Having read Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton (Prosecutor), I was certain that Casey Anthony was indeed guilty of murdering her daughter. HOWEVER, after reading Jose Baez (Defense)'s Presumed Guilty, my certainty has definitely wavered. Based upon this title, the case was at best circumstantial, with little-to-no evidence to tie anyone to this horrible tragedy.

The book started out slowly, but I persevered and found the the account to be strong enough to provide reasonable doubt. There are still a lot of questions that may never be answered. Only the Anthony family knows what truly happened on that sad day.

Rest in peace, Caylee. ( )

I also read the prosecutor's (one of them, anyway: Jeff Ashton) book on the case, Imperfect Justice, because I have no life; and I read it first, because it came out first. And by the way, I get all my books from the library (with the exception of hand-me-downs and/or gifts from friends), so neither prosecutor Jeff Ashton nor defense attorney Jose Baez made any money off my poor reading habits. Anyway, my thought on Ashton's book, according to what I wrote at the time, was "surprisingly good." I feel the same about Baez's book.

However, I liked Presumed Guilty a lot more than Imperfect Justice, and not for any bias I have regarding the defendant, the case, or the players. Simply by the nature of his position, Baez is better able to weave an interesting story, whether or not it is true. And I don't have an opinion as to whether or not his book is honest. He can say whatever he wants about his personal experiences and feelings, Ashton can say whatever he wants about the same, and there's no way to know what really happened. The facts of the case remain the same, and I'm certainly not checking public records myself to verify any of those. I may read sensational drivel but I don't care THAT much.

But anyway, yes, Baez's inside scoop on Casey Anthony and the media and the crazy way the case was handled is all interesting and readable. One biased comment I will make is I can completely believe the misconduct and duplicity of law enforcement. That doesn't surprise me one bit and I have no doubt that a person can be crucified with little evidence. The cops do what they want.

At the end of the book, Baez states that the defense team's victory champagne toast in the restaurant across the street from the courthouse was to the United States Constitution. I hope that's true. Because whatever did or didn't happen, Casey Anthony was found not guilty by a jury of her peers, and that is the legal system we choose to live in. Reasonable doubt seems to me to be pretty easy to prove. I have nothing but respect for the jurors, and I don't know why the public is so angry at some chick whose kid died. She didn't kill YOUR kid. Move on. ( )

An excellent account of the defense case and the logic behind how a "not guilty" verdict could be reached by the jury. The role and bias of the media is also well covered and explains in part why many including myself thought Casey Anthony was responsible for her daughter's death. I am not convinced having now read this well written and convincing account. ( )

Peter Jenkins, Rebekah Jenkins