I paid no attention to the trial of the Florida mother, Casey Anthony, who allegedly killed her two-year-old daughter — until the jury reached a Not Guilty verdict on the key charges this week. She was found Not Guilty on counts of first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and manslaughter.
Some are now claiming the prosecutors overextended or were over-zealous. But it’s hard, if not impossible, to believe that Ms. Anthony didn’t do something pretty atrocious to that little girl. Anthony didn’t even report her daughter missing until a month after she died, and then it was with some bizarre story. Then the poor girl’s body wasn’t discovered for another couple months in a marsh that, ummmm, was near Anthony’s parents’ house. The defense’s key argument was that cause of death could not be conclusively determined — a difficult challenge for a cadaver abandoned in a Florida marsh for several months.
Does any of this pass even a basic laugh test?