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Casey Anthony Verdict and Caylee’s Law
On July 5, 2011, a jury of her peers found Casey Anthony not guilty of first degree murder. In fact, the only charges the jury did find her guilty of were misdemeanor counts of misleading law enforcement. She is due to be released July 17th.
Across the country there were outcries from people who felt justice had not been done for little Caylee Anthony.
Clearly, Casey Anthony is not going to win any prizes for her parenting of Caylee. It was Caylee’s grandmother who reported the toddler missing, not her mother. Many wonder why would a mother not report her daughter missing after 30 minutes, much less 30 days? However, the jury was unified in their belief that not being a great parent doesn’t necessarily make you a first-degree murderer. The evidence presented by the prosecution did not leave them without reasonable doubt.
WebMD community members discussed both sides of the coin. As member Iocasta pointed out on the Parenting 4 & 5-Year-Olds Community, “Her defense counsel did its job in creating a reasonable doubt.” Earleyml1012 on the Pregnancy 2nd Trimester Community wonders if “you need to have a video of someone committing a crime now in order to convict them of it.”
The most significant product of this verdict may be the bill (HB 37) just sponsored by Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami. Referred to as Caylee’s Law, the bill would make it a felony to fail to report a child under the age of 12 missing within 48 hours.
Tell Us What You Think
How do you feel about the proposed “Caylee’s Law”?
By Mare Stern
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