The verdict

now? They’re hoping that you’ll buy the chloroform. They’re hoping ? You’re not supposed to ‘ hope ’ ! You’re supposed to prove cases beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt ! ( Baez, 2011 : defence closing statement).

As we have seen, during closing statements the prosecution had acknowledged and developed more than one version of what happened to Caylee. Later, use of the word ‘hope’ in connection with how Caylee may have died underlined the same uncertainty about what happened to Caylee and why.

The verdict

On 5 July 2011, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of fi rst- degree murder, not guilty of aggravated manslaughter and not guilty of aggravated child abuse of her two- year- old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony. She was, however, found guilty on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement, although two of those counts were overturned in 2013. Casey was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and fi ned $1,000 for each count. She was released on 17 July 2011 for time served and good behaviour (Morgenstein, 2013).

A number of talk shows covered the case each evening, but in particular American television host, journalist and former prosecutor Nancy Grace followed and scrutinised the case from Caylee’s reported disappearance through to the prosecution, trial and acquittal of Casey. Details about the case were aired every evening on the Nancy Grace Show and her belief in the defendant’s guilt was apparent throughout the coverage. The talk shows capitalised on the ‘novel- like’ intrigue ( Shaw, 2011) that the case presented and, because Florida law allows cameras in the courtroom, the trial of Casey Anthony has been compared to that of a reality show. Trial by media refers to the infl uence of media outlets on public perceptions of a court case, even before the trial has begun (Hantler et al, 2004). Indeed, because of the extensive commentary about the case on Twitter and Facebook, Time magazine described Anthony’s trial as ‘The Social Media Trial of the Century’ ( Cloud, 2011 ). Two iPhone apps were even developed that enabled users to receive constant updates about the trial. However, to say that it was ‘The Social Media Trial of the Century’ strictly meant ‘of the century so far’, because there will doubtless be even higher profi le cases during the coming decades. Nevertheless, the trial publicity in Anthony’s case doubtlessly shaped public perceptions of her guilt and according to Moran (2019), social media did have some infl uence on the construction of Casey Anthony’s guilt. Moran argued that in the age of social media, the defendant’s right to a fair trial stands in direct confl ict with the media’s right to free speech. Importantly, unlike traditional media, social media outlets