I have heard this a lot, here and elsewhere. Yes, technically and legally 'innocent until proven guilty' applies to a court of law, particularly a jury. But where do you think a jury comes from? Individuals in the public. When the public presumes the guilt of accused persons (accused by LE who can and do make mistakes) you can often end up with a mob mentality. Sort of like in this case. Like those white men down here in the south who used to hang black men on the merest suggestion that he looked sideways at a white woman.
When the public presumes guilt on the word of LE and media, how are accused persons to hope to have a fair trial by a neutral jury?
Citizens of a democracy have a solemn duty not to take every word of authorities at face value.
One day you could be the accused.
I believe that Casey killed Caylee. That's my personal opinion and view after pouring over all the information currently available to us.
If called to do my duty as a U.S. citizen and sit on her jury, I am also confident that I could put aside my personal feelings, and the information currently available, to review and consider all evidence presented at Casey's trial, and only the evidence presented at Casey's trial, and do what the law tasked me to do: determine whether Casey is *legally* guilty, starting from the basis that she is *legally* innocent unless and until the evidence presented at trial proves otherwise.
Some people understand the distinction between court of law and court of public opinion, others don't. Some people can put aside what they've heard and read and their feelings, and consider only the evidence presented, others can't. It's neither good nor bad, it just is.
The law does allow it to be a gutwrenching, horrifying, stressful, thought provoking experience that keeps you crying and up at night. And, thank God, the law does allow - and encourage - discussion in the jury room during jury deliberation to help ensure that all jurors are considering the evidence presented and only that evidence.
We have trials all the time of cases that widely publicized and even sensationalized. Juries are found. Only 12 (plus a few alternates) are needed.
It may take going through hundreds of people to find the ones with the appropriate mindset to help provide a fair trial, but it can be, and is, done all the time.