

Casey Anthony Before Verdict

Casey's Reaction To Being Found Not Guilty of Murder

Casey's reaction to being found not guilty of aggravated child abuse.

Casey Anthony - Not Guilty of Manslaughter

Casey found Guilty of lying to law enforcement

Casey’s reaction to being found guilty on 4 counts of lying to the authorities is more subdued, but it’s almost like she anticipated the verdict on those charges. Pretty much everyone can agree that she was guilty there. But the not-guilty verdicts otherwise are probably a shock to many people.

So why was Casey acquitted? Yahoo News may offer insight:

After more than 33 days of testimony, 400 pieces of evidence and sweeping promises from attorneys to prove how 2-year-old Caylee Anthony died, neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys have provided concrete evidence showing whether the girl was killed by her mother.And when closing arguments begin Sunday, jurors won’t forget what they were promised.

Remember that the defense said that poor Caylee drowned in the family pool, and a emotionally disturbed Casey, along with her father, panicked and buried the body. But a medical examiner never determined how the girl died, and Casey’s DNA was not discovered among Caylee’s remains. No definite proof of how Caylee died was ever really offered up by the defense or the prosecution. The prosecution’s case was said to be very circumstantial, which focused on the lies Casey told, as well as the smell of decomposition in Casey’s car trunk.

You might think that evidence of decomposition, internet searches of neck-breaking and chloroform, lying about a supposed babysitter, and Casey’s odd behavior/partying during the disappearance, not to mention the defense’s story about Casey’s supposed abuse and hiding her kid’s body after the fact, might make for a decent case against her. You’d be wrong.

Now, Casey can probably look forward to a reduced sentence (time already served), a movie/book deal, and more kick-ass partying for the rest of her life.

Update – Casey to be released July 13th

Casey was sentenced to one year in jail for each count and $1,000 fine for each of the four counts of lying to police. Court officials have included time already served in their calculations, and have concluded that she will be released from jail on July 13th.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Cheney Mason faces Bar complaint for lewd gestures

An AP photographer snapped a pic of defense attorney Cheney Mason for flipping the bird at spectators from inside Terrace 390, a restaurant located on Orange Avenue. This was during a champagne celebration after Casey’s verdict. A Coral Gables attorney complained to the Bar about it.

“The Bar’s current regulatory policy is that even actions by lawyers in a private setting that reflect poorly on the profession are disciplinable. This was an obscene activity in a public setting,” the complaint alleges.