The Court of Public Opinion Doesn't Always Win

   Casey Anthony was acquitted of killing her toddler.  The prosecution could not present enough evidence for the jury to decide beyond a reasonable doubt that she was guilty.  All the defense had to do was to convince the jury that the evidence, much of which was circumstantial, was flimsy enough to create doubt.
   I've served as a juror before, and it's clear from the beginning that the attorneys want people who know little or nothing about the case.  This jury was probably picked in the same way.  Once picked, they were kept from what became a media circus as the case unfolded.
   Television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet were daily sources of information which we, the public, could read, see, and hear.  We were also presented with conjecture, speculation, and guesses as to what happened.  Rumors and fact mixed together in the media frenzy and reached a point where, to the public, there could be no doubt that Casey Anthony cold-heartedly killed her own flesh and blood, and then covered up her misdeed with layers of lies (interestingly enough, she was convicted of lying).
   The jury was not aware (if the court did its job right) of the media circus.  They only could make a judgement on what they were given as evidence and in testimony.  They chose a not guilty verdict.
   Casey Anthony knows whether or not she killed Caylee.  If she did it (and quite honestly, I think she did), she's avoided the death penalty and by doing so becomes a prisoner to her own thoughts, of the guilt that will, sooner or later, gnaw at her until it tears her up.  In the meantime, though, there are probably some ghoulish people who will try to court her for a book deal, or some movie or reality show gig. 
   I hope, however, that there is enough outrage that people will pay closer attention to their own relationships with their families.  I believe that we should be positive rôle models to others, whether or not we choose to have children.