Did they get justice or did they get away with it? We cannot hope to resolve these questions here, but we can take a few moments to remember some head-scratching (or worse) cases. We can also offer a little insight that may make these events clearer, at least from a criminal law point of view.
Casey Anthony
In June 2011, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony went missing. Her mother did not report the disappearance until the next month, and the circumstantial evidence against Casey Anthony piled up from there. This evidence even included traces of unidentified human remains in her trunk. Single mom Casey did not help her cause by repeatedly changing her story. Nevertheless, a jury acquitted her.
In this case, the prosecutor’s theory may have been a bit outlandish. Attorneys claimed that the mom wanted to kill her daughter so she could lead a happy-go-lucky, party-girl lifestyle. That idea is pretty wild, especially for a middle-class community like Orlando.
R Kelly
When will people learn to think before they use their cell phone cameras? At the zenith of R Kelly’s R&B career, a sex tape surfaced of him with an allegedly underage girl. Investigators found some other similar photographs at his home. Nevertheless, a jury acquitted him some six years later, citing a lack of evidence.
For reasons which are still unclear, the alleged victim refused to testify. Prosecutors can still piece together cases without the victim’s testimony. But that’s difficult to do in violent crime cases, especially if the victim’s age or other status is an issue.
Lorena Bobbitt
The following section is rated PG-13.
During an argument with her husband, desperate housewife Lorena Bobbitt cut off her husband’s penis and threw it out the car window. She pleaded insanity and was acquitted at trial. Things worked out okay for John Wayne Bobbitt as well. Doctors surgically reattached his organ and he subsequently appeared in several adult films.
Lorena used a variation of the battered women’s syndrome defense. If the defendant is very sympathetic, defenses like this one often work, even if they are built on shaky science.
Michael Jackson
In 2004, the singer went on trial for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy and some other similar acts. After about a year and a half of testimony, the jury acquitted him of all fourteen charges.
Possibly due to overwork or intense pressure to convict the singer, prosecutors may not have done their homework in this case. The boy’s mother had some serious credibility issues. Moreover, the boys which prosecutors claimed that Jackson had previously molested all denied these things ever happened. Those same pressures also affect prosecutions here in Texas. An attorney just has to exploit these weaknesses.
At Herreth Law, we give regular people the celebrity treatment. For a free consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney in Weatherford, contact us. Home and jail visits are available.
