Casey Anthony’s Trial of the Century – You Be the Jury

When I first began to hear breaking details about a local missing girl I never would have imagined that it would soon spawn into one of the most infamous trials that our generation has ever seen.

Coverage of the Casey Anthony case has spread like wildfire and has even become more publicised than that of the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995.

I will admit that up until about three months ago, I was completely oblivious to the fact that this case was such massive national news. When you live in a city where something big happens, I suppose you just assume that you are always hearing about it because it happened in your own town.

Not in this case.

No, in this case news coverge has been swarming all over the United States, and other countries as well.

We know that 3 year old Caylee Anthony was reported missing by her grandmother Cindy Anthony, not her mother Casey.

We also know that Caylee was reported missing a month after she has in fact gone missing.

What we do not know are all of the details that fill in the “in-between’.The only one who does know is sitting in a Pinellas County courthouse at this very moment for jury selection in her upcoming muder trial.

Case Anthony faces first degree murder and the death penalty.

Casey’s mother Cindy Anthony is sticking firmly by her daughter’s side stating that Casey did not murder Caylee or have anything to do with the disappearance. Strange considering that Cindy Anthony made the initial phone call to 911 stating the following:

  • Dispatch: 9-1-1, (inaudible) what’s happening?
  • Cindy: Umm…I have someone here, umm, that I need to, umm, be arrested, in my home.
  • Dispatch: They’re there right now?
  • Cindy: And I have a possible missing child. I have a three-year-old that’s been missing for a month.
  • Dispatch: A three-year-old?
  • Cindy: Yes.
  • Dispatch: Have you reported that?
  • Cindy: I’m trying to do that now ma’am.
  • Dispatch: OK, what did the person do that you need arrested?
  • Cindy: My daughter.
  • Dispatch: For what?
  • Cindy: For stealing an auto and stealing money. I already spoke with someone they said they would patch me through the Orlando, umm, Sheriff’s Department have a deputy here. I was in the car, I was going to drive her to the police station and no ones open. They said they would bring a deputy to my home. When I got home to call them.
  • Dispatch: So she stole your vehicle?
  • Cindy: Yes.
  • Dispatch: When did she do that?
  • Cindy: Umm on the 30th. I just got it back from the impound. I’d like to speak to an officer. Can you have someone come out to my house?
  • The second phone call Cindy placed to 911 was even more disturbing:

  • Dispatch: 911 what’s your emergency?
  • Cindy: I called a little bit ago. The deputy sheriff’s not here. i found out my granddaughter has been taken. She’s has been missing for a month. her mother finally admitted she’s been missing.
  • Dispatch: Ok. What is.. What is..
  • Cindy: (inaudible) someone here now.
  • Dispatch: Ok. What’s the address you’re calling from?
  • Cindy: We’re talking about a 3 year old little girl. My daughter finally admitted that the babysitter stole her. I need to find her.
  • Dispatch: Your daughter admitted that the baby is where?
  • Cindy: That the babysitter took her a month ago. That my daughter’s been looking for. I told you my daughter was missing for a month. I just found her today. But I can’t find my granddaughter. She just admitted to me that she’s been trying to find her herself.(pause) There’s something wrong. I found my daughter’s car today and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.

    Cindy Anthony later changed her story stating that the smell of the “dead body” was a “pizza”.

    As it turns out, there was a dead body in the damn car.

    Air tests that Judge Perry has recently ruled will be allowed to be used by the prosecution proves that a decomposing body was indeed in Casey Anthony’s car.

    Also, a hair that matches Caylee Anthony’s DNA was discovered in the trunk with a “death ring” near the follical proving that the hair came from Caylee after she was already dead.

    Of course those are in addition to the traces of chloroform that were found.

    The area where Caylee’s body was found, which had previously been underwater due to severe storm flooding, is within walking distance of the Anthony home and across from an elementary school.

    The site quickly turned into a massive memorial for little Caylee Anthony and just standing there taking this photo was probably one of the most haunting experiences I have ever had.

    Among other evidence against Casey Anthony is the shovel that she borrowed from her neighbor during Caylee’s disappearance and the fact that cadaver dogs prove that Caylee’s body was not only inside the Anthony residence at one point in time, but also in the back yard.

    There is also the heart shaped sticker that was placed on the duct tape that was found around Caylee’s mouth. The same brand of duct tape has been found in the Anthony home.

    Though Casey has all of this evidence mounted up against her when her trial begins, it fails to prove whether or not Caylee Anthony was killed intentionally or by mistake.

    A mock jury recently said they would acquit Casey Anthony of first degree murder charges citing that they do no believe that she intentionally killed her daughter.

    Common speculation is that Casey used the chloroform to make Caylee sleep, accidently gave her a lethal dose, and then began the cover up.

    Does accidently killing a child deserve the death penalty?How about intentional?

    I want you to weigh in with your thoughts about this case.

    What do you believe happened?Do you think Casey Anthony should be convicted of first degree murder?What is your idea of justice for Caylee?

    [Photos: CFNews13]