^In some states, people in positions of authority are legally bound to report suspected abuse within 48 hours or face penalties.
All I gotta say is:
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The judge in the Casey Anthony case refused today to release the names of the jurors who acquitted the Florida mom of killing her daughter for fear that people upset with the controversial verdict might harm them.
During the trial, Judge Belvin Perry sealed the juror's names from public view and today he kept them sealed despite requests from four Florida media organizations and the Associated Press to make them public.
"I feel for individuals who simply wanted to do their civic duty," the judge said. "Our landscape in this country has changed. People have no reservation…about walking up to an individual, pulling a gun or knife….and because they disagree with them, hurt them or kill them."
An Alva, Okla., jury deliberated two hours in September 2007 before convicting Katherine Rutan in the murder of her 6-year-old son, Logan Tucker. Prosecutors said Rutan killed her son on June 23, 2002, so she could be with her boyfriend. Key evidence included a boyfriend who testified that she told him she wished she could kill her children and get away with it. Rulan's other son, Justin, told the jury that his mother took his brother into the woods and returned without him. She was sentenced to life in prison.
The brother saw the mother take his brother into the woods and return without him. The boyfriend testified she wanted to kill her children. There wasn't that in the Anthony case.
I'm convinced that if Caylee had been found a heck of a lot sooner, in enough time that her tissues could've been analyzed, we could have found out if chloroform was in her system. If there had been conclusive evidence of that, I believe Casey would have been convicted.
I was talking to a friend about this who is an attorney and he was wondering if convictions without a body have now become impossible? This website has a list of several people convicted of 1st, 2nd degree murder and manslaughter all of which had no body and thus no physical evidence. And most relied on hearsay to make their cases.
The prosecution in the Casey case had better than most of the evidence that resulted in a conviction in these murders. The one below was especially telling.
An Alva, Okla., jury deliberated two hours in September 2007 before convicting Katherine Rutan in the murder of her 6-year-old son, Logan Tucker. Prosecutors said Rutan killed her son on June 23, 2002, so she could be with her boyfriend. Key evidence included a boyfriend who testified that she told him she wished she could kill her children and get away with it. Rulan's other son, Justin, told the jury that his mother took his brother into the woods and returned without him. She was sentenced to life in prison.
I was talking to a friend about this who is an attorney and he was wondering if convictions without a body have now become impossible?
Apples and oranges, Tom. You can't compare this case with the Anthony case because you think they got it "right".
This is getting a little out of hand right now.
Let's recap so Tom can comprehend:
No body + plenty of motive + other evidence = conviction
Apples and oranges, Tom. You can't compare this case with the Anthony case because you think they got it "right".
This is getting a little out of hand right now.
My intent [without trying to second guess the Anthony case nor the juries decision] was to discuss trials that have very circumstantial evidence and relate it back to the Anthony decision.
The point is that murder trials in past have reulsted in convictions with substantially less evidence and in the case cited where only hearsay evidence existed.
It's just for me an interesting evolution in the way people evaluate evidence.
Is it possible that crime shows like CSI that use a ton of fictional forensic evidence has tainted modern juries?
And that BTW is a question not a statement on my part.
Let's recap so Tom can comprehend:
No body + plenty of motive + other evidence = conviction
Many, many people felt the Casey's odd behavior = motive and other evidence -just not apparently this jury.
Every case is different. Trying to compare the results of one case to another is a pointless exercise because the circumstances are always different.
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