I figured that the jury would come back with “not guilty” on the murder charge – though I thought there was a good chance they’d find her guilty of manslaughter; but that only because she’s clearly guilty of something in the death of her child…but I didn’t think guilty of murder; certainly not provably guilty of murder. We don’t even know how the child died – so how can their be a murder charge? For all we know the child really did die of an accident and then Ms. Anthony went in to panic mode…the rest is tragic history.
But now that the jury has ruled, I want to take issue with what she was found guilty of: lying to the police. In my view, there is something just wrong about being found guilty of lying about a crime you didn’t commit. Remember, she was ruled not guilty – the jury says she didn’t do it. That is the end of it as far as the death of her child goes. To now hold her responsible for lying to the police just doesn’t come across to me as an action of justice.
I don’t blame the jury in this – from what I can tell, she not only lied to the police, but lied a lot…and to a lot of people. I further understand that lying under oath is a very serious crime (for which, incidentally, Bill Clinton should have been removed from office; so serious is the crime)…but I don’t think she was under oath in the interrogation room. Sure, she should have just kept her mouth shut or told the absolute truth…but she is also a young, irresponsible girl who has a dead child to account for; in such a situation it can easily seem that lying is the best course (it never really is – this is no justification for lying; just a statement that lying, in and of itself, perhaps should not be prosecutable). All such convictions do is ensure that anyone who watched the trial now knows what to do – shut up, shut up and shut up some more.
Quite simply, if you are ever arrested – even for something you absolutely know you didn’t do – you should just say nothing to the police. Don’t even give your name without your attorney present. You might even make an honest mistake and wind up convicted for lying to the police over it. How many of us, suddenly hauled in to a police station, could be certain we’d lay out a complete story with no inconsistencies or errors? And once you’ve made an error, how do you convince the authorities that it was just an error and now you’d like to correct the record after you’ve had a chance to review in your mind the sequence of events? The charge of lying to the police is a trap that only the most clear minded person completely familiar with the law can possibly avoid.
The police and prosecutors should not have this ability to convict us of lying to them – that should be taken away. As long as you aren’t solemnly swearing to it, then it isn’t a lie in the legal sense. At least, that is my view.
Blogs For Victory 
Quite simply, if you are ever arrested – even for something you absolutely know you didn’t do – you should just say nothing to the police. Don’t even give your name without your attorney present. You might even make an honest mistake and wind up convicted for lying to the police over it. How many of us, suddenly hauled in to a police station, could be certain we’d lay out a complete story with no inconsistencies or errors? And once you’ve made an error, how do you convince the authorities that it was just an error and now you’d like to correct the record after you’ve had a chance to review in your mind the sequence of events? The charge of lying to the police is a trap that only the most clear minded person completely familiar with the law can possibly avoid.
The police and prosecutors should not have this ability to convict us of lying to them – that should be taken away. As long as you aren’t solemnly swearing to it, then it isn’t a lie in the legal sense. At least, that is my view.
ask Scooter Libbey about that.
the real tragedy is the POLICE CAN, and DO LIE TO YOU during their investigation and that is lawful and considered a reasonable tactic.
NEVER EVER give a sit down or statement with out a lawyer at your right hand.
ask the Ramseys.
Oh
and the Eisenbergs.
i watched this show trial from start to end…the behavior of the peoples representatives was a disgrace…they lied…created false testimony…took testimony out of context…omitted evidence that disproved thier own case…and asked for permission to take a human life…without any regard to what justice and the truth actually was…we need to criminalize this type of behavior….maybe if they knew that this type of behavior would bring criminal prosecution on them, they would stop it…justice is not served well on a bed of lies
Poem From Caylee to Casey
Today there will be silence mom,
no crying will you hear.
I didn’t mean to anger you,
I just wanted you near.
Today there will be sleep again,
I won’t cry out in vain.
The nights I needed comforting,
were filled with hurt and pain.
How could someone so big and strong,
strike out at little me?
I was a gift, your little girl,
unwanted, now I see.
Today there will be love at last,
On angels wings I’ll soar.
Way up high, above the clouds,
through heavens golden doors.
So momma, say a prayer for me,
for the life I’ll never know.
I just wish you could have cared for me,
for I would have loved you so….
Where should one even start when commenting on this zoo we call justice system? Yes, the Government insists the accused, under penalty of law tell the truth, while it routinely lies to suspects. Yes, the IRS, SEC, FBI, you name the governmental acronym, will hound you past the grave knowing they have no case, but that is only because the courts allow it. How does that balance in on the scales? The scary this is, with all its faults, it still the best thing going. Of course, Conrad might have some interesting insight into all that.
The media bemoans the verdict of a trial that should never have been tried on the early morning, afternoon, primetime, and late night opinions shows; still, it was a marketable product and let’s face it, OJ sells. We have seen a string of these stravaganzas and we all know it’s even better when a celebrity is involved, but we will settle for a good villain, when we don’t have a Michael to kick around.
Isn’t that what the prosecution did? Didn’t they give the media someone to hate in Casey and the media fell went for it hook, line and sinker. They believed their own fiction and they are now bitter and disillusioned.
The prosecution gave the media someone to hate, and isn’t that why they deserved to lose this one? They lost the trial, but they won in the court of public opinion. Ah, groupthink, life is just not fair.
Justice is not the goal. Winning is the goal. Now, heart sick and disillusioned, some talking heads are suggesting the jury is greedy and just wants to materially capitalize on their status as a juror. It is Shocking! Scandalous in fact, that those greedy jurors might try to do the very thing the media’s been doing for quite some time now. Armatures, how dare they! Let the demonization of the jury begin!
Rightlane,
I love the fact that the jury didn’t show up for the dog and pony show the media set up for them…and I bet they do sell their story to the highest bidder. And more power to them – this thing is a travesty and the MSM, especially, should be ashamed.
One other thing here – I don’t think an accused person should have his name placed in the media until after conviction. No mater what happens to Anthony now, she will always be “the woman who killed her child”. She can never shake that – she can never get a good name back. True, it is very much her fault that she landed in this mess – had she not had sex out of wedlock she never would have got pregnant and thus never would have had a child who could die and land her in trouble. So, not too much sympathy for her…but there was no reason to drag her name and picture through the mud. Had she been convicted, different story…but until the moment of conviction, the name of the accused should be kept out of the press. And for goodness sake, get the cameras out of the courtroom.
The problem with that, Mark. .do you want a precedent of a person being anonymously tried and convicted without anyone knowing she is on trial the whole time?
I would add that, while the jury was sequestered, the Judge was not. The presumption of innocence should be grounds enough for a Judge to disallow the type of character assassination, which in this case, was nothing more than the prosecution’s blatant attempt to manipulate the jurists’ emotions. Casey may be a “lose woman,” but that doesn’t mean she killed her daughter to party. That’s too big a bite with evidence presented in this case. In the end, the tactic backfired and it made the accused look more the victim than the villain in the jury’s eyes. The moral of the story here, I think, is folks have a pretty good sense of weather the playing field is level. If it isn’t, they’ll root for the underdog every time. .
Incidentally, I like the new blog format in general. . but that screen background it. . . not so much.
I once picked out wallpaper like the background, tiny dark blue dots on a white background, for my kitchen. And the paper hanger said he nearly fell off his stepladder, he got so dizzy looking at it.
According to the Left, and some courts, it is a crime to lie about something that is not, in itself, a crime.
Ama
According to the Left, and some courts, it is a crime to lie about something that is not, in itself, a crime.
scooter libby went to jail disgraced for it (and it wasnt really a lie)……..do I hear witch hunt?
Im still mad at W for not giving him a full pardon.
I’m Australian and maybe I think differently to you but this blog had me shaking my head in bewilderment. It’s not the mere fact she lied to Police it’s that she wasted Police time by lying.!
Her lies to Police tied up Police investigators who used up valuable man time interviewing her for hour after hour and everyone else she knew !
Her lies had Police officers looking for a live child when she knew her daughter was dead. I’m sure every police officer could have been better deployed…..like maybe finding missing children who were still alive !!! That is the issue.
It isn’t just a little lie we are talking about here. The kind of lies she told should be a crime.They were calculated,deliberate and she maintained them. Valuable Police time and man Power were utterly wasted instead of being used to help others. She in effect “stole” that time from others who needed it.