A true headline among the flurry of stories posted on Yahoo after the Casey Anthony verdict: Kim Kardashian weighs in.
Its fairly horrifying that anyone gives a rats ass about Kim Kardashians take on the Anthony case. On the other hand, she couldnt be more clueless than some of the motor mouths who landed TV gigs as legal experts during the trial coverage.
Never have the airwaves and bandwidths of this country been so clogged with gasbags posing as seasoned courtroom veterans or lightweight has-beens seeking to jump-start their careers.
High on Casey-mania, cable networks such as HLN were frantic to fill airtime with talking heads, and by the end of the trial you wondered if they were just yanking random lawyers out of the hallways and shoving them in front of the camera.
The prevailing tenor of the coverage, embodied by Nancy Grace and others, was that Anthony was guilty as sin of killing her daughter, Caylee. This wasnt an unreasonable view, considering Anthonys many lies, her busy social life after Caylees disappearance and the circumstantial evidence compiled by prosecutors.
Despite the acquittal, there remains no plausible set of circumstances to explain Caylees death that would not directly and criminally involve her mother.
So what went wrong with the jury? Nothing.
The publics expectations were jacked up by all the TV yakking about this dreadful crime and the train-wreck of a mom accused of committing it. With some sharp exceptions, like Jeffrey Toobin, of CNN, most of the legal experts continued shooting from the lip, feeding the hype.
But heres what smart trial lawyers knew from the beginning: Proving Anthony guilty of first-degree murder would be very difficult.
In the shell-shocked outcry last week after the verdict was announced, many were comparing the surprise outcome to that of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. The truth is, the Simpson prosecutors had much more evidence to work with, a veritable gold mine. They had a cause of death. They had a time of death. They had blood evidence, DNA, gloves and footprints. They had two intact bodies and an actual crime scene.
And still they lost the case. Because it took so long to find Caylees remains, Anthonys prosecutors couldnt tell the jury where, when or how she had died. Duct tape on the skull, chloroform residue in a car trunk thats enough for a theory, but its not a smoking gun.
Then there was the question of motive. For any experienced homicide detective, the Simpson crime scene had jealous ex-husband written all over it.
But in the Anthony trial, jurors were asked to believe that this woman murdered her daughter simply so she could go out partying with her peeps. Sicker things have happened, but its a tough sell without credible witnesses who heard Casey say she wanted her daughter dead.
Given what they had to work with, prosecutors did a solid job. Obviously so did Jose Baez, the much-maligned lead defense lawyer for Anthony. Its funny to see the so-called experts back-pedaling in their estimation of both sides now that the case is over.
Shortly before the verdict came down, one row of TV legal eagles sat there predicting that the prosecution would be helped by the fact that most of the jurors were women, and women would be tougher on Anthony because of the nature of the crime.
So much for that bit of wisdom. Watching a trial on television isnt the same as watching it from the jury box, where theres no background commentary or dramatic theme music during the breaks.
However, smart lawyers and judges will tell you that a different jury could have just as easily convicted Anthony, just as a different jury could have convicted Simpson. Thats how it goes.
What happens next is more predictable: Casey Anthony enters the low realm of celebrity.
Shell get a ghostwriter and do a best-selling book, and possibly have her own reality show. On the advice of her attorneys, she will either find Jesus or volunteer to work with abused kids. She will be strongly counseled not to start dating Alex Rodriguez or Charlie Sheen.
And at some point, shell sit down with Diane Sawyer or Oprah Winfrey, and well get to hear a brand-new version of poor Caylees death.
Millions and millions of people will watch the interview, after which a group of big-haired experts will tell us what it all means. Dont be shocked to see a Kardashian on the panel.
Carl Hiaasen is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Write to him at chiaasen@miamiherald.com.











