Locals react to stunning verdict in Anthony trial

After a trial in Orlando, Fla. that captured the nation’s attention, the not-guilty verdict Tuesday for Casey Anthony has many around Greater Lynn thinking the 25-year-old single mother got away with murder.”I found it interesting that one jury member said just because she was found not guilty doesn’t mean she is innocent,” said North Shore Community College staff member Cindy Therrien about the jury’s decision concerning the death of 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony. “I feel that she was involved somehow but they didn’t have enough to prove it.”Therrien started following the case when her mother became engulfed by it, like many in the country. She sees a connection between the Anthony trial and another infamous trial.”It reminds me of the O.J. Simpson trial, where a lot of people think the jury got it wrong,” said Therrien.While many were captivated by the sensational case, not everyone was hooked. Therrien’s co-worker, Joe Boyd, did not follow the trial.”I don’t watch television so I didn’t follow it,” he said. “But, from what I can tell, many people are shocked. The mother seemed to be very disinterested that her daughter was missing and (was) going out partying.”Anthony’s peculiar behavior is what had many people believing that she was guilty.”She seemed so smug in the courtroom,” said Jessica Carr on Humphrey Street in Swampscott. “I know that’s how the media portrayed her, but still.””She was out partying when her daughter was missing,” said Ana Flores. “That is not normal.”Anthony waited to report her daughter missing for 30 days and, while young Caylee was missing, Anthony even got a tattoo that reads “beautiful life” in Italian.”Most mothers go into a state of panic when their child is missing for two minutes,” said Therrien. “That was the hard part for me to understand. It seemed like she didn’t care.”While many believe that Anthony was guilty of killing her daughter, many also believe that the prosecution did not do a thorough job. The prosecution said that Anthony killed her daughter by smothering her with duct tape on June 16, 2006 and drove around for days with Caylee’s body in the car trunk before dumping her remains in the woods near the Anthony family home.The defense argued that Caylee’s death resulted from an accidental drowning in the family pool.”I felt that she was guilty, but I knew the jury would come back with a not-guilty verdict,” said Carr. “The prosecution just didn’t prove that she killed her.”Bill Pond also agreed with Carr.”They didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she did it,” said Pond. “That’s how it works. You can’t go by what popular opinion is.”Therrien, who has a law degree, believes that the jury did the right thing given the evidence that was presented to them.”I believe the jury had no choice. They just didn’t have enough proof,” said Therrien.While Anthony was not convicted for murder, she was found guilty of lying to police. Anthony lied about working at the Universal Studios theme park and about leaving her daughter with a nonexistent nanny. Also, she told police that she received a call from Caylee the day she was reported missing, which also proved to be a lie.”She lied right off the bat, which is suspicious,” said Carr.Anthony was sentenced to four years in jail by judge Belvin Perry on Thursday but, since she had already served three years awaiting trial and earned time off for good behavior, she will be released next Wednesday.Some are shocked that Anthony will do seemingly little jail time.”She should do more time,” said Flores. “It is just not fair.”Others argue that this is the way the justice system works.”I mean, she was found not guilty for killing her daughter, so that means she did three years in jail for nothing. I have never met someone who has gone to jail for three years for lying to the police,” said Pond. “She probably should have been let out today.”Many are angered that Anthony was found not guilty, but more are saddened for the victim in all of this, 2-ye