Is circumstantial evidence dead? Apparently so, if the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial is any indication. An Orlando, Fla., jury found Anthony not guilty of either first-degree murder, manslaughter or child abuse in the death of her daughter, Caylee Anthony, three years ago. There were no eyewitnesses or direct evidence that Casey Anthony murdered or caused the death of little Caylee. According to news reports, a coroner ruled Caylee’s death a homicide, but her body was so decomposed that it couldn’t be determined when she died or how the homicide might have been committed.
Virtually all the evidence against Casey Anthony was circumstantial. The most damning, for my money, were the false statements she gave police and that disturbing business about not reporting Caylee’s disappearance for 31 days. If Caylee wasn’t murdered, and not at the hands of Casey Anthony, then why didn’t Casey Anthony report the death, and why the lies?
