How Did the Prosecution Lose the Casey Anthony Case?

Ten years after a jury acquitted Casey Anthony of first-degree murder, people are again thinking about a murder trial that enthralled an entire nation. Many were outraged when the verdict came back “not guilty” while others believed that the prosecution (must have) failed to prove its case. Some saw it as a repudiation of our justice system while others saw it as a vindication.

A justice system that presumes innocence rests on the belief that it is worse imprison an innocent person than it is to let a guilty one go free. Ten years later, people are still considering the ramifications of that axiom to the American justice system. That has a lot to do with the outcome of the Casey Anthony case.

So the question then becomes: how did the prosecution lose this case when the facts seemed to prove the case form them?

According to the jurors who were involved with the case, the prosecution failed to prove how Caylee Anthony died. But those who were involved with the investigation can’t understand why they believe that. Here’s why.

The Facts of the Casey Anthony Murder Trial

  • Caylee Anthony’s body was found near the house decomposing. She was found with duct tape over her mouth.
  • Casey Anthony lied about nearly everything. The police caught her in numerous lies that didn’t require much evidence to realize were false. She also seemed unfazed by the fact that her daughter was missing. She spent much of that period out at the club with friends. The friends only realized that her daughter was missing after seeing a report on the news.

On the basis of those two facts – the forensic evidence and her demeanor – the prosecution formed a theory that Casey Anthony had given the child chloroform and then suffocated her with the duct tape.

The Defense Argument

The defense proposed an alternative theory. Lawyers for Anthony argued that her daughter had drowned in the swimming pool. Upon realizing that her daughter drowned, Anthony did what she always did. She lied about.

The fact that Anthony was a compulsive liar was not in dispute at this point. She lied to both the police and her friends about working at Universal Studios. She did this convincingly. The defense argued that she actually believed it was the truth.

They argued that her mind made up a story that her daughter was missing because that story was more comfortable than the truth. Why not? She made up a story that she worked at Universal Studios and even led police to Universal Studios where they discovered she did not have a job. Casey Anthony was a master manipulator, maybe, but of herself more so than anyone else.

In other words, the defense’s theory fit. When a jury is forced to weigh two theories and each of them is possibly true – they must acquit.

Except, why was there duct tape over Caylee’s mouth?

The defense succeeded in explaining away most of the physical evidence and all of Anthony’s bizarre conduct during the investigation. In the end, that was enough for reasonable doubt.

If You’ve Been Charged with a Crime, Scott Skier Can Help

The West Palm Beach criminal defense attorneys at Skier Law Firm, P.A. help criminal defendants get a fair trial under the law. Give us a call at (561) 220-3355 or contact us online, and we can begin preparing your defense immediately.

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