Why is casey anthony so popular

The broadcasts were extraordinarily popular because they were a potent blend of soap opera, reality television and Law and Order. And, most of all, they offered hours upon hours of guiltless judgment! That and the sudden acquittal was the real common denominator between this case and the O.

Simpson case nearly a generation ago. Even better, when the courtroom lights dimmed for the evening, curious court watchers could come back to their televisions to have their own preconceived notions about the evidence reaffirmed regularly by their favorite celebrity analysts or via Twitter.

From the talking heads, so much sound and fury, in the end signifying nothing! In fact, you could argue that never before in the history of criminal trials in America have so many who pretended to know so much for so long been so wrong so quickly, the jury's verdict coming back after only 11 hours of deliberations following a seven-week trial I did my part, too.

On Tuesday, I said that the quick verdict likely meant success for prosecutors. Take away the live audio feed from the courtroom, and there's no way the Anthony trial would have turned into The Anthony Trial.

There are things we cannot know -- or at least things which I could not readily find. We don't know, for example, exactly how many parent-child murders occurred since Casey Anthony was charged with Caylee's death. We don't know exactly how many mothers or fathers have been prosecuted since in murder cases involving their children. And thus we don't know how many of those cases resulted in convictions or acquittals. But there are some things we do know.

We know, for example, that the Anthony case, for all its ratings and its hype, was but a spit into the ocean when it comes to murder in America. Again , my apologies to Harper's for the riff on its famous Index:.

By citing these statistics, I do not mean to diminish the significance of Caylee Anthony's death or to belittle or endorse the results of her mother's trial.

It was a family tragedy all around -- and it will continue to be so no matter what happens now to Casey Anthony. There was a fake nanny, a fake job and even a fake father for Caylee. But her defence team maintained the toddler drowned in Casey's parents' swimming pool and the accident was covered up by her and her father, George, and made to look like a random killing.

He denied this. Ms Anthony's lawyers explained Ms Anthony's lies and erratic behaviour by saying that she was grieving her daughter's death by drowning, and that her father had sexually abused her. But George Anthony denied that allegation and the judge said no evidence had been presented to support it.

Her defence lawyer Jose Baez also questioned forensic evidence presented by prosecutors linking Ms Anthony's car to the body. So why has this case, above other child deaths, grabbed such attention? Given the ingredients of the case, the question is not why is it so big but why wouldn't it be so big, says Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University in New York. The pretty mother telling stories that don't seem to stack up. If you were writing it as a fictional crime story, no-one would believe it.

As well as the genuine interest, there is also "cultural equity" generated by the media coverage, he says. Once the decision is made that this story is worth investing in, then there is no going back.

Viewers get sucked in like a soap opera. In terms of its scale, the Casey Anthony trial follows in the footsteps of Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and the Menendez brothers, he says, but this time the web has played a huge part. A webcam streamed the court action to view online, message boards stoked up the debate and Facebook groups rally followers to their cause.

There are even paid iPhone apps to stay in touch with developments. There are many Americans who are not that interested, despite the hype, says Eric Deggans of the St Petersburg Times in Florida, but for those that were engaged, the trial has had them transfixed.

The fact it's a woman on trial has heightened interest, says Robin Simon, a professor of sociology at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, because the allegation breaks the maternal bond society expects women to have with their children. In her interview with the Associated Press , the first time she's spoken publicly about her daughter's death since the trial, Anthony said there are "a lot of parallels" to her and O.

Simpson, who was acquitted of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman in And would be a total badass," she told the AP. The Associated Press reporter who interviewed Anthony said he met her as she protested against the president in Palm Beach, Florida. In , Anthony filed for bankruptcy. Florida passed a law increasing the prison time for some someone who knowingly makes a false statement to police about a missing child.

Several other states introduced similar legislation. Jonathan Green, a man from St. His main reason: He would be miles away from home for several months with limited contact with friends and family. The year-old showed his ambivalence toward his civic duty by talking to a reporter during the third day of jury selection, a direct violation of Perry's rules.