Casey Anthony found not guilty of murder
Published 11:05 am Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, a Florida jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
However, the jury of seven women and five men in Orlando did find the 25-year-old Anthony guilty of giving false information to law enforcement in connection to their investigation of the case.
The jurors returned the verdict after more than 10 hours of deliberation spread over two days.
Anthony, who could have faced the death penalty if convicted on Capital Murder charges, will face sentencing for four counts of providing false information to investigators Thursday.
Under Florida statutes, Anthony faces up to four years in jail when she is sentenced; up to one year for each count.
Anthony has already spent nearly three years behind bars and could be freed after sentencing Thursday if the judge sentences her to less than the maximum and credits her for time served.
Anthony, 25, was accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in June 2008 by covering her mouth in duct tape and suffocating the child. Caylee’s body was found six months later in a wooded area near the Anthony’s home.
Lead defense attorney Jose Baez told jurors that Caylee accidentally drowned and that Casey’s father, George, helped Casey cover up the death, staging it as a homicide.
Casey Anthony never took the stand and George Anthony denied any role in Caylee’s death or the disposal of her body.
The prosecution team accused Casey Anthony of killing Caylee to avoid the responsibility of motherhood and to maintain a lifestyle of partying.