Cleared of murder, Anthony awaits sentence for lying

A sensational Florida murder trial reached a dramatic conclusion Tuesday, when the jury delivered a verdict experts and onlookers were surprised to learn could see Casey Anthony set free within days.

After weeks of hearing testimony, arguments and analysis, the Orlando, Fla. jury cleared Anthony of murdering her daughter, Caylee. She was also found not guilty of aggravated child abuse or aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Many in the crowd of about 500 people outside the courthouse reacted with anger after the verdict was read, chanting, "Justice for Caylee!" One man yelled, "Baby killer!"

Anthony still faces sentencing on Thursday for four counts of lying to investigators while they were looking into her daughter's disappearance. But because she has already spent three years in custody, experts say she could be allowed to go free.

The nationally-televised trial, which has played out in American tabloids since May, has prompted vehement reaction from spectators and celebrities alike.

On Tuesday, the trial was trending in the Twitterverse with an array of celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Carson Daly weighing in on the verdict.

Actress Rosanne Barr sent out a string of irate tweets including, "to the members of the jury: you ignored the hair of a corpse in the trunk of casey's car. science is junk in america."

Meanwhile, Office-star Mindy Kaling took the sardonic route by tweeting, "Anyone else hoping Casey Anthony is stupid enough to sue herself for millions in a civil court?"

Television host Carson Daly expressed his disapproval in fewer characters, simply tweeting, "That jury better get into hiding."

Caylee's mysterious disappearance and death has been a national sensation since she first went missing in June 2008.

Her mother initially told detectives that Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny, triggering a nationwide search. The search ended on Dec. 11, 2008, when the girl's body was found in woods near her grandparents' home. Tabloids scrutinized the case as macabre details including duct tape on discovered on Caylee's skull were revealed over time.

Evidence lacking

During the lengthy trial, jurors listened to more than 33 days of testimony, and reviewed 400 pieces of evidence. In the end, it only took jurors 11 hours to issue the verdict.

The jurors -- seven women and five men -- refused to speak to the media and their identities were kept secret by the court.

Though State prosecutor Lawson Lamar said the verdict disappointed him, he admitted that hard evidence was lacking.

"This is a dry-bones case. Very, very difficult to prove," he said. "The delay in recovering little Caylee's remains worked to our considerable disadvantage."

As the trial went on, the case became a morbid tourist attraction in Orlando. People camped outside for seats in the courtroom, and scuffles broke out among those desperate to watch the drama unfold.

During the trial, prosecutors also focused heavily on an odour in the trunk of Anthony's car, which forensics experts said was consistent with the smell of human decay. But the defence argued that the air analysis could not be duplicated and that no one could prove a stain found in the trunk was caused by Caylee's remains.

Pundits like CNN commentator and ex-prosecutor Nancy Grace monitored the case with extreme zeal, arguing that Anthony was responsible for her daughter's death. The TV host turned the term "tot mom" into shorthand for Anthony.

Photos of Anthony smiling and partying in a nightclub during the first month Caylee was missing caused a stir when they hit tabloids. In the final days of the trial, another salacious photo surfaced of a tattoo Anthony she got a day before law enforcement learned of the child's disappearance: the Italian words for "beautiful life."

Between damning pictures and media attention on Anthony's party-hearty lifestyle, public opinion didn't seem to be in the 25-year-old mother's favour.

Legal analyst Steven Skurka is disappointed by media coverage of the trial, saying that news outlets had all but convicted Anthony.

"[Media] was a factor in getting the public to believe that there was only one possible verdict," he told CTV's Canada AM.

Skurka added that the jury was entitled to reach the not guilty verdict as there was no direct evidence linking Casey Anthony to the death of her daughter.

"Judges are going to have to get more precautions in sequestering juries otherwise defendants will never get a fair trial."

With files from the Associated Press