Friday, May 13, 2011

WCI Contributors Make Their Predictions on the Casey Anthony Trial

*Blogger went offline Wednesday and apparently took our last two posts with it. They have fixed their technical difficulties and we have reposted today's blog. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

With the start of the Casey Anthony trial this week, in the death of her daughter Caylee, we’ve devoted several posts to the outcome of the trial. But none of these have the predictions of the “experts” here at Women in Crime Ink! At the end of the trial, we’ll see which one of our contributors hit the mark. Place your bets ladies: "Guilty" or "Not Guilty?"

Holly Hughes: “Casey is going down. She will be found guilty but will not receive the death penalty. The physical evidence, the circumstantial evidence and her own inexplicable behavior will be too much for a jury to ignore. However, the jury will want to parcel out the blame under the old adage, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.' They won't put her to death.” 

Dr. Gina Simmons: “A jury will likely find Casey Anthony guilty because evidence of her pattern of deception and callousness seems irrefutable. Juries don't like callous liars. Since only one tenth of one percent of female murderers were death sentenced, it's likely she'll get a far more lenient sentence than a man who committed the same crime.” 

Diane Fanning: “Casey Anthony’s trail of lies will lead the jurors straight to a verdict of guilty. There is probably a small chance of a hung jury, but I think Casey’s continuous prevarication and her disinterest in the whereabouts of her missing child will not allow any panel of twelve to acquit her of the charges. Then, at last, there will be justice for little Caylee." (Diane's book, Mommy's Little Girl, was the first to be released and takes an in-depth look into this fascinating but tragic case.)

Dr. Michelle Golland: "Casey Anthony will be found guilty because she did it. I would like to see George Anthony reveal what I believe he knows about what happened to Caylee. He should clean his conscience, already. Cindy knows her daughter played a role in her granddaughter’s death, but due to her narcissism, will never expose herself." 

Donna Pendergast: “The jury will come back 'Guilty' on all counts but will not render the death penalty. The circumstantial evidence of guilt is overwhelming which will result in a conviction despite the fact that jurors will not want to believe that a young mother could do this to her child. The jury will mitigate their doubts by not rendering a death penalty verdict during the penalty phase. We are all in for some high drama; hang on to your seat.” 

Cathy Scott: “My prediction is that the jury throws the book at Casey with a guilty verdict. While it's a circumstantial case, that circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly points a finger directly at Casey, right down to the same duct tape on little Caylee's mouth that was found at the Anthony family's home, to the death odor discovered in the trunk of Casey's car. They're tough visions to shake.” 

Robin Sax: “The amount of evidence in this case is overwhelming, circumstantial or not. I mean, you don't get cases with as much 'stuff' as this one. But like most pretty girls, and since it gives the jury an out, I say no death penalty.” 

Anne Bremner: “I wouldn't want to be an attorney for the already damned. But I think there may be a creative defense about which we will hear in the first minute of the defense opening statement. Stay tuned. And fasten your seatbelts. It is going to be a bumpy, interesting and ultimately tragic--guilty verdict or not--ride.” 

Pat Brown: “Guilty, but I think they won’t give her the death penalty because of her psychological problems and all that 'physical and sex abuse' she suffered in her family. If nothing else, they will think they can’t blame her entirely for her viciousness because 'Cindy AKA The Devil made her do it.' ” 

Stacy Dittrich: “I’m giving it a 60/40 in favor of a guilty verdict. The 40 percent is reserved that 'one' juror who may or may not hold out for a myriad of reasons. It is always a possibility. Definitely no death penalty.”

What is your prediction? Let us know.

23 comments:

Tracy P.I. said...

I think the murder of Caylee by Casey was a direct attack against Casey's parents in her 'effort' to stop their 'control' over Casey's life and what she does. I do think they were overbearing parents, but as for sex abuse? It's so easy to use that one and what better way to further get at her parents. Casey's already shown she will do what ever it takes to get her own way. I also think that there could be a juror who ends up off the panel during the trial due to a breakdown caused by the presentation of evidence.
As for the verdict? Guilty and Death.

Andrea Campbell said...

Sorry I didn't get to weigh in earlier, WiC friends and colleagues. Today I watched some of the jury selection on In Session and it looks like the defense is going to present Casey as a wounded, broken child of abusive parents—as if that is justification. In the end though, I believe she will be found guilty. About the death penalty, I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

That was a pretty unanimous guilty verdict from the crime experts on WCI-jury. Which clearly predicts that being Casey Anthony wont be much fun in the coming months.

I wonder if it wouldn't be an option for her to plead guilty to manslaughter if she were to admit to causing the death of Caylee but that it was an accident. She wouldn't be the first young mother to do something like that and subsequently try to erase the tracks of the crime out of fear. Were she to choose that defense the state would have to prove intent in order to get a first degree murder conviction which I think could be difficult.

Anonymous said...

Everyone one is forgetting that this was premeditated murder. It will be proven. Death penalty is my prediction. If I'm wrong, then the cause will likely be all the gossip, hatred, media circus, protests, etc. which focused on Cindy and George instead of a tiny helpless toddler. If jurors believe crazy lies then I'll never follow another case or watch crime tv shows again.

Anonymous said...

What makes you say that it's so clearly premeditated?

California Girl said...

While I hope she gets the death penalty, I think she will just get life. I think there will be some circus and drama. I think that once she gets life, there will be some more weird twists in the future. Like she and OJ will collaborate on a book or something equally weird.

California Girl said...

Anymous said...
What makes you say that it's so clearly premeditated
____
Computer searches for neck breaking and chloroform. Witnesses who will claim the "kid slept thru everything". Tape around the mouth. The infamous "heart" sticker. Her demeanor at the video store around the time of the death.

Anonymous said...

Well, California Girl. To play the devils advocate (which in this case may be appropriate according to many)...

- Some kids WILL in fact sleep through everything. My daughter was like that. It was a blessing... at least until she started school.

- Computer searches doesn't signify intent to do harm. Take the two of us for example - forensic examination of our PCs would show that we have both recently accessed a site called Women In Crime Ink. A place where you can read a lot about murder and other criminal activities. Does that make us dangerous or bad? ;-)

- Casey's demeanor around and after Caylee's death is not unusual for a person who is trying to repress or forget something bad. Last time I had a bad break-up I went to Disneyland with a friend in order to get out of the house and get my thoughts focussed on something different. I didn't mean that I didn't suffer - it was simply a way to cope... and it works.

- The tape could be explained as an attempt to make an accidental death look like an abduction in order to support the theory that an unknown third person was involved. The heart is almost too "Hollywood'esque" to not be staged. If Casey is indeed a cold and uncaring person who just needed to get rid of the body she wouldn't have bothered with details like that. If Caylee had died by accident however it is not inconceivable that she may have performed a small burial ritual of sorts. In other words, this may as well support the accident theory as the intentional killing.

Pat Brown said...

That is damn fine defense work, Anon 11:50! When I finally get moving on my hit list, I am hiring you.

FRG said...

Wow! The majority said no DP! I want her to get the DP because she deserves that!

It's hard to predict because of the jury selection is still going on and one selected joror doesn't like to judge people, her religion has taught her that! OMG, she should not be part of a jury then! I am upset for that reason!

I have to say I don't believe KC was sexually abused, I think she is a manipulative person, she made up that to gather sympathy from jurors!

That's such a shame what happens in trials, it reminds me of the Menendez' brothers where they accused their murdered parents as abusive!

My prediction will be found Guilty and she will get the DP! My hubby says that in FL people are more conservative and maybe prone to DP. I hope I didnt say anything stupid! It's just my humble opinion.

Anonymous said...

Just give a holler when they come to pick you up Pat. Be warned though that I'm expensive... ;-)

Anonymous said...

Love the illustration.

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking that Casey probably got the idea that she'd been a victim of sexual abuse from the case of the 2 brother's that murdered both of their parent's in Calif.yrs ago. They got both rec'd a life sentence instead of death because they both claimed that their parents both sexually molested them for yrs! I remember that they also were charged with Murder in the first degree and the state asked for the death penalty. I wonder if George Anthony gave that idea to his lovely daughter Casey ????

Pat Brown said...

Anon 1:41, I think this points to one of the most egregious problems of our adversarial system; that the defense is allowed to go further than providing a proper defense for the accused to being allowed to create false scenarios on behalf of their client. Instead of presenting the facts and making sure the prosecution does not unjustly manipulate the truth, the defense is allowed to interject complete fabrications for their client's background and create any outrageous claims it wants and twist and turn every fact on its ear. I have sat with defense attorneys who asked me to come up with an alternative crime scenario to the one their client was convicted of (in an attempt for an appeal) and I have always ended up telling them their client is guilty as hell, there is no other scenario, and walking out of the room (so much for making money). I think if a defense attorney suggests anything to the client other than what the client has told him, he should be charged be disbarred. Then maybe the trial would be about getting justice and not seeing if the defense can confuse the jury to the point of acquittal.

California Girl said...

Well Anon you could be right. After all we had to acquit because those gloves didn't fit.

Anonymous said...

@Pat Brown & California Girl...

I understand what you are saying but I still have to disagree. The very foundation of our justice system is, that Casey is presumed innocent unless the opposite can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. In other words, if the defense is able to offer an alternative explanation, regardless of how concocted and exotic it may be, which is equally supported by the evidence it "must" be considered reasonable doubt and thus result in an acquittal. Especially so in a murder trial where somebody's very life is at stake.

The OJ trial is an excellent example. I don't know anybody who doubts that OJ was as guilty as sin but the police had been sloppy with the evidence and thus created reasonable doubt. OJ's acquittal was the right decision even though it riled me to see him stride out of that courtroom strutting like a peacock.

I hope the evidence against Casey is stronger...

California Girl said...

Actually, Anon, if you read Vincent Bugliosi's "Outrage" about the OJ trial, you will see its not so much about the police "being sloppy" with evidence. Bugliosi delineates the whole case perfectly.

Anonymous said...

@California Girl - Actually I haven't, but thanks for the tip. I will certainly check it out. In return I can recommend Alan M. Dershowitz "Trials of the Century" where the OJ case is featured as an example of how sloppy police work can ruin a slam-dunk case. Which probably happens more often than we realize but OJ was fortunate enough to have the $$$ to hire top-notch defense team who spotted the flaw and took full advantage of it.

FRG said...

Mrs. Brown,

I agree with you! It is just so sad that some defense lawyers to make their names they will do just about anything. It seems that it is not called justice, it should be forbidden.

I started reading Nancy Grace's book "Objection" and didn't finish it, I was sick to my stomach from all the shenanigans the defense attorneys will use to acquit a guilty person, it is really sick.

All lawyer's job should be find the "truth" not "twist the truth" and they go to the extent to accuse LE of wroing doings and accusing innocent people just so their clients would look good! I am no psychiatrist but I believe some lawyers have huge egoes and a tendency to be narcissitic, all they are are media attention seekers! It's my impression, of course!

By the way, I started reading dr. Hare's book "Without Conscience"... very scary the way people with personality disorder think! I will never ever understand it. I just hope some day the will find a way to physically diagnose a person with personality disorder, I hope.

Thank you for this wonderful blog!

Anonymous said...

The justice system is not about finding the truth at any cost FRG. It's a set of rigid procedures that, if followed religiously, history has taught us will result in fairness and justice for everybody... at least most of the time. Or in the words of Dirty Harry : "It ain't perfect but it's the best we've got so far".

So the defense is not "twisting the truth" - it is simply doing it's job. And if it succeeds either the prosecutor wasn't doing hers or the case was too weak for a conviction anyway.

Anonymous said...

I think something has happened within the Defense team today....the judge abruptly adjourned jury selection until tomorrow morning, and he didn't look too happy.

Anonymous said...

As far as the Anthony parents being over bearing that just does not seem the case. There are two many examples of them actually being unaware of situations going on to be defined as "over bearing". First, let's start with the fact that their daughter was 7 months pregnant before George or Cindy even made mention of it or noticed. I am not sure they even questioned her until Cindy and Casey had attended Cindy's brother's wedding. Maybe they had briefly prior but readily accepted the "retaining water" excuse. Then the fact that Casey had no job for years and they thought she did. An over bearing parent would know if their child was employed or not. She was stealing money from everyone in the family! Again the Anthonys had their head in the sand since the totals stolen reached tens of thousands they did not "nip this in the bud" so to speak. And one more thing (there are many more examples BUT frankly I am sick of Casey and her family) this Nanny that Casey mentioned(both parents testified of hearing about a nanny prior to 6/15). Once again, over bearing parents would have met this Nanny- they would have been more involved with at least meeting the woman their grand daughter was spending so much time with. Here is what happened that fateful night:Cindy was told by her mother there was more money stolen, so she confronted Casey that night-6/15. Well, this didn't go over too well and ended with Cindy choking Casey. Casey was angered to the point of murder- she probably had thought about getting rid of Caylee for a long time(wanted to put up for adoption,internet searches,etc.) and all these feelings came to a head - being caught stealing again(frustration and anger),the never ending responsibility of taking care of a child (and the fact that child would start talking about casey's nasty ways with her)(anger again and shame because she was not as good a mom in private), a desire seek revenge on her mom(casey's immaturity coming through because the choking thing may have set her off)wanting to party and one of the main things- a new boy friend who was NOT fond of kids. All this culminated on that fateful night and she acted out all these feelings -her frustrations and failures on that "little girl". RIP caylee

Anonymous said...

i think she will be found guilty for 1st or 2nd degree murder. i hope that giving her the death penalty will make her realize that taking a childs life is not the right thing to do> think about it a night or partying and maybe a little neglegence. how could you not notice the smell of death coming from here car. HHHHHEEEELLLLLOOOOOOOO SHE IS GUITLY REGARDLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!