Beyond a reasonable doubt. A part of our justice crafted to protect the innocent. But, our justice system is not always fair. Innocent people are convicted. The guilty, with help of crafty defense lawyers, go free. Two high profile cases of that come to mind. OJ Simpson. Michael Jackson. All it takes is one person to think that maybe, just maybe the accused did not commit the crime. Today, we add another name to that list. Casey Anthony. She was found not guilty today of murdering her young daughter, Caylee Marie. I was, upon learning this, stunned. I then became angry. As I watched the disbelief spread across the nation, via Facebook, I thought, 'If all these people are outraged, then how did 12 people not find guilt?' But, I was not there.
I did not watch the trial. The entire situation made me angry, sick, and as a mother, outraged. The press showed mostly the same photos of the defendant playing happily with her child. Or, if you preferred, partying in the 30 days before she reported her daughter missing. Or tapes of the defendant's mother scolding her daughter on the phone. I thought I was "keeping up" with the trial by watching the updates unfold. After the verdict today, it was clear that I had not been paying close enough attention.
If I had taken the time to really think about it, I would have quickly remembered that the Burden of Proof was on the prosecution, and that they had no solid evidence. The ball was set firmly in the defenses court and they played it perfectly.
I have decided that being a defense attorney must require a lot of showers. That much sleaze has to leave one with a stench. It must also require a vivid imagination. One such that a lawyer can take few truths and build them into reasonable doubts. And cause a jury of seven women, and five men to question what seemed obvious to casual followers. That this woman murdered her beautiful, God-given daughter. Not only that, but she didn't report her baby missing for a month. And during that month, went out with friends, danced, enjoyed life--the very thing she robbed her daughter of. Was this an "oops!" moment for her? "Damn if I don't write things down I just forget."?
Oh, she's not off scot-free...No. She is guilty of lying to authorities, or providing false information. And reports state that as she was printed for those convictions, she was grinning widely. Really? Her daughter is still dead. Grinning widely would not be on my list of things to do for years if I lost my son. I just keep thinking that she must be thinking "Nanner, nanner, nanner, you couldn't catch me!" And that makes my stomach turn.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of this verdict is the law of Double Jeopardy. If any solid evidence presents itself, or she drunkenly tells a friend the truth, she can not be tried again for First Degree Murder. OJ Simpson just confessed his crime and people simply said "I knew it" and shook their heads. There will never be real justice for two-year old Caylee Marie.
In most instances, I think our Justice system works. But, when it doesn't, it really doesn't. Innocent Until Proven Guilty is the rule. But, we must, must remember that just because a jury voted Not Guilty, does not mean they believe she is innocent. It simply means that they could not be convinced Beyond A Reasonable Doubt that she was guilty. But she knows. And so does God. And her final sentence will be one to be reckoned with.
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