Tuesday opening arguments are scheduled to begin in the trial of Casey Anthony who is accused of killing her 2 year old daughter Caylee Anthony. There is one problem. The jury is supposed to consist of 12 jurors and 8 alternates but as of Saturday, only 8 jurors had been selected. The problem is that finding jurors who have not heard of the case is difficult. Why is this case in particular so well-known?
There are many reasons why. Firstly, when news that a 2 year old Florida toddler was missing and that she had been missing for a month without her mother reporting her disappearance, it made this case so much more disturbing.
Missing Persons of America is a popular blog that covers stories of missing children and adults all over the country. Children go missing every day and many are never found. The circumstances surrounding a child’s disappearance can vary from a stranger abduction to a custody dispute but in most cases, the parent reports the child missing.
Casey Anthony disturbingly went on with her life after Caylee disappeared, partying and spending stolen money. It was Casey’s mother who reported her granddaughter missing and this was only after she was able to track down her daughter and demand to know where Caylee was.
Because of the circumstances surrounding this case i.e. photos of Casey in compromising positions in clubs, the obvious family dysfunction in the Anthony home (reports of Cyndi Anthony being overbearing towards Casey) and Casey’s lies and refusals to cooperate with police, people were outraged.
The Caylee Marie Anthony disappearance got the attention of the public because it angered so many people. Cable shows like Nancy Grace ran with the story and exploited it for months. It was easy to do because Casey’s jailhouse conversations with her parents and brother gave interviewers like Nancy Grace much more to dissect.
This case is the biggest murder trial in Central Florida’s history but it doesn’t end there. I think it would be hard to find anyone who hasn’t formed an opinion about this case even if they do not remember the names of the players, they have seen the pictures of little Caylee Anthony.
Jury selection resumes tomorrow and hopefully, the jurors will be chosen in time to begin opening statements on Tuesday. Speculation was that it would be hard to find people to serve in this death penalty phase trial and so far, that seems to be the case.
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