Advertisement
YOU ARE HERE: WSBT HomeCollections

Shock over Casey Anthony verdict not a surprise

July 06, 2011|By Kristin Bien (kbien@wsbt.com)

The case captivated the nation, and when the verdict was announced Tuesday in the Casey Anthony trial, most were shocked.

The jury found Anthony not guilty of murder, not guilty of child abuse and not guilty of manslaughter. It has created a public outcry, but at least one legal expert says that isn't a surprise.

No matter what the court of public opinion thought...

"I think she did it. I think she should serve some time," says Giesela Suplee of South Bend.

...The actual jurors in the Casey Anthony trial were the ones with the real burden to render an impartial verdict.

"Are you kidding me! That is exactly what I said [Tuesday]. I think she got away with it," says April Hasbrook of South Bend.

And Hasbrook isn't the only one angry about the outcome. The verdict has hit a nerve. Thousands of people weighed in on our Facebook page and around the nation.

But Notre Dame law professor Robert Blakey says, "the court of public opinion doesn't have a good idea of what is going on."

Blakey says most of us form our opinion based on what is on the news or what we see on the Internet. He says you have to be in the courtroom, hearing only the evidence that is presented, to know why the jury came to the conclusion it did.

Advertisement

"Often what the jury sees is not what has actually happened. It is what the law lets them see," says Blakey.

He says tabloid talk shows and online blogs often sensationalize cases like this. And public opinion often mirrors what the TV personality thinks.

"Most of what occurs in these programs is sensational," Blakey said. "That is why people watch them because it stirs emotion. The whole idea of law is that it is based on reason. The facts are what they are based on evidence, not emotions."

And Blakey says we talk about whether a person is guilty or innocent, but the verdict is actually going to be guilty or not guilty based on law. He says by that definition you don't always get an accurate outcome, you get a legal outcome.

WSBT-TV Articles
|
|
|