Casey Anthony Verdict Angers Florida Crowds! No Justice For Caylee!

Casey Anthony verdict shocks spectators at courthouse

A crowd of hundreds that gathered outside the Orange County Courthouse erupted in shock this afternoon after a jury determined that Casey Anthony was not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

Many of the spectators said they had followed the case since Caylee Marie Anthony went missing in the summer of 2008. The throngs waiting outside the courthouse door, many with cameras and video cameras, had expected a guilty verdict on at least one of the major charges.



"Did they say 'not guilty?'" asked Angela Wright, of Elkhart, Ind., who has been visiting Central Florida with friends on a trip to Disney. "I can't believe it. I'm shocked. Oh my God, I can't believe it."

Some were indignant, certain that the jury had made the wrong decision.

Janine Gonzalez who lives a couple of miles from the Anthony home in east Orange County, was appalled.

"Where's justice for Caylee?" she asked. "Do you mean to tell me that in Florida you can kill your child, toss her on the side of the road and go free? She [Casey Anthony] better move and move to a faraway place."

Others said they were surprised by the jury's decision, but understood it because the prosecution did not present a strong case.

"She is guilty as hell, however, had I been in that jury, I probably would've gone the same way they went," said Lauren Reynolds, of Sanford, who had been camped out in front of the courthouse all morning, waiting either to hear the verdict or get tickets for Wednesday.

"You can't just lock someone up for a long time based solely on circumstantial evidence," she said.

Joe Adamson, an Orlando business owner, praised the decision.

"I think it is really great that we have science, but we also have common sense," Adamson said. "These guys [jurors] didn't buy into science fiction."

The jury deliberated for less than 11 hours over two days before deciding that the prosecutors did not prove Casey Anthony guilty of murder, child abuse or manslaughter. They convicted her on four charges of providing false information to law enforcement.

Meanwhile, outside the main door of the courthouse, a large crowd remained more than an hour after the verdict announcement. Deputies worked to keep the general public away from the front door.

Before and after the verdict, large groups in the crowd chanted: "We want Casey. We want justice!"


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Sources: CNN, Orlando Sentinel, Google Maps