MANATEE - “It’s amazing how effective the confusion defense can be.”
Those were the words of Manatee County defense attorney Chris Pratt who, along with others following the Casey Anthony trial in Manatee County, were amazed that a jury found Anthony not guilty of everything but lying to law enforcement today.
Pratt, who has been practicing law in the county since 1982, was working a case in juvenile jail when the verdict came this afternoon.
“The defense threw everything they could at the prosecution in hope that something would stick to the wall,” Pratt said. “The defense attorney, Mr. Baez, was very Detective Columbo-esque. He came across as a bumbling idiot, but the results speak for themselves.”
Pratt believes that when Anthony is sentenced on Thursday she will get credit for the three years she has served in jail and will be out free that day.
She can credit her defense team, Pratt said.
“No doubt of that,” Pratt said. “It was a miracle verdict.
“It was clearly a homicide.”
Peter Lombardo, an attorney practicing in Manatee County for the past 23 years, said he was stunned by the verdict.
“I couldn’t believe they didn’t find her guilty of at least manslaughter,” said Lombardo, a Republican candidate for state attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit. “It was clearly a homicide. I am not sure it was premeditated or did not appear to be, but what is clear is that Caylee died from child abuse and no one could have done that besides her mother.”
http://www.bradenton.com/2011/07/05/3324765/manatee-attorneys-react-to-casey.html#ixzz1RGcJ6dAL
It’s called the wookie defense.