The Case of Casey Anthony
The murder that got away. Few in America feel that Casey Anthony is innocent. What mother neglects to tell the police that their 2 yr.old is missing after 30 days have passed? None. Most report it a day afterwards. Even though the jury (certainly, not the brightest) did acquit her of murdering her girl and stuffing her body in a garbage bad hundreds of yards from her home, she is free. Her freedom may end up her living hell. She should fear for her life, many kooks are out there with guns. She is so famous after having her face in the media for years, I doubt if she will ever be able to work. Who would hire her? Of course, she will make a million dollars for her book (which, she has already been offered), and I am sure there is a movie out there soon.
But Casey is not the only celebrity, her attorney, Jose Baez, is also. He defeated a powerful Florida State DA. His story is more uplifting, akin to a "Rocky" film. Before this case, that he took pro bono (free), he was just another average attorney looking for clients to defend and making a decent living. He was no one special. In fact, Jose knows what it is like to be nothing in life. He came form Puerto Rico, was a high school dropout, then, urged to get a GED, which then allowed him to enter the US Navy doing grunt work. Once he got out, he tried several business ventures, all failed and put debt on him (including a bikinis). He got into Florida State University and finally was admitted into the St. Thomas School of Law. He would graduate in 1997. This was a shock to him. So much so, he has kept the acceptance letter to this day. Now the long road to a professional life began and it took him eight years to finally become admitted to the Florida Bar ( law school is 3-4 years,so it took him another four years to pass the Bar. This test costs around $500 and given twice a year). Once an attorney, he struggled for clients. In 2008, when Casey was in jail at the start of this event, he accepted her case for free, since she was poor. He did make money once Casey earned $200,000 for licensing photos and videos.
Baez was not always squeaky clean either. One of the reasons why it took so long for him to become a licensed attorney is because of a list of complaints about his personal and financial conduct. His divorce was bad and involved kids. He refused to pay child support (this was in the late 90s) and he wrote bad checks that bounced. Once he had passed the Bar exam, his license was not given but held until these moral issues were resolved. This was in 2000 and the Bar would not give him his license until 2005. He has been clean since.
Baez is now a star in the legal profession.He defeated a former classmate, who was prosecuting Casey. Baez created enough uncertainty in the minds of the jury, who were themselves unclear about the law instructions given, to acquit her. But the prosecution also shot themselves in the foot by poking fun and snickering at Baez in front of the jury during his presentation. Baez did have a "bumbling" manner in court, many of his motions and objections were denied and overruled, making him seem like, "a fool" or a man who wants to represent himself in court but is not a trained attorney.
The prosecution was over confident of a win. They were cocky. It was a slam dunk. That thinking was their own worst enemy.
