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Analysts: Anthony jury troubled by no cause of death, other factors

July 6, 2011

(CNN) — The lack of a cause of death, a lengthy trial and the possibility that Caylee Anthony’s death was accidental were probably factors in the acquittal of her mother, Casey, on the most serious charges, according to attorneys and analysts.

Defense attorney Bruce Poston said he, like many others, was initially surprised by the verdict, which came Tuesday after less than 11 hours of deliberations by a Florida jury.

But on reflection, he said, he realized jurors were given a circumstantial case. And, Poston said, there was no evidence of premeditation by Casey Anthony.

“She didn’t have to kill the child,” he said. “Her parents would have raised this child.”

Article: CNN

$3 million bail set for suspect in 1957 slaying

(CNN) — A Seattle-area judge has set bail for a former police officer and veteran at $3 million in the cold-case killing of a little girl in Illinois more than five decades ago.

Jack Daniel McCullough, 71, was charged last week in the death of Maria Ridulph, 7, who in 1957 was abducted while playing with a friend near her home in Sycamore, about 50 miles west of Chicago.

At a hearing Monday, McCullough’s attorney told the judge that the defendant, who lives in Washington state, doesn’t acknowledge that he is who the state claims he is, according to CNN affiliate KOMO in Seattle.

Article: CNN

Prosecutor: Cindy Anthony could face perjury charges

(CNN) — One of the prosecutors in the Casey Anthony trial said Wednesday there could be perjury charges against Casey’s mother, Cindy Anthony.

Cindy Anthony testified that she was responsible for Internet searches on the family’s home computer for information about chloroform. But records indicated she was at work at the time.

Prosecutors had alleged that Casey Anthony, 25, killed her daughter, Caylee, in 2008 by rendering her unconscious with chloroform, putting duct tape over her nose and mouth so she would suffocate, or a combination of the two acts.

Article: CNN

Casey Anthony not guilty of murder, other charges in daughter’s death

(CNN) — After less than 11 hours of deliberation, a jury Tuesday found Casey Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder and the other most serious charges against her in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter.

But the jury convicted her on four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement officers.

As the verdict was read, Casey Anthony cried from her seat in the courtroom, breathing deeply as she looked forward. She then hugged her defense attorney Jose Baez and other members of her defense team.

Her father, George Anthony, meanwhile, showed no visible reaction from his seat in the back of the courtroom.

Orange County Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. set sentencing at 9 a.m. Thursday for Casey Anthony. She faces up to a year in jail on each of the charges of lying to police.

Article: CNN

San Francisco thief gets away with $200,000 Picasso piece

(CNN) — San Francisco police are working on a new lead in the search for a man who walked into an art gallery in Union Square and walked out with a $200,000 Picasso piece under his arm.

Around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, the suspect entered the Weinstein Gallery, walked straight to the painting, removed it and walked out, San Francisco police said.

He then entered a cab that appeared to be waiting and drove away.

Police describe the suspect as a 6-foot-tall male between the ages of 30-35. He was wearing a white shirt, a dark jacket, glasses and loafers at the time of the incident.

The owner of Lefty O’Doul’s, a nearby restaurant, told police Wednesday he thinks he captured the suspect on the restaurant’s surveillance camera.

Article: CNN