What I Think

Look, I understand. Given the saturation of so-called experts, wall-to-wall media coverage, and the high emotions involved with a mother accused of killing her daughter, what I believe hardly matters.

But I got a blog. So I will weigh in on my thoughts on the Casey Anthony verdict.

For the past three years, I was itching for this trial to start. All information pointed to the fact that Casey was looney tunes, to the point that she would actually kill her daughter just so she could party like a porn star. Everything I heard leading up to the trial had me convinced that she was not a person worthy of inhabiting the planet I walk around on. I wanted her tried, convicted & fried.

So the trial started, and I was anxious to see the evidence that tied her to the murder. When Baez threw out the ‘drowned in a pool by accident’ defense, I was even more convinced that she was guilty. Drown in a pool? Then the death unreported for 31 days? What kind of sick family is this? Oh, she’s going down, I thought.

So again. I awaited the evidence that conclusively tied her to the crime. And I waited some more. I heard about duct tape with no DNA. Searches on the computer for chloroform. A car trunk that smell of death. Casey’s tattoo. Pics of her partying. A sum total of evidence that would make an ordinary Joe conclude, yup, she did it.

But that’s not how our system works.

To convict someone of murder the burden of proof has to be inarguable. There has to be no reasonable doubt. That is why circumstantial evidence does not work. That duct tape had to have Casey’s DNA on it. That car trunk had to have verifiable proof that Caylee was in there, dead. The prosecution could never prove those things. Defense argued that masterfully, understanding all along that Prosecution could not exceed the bar of reasonable doubt.

After closing arguments were made, I predicted she would be acquitted. Therefore it was no surprise when she was. Others were shocked and understandably so, but they were going off of emotion based on what they wanted to see happen, not what was presented, and not with an understanding of what is required to convict someone of murder. Reasonable doubt was established. It was entirely possible she died in the swimming pool because the state could not prove otherwise.

In the end, this is our judicial system. One that goes to painstaking lengths to ensure innocent people are not punished. In order for this to occur, oftentimes guilty people are freed. And this is the way it should be. We already incarcerate people in this country at a rate six times higher than China. If our judicial pendulum swung in favor of circumstantial evidence being the barometer for conviction, that rate would be even higher.

And if that were the case, the only growth industry left in this country would be prison construction.

So in the end, the system worked exactly as it should have. If you are one of those that did not like the verdict, then you are essentially saying you do not like the method in which we determine guilt in our courtrooms. And that's fine, but just understand that.

I think she did it. I think she killed her daughter so she could live the partying lifestyle. But what I think does not matter. My opinions, thankfully, are not admissible in a court of law.

And I am thankful that yours aren't either.