Do you think you can write the closing statement for the defense?

[Darkprincess65]

a friend gave me this one;

Ladies and gentleman of the jury, we stand before you to tell you about something we know nothing about. As you have heard the evidence provided by the state, defense team and the witnesses we want to bring to your attention that Ms. Anthony is the only one in this case that has been proven competent, therefore you should only consider her testimony. If you’re ever in Aruba we will be more than happy to represent you should you need council.

:floorlaugh:

 

[Sleuth5]

a friend gave me this one;

Ladies and gentleman of the jury, we stand before you to tell you about something we know nothing about. As you have heard the evidence provided by the state, defense team and the witnesses we want to bring to your attention that Ms. Anthony is the only one in this case that has been proven competent, therefore you should only consider her testimony. If you’re ever in Aruba we will be more than happy to represent you should you need council.

We can also provide bangin' bikinis at a discount if you can present your Baez University student body card.

 

[Sleuth5]

In all seriousness I can do this or at least give it my best shot.

Good morning/afternoon your honor, members of the jury.

I would like to open with saying that this case was based purely on circumstantial evidence. This is not about my client. This is about Caley. And the facts surrounding her in her short life here on this earth.

I can offer nothing outside of what I have already offered into evidence for you to make a decision upon. Every citizen is entitled to due process and to a fair trial. I will make no excuses for my client's behavior. I will not offer any justifications for the evidence presented. I will point no fingers. A young woman sits before you. Having lost her child and whom is also grieving for the break down of her family life. Whatever happened the evidence does not point to what was presented.

I can offer no explanations for my client's bizarre actions. I do know that a child's life was ended with no explanation. I know the facts as my client I trust has given me the facts as she knows them to be the truth. It's not up to me to judge the actions. But to defend the charges brought against her. And I believe I have done that to the best of my ability during this trial. I have nothing left to offer up to this court outside the truth as I know it. It would be a mockery to my oath as an attorney to say anything otherwise. I am here to defend my client whom is on trial for her life. She is young. Inexperienced. And despite the dysfuncational family life presented before you? The support system of which she depended upon? Broke down somewhere a long the way and she felt she could not trust to go to anyone with what has happened. I can make no explanations for her conflicting stories. For the imaginary people in her life. Something happened. We know this much. And perhaps Ms. Anthony will never know what happened to her child. And now not only does she still grieve for the loss of her child? But she is fighting for her life as a result of the death of that child. Two lives have in essence been lost during the course of years. Ms. Anthony's. And that of her child, Caley. Somewhere in the midst of this trial?

The truth was lost. Or silenced. Or both. A mother's bond to her child can never be broken. And my client is not a cold hearted murderer as she has been presented by the State. She is a loving, caring, devoted mother. A young mother. And from the get go was not given that chance to be a parent to her child without having to compete with the rest of her family for even a moment alone with her child. And now as a result? She not only has lost her child? But her family as well. And I pray that you will make a fair and just decision in your deliberations. Ms. Anthony's case was not one of where she felt her freedom was lost because of her child. But was consumed by an overbearing family whom was not ever giving her a chance to prove her ability to be the best parent she could ever be to her daughter. Her freedom was robbed of her from birth by a dysfunctional family whom was too consumed to see what was really going on. And even as we sit here before you in this courtroom? We will never know. What we do know? Is a family is forever broken. And Ms. Anthony's remand to a death sentence would not justify why we are all here right now.

Thank you.

(disclaimer)*mind you I'm speaking as an attorney who defends his client against the death penalty would*

:gasp: You know, they might just go with this. Ignore the evidence entirely! It's the Seinfeld Closing! The Closing about Nothing!

 

[Irish_Eyes]

We've talked for weeks and weeks about entomology, chemistry, traumatology, anthropology, everything but the weather - or did we cover that too? What you need to determine Beyond. A. Reasonable. Doubt. Is. How did Caylee Anthony die? Was she murdered or was this a tragic accident? The state has a theory, you've heard it - duct tape and chloroform. That's their theory. And that's all it is or will ever be - a theory. Two of the most renowned coroners in the country looked at this case and with all their medical training could not determine the cause of death. You heard Dr. G testify that she ruled the manner of death as homicide. You heard her say that she felt this was "scientifically defensible" based on statistics. Scientifically defensible and beyond a reasonable doubt are two very different things. Meanwhile, you heard testimony from friends and relatives of Ms. Anthony that she was a loving mother who's daughter was well cared for. The State has another theory - not fact - that Casey wanted to go out and party and that's why they claim she did this. Why? You heard George and Cindy say they happily watched Caylee often for Casey, and that they gave her that freedom. We've come to know a lot about this family over the course of these many weeks. This is a family that lies. A family that keeps secrets. Casey hid her pregnancy from Cindy, Lee was left in the dark about plans for baby Caylee's arrival. You heard River Cruise testify about a hidden love affair with George. Deny. Excuse. Pretend. That's how this family functions. That's the model that Casey grew up to emulate. Even if it's not normal for parents of drowning victims, as Dr. G. testified, it's really quite normal and consistent behavior for Casey. And we're not here to determine any facts about any other cases other than this one case involving this one particular family.

Now lets talk about some of these other things I mentioned earlier. All these other evidences and sciences. It's been quite a show at times, no? Lets talk about decomposition. We heard so much about it in this case. When it starts, how long it takes, what it smells like. It's a fact of life that human beings, after they die, decompose. The State claims that the smell in the trunk could only have been decomposition. I think we've shown it could have been other things, but in the end, how much does it really matter? Decompostion proves death, it doesn't prove murder. And nobody is disputing that Caylee Marie Anthony is in fact deceased. Let's talk about the duct tape. Supposedly it was found in a certain place on the skull. We have pictures of the trees and brush from every conceivable vantage point. Pictures of the trash bags, the laundry bag, the blanket, the shorts, the shirt, even the little letters that fell off of the shirt. We even have a picture of the skeleton of Caylee. Yet somehow the only thing there are no pictures of is duct tape over the mouth of the skull. Are you kidding me??? This is their whole case! Why do we have a picture of everything else under the sun and not what supposedly would be the most crucial piece of evidence - the duct tape on the skull. Why indeed? The same duct tape that had no skin cells, no DNA.

Casey told a lot of lies. I don't even think the State would argue with me saying that it's a part of who she is. Some of those were small, inconsequential lies, and some of those were giant lies that carried very serious consequences. When Casey lied to the police about having a nanny and a job at Universal, that was such a lie. But think about this for a minute. Lying about her nanny named Zanny, lying about having this specific job, these weren't lies that she just made up in response to being questioned by the police. You heard her friends and family say that this "nanny" and this "job" had been discussed for years. So while some people do tell fantastic lies to the police to avoid prosecution, this was just another telling of a lie she had been living with for years. If it had been me or you in that room talking to Casey instead of Yuri Melich, we would probably have heard that same thing.

Casey Anthony is a liar, but she's not a monster. Despite her family's faults, there's no question they loved her. She had a wide circle of friends. And she was raising a beautiful, very sweet, very happy child by all accounts. You know that Caylee could open the door. You know the pool ladder was down. If you have young children, or if you've been around them at all, then you know that even the best of parents can be momentarily distracted. You know that every year many loving and capable parents lose their children to common household accidents.

A beautiful summer day. A curious two-year old. A tired mommy. The door. The pool. The ladder. A mother who copes with problems by lying and denying. These are things we know to exist at the Anthony home.

You know what wasn't at the Anthony home when investigators searched it? Chloroform. Chloroform that wasn't in the house and duct tape that wasn't over the skull in any of the photographs that exist. That's the best they've got.

One thing everyone here can agree on. The loss of beautiful little Caylee Marie is a profound one. Contemplating the death of this child so young is hard...our minds don't want to go there, and she wasn't even our child. It's heartbreaking. But we have to be very careful to separate these feelings from our responsibilities to consider the evidence or lack thereof and return a just verdict. I would submit to you that there is a reasonable doubt that finding Ms. Anthony guilty of murder would in fact be a just verdict.

For the record, I think she's guilty, but this is what I would say if I were JB.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Wow! Great responses on this thread, thank you!

 

[smithjrsgirl55]

We've talked for weeks and weeks about entomology, chemistry, traumatology, anthropology, everything but the weather - or did we cover that too? What you need to determine Beyond. A. Reasonable. Doubt. Is. How did Caylee Anthony die? Was she murdered or was this a tragic accident? The state has a theory, you've heard it - duct tape and chloroform. That's their theory. And that's all it is or will ever be - a theory. Two of the most renowned coroners in the country looked at this case and with all their medical training could not determine the cause of death. You heard Dr. G testify that she ruled the manner of death as homicide. You heard her say that she felt this was "scientifically defensible" based on statistics. Scientifically defensible and beyond a reasonable doubt are two very different things. Meanwhile, you heard testimony from friends and relatives of Ms. Anthony that she was a loving mother who's daughter was well cared for. The State has another theory - not fact - that Casey wanted to go out and party and that's why they claim she did this. Why? You heard George and Cindy say they happily watched Caylee often for Casey, and that they gave her that freedom. We've come to know a lot about this family over the course of these many weeks. This is a family that lies. A family that keeps secrets. Casey hid her pregnancy from Cindy, Lee was left in the dark about plans for baby Caylee's arrival. You heard River Cruise testify about a hidden love affair with George. Deny. Excuse. Pretend. That's how this family functions. That's the model that Casey grew up to emulate. Even if it's not normal for parents of drowning victims, as Dr. G. testified, it's really quite normal and consistent behavior for Casey. And we're not here to determine any facts about any other cases other than this one case involving this one particular family.

Now lets talk about some of these other things I mentioned earlier. All these other evidences and sciences. It's been quite a show at times, no? Lets talk about decomposition. We heard so much about it in this case. When it starts, how long it takes, what it smells like. It's a fact of life that human beings, after they die, decompose. The State claims that the smell in the trunk could only have been decomposition. I think we've shown it could have been other things, but in the end, how much does it really matter? Decompostion proves death, it doesn't prove murder. And nobody is disputing that Caylee Marie Anthony is in fact deceased. Let's talk about the duct tape. Supposedly it was found in a certain place on the skull. We have pictures of the trees and brush from every conceivable vantage point. Pictures of the trash bags, the laundry bag, the blanket, the shorts, the shirt, even the little letters that fell off of the shirt. We even have a picture of the skeleton of Caylee. Yet somehow the only thing there are no pictures of is duct tape over the mouth of the skull. Are you kidding me??? This is their whole case! Why do we have a picture of everything else under the sun and not what supposedly would be the most crucial piece of evidence - the duct tape on the skull. Why indeed? The same duct tape that had no skin cells, no DNA.

Casey told a lot of lies. I don't even think the State would argue with me saying that it's a part of who she is. Some of those were small, inconsequential lies, and some of those were giant lies that carried very serious consequences. When Casey lied to the police about having a nanny and a job at Universal, that was such a lie. But think about this for a minute. Lying about her nanny named Zanny, lying about having this specific job, these weren't lies that she just made up in response to being questioned by the police. You heard her friends and family say that this "nanny" and this "job" had been discussed for years. So while some people do tell fantastic lies to the police to avoid prosecution, this was just another telling of a lie she had been living with for years. If it had been me or you in that room talking to Casey instead of Yuri Melich, we would probably have heard that same thing.

Casey Anthony is a liar, but she's not a monster. Despite her family's faults, there's no question they loved her. She had a wide circle of friends. And she was raising a beautiful, very sweet, very happy child by all accounts. You know that Caylee could open the door. You know the pool ladder was down. If you have young children, or if you've been around them at all, then you know that even the best of parents can be momentarily distracted. You know that every year many loving and capable parents lose their children to common household accidents.

A beautiful summer day. A curious two-year old. A tired mommy. The door. The pool. The ladder. A mother who copes with problems by lying and denying. These are things we know to exist at the Anthony home.

You know what wasn't at the Anthony home when investigators searched it? Chloroform. Chloroform that wasn't in the house and duct tape that wasn't over the skull in any of the photographs that exist. That's the best they've got.

One thing everyone here can agree on. The loss of beautiful little Caylee Marie is a profound one. Contemplating the death of this child so young is hard...our minds don't want to go there, and she wasn't even our child. It's heartbreaking. But we have to be very careful to separate these feelings from our responsibilities to consider the evidence or lack thereof and return a just verdict. I would submit to you that there is a reasonable doubt that finding Ms. Anthony guilty of murder would in fact be a just verdict.

For the record, I think she's guilty, but this is what I would say if I were JB.

I think that about sums up what he will say!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I would prefer to get JB back to high school for some basic classes in English Language and Composition. By the time that I finish with him, he will be able to spell iron correctly, write a basic sentence and learn how to ask a meaningful question, construct a paragraph, and argue a point that actually makes sense. He will also acquire the necessary skills to organinze his thoughts in a meaningful manner so that he comes across well when speaking and writing.

Mr. Baez and I will likely butt heads a few times, but in my classroom, JB will stay in his seat, raise his hand to ask a question, respect me and his fellow students, and not challenge me on issues about which he knows little or nothing. Mr. Baez will not be handed a passing grade without earning it, nor he will he advance to the next academic level unless he has mastered the required skills. And. That's. That. Now, sit down, Mr. Baez.

 

[Hell's Belle]

To answer the question:

I certainly could.

But why would I put more work into this than the real defense team will?

Say what you will about Andrea Lyon, she would have worked up a he1l of a closing. The woman does know how to work.

 

[Sleuth5]

I would prefer to get JB back to high school for some basic classes in English Language and Composition. By the time that I finish with him, he will be able to spell iron correctly, write a basic sentence and learn how to ask a meaningful question, construct a paragraph, and argue a point that actually makes sense. He will also acquire the necessary skills to organinze his thoughts in a meaningful manner so that he comes across well when speaking and writing.

Mr. Baez and I will likely butt heads a few times, but in my classroom, JB will stay in his seat, raise his hand to ask a question, respect me and his fellow students, and not challenge me on issues about which he knows little or nothing. Mr. Baez will not be handed a passing grade without earning it, nor he will he advance to the next academic level unless he has mastered the required skills. And. That's. That. Now, sit down, Mr. Baez.

Oh, Bette. Surely you don't imagine that Mr. Baez will actually do the reading and attend lectures regularly, do you? You will spend a lot of time attempting to suss out plagiarism issues and filling margins with commentary on clarity and basic grammatical construction. You don't want him in your class!

 

[tehcloser]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, may it please the court, Mr. Ashton...

"This has all been a waste, a huge waste."

 

[gmt]

I hope WS's don't give him any ideas either, because I can't wait to hear what he comes up with on his own. If its good, then I guess he got it from here.LOL

 

[Donjeta]

Assume the defendant is innocent of the crimes she's been accused of. Assume that her behaviors have a natural explanation. Assume that she is a victim in all this. Assume that the state has presented no evidence against her. Assume that we have presented evidence for her innocence, even though we are not obligated to do that. Assume that our witnesses did not lie on the stand and weren't turned into state witnesses. Assume that Caylee drowned accidentally and there was no body in the defendant's trunk. Assume she partied because she thought partying would magically bring Caylee back. Assume it's all a big mistake that this trial ever happened.

Now that you have assumed all that, I have just one question. Isn't it correct that you must acquit?

 

[factchaser]

I will be anxious to take the couple of good closings on this thread and hold them next to what JB really does say. I'm positive we will see similarities, if not all-out plagiarism.

 

[DIXIECAT]

No evidence that the duct tape was over Caylee's mouth & nose. No evidence of chloroform purchase/manufacture/use on Caylee. Dr. Grief says even innocent grieving mommies party and engage in "magical thinking" about magical nannies taking child to magical places.

Therefore no evidence of murder, just of death, and of Casey not wanting others to know of the death. Not wanting others to know might be just to continue her own denial, or to spare others the pain (as you can see, her family was caused great pain by learning of Caylee's death). Death does not equal murder. Lying does not equal murder. Even covering up a death does not equal murder. Something terrible happened and Casey will have to live with that for the rest of her life. But she did not kill her baby.

Disclaimer: I think she killed Caylee. On purpose. This is just more free advice for the defense so that any conviction is not overturned for ineffective assistance of counsel.

Well, now you done went an' tol' JB what to say... he could never be that concise on his own. :woohoo:

 

[DIXIECAT]

No problem, Beyond. Here ya go.

JB: "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury... just a moment... (walks to Defense Table, rummages through papers, yaks at CM for a second, checks Magic I-Phone, ambles back over, rolling eyes toward ceiling.) "Aaaaand....Let me begin this way.... Your Honor, may we approach?"

There ya have it.

All of the above, and ending with, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I beg of you to suspend your common sense during deliberations."

 

[costalpilot]

What, are you kidding?

I didn't go to law school. I have no courtroom experience.

Don't underestimate the job these people are doing.

it would be difficult to do that

imo

 

[kantoo]

Baez to the court

"my a-Ha moment was actually a blah-blah moment"

"thank you" (smirk)

 

[Granna6]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, may it please the court, Mr. Ashton...

"This has all been a waste, a huge waste."

And to that I would add, "If the duct tape don't fit, you must acquit."

 

[oh_gal]

We. Surrender.

 

[kaki]

JB is probably getting together a bunch of photos/videos of ICA being a "good" mom... and of cute lil ICA when she was growing up... to try to humanize her... then follow up with how there is no evidence tying her to the murder.. blah blah blah....