Caylee Anthony case

I had been noticing how much coverage CNN has been giving this case (detailed daily updates) that seemed all out of proportion to how important the case is. Then this article appeared in Time and helped me to see why they would keep the case in the foreground - namely, because the public is fascinated.  And why would that be?  The dead girl is so cute, the crime so gruesome, and her mother is such a steadfast and creative liar.

This article enumerates something else about the appeal - it appears as if the young pretty mother, Casey, killed her daughter just because she couldn't be bothered to parent her, and that has tapped into a deep vein of outrage amongst the Nancy Grace crowd.  It violates "social norms" about parenting and maternal instrict.  Comments that follow news article border on glee at the prospect of Casey getting what she deserves.

ADDENDUM

Casey Anthony was found not guilty today.  A lot of people, maybe even her attorneys, were surprised, but the evidence was circumstantial, and the standard is "reasonable doubt."  I'm not sure if this is a triumph of the justice system or a sad miscarriage of justice, though I lean toward the former, for a couple of reasons.  One of the jury members interviewed on TV said that the prosecution did not prove their case, and that's really the bottom line.  And it's a relief to know that the court of public opinion had no influence on the outcome, because it shouldn't. There was a lot of outrag over the outcome - someone in this article asked "Who will pay for Caylee's death?"  But that is not the question that a trial answers!

As an aside, I read a very provocative article in Rolling Stone over the weekend about Amanda Knox that strongly suggests that she's innocent, which I don't believe is the perception of the general public, nor is it implied in the recent TV movie.  It also suggests that the Italian justice system is often very harsh in the initial trial because the appeal is where the final verdict is really determined, so Amanda has some hope for a different outcome in the next round.

ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENTS 7/7/11

I heard a jury member in a TV interview say that the jury did not think Casey was innocent, and that some were very upset with the verdict, but they felt that the prosecution did not make the case.  There's speculation now that the prosecution should have indicted her on lesser charges. 

I also heard her lawyer saying that they fear for her safety, once she leaves jail, which I had been thinking myself - her life is probably ruined - it seems unlikely she could possibly live a "normal" life once she rejoins society.