Does missing man in Casey's life hold justice for Caylee?

Snip from County Court website banner; state of Florida.I wish I could say the verdict in the trial of Casey Anthony surprised me. I anticipated the jury’s decision—I’m not an attorney, but I had misgivings about the charges.

I thought the state might have a hard time proving murder charges or aggravated child abuse or manslaughter. Of course, that all depends on a members of  the jury who determine what, in their minds, constitutes reasonable doubt. The burden is on the prosecutor.

The trial was a media circus; a fight even broke out among wannabe spectators in June.

There may be an avenue for justice for Caylee, however, and no one has considered it yet.

I won’t second guess the jury’s decision because I didn’t watch the whole trial. There were few absolute truths simply because Casey Anthony is a documented liar. Her lies were the only criteria acceptable to the jury for conviction.

The known facts are Casey was the last known person to see her child alive. Casey told lies to authorities and she was convicted on four counts of lying to law enforcement. Casey’s child Caylee was found enclosed in a garbage bag in a wooded area near the Anthony family home.

Other knowns came from witnesses. WSPA (South Carolina Piedmont) reported:
"According to testimony, Casey Anthony was not looking frantically for her missing child as she later told police. Instead, she moved out of her parents' home and stayed with her then-boyfriend, Tony Lazzaro. She also got a tattoo saying "Bella Vita" -- Italian for "beautiful life" -- went shopping, witnesses said. She also partied at Orlando nightclubs and participated in a "hot body" contest at one point, according to testimony.

Lazzaro and other friends and acquaintances of Casey Anthony's testified that at no time during that month did she tell anyone her daughter was missing or ask for help, and she did not seem anxious or sad. When asked where Caylee was, she told them the child was with her nanny…She told her parents other stories, including that she and Caylee were in Jacksonville staying with a wealthy suitor..."

There was forensic evidence—a hair from a trunk, items from the Anthony home found at the site where Caylee’s body was dumped, testimony about an odor in the trunk of Casey’s car that smelled like something decomposing. The defense managed to negate the validity of each item.

The jury bought the defense team’s portrayal of the Anthony family as dysfunctional. In an opening statement the defense attorney alleged Caylee drowned, that Casey had been abused by her father, that Casey’s father even had something to do with covering up the drowning. The defense had to prove nothing; the goal was to introduce doubt.

The jury appeared unconcerned about the fact that a parent or grandparent will naturally try to revive a child who may have drowned. Why not call 911 if there’s an accident? Casey was not reported missing for a month.

A relatively high profile case of aggravated child abuse occurred as the Anthony trial proceeded. Actor Billy Bob Thornton’s daughter was convicted of aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of a friend’s baby. The difference is that the caregiver in this case did not discard the body. It wasn't even her child, but she called for help although she delayed that call by two hours.

There is a known that has also been overlooked by everyone. Caylee Anthony was deprived of her rights. Those rights are guaranteed by the US Constitution and by the Florida Constitution.

Posturing for media after the trial, Casey’s defense attorney delivered some rhetoric about justice for Casey and Caylee.

Fact is there was no justice for Caylee whose civil rights have received no attention in a case where all circumstances pointed to actions taken by a mother, to a baby’s body discarded like household trash and to a woman who waited for a month to report a toddler missing.

Caylee’s father may not even know he is the father. It is however feasible that if he did know, he would be entitled to bring a civil suit against a mother whose actions regarding her child cannot be explained in a manner most reasonable people would accept.

As a matter of fact, Caylee’s birth father may be the only person in the world who could, at this point, really seek justice for her. Does the father have a potential civil suit?

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/July 6, 2011)