Why The Casey Anthony And OJ Simpson Verdicts Were Right
I didn’t even know Casey Anthony was a female until last week, much less that she was on trial or why. But I did watch all of the O.J. Simpson case back in 1995. I even went to a verdict party to watch what everyone had assumed would be an easy conviction. But I was totally in agreement with the actual verdict. Sure, O.J. Simpson probably brutally murdered his wife and it’s awful that the case and trial were bungled so much that he got to walk away a free man. But the verdict is about one thing and one thing only: Did the government make the case that the accused is guilty beyond a certain standard of doubt?
If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit, and what not.
So cut to the Casey Anthony trial where it looks like someone is getting away with murder of her own child. And it’s horrible and horrifying. But a system that occasionally lets a child murderer go free is much better than one that routinely convicts people in shoddy trials. There’s a difference between being innocent and having won a not guilty verdict. That’s a good thing, though. It keeps the government accountable for its prosecutions.
I just called my mom to ask her how well the case was prosecuted and she claimed that any juror who voted to acquit was an idiot of the highest order. So I began asking a few questions, such as “So how did Caylee Anthony die?” She conceded that no one knows for sure. And they don’t know how long her body was decomposing before it was found in the woods. The prosecution, which was going for the death penalty, mind you, used questionable forensics such as an air test that’s not actually accepted within the scientific community.
When someone’s life is at stake, the standard is rightly higher.
The government has a constitutional obligation to prove their case. They didn’t.
And maybe Casey will go to jail for something stupid she does later like try and steal back her Heisman. And I’m sure after she throws an epic dance party, she will totally start searching for the real killer.