“Justice: the quality of being just…guided by truth, reason and fairness” (Collins English Dictionary). The Casey Anthony trial, a case that has intrigued the nation since 2-year old Caylee Anthony went missing in 2008, came to a close today after a six-week stint in court. After deliberating for less than eleven hours, the seven women and five men jury found Casey Anthony not guilty on first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. Within minutes of the verdict announcement, my Facebook news feed read as follows:
“Really? Not guilty?”
“Unbelievable! Not guilty.”
“What really happened? No justice for Caylee.”
“It’s nice to know you can still get away with murder in America…”
Now, I didn’t follow the trial very closely, but I am familiar with the evidence: Casey’s chloroform-soaked trunk, Caylee’s skeletal remains found with duct tape attached to her skull, and a web of lies to local law enforcement regarding Caylee’s disappearance and Casey’s whereabouts for a mysterious 31-day period. This evidence and 400-plus more pieces of evidence left the jurors pondering whether the bizarre life Casey Anthony led and the “dysfunctional” family life she lived was just that: bizarre and dysfunctional or murderous?
Based on my background in anthropology and osteology and my little experience with forensic evidence, I’d like to say that I’d find Casey Anthony guilty any day. But the way the United States justice system is set up, you get the prosecution, the defense, 12 jurors and then you trust that the rest will lead to justice. The point is this, unless you’re one of those 12 jurors, you’ll never know what went on behind closed doors, what was going through their heads. Maybe a mom who sympathized and pitied Casey? A daughter who also felt abused and neglected by her family? A father who would do anything for his daughter?
Caylee is still gone but never forgotten, and her murderer is still out there…where is the justice in that?
