Not Guilty!

The conclusion to Casey Anthony's murder trial featured the high emotion and drama the millions watching came to expect throughout the six-week trial.

After deliberating for 10 hours and 40 minutes over three days, the jury of five men and seven women returned with a not guilty verdict on first-degree murder charges at 1:15 central time Tuesday afternoon. They also rendered a not guilty verdict on aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. Anthony cried as she hugged her lawyer, Jose Baez, and the rest of her legal team after the verdicts were read.

Anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to law enforcement investigators, charges the defense all but conceded during the trial. Sentencing by Judge Belvin Perry will be Thursday morning.

Baez told media members after leaving the courtroom, "While I'm happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case."

The outrage throughout the nation started as soon as the not guilty verdict was broadcast. This trial has been dubbed "the first social media trial" because everyone who has an opinion has shared it on Twitter and Facebook. While millions have discussed it through these platforms, the discussions and media coverage created a strong public opinion of guilty.

The circumstantial evidence against Anthony was damning, but it didn't explain how her daughter, Caylee, died. The lack of evidence in this area is the reason Anthony was acquitted. The cause of death was never proven.

The prosecution claimed Anthony used chloroform on her child, then put duct tape over her mouth and nose to kill her. She then hid the body in her trunk before she dumped the body less than a mile from the family's home in a wooded, swamp area. While this theory could be true, there wasn't proper evidence to determine this beyond a reasonable doubt.

This theory, presented by lead prosecutor Jeff Ashton, wasn't proven anymore than Baez's theory of an accidental drowning. This is why the jurors took less than 11 hours to decide on not guilty.

The prosecution claimed chloroform and duct tape were the two culprits in the death. The expert Ashton called was Arpad Vass, an anthropologist, who said levels of chloroform were "shockingly high" in the air samples taken from the trunk of Anthony's car. Vass used a machine he invented and is trying to patent and sell to law enforcement across the world. Baez poked holes in this by calling his own FBI witnesses that countered the levels of chloroform and he pointed out how Vass would gain financially if his "sniffer machine" was patented.

Prosecution claimed duct tape as the murder weapon, based on its theory and how duct tape was found on the mandible bone of the remains. However, Roy Kronk, the meter reader who found the remains, admitted to moving the skull and picking up the bag of bones. That makes it hard to believe the duct tape couldn't have moved. There was also no DNA on the duct tape.

This trial's notoriety rivaled that of the OJ Simpson trial. Millions watched and many believed Anthony was guilty based on the circumstantial evidence. However, in our great justice system, everyone gets their day in court. Crimes and charges have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

There was too much doubt in this case, too many questions still left unanswered. Casey Anthony was judged by a jury of her peers and was found not guilty. Whether you believe she did it or not, the justice system worked in this trial.