It's Just My Opinion

This is probably not going to be a very popular post. And it’s really not my opinion, because I am going to try to take the emotion out of it and describe why I am astounded by people proclaiming that the justice system in our great United States has failed.

I’m referring, of course, to the Casey Anthony trial. I did not follow all of the trial, just the highlights, so I’m aware that she was guilty of something, but the prosecution did not provide enough evidence for the jury to convict her beyond a reasonable doubt of First Degree Murder.

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That doesn’t mean she is innocent; not by any means. She was found not guilty based on the evidence in the crime for which she was charged. Unfortunately, the public had already convicted her. So, now, the public is disappointed.  This case should never have been discussed in the media in the first place, but that's another soapbox altogether.

We are lucky to live in a place where we are presumed innocent (at least in a court of law, but obviously not in the court of public opinion). The burden of proof is on the prosecution. They did not have enough evidence to show that Casey murdered her daughter. Is it possible she did? Yes. Probable? Again, yes. But they didn’t PROVE beyond a reasonable doubt that she did it. The evidence was just not there.

In an AP report on July 2, it states,"Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys have provided concrete evidence showing whether the girl was killed by her mother." It also states, "If you separate facts from fiction and inferences stacked on top of inferences ... there is no proof."  And in yet another AP report on July 5, it is stated that, "Prosecutors didn't have any evidence that put Casey at the scene where the remains were found."

Casey Anthony is obviously a very sick individual. Her lifestyle, past, and all of her dirty, little secrets have been scrutinized. I would hate to have my life inspected in such a way, which is why I try to live a clean life, although far from perfect. But public opinion had her convicted because she is not the type of mother we think she should have been. Who doesn’t report their daughter missing right away? Not a “good” mother! She is very likely suffering a serious mental illness, and she may not be in prison for very much longer, if at all, but she is living in a different kind of prison.

And who am I to judge since I didn’t sit in the courtroom listening to all of the evidence? I’m sure that much of what we heard in the media wasn’t even admitted as evidence because it didn’t prove to be exculpatory evidence.  There are things the public knows that the jury never heard, I'm sure.  Besides, God will be her judge when the time comes.

Only God knows the whole, complete story.  So, this is not about whether I think she was guilty or not, but about how the justice system did not fail.  Our court system did exactly what it was supposed to do.  The prosecution failed to present evidence to convict her, but the system itself, is valid.

Our justice system is not perfect, but it’s the best there is. I would much rather presume someone innocent or find someone not guilty than convict the wrong person when proof has not been provided. If I am ever accused of a crime, I am glad the prosecution has the burden of proof. And I’m glad I don’t live in a country where we are thrown in jail without a trial, without a defense. Our system is not perfect, but it is better than many. I am proud of the USA, flaws and all.