Casey Anthony - Did she or didn't she?

I didn't plan on writing about the Casey Anthony trial. I've avoided the topic since the beginning when the murder case first started to build around her. I didn't want to be another journalist adding to the media frenzy revolving around an extremely dysfunctional family and the death of an innocent child.

That stance changed, however, when I read yesterday of some people equating the not guilty verdict to the O.J. Simpson trial. The ink was barely dry on court papers when Tweets and updates on Facebook were making that connection.

In talking with my daughter about it last evening, I told her that I disagreed with the verdict, and she pointed out that we cannot convict someone of murder just because they are a bad parent. We also can't convict parents because we don't approve of how they behaved after the fact.

I still believe Casey killed her daughter. Maybe it was in a fit of frustration, but I didn't buy the whole accident story. However, the facts in the case support both the prosecution's theory and the defense theory as there is no conclusive evidence of where or how Caylee died.

The jury had to look at all the facts, and if there was even a shred of doubt as to Casey's guilt, they had no choice but to acquit. They couldn't say "guilty" because Casey told more stories that Aesop during the investigation. They couldn't say "guilty" because she started partying right after the baby went missing. They couldn't say "guilty" because Casey and her father disposed of the body after the so-called accident. And they couldn't say "guilty" because Casey looked guilty.

Casey still faces charges of lying to police and obstructing an investigation, but analysts think she will be freed tomorrow because of time served since 2008 when she was first jailed on the murder charge.

I wish it would all end there, but it won't. Now Casey is free to capitalize on the whole sordid mess, and I am sure that publishers are already courting her for the rights to her story.

So sad. A little girl dies and instead of grieving, her mother will make millions and continue the party life she started right after Caylee disappeared.

On a lighter note, I am over at The Blood Red Pencil sharing some stories about how gullible I have been in my writing career. Hop over if you have a minute.

Friday's Odds and Ends

A five-year-old boy shot a four-year-old boy at a playground in Hillcrest Heights, Md., about 10 miles southeast of Washington, D.C.. Police wondert how a five-year-old had access to a gun.

Good question. Do you suppose it could be the fault of some irresponsible parent?

The judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial called a recess Friday just as prosecutors prepared to rebut testimony by Anthony's mother who claimed she -- not her daughter -- made suspicious Internet searches in the months before her 2-year-old granddaughter disappeared.


I understand a mother's urge to protect her daughter, but is this really believable? This whole story since the case first broke has read like a poorly plotted novel.


The NBA is in lockout, with the teams and the players unable to compromise on terms of new contracts. Owners want to reduce the players' guarantee of 57 percent of basketball revenue and weren't moved by the players' offer to drop it to 54.3 percent -- though players said that would have cut their salaries by $500 million over five years.


This seems to be a trend in professional sports, and I wonder when it became all about the money and not about the games. And, of course, as salaries and other expenses rise, so do ticket prices. So who pays in the end? The sports' fans.
 
Four months after Trent Schmidt was killed in a car accident, thieves broke into the Triumph Church in Greenwood, IN and stole musical instruments - including the bass guitar that Trent played. Trent was an associate pastor with his father, Stephen,  and his parents were devastated when the guitar was stolen. They made a public plea to the thieves to return the guitar, and apparently that worked. This past Wednesday morning Stephen and his wife were driving in the alley behind the church, and saw something that made them stop. The five-string bass guitar that Trent played at services at the church before joining the Army was left on the ground next to the air conditioner.