Casey Anthony...Good Defense or Lack of Evidence?

After less than 11 hours of deliberation jurors acquitted Casey Anthony of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, as well as aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. She was convicted of four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.

After deliberating only 11 hours jurors acquitted Casey Anthony of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, as well as aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. She was convicted of four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. Each count carries a 1 year prison term, but Anthony has already searved 3 years and could concievably walk on the final year.

Though media coverage led many to believe justice would come in the form of a guilty verdict on the murder charge, the acquittal leaves us wondering what happened here? Despite the seemingly endless hype surrounding the investigation and trial, the prosecution's case just didn't hold water. There was no forensic evidence — like DNA  or fingerprints  linking Anthony to Caylee's death. In fact, the cause of the girl's death was still unclear.

What may be the most surprising aspect to legal analysts...how the jury was able to get beyond the emotion and rely only on the facts of the case. You and I saw all the Nancy Grace, Dr. Drew hysterical TV commentary. The jury got to miss all that and focus on the real lack of hard evidence in the case.  The fact that the deliberation was so short and jurors didn't ask to review evidence would lead many to believe there wasn't any question in the jury's minds about the lack of proof by the prosecution.

Regardless of the outcome...for Casey Anthony the nightmare may not be over. Donald Jones, a professor at the University of Miami School Of Law told USA Today..."She will be marked by this trial. The best thing she could do is change her name and her hair color and move to a different town."