Having seen a fair number of high-profile trials, when the announcement came today that the jury had reached a verdict, I felt very confident, much more so than I ever had in other cases, that there would be a conviction. In my mind, it was only a question of whether ICA would be convicted of first degree murder or manslaughter.
Like most of you, I was completely shocked and stunned at the verdict. I am still in a state of disbelief. In other cases I've seen, I might have been able to attribute an acquittal to serious mistakes made by the prosecution, or an extremely capable defense team ... but not in this instance. JA, LDB and FG did an outstanding job, and the DT was rather weak, IMO (though I will say their closing arguments were surprisingly strong).
This is all the more infuriating to me, as survivor of a family violence incident that very nearly took my life, and as a heartbroken mother who had to deal with this matter in court over the protestations and machinations of a certain family member who behaved eerily like CA. Long story that I won't go into here, but suffice it to say, truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
I strongly believe that the intense media coverage surrounding the A case helped contribute to the gross miscarriage of justice that we saw unfold today. I understand why interest in this case has been so great (It certainly grabbed my attention the day Caylee's disappearance made national news), but in the end, I believe the nonstop sensationalistic coverage also contributed to the questionable quality of jurors who were ultimately selected to decide this case. I also believe, due to the increasing prevalence of crime shows, that we are starting to see a "CSI effect," where more potential jurors expect the "smoking gun" of DNA, finger prints, etc. (without the need to resort to the mental effort of piecing together the parts of a circumstantial case), and more potential criminals are starting to figure out how to better cover their tracks.
I do not believe the system worked in this instance. At least for high-profile cases, I think we need to seriously consider the use of professional juries - not just limited to attorneys, but also open to those who are willing to become educated re: legal processes.
What sickens me most of all, is the likelihood that ICA, CA and the jurors in this case will profit handsomely from book deals and continued media coverage of this controversial acquittal. If even 5% of people continue to tune in to the news media concerning this case, I believe that could still translate into large sums of money for these people (at least over the short term). For whatever it's worth, I will have no part in this. As I said earlier, I AM DONE. I will not watch any more coverage of this case, and I will not be buying anyone's book. I will focus my efforts on helping other victims of crime, and I will go back to doing all of the things that I love - especially dancing! Life is just too short ...
ETA: I do take some comfort that ICA's life will never be quite the same. Like OJ, she will be in a prison of sorts, always having to watch her back, being shunned by most everyone, and I also agree that it's only a matter of time before she commits another crime. If I were GA, I'd move out of that house, pronto. ICA and CA deserve each other. Maybe that's what the jury thought, too ...
