I had this thought a while ago but have only got round to posting it today.
Do you guys think Jose Baez will refer to biblical passages in his closing arguments?
This isn't really a debate about religion, the merits of any particular religion or sacred text, Oo whether or not people should live their lives according to any particular religious doctrine.
However, the simple fact is that Juror Number 4 (the African American lady who the state tried to exercise a peremptory strike against), has stated that she has a hard time judging people due to her own religious beliefs. Upon being pressed she stated that she could judge people if she had to and referred to praying about her decision. I don't know if she explicitly stated her religion however, I presume it is save to say that this lady is a christian of some kind.
Like it or lump it this lady will place a lot of sway in the Bible. She doesn't want to judge others due to her religious beliefs, it makes sense that if forced to judge Casey that she will turn to the bible for guidance.
In particular, this is a circumstantial evidence case and there are no witnesses that can say "I saw Casey kill Caylee" or anything similar. Regardless of how one judge's the weight of evidence against Casey, there are simply no witnesses to the death of Caylee Anthony who have testified.
Because of this I think, Deuteronomy 17:6 is a scripture which if Juror #4 is referred to, could cause her to vote not guilty.
Similar scriptures are:
I was reading through the case law and there is not a blanket ban upon quoting scripture during closing arguments. So I think if the defense were smart and able to properly argue the case law (I appreciate that this is a tall order given that Jose Baez will probably be performing the closings). Further, it could be effective in swaying her.
All in all, I think that Jose Baez could use biblical references to try and sway, in particular, Juror number 4.
If anyone cares, I have quoted the summaries of relevant cases below: