disservice of justice

SOTD: TBD (feel free to suggest one of your own)

I still remember, while getting ready for work, listening to the Today show and hearing the audio from the very first call Cindy made to 911 when Casey finally admitted that after 31 days Caylee had been missing.

I remember, as the sorted details about how the child went missing and the events that occupied her mother's time began to unfold, how I watched in disbelief that someone could be so reckless with not only her life, but the life of her innocent daughter.

I remember becoming obsessed with this case when the jailhouse tapes were released and it seemed that each day held more clues as to where little Caylee might be, still alive, and Casey's behavior and dialogue with her brother and parents provided insight into her sociopathic mind.

I remember watching live coverage on CNN, December 2008, while sitting at my desk at work when remains were uncovered in a wooded area just blocks from the Anthony home. Perhaps this is the thing I remember most. Countless tips had passed through the family with little more than a smirk of acknowledgement from Casey, but on the day these remains were found Casey had a panic attack that required the assistance of a doctor, before a positive ID had even been made. This is the day I no longer had a reasonable doubt that Casey committed this hanious crime.

I found myself unemployed with nothing but time on my hands in January of 2009. It had become regular practice for me at this point to tune in each night to hear the latest on Nancy Grace and any other program that might feature new details as they emerged. My interest in this case grew exponentially when I no longer had my work to focus on; there are some who might say my obsession with this case was my way of displacing the void that was created when I lost my job, and the truth is, they are probably right.

Regardless of why I was obsessed, make no mistake, I was consumed with a need to know every possible detail that might come to light. Countless nights were spent scrolling through, hundreds, maybe thousands of pages of evidence and depositions. I read every text message that was placed into evidence. I watched and re-watched the jail tapes for clues in the dialogue and body language between Casey & whichever family member she might be talking to. I searched tirelessly until I found the mysterious message that Cindy posted and then retracted from her MySpace page.

Like many, I have questioned how much Cindy & George really knew and when they knew it. My belief is that they knew the child was dead long before the body was found, but I don't believe for one second that either of them had a hand in her death. I do believe that if anyone knows the complete truth, it is Lee Anthony, Casey's brother. There seems to be a bond between these two that goes far beyond the 'incestuous' relationship the defense claimed (which I don't believe actually happened by George or Lee), but from jailhouse tape conversations, the reference to CMA at Caylee's memorial and Lee's limited presence for the trial (he was only present for the day he was subpoenaed as a witness), I strongly believe these two are thick as thieves and if she confided in anyone, it was him.

Here's where I think the case was lost: the motive. The prosecution argued that the motive for killing Caylee was that she was beginning to talk and Casey was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up her lies. I don't believe this because anyone who can look an officer in the eye and lie to their face about where they work and then get into a squad car and hold steady to that lie all the way to the point that a member of the human resources personnel staff is standing in front of both of them explaining that she has not been an employee for over a year, isn't worried about the ramblings of a toddler.

Instead, I believe her motive was not driven by a desire to end Caylee's life so much as it was to punish her mother by taking Caylee out of her life for good. It was only briefly mentioned during the trial, but on the last night the Anthony's saw Caylee alive, Casey and her mother got into a huge fight over checks Casey stole from her elderly grandmother. The exchange got so heated that Cindy grabbed Casey around the neck and began to choke her. It was a month later, when allegations that Casey wrote checks she stole from a friend on the infamous Target shopping trip, that Cindy showed up to Universal Studios, where Casey told her she was working that day, to find that not only did her daughter not work there, but she claimed to be in Jacksonville with Caylee only to fess up days later that Caylee had been missing for over a month.

A reoccurring theme that was present through all the depositions and collective evidence was how self-centered Casey was. From the story of how Casey resented that Cindy was the first person to hold Caylee after she was born, to the report that Cindy actually preferred Caylee call her 'Mom', there is no doubt that from the moment her life began, Caylee was the center of Cindy's universe. Casey, on the other hand, was no longer the center of attention, no matter how hard she tried. I don't believe she ever really took to the role of mother and over time, I believe she began to resent Caylee for even being born.

Getting back to the motive, after the fight with her mother, I believe Casey left that night with the intent to hurt her mother the only way she knew how, to completely remove Caylee from her life forever. Blinded by rage, I believe she began to set motions in action that eventually proved devastating for little Caylee.

The prosecution did a great job, but despite their best efforts, I believe there were two factors that determined the outcome of this trial; the first was when Casey chose not to take the stand. Perhaps the single smartest thing she's ever done, by keeping her mouth shut, she contained her voice within the two and three year old recordings which her attorney came out at the very beginning and acknowledged contained multiple lies. The second factor was the jury. Whether it was the possible death sentence or a misunderstanding of the definition of 'reasonable doubt', once details about personal predisposition of each of the individual jurors began to emmerge, I had a gut feeling Casey would eventually walk free. However, I was not prepared for the jury to only convict her of lying to law enforcement. At the very least, the evidence of child abuse was present, but the fact is, as soon as this Thursday, Casey Anthony might be released, free and clear. I have to wonder how someone like Casey Anthony is expected to live a normal life after captivating the entire country with her lies and self-destructive behavior.

I remember many things about the events that surrounded this case and eventually, the trial, but after today, I will forever remember how inefficient our justice system truly is. I suppose justice comes in many forms and eventually, I believe justice will be served for the death of little Caylee Marie Anthony.