Casey Anthony: The Trial of a Lifetime

I really didn’t want to write about this trial. I didn’t want to hear anything about it. But as I was sitting in the eye doctor’s office yesterday, waiting for my grandmother, it seemed the whole world could speak of nothing else. The morbid story of a mother who possibly murdered her own baby in a very grotesque manner…of course it would attract all kinds of attention. My twitter feed has been chock full of various reactions of the verdict, most shocked and outraged, the rest exasperated by the media circus.

I think she was guilty, purely on her reaction at the trial. Upon hearing she was not going to be convicted for murder in the 1^st degree, she smiled and visibly relaxed. Her life would not be over. She still had something to live for. Except…she was on trial for the murder of her child, a very young child. And I saw no sign of heartbreak for the fact that her baby’s life was over and she’d been granted another chance. Maybe she was just relieved that she wouldn’t have to carry the conviction of the murder of her daughter on her shoulders anymore. Maybe. After all, who am I to argue with the jury or the judge? But it seems to me like it’s too soon for her to smile and be happy about anything. Her daughter is still dead. Her daughter was still viciously killed. Had that been my mother on trial for the death of me or one of my siblings, not even the verdict of not guilty would have made her smile. She would have been heartbroken. Crushed. A mess on the stand. She could not have endured the pictures of the baby’s corpse.

Remember Chicago? Based on a true story. These things happen. OJ Simpson. See? The justice system isn’t perfect. They could not convict her for lack of evidence, no matter how seemingly incriminating the material they had managed to collect. I’m sure those lawyers, that judge, the jury, and every legal professional in the U.S. is just as infuriated and frustrated as all of those who believe her guilty. But they cannot convict her without undeniable evidence. The system we use to punish the guilty is the same system used to protect the innocent. Sometimes though, those two get confused.

I don’t like all the talk about the mother getting assassinated and such. It’s not for us to punish her. If anyone did murder her they would be stooping to her level. I’m sure she felt justified in her violent actions as well. Murderers often do. She’ll get her punishment in due time. The human mind is a fragile entity and I’m sure her actions will catch up to her, and it will drive her mad, a slow, tormenting punishment she can never escape from. Until then, we must remember to report instances of child abuse and neglect. So there is never a repeat of this again. Listen, look, and love. RIP Caylee Anthony.