Casey Anthony Trial Starts Jury Selection

[Dave]

After 3 years, the trial of Casey Anthony, a Florida mom accused of killing her then 2 year old daughter, is finally coming to a Florida court. I'm a bit surprised that its taken so long for the trail to come about as it seems most cases move through the courts within a year... 3 years is a rarity I'm thinking. I generally don't like to assume guilt on anyone without seeing at least some of the official evidence and this case is no exception. There has been plenty of what is believed to be evidence that has made its way out into the media but until its in a court of law, its nothing and she is innocent until proven guilty. That said, IF what has been said is true, I would have to say that things are not going to turn out well for Casey.

 

 

(Reuters) - Lawyers in the Casey Anthony murder trial began searching on Monday in Pinellas County on Florida's Gulf Coast for 20 people who could move for eight weeks to a hotel in Orlando, 100 miles from home, to serve on the jury.

 

Anthony, 25, of Orlando, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee whose grandmother reported her missing in July 2008.

 

A jury is being picked in Pinellas County in hope of finding people who haven't become biased by saturation media coverage of the case in Orlando.

 

At the end of the day, 45 people out of the first 66 questioned were sent home after convincing Judge Belvin Perry the lengthy jury duty would be too much of a hardship.

Many prospective jurors said they could not afford to serve because their employers would stop paying them. Small business owners said their businesses might fail. Single parents said they had no one to look after their children. Middle-aged children said they had no one to look after elderly parents.

Perry said he hopes to pick and be ready to transport a total of 12 jurors and eight alternates to Orlando on Monday next week in time for opening statements by the lawyers on Tuesday.

Although the day was devoted to jury selection, it began and ended with lawyers battling over a key piece of evidence -- an analysis of odor captured from Casey's car trunk and analyzed by experts at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Questions still remained over the issue at the end of the session.

Perry issued a ruling that prosecutors would be allowed to admit evidence that compounds were found in the air sample consistent with the early stages of decay of a human body.

But just before adjourning for the day, Perry warned that he was re-thinking that decision after defense lawyer Jose Baez complained that the defense had never received the details of the study -- a database of some 468 chemical compounds identified in a long-term study of human decomposition -- on which the air analysis was based.

Baez told the judge he had been rebuffed by lawyers for the Oak Ridge expert who said the information is proprietary and belongs to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecutor Jeffrey Ashton argued Baez long ago should have taken further action to get the database from the FBI or via other avenues.

Perry said he was deeply concerned about the ramifications of going forward with the evidence without allowing the defense access to the database.

"It might come back to bite, and to bite in the form of a very significant appellate issue," Perry said. He said he had assigned two staff lawyers to study the issue and planned to research it himself on Monday night.

"I have no plans to do this (trial) again, and if I'm going to err, I'm going to err on the side of caution," Perry said.

Jury selection continues Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/10/us-crime-florida-anthony-...

[XLFD]

Frankly, it does not surprise me.  My parents have been following the case, and its usually on in the background when I visited them.  They thought the case made against her was pretty sketchy and 'enhanced' by the prosecutors, and from what I heard, I agreed, as did the jury.  She was still found guilty of the misdemeanor charges of providing false info to LEOs. 

I would just point out, this poor woman has stayed in the slammer for a couple of years and will continue to be branded guilty by the sanctimonious news outlets that had her convicted in 2009.  Nuts from all over will harass the poor woman mercilessly in her newfound 'freedom'. 

It was pretty clear that OJ was guilty, but the case against her was always a bunch of pomp and circumstances put forth by the prosecution and sensationalistic 'journalists'.  I hope they are ready to pay her for their slander.

[Lisa O'Brien]

I think she is guilty as hell, I guess that makes me sanctimonious - I can live with that. I believe OJ was guilty as hell also. I hope they jury will enlighten everyone on what gave them "reasonable doubt"

[XLFD]

You're far from sanctimonious, Lisa (unless that's what you want to be), but I take issue with those in the media, from all parts of the political spectrum, relying on what the prosecution spoon-feeds them that tend to prejudice public opinion against a suspect. 

A one-sided hearing in the media has taken place over the last two years, and so when the trial comes out, and the prosecution's claims are overstated and without solid proof-- perhaps even erroneous as in the 'chloroform' searches on the computer-- it brings up the reasonable doubt meter to the yellow, if not the red. 

[Dave]

I'm not real surprised with the verdict.... I had a feeling they were going to have a tough time convicting without a 'smoking gun' as it were as to how the child died. I definitely think that Casey knows how her child died and quite likely had some part in the death if not entirely responsible. But like with the OJ trial, the defense was able to put enough reasonable doubt into the minds of the jury that they opted to acquit OJ. The turning point in that case I think was when the prosecution had OJ try on the bloody glove in the courtroom and he couldn't get it on. Anyhow, I doubt if we will ever know what really happened to Kaylee... its a shame, she deserves justice but she will not ever have it unless her mom decides to fess up.

[Dave]

Heard it said this morning on TV that in jailhouse letters, Casey has said that when she got out, she wanted to get pregnant and have another baby... I threw up a little in the back of my mouth when I heard that. The last thing she needs is another baby.

[AQUAMAN]

Shocking but confusing and like an unsolved mystery, perhaps wrapped in an enigma for all time now. Where's Columbo when we needed him?

[Lisa O'Brien]

Well hopefully there's not a man around that would have anything to do with her, just makes me sick she got away with murder and then throwing her baby away like she was garbage.

[Dave]

Unfortunately, I'm sure she won't find any problem finding a guy... plenty of guys out there that wont be looking at it from any other perspective then that of just having sex.

[Lisa O'Brien]

Yes that it the nature of the beast. Any update on baby Kate, they should let me interrogate him I could get him to talk.

[XLFD]

If there's any kind of lesson to be drawn from the Casey Anthony ordeal, it would be that if you are suspected of any crime: NEVER talk to the police. Ever. It will never go your way, especially if you LIE to them. Just like Martha Stewart, who was tried for insider trading, Casey Anthony was not found guilty of the crime she was alleged to have committed, but could spend a lot of time behind bars because she was found guilty of lying to the police.  It may just be an inaccuracy on your part, like with some of Ms. Stewart's 'lies'.  If you learn anything from the police shows on ION television (positively entertaining) it should be this tenet.
There's an easy way to avoid that ever happening to you, especially if you're innocent of a crime you're accused of in the first place: invoke your right, pursuant to the Fifth Amendment NOT to answer any of the police's questions if you are ever being investigated and then say NOTHING. It's your right.

Nancy Grace may rail against you every day, Bill O'Reilly may equate your silence with guilt, the Ludington Daily News may bring up a past bicycle traffic stop (LOL), and the prosecutors will give out data they footnote as being the gospel truth.  Get hold of a lawyer, and take their advice.  Remember, if you get caught in a lie, it often presages guilt later on.

[Lisa O'Brien]

I disagree if you are innocent and have an alibi - the police can confirm and start looking at other suspects, you should always have a lawyer present though. If you don't know the answer or can't remember just tell them that - some people just feel compelled to pop out any right or wrong answer and then the cops think you are lying. Miss Anthony's lies were of epic nature and I'm not sure how she even thought they would fly but in the end she got away with murdering her baby.

[XLFD]

The rule of thumb I stated can make the police's work slower and may make you seem even more guilty and have you remain in custody for longer, but it is the safest way to go.  Innocent people with alibis aren't guaranteed that the law will work for them.  There are many who have lost their freedom, believing their innocence and alibis would protect them from sloppy police work and prosecution.  This is not to say you should not volunteer information to the police if you've witnessed something, but if you become a suspect and are interviewed, you have the right to remain silent and the other Miranda stuff is almost always good advice to take until you've met with counsel.

Unfortunately, even Baby Kate's abductor would be wise to take this advice.  But I would be among the first to call for sentencing him for life without parole if his actions killed her.