After deliberating for less than 11 hours in two days, jurors have reached a verdict in the Casey Anthony Trial , a first-degree murder case that has captured the nation’s attention for the last few months.
Casey Anthony, 25 years old, has been found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. The jury declined to convict her of either first degree murder or manslaughter.
The court clerk stood and officially published the verdicts as follows:
Count 1:First Degree Murder – Not Guilty Count 2:Aggravated Child Abuse – Not Guilty Count 3:Aggravated Man Slaughter – Not Guilty Counts 4-7:Providing False Information to law enforcement on multiple occasions – Guilty
Their decision, which was read aloud at 2:15pm EST, was arguably the most anticipated verdict in the nation, with crowds of hundreds gathered outside of the Orange County Courthouse eagerly awaiting its announcement.
The sequestered jury of seven women and five men, chosen from the Tampa Bay area because of exhaustive pre-trial media coverage in the Orlando area, listened to 33 days of testimony and another two days of closing arguments before reaching their decision.
As the verdicts of “Not Guilty” were being read, Casey Anthony broke down in tears while the prosecution silently stood in what appeared to be stunned disbelief.
Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday July 7 at 9:00am EST.