Casey Anthony’s a witch; burn her at the stake.

Casey Anthony is a horrendous witch who deserves to be burned at the stake in front of all of America!

That seems to be the general consensus at least. Just like the Salem witch trials of old, it seems we are ready to throw the right to a fair trial by a jury of our peers out the window.  It would appear most Americans think our judicial system is a reality TV show that exists for their entertainment. People gather at coffee shops and tweet non-stop with their theories and thoughts on cases like these.  And when it all ends people seem furious they weren’t able to vote on the outcome the way they do for American Idol.

Did Casey Anthony kill that little girl? I don’t know I wasn’t there when it happened.  I also wasn’t in the courtroom listening to the entire breakdown of the evidence.  It would be physically impossible for me to know if this woman was guilty or innocent. It is impossible for anyone other than Casey and the dead child to know.  So everyone raging on Facebook and in the news is operating on nothing but guesses.  Do you know how much interest I have in other people’s guesses about things other than sports odds?  About the same level of interest I have in stamp collecting.

Maybe she was guilty, but that’s how our system operates.  Stop your condemnation for a second and think about how you would feel if you were on trial for a serious offense.  Would you want a fair trial where the prosecution had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt you were guilty?  If she was guilty, then we should hire better prosecuting attorneys, not publicly clamor for blood.  Besides, do people really think 12 jurors independently decided: “To hell with it.  She seems guilty, but I love baby murderers, so let’s turn her loose!”  I doubt it.  I’d wager they had solid reasons for their verdict.

I would think that even though she was declared innocent, Casey probably didn’t get a fair trial.  The public outrage and media frenzy most likely swayed the jury, and this is a problem.  I think it’s absurd this case was so prominently featured in headlines and social media. (However, I don’t blame the media for this.  It’s consumers fault.  For more on this click here.)  When we sensationalize court proceedings we compromise justice, and doing so in the name of entertainment is deplorable.

For those of you who believe in god and think she’s guilty: Casey will get what’s coming to her.  For those who don’t and think she is guilty, consider that this woman is unlikely to ever get hired, go on date, make friends or live a normal life.  She is, however, likely to be treated like human garbage everywhere she goes.  If she’s guilty this is some consolation.  If she is innocent this is a tragedy.

The bottom line is the trial is over, and what’s done is done.  The thought of a murderer going unpunished makes me sick to my stomach, but the thought of an innocent person being convicted unjustly disgusts me on a whole other level.