A Florida judge sentenced Casey Anthony to four years in prison for lying to law enforcement officials. On Tuesday, a jury found Anthony, 25, not guilty of killing her daughter in 2008, but guilty on four counts of lying to the authorities. However, Anthony, who has been in prison since 2008, the AP reports that "with credit for time served and good behavior she is likely to be released in late July or early August."
The Anthony murder trial has riveted a nation of armchair lawyers as well as those outraged by the death of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony. The child had been missing for a month before her grandmother, Cindy Anthony, reported her missing. When Casey Anthony spoke to authorities, she claimed the nanny had taken the toddler, and made up a story that was ultimately found to be false. Little Caylee's bones were found in a wooded area six months later (police ignored tips about suspicious items there for months). A forensic investigation into Casey Anthony's car trunk showed a decomposing body had been there.
The prosecution's case was circumstantial, and the defense claimed that the toddler accidentally drowned in the pool and Casey Anthony's father covered up the death. Jennifer Ford, a juror, told ABC News, "I did not say she was innocent. I just said there was not enough evidence. If you cannot prove what the crime was, you cannot determine what the punishment should be." She added, "We were sick to our stomach to get that verdict. We were crying, and not just the women. It was emotional and we weren't ready. We wanted to do it with integrity and not contribute to the sensationalism of the trial," but explained it was easier to accept the defense's explanation of how Caylee's body could have gotten in the trunk than the prosecution's theory that Casey Anthony used chloroform (Anthony searched for "chloroform" on her computer) to drug then kill the child.
Ford's mother said that her family received a trip to Disney World from ABC News in exchange for the interview. Another juror is reportedly looking for $50,000 to speak to the networks.
