We’d seen the photos of her partying while her child was missing. We’d heard about the web of lies she’d spun. We all thought Casey Anthony was guilty of murdering her little girl.
But yesterday the bombshell dropped: Not guilty.
Isn’t it interesting that our courts use the verbage “not guilty” instead of “innocent?” Innocence connotes childlikeness, an untainted state. I don’t think anyone in the nation thinks of Casey Anthony as an innocent person in general.
Do I think she did it? Probably.
However, in the United States you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. And if guilt is not proven, if evidence is not there, you remain innocent.
The problem with this case is that there is basically no direct evidence. No one saw Caylee get murdered. (Or if they did, they are keeping quiet about it.) So that leaves us with a bunch of circumstantial evidence, or indirect evidence, which often is not enough to convince the jury beyond reasonable doubt. Even if the jury members personally believe she is guilty, they have to decide whether or not the evidence proves it. I guess in this case, the evidence was not strong enough to leave them without lingering doubt.
I have heard it said that the media was the “13th juror” in this case. I actually agree. I’ve watched Nancy Grace chew on all different aspects of this case. It’s been on CNN, MSNBC, and the local networks. They allowed a camera in the courtroom, letting the entire nation watch this reality-freak-show.
One woman told reporters she’d spent $3,000 on hotels and food and waited in line for a total of 100 hours to get tickets to be a courtroom observer 15 times. “True crime has become a unique genre of entertainment,” Wilkie said. “Her stories are so extreme and fantastic, it’s hard to believe they’re true, but that’s what engrosses people. This case has sex, lies and videotapes — just like on reality TV.”
It’s a shame that our nation has come to this – to treating criminal cases like entertainment. (Seems like we’re not to far from putting on survive-or-die shows like the fictional Hunger Games in the like-named book.) And the media is partly to blame. But American culture is changing. We live in a nation where people murder little girls. We live in a nation where people are drawn to the sensational and have forgotten the spiritual, the familial, the quiet joys of a well-lived life. God help us.
What I find equally as disturbing are the reactions to the non-guilty verdict. People are saying she should “fry” and that they “hope she gets street justice” and the like. Not just people, people I know. People I know to be caring and loving people. People I know to be Christians. No matter how henious the supposed crime, and no matter how damning the evidence we live in a country where you must be proven guilty BEYOND a shadow of a doubt. We say we are proud of this and shoot off fireworks to celebrate it…and yet apparently we don’t really believe it. Now I am the last one to argue as an American, many are scandelized by my lack of patriotism, but I will argue as a Christian. This woman, this MOTHER, is sick. Sick in so many ways but I am mean truly physically/mentally ill. She has proven by the very ‘partying’ that we find so disgusting that she is completly disassociated herself from the reality of her daughter. This is a huge sign of mental illness. My heart BREAKS that this poor little girl had a mother who did not care for her. It breaks for the millions of children like her. The fact that she was so callously hurt and finally murdered makes me cry. But I find myself not hurting also for the mother. Whether she did it or not, she is sick. And whether she has closed it from her mind or not she has lost (possibly at her own hand) her child…what horror waits for her in her mind? The child is dead, and as a Christian I believe she is with God…she is safe. Probably safer and happier than she ever was in her short heart-breaking life. This mother is still alive though. Please don’t wish her dead. We are not called to like everyone…and I don’t like this woman. Even if she did not kill her daughter, she certainly did not care for her. I am however, called to love her. Pray for this woman. Not that she will be killed, but that she will get help. God help us ALL…indeed.
I find myself NOW hurting also for the mother…sorry typo
I agree that people are being pretty hard on her. It’s very hard to swallow a mother killing her own toddler – if she did – but I agree that everyone deserves a chance to live. Giving her the death penalty is doing the same thing to her as was done to her daughter. Thanks, Karla!
There wasn’t and hard evidence pointing to premeditated murder. I believe there would have been a conviction if the DA would have gone for a negligent homicide change. She was on a drug binge for 30 days and her baby was left in the car, a less titillating story but a more probable and easier for a jury to believe.