Casey Anthony Cleared From Murder Charges of Her 2-year-old Daughter Caylee

Casey Anthony

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 6) – Casey AnthonyCasey Anthony, the 25-year-old young mother whose apparent mercilessness at the disappearance of her daughter gripped America for three years, was found not guilty Tuesday (July 5) of killing the her daughter, the 2-year-old Caylee.

After a month and a half trial, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse.

A jury of twelve, including seven women and five men, rejected the prosecution's argument that Anthony had murdered Caylee by dosing her with chloroform, suffocating her with duct tape and dumping her body in a wooded area.

The jury did, however, find her guilty of lesser charges, of providing false information to law enforcement officers.

Casey Anthony could have gotten the death penalty if convicted of murder.

Prosecutors contended that Anthony — a single mother living with her parents — suffocated Caylee with duct tape because she wanted to party and spend time with her boyfriend.

Defense attorneys argued that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool, and that Anthony panicked and hid the body because of the traumatic effects of being sexually abused by her father.