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Live video of Verdict click here!......Blesssings STN..
A Florida jury has found Casey Anthony not guilty of murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
The jury of seven women and five men in Orlando did find the 25-year-old Anthony guilty of giving false information to a law enforcement in connection with the case. The jurors returned the verdict after more than 10 hours of deliberation.
Update at 3:56 p.m. ET: Jurors told the court that they didn't want to talk to the media at the courthouse, the AP reports.
Update at 3:39 p.m. ET: In addition to being acquitted of first-degree murder, Anthony was also found not guilty of manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.
She faces up to four years in jail when sentenced Thursday on four counts of providing false information. She has already spent three years behind bars, so she could be freed that day if the judge sentences her to less than the maximum and credits her for time served, the
Sentinel notes.
Update at 3:35 p.m. ET: The
Orlando Sentinel has
video reaction to the verdict.
Update at 3:28 p.m. ET: Anthony wept after the clerk read the verdict, the AP says. She hugged attorney Jose Baez and later mouthed the words "thank you" to him.
By Douglas Stanglin
USA TODAY
Update at 2:50 p.m. ET: A second Anthony lawyer, Cheney Mason, said he was "disgusted" by hearing legal pundits and lawyers engaging in "media assassination" on television by discussing the case without knowing anything it. He says he hopes they have "learned the lesson."
Casey Anthony waits in the courtroom for the jury to return with the verdict in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando.
Update at 2:47 p.m. ET: "While we are happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case," says Anthony's defense attorney, Jose Baez. "Caylee has passed on far, far too soon. And my driving force for the last three years has always been to make sure there has been justice for Caylee and Casey. Because Casey did not murder Caylee. It's that simple. And today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction."
Update at 2:32 p.m. ET: She hugged her attorney afterward, and a prosecutor shook his head in disbelief. She could have received a death sentence if she had been convicted of first-degree murder.
Update at 2:26 p.m. ET: As each acquittal verdict was read, Anthony started to break into a sob, but held back. She occasionally took deep breaths as the rest of the verdict was read.
Update at 2:23 p.m. ET: The judge said Anthony will be sentenced on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET on the conviction of giving false information to law enforcement officers.
Update at 2:22 p.m. ET: Anthony quaked as the verdict was returned and wiped tears from her eyes.
Original post: Jurors in Orlando have reached a verdict in the murder trial of Casey Anthony, the Associated Press reports.
The verdict will be read at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Anthony, 25, is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in June 2008 by covering her mouth in duct tape. Caylee's body was found six months later in woods near the Anthony home.
Lead defense attorney Jose Baez told the jury that Caylee accidentally drowned and that Casey's father, George, helped Casey cover up the death to make it look like a homicide.
Casey Anthony never testified, and George Anthony denied any involvement in Caylee's death or the disposal of her body.
The prosecution team said Casey Anthony dumped Caylee's body in the woods and resumed her life of partying and shopping. She could receive the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.
Live video of Verdict click here!......Blesssings STN