All this past summer Birdsong heard about the search for 3 year Caylee Anthony. A missing child case here in Orlando. Suspicion focused on her mother Casey Anthony, the 22 year old mother of the baby. When the child was missing over two months people started suggesting that Casey had killed her child. We do not know if that is the case. No body has been found. Casey has told 4 different stories of what might have happened to the child. All have turned out to be false.
This week, specifically on October 14, 2008, an Orange Country grand jury indicted the mother, Casey Anthony, on seven criminal counts, including First Degree Murder. Murder I, as it is called, would allow prosecutors to ask for the death penalty. Birdsong has been drawn into the case by having been interviewed by local TV news and the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper for his views on the case.
Birdsong, as his students know, is against the death penalty. Birdsong says this certainly isn’t a case for which prosecutors should seek the death penalty. There is no body. There will be no forensic findings of what happened to the child, there is no motive, no eye witnesses and no confession from the mother, and no snitches have been found to whom Casey may have confided while locked up in jail with no bond. In addition, Casy Anthony does not seem to be a predator and, so far, has no criminal record.
In essence, this is going to be a tough case for prosecutors to show guilt of First Degree Murder beyond a reasonable doubt. However, prosecutors indicate that they have a stong circumstantial case. There have been murder convictions without a body. But not many.
If there is no demand by Casey Anthony for a speedy trial in 90 days, the prosecutors have six months to take the case to trial.
Perhaps, that will be enough time for police to find a body.
Oh, did I mention that the District Attorney who sought and obtained the murder indictment is up for reelection three weeks from now?
Stay tuned.
Thank you for your view on the case.
I, personally, do believe in the death penalty. But, without a body or crime scene, I would not sentence someone to death. I am pretty certain, from what is out in public, that Casey did do away with her child, though.
I also think that death is too easy for Casey. Casey has made her family and all who deeply cared about Caylee suffer. Obviously, it’s Caylee who has suffered the most; she didn’t have a chance in the world with having Casey as a mother.
Last night, I saw a picture of Caylee that I hadn’t seen before. I could feel her innocence, her sweetness. It just saddened me even more about what happened to this child.
Thank you for letting me have my say.
Ambition can drive people to great deeds but it can also drive people in less worthy directions.
I hope justice moves slowly in this case and allows the evidence/truth time to surface…
No death penalty against Casey. Whoa whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Nancy Grace has already said that Casey would be facing the death penalty. Could the courts have screwed things up, or is it just that Nancy is all screwed up and is proven to be wrong yet again? Hummmmm, good question, read the CNN transcripts. The prosecution case continues to crumble. How sad. 🙁