Jeff Ashton, Retired Prosecutor, Aims At Casey Anthony's Attorneys In Book

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A retired prosecutor from the Casey Anthony murder trial calls her lead attorney "smarmy" in a new book and says he didn't think a jury would ever agree to the death penalty for the Florida mother, who was ultimately acquitted of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

Jeff Ashton writes in Tuesday's "Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony" that he would have been happier if the prosecution team had left the death penalty off the table. He also confirmed that toward the end of the trial, Anthony's attorneys tried to persuade the 25-year-old to accept a plea deal but she refused to listen.

"Personally, I think I would have been happier if the death penalty had not been reintroduced into the case, even though I think on some level I think Casey may have deserved it," Ashton said in the 324-page book. "Simply put, I just didn't think the jury would go there."

As it turns out, Anthony refusal to accept a deal paid off. Jurors in July acquitted her in the killing of her daughter, Caylee, and she was released from prison, though she is in hiding somewhere in Florida, serving probation for an unrelated check fraud case.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE CONTROVERSIAL TRIAL (story continues below):

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• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Casey Anthony goes over paperwork during a break on the final day of arguments in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Assist. State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick presents the final portion of rebuttal at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 5, 2011

  Casey Anthony stands for the arrival of the jury at the start of the second day of jury deliberations in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Spectators in the courtroom listen to the rebuttal presented by Assist. State Attorney Jeff Ashton on the final day of arguments in the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton gives the final rebuttal in the Casey Anthony murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Judge Belvin Perry listens as Assist. State Attorney Jeff Ashton present rebuttal on the last day of arguments in the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Casey Anthony with her attorney Dorothy Clay Sims on the last day of arguments in Anthony's murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 4, 2011

  Cindy Anthony, wearing bracelets in tribute to her granddaughter Caylee Anthony, listens during the final day of arguments in the trial of her daughter Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 3, 2011

  Defense attorney Cheney Mason presents a burden of proof chart during closing arguments of the Casey Anthony murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, July 3, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 3, 2011

  Jose Baez points and yells in the direction of the prosecution table during his closing arguments in the Casey Anthony murder trial in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, July 3, 2011. Judge Belvin Perry called a sidebar during the arguments to deal with the outburst. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted on the charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 3, 2011

  George Anthony listens to closing arguments in the murder trial of his daughter, Casey, in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday, July 3, 2011. Casey Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 3, 2011

  Casey Anthony reacts while listening to the state's closing arguments in her murder trial in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, July 3, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty, if convicted.

• Casey Anthony Trial July 3, 2011

  Assistant state attorney Jeff Ashton presents closing arguments for the state in the murder trial of Casey Anthony in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, July 3, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 30, 2011

  Casey Anthony gestures during her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse Thursday, June 30, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. Anthony, 25, has plead not guilty in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 30, 2011

  Spectator Matthew Bartlett is taken away by sheriff deputies on a contempt charge for his obscene gesture toward assistant state attorney Jeff Ashton during Casey Anthony's murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse Thursday, June 30, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. Casey Anthony, 25, has plead not guilty in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 30, 2011

  Lee Anthony testifies during the murder trial of his sister Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse on June 30, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. Anthony's defense attorneys argued that she didn't kill her two-year-old daughter Caylee, but that she accidentally drowned.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 30, 2011

  Krystal Holloway, also known as River Cruz, reacts when questioned about transcripts from her police statements during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Thursday, June 30, 2011. Holloway claims to have had an affair with George Anthony, Casey's father.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 29, 2011

  George Anthony reacts during his testimony in the murder trial of his daughter, Casey, in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, June 29, 2011. Casey Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 28, 2011

  Casey Anthony sits in court at her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, June 28.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 28, 2011

  Lee Anthony, right, returns to his seat next to his mother Cindy Anthony after he testified in the murder trial of sister Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, June 28.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 28, 2011

  An aerial photo showing the location where Caylee Anthony's remains were found is projected on a courtroom monitor in the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, June 28.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 28, 2011

  Roy Kronk, a meter reader for Orange County, testifies during the Casey Anthony murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, in Orlando, Fla. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 28, 2011

  Roy Kronk, the meter reader who found Caylee Anthony's remains, testifies in the murder trial of Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday, June 28.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 27, 2011

  Defense attorney Jose Baez, left and Assistant state attorney Jeff Ashton, center, look over evidence with witness Dr. Kenneth Furton, a forensic chemist, during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, June 27, 2011. Anthony, 25, is charged with the murder of her 2-year old daughter in 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 27, 2011

  Casey Anthony, left, listens to her attorney Anne Finnell before the start of court in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla. on Monday, June 27, 2011. Anthony, 25, is charged with the murder of her 2-year old daughter in 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 27, 2011

  Jason Forgey, a canine handler for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, testifies during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Monday, June 27, 2011. Anthony, 25, is charged with the murder of her 2-year old daughter in 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 27, 2011

  An image projected on a courtroom monitor shows a portion of a Powerpoint presentation entered into evidence at the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Monday, June 27, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 23, 2011

  Cindy Anthony testifies during her daughter Casey Anthony's murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse, in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, June 23, 2011. Casey Anthony is charged with killing her daughter, Caylee in 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 23, 2011

  Casey Anthony sits at the defense table during a recess during her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, June 23, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 23, 2011

  Evidence is lined up in front of Dr. Barry Logan, an analytic chemist, as he waits to testify on day 26 of Casey Anthony's murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse, in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, June 23, 2011. Anthony is charged with killing her daughter, Caylee.

• Casey Anthony Trial Photos

  An image projected on a courtroom monitor shows a photograph entered into evidence during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, June 23, 2011. Casey Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 23, 2011

  Judge Belvin Perry on day 26 of Casey Anthony's 1st-degree murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, June 23, 2011. Casey Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial Photos

  A picture of computer reports from the Anthony desktop computer is shown on a courtroom monitor on day 26 of Casey Anthony's first degree murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, June 23, 2011. Casey Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008. (AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool)

• Casey Anthony Trial June 22, 2011

  Casey Anthony talks with her attorney Jose Baez, left, during a recess in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, June 22, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 22, 2011

  Cindy Anthony listens in court during the trial of her daughter Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, June 22, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial Photos

  An image projected on a courtroom monitor shows a photo entered into evidence in the trial of Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 22, 2011

  Dr. Michael Sigman testifies about air samples during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, June 22, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 22, 2011

  Maureen Bottrell, a forensic geologist for the FBI, testifies in the trial of Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, June 22, 2011. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

• Casey Anthony Trial June 20, 2011

  Judge Belvin Perry, center, holds a sidebar conference with attorneys in the Casey Anthony murder trail in Orlando, Fla., on Monday, June 20, 2011. An infuriated Perry warned the Anthony defense and prosecution today that he is getting fed up with games being played during the course of the trial. Court was recessed early without explanation.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 20, 2011

  Assistant state attorney Jeff Ashton listens to Judge Belvin Perry's directions during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Monday, June 20, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 20, 2011

  Defense attorney Jose Baez, second from right, and his client Casey Anthony listen to assistant state attorney Jeff Ashton talk to Judge Belvin Perry, not pictured, before the start of court at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Monday, June 20, 2011. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

• Casey Anthony Trial June 20, 2011

  Casey Anthony enters the courtroom for the 22nd day of her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, Monday, June 20, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial

  During forensic expert Dr. Spitz's testimony, Casey Anthony turns her head away when photos of the skull of her daughter, Caylee Marie, were shown at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, June 18, 2011. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 18, 2011

  Forensic expert Dr. Werner Spitz testifies in the trial of Casey Anthony, talking about autopsy results of the remains of Caylee Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, June 18, 2011. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 18, 2011

  Chief Judge Belvin Perry expresses deep frustration at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, June 18, 2011, that defense attorney Jose Baez attempted to elicit critical testimony from William Rodriguez, testimony that had not been disclosed to the prosecution earlier. Perry may end up punishing Baez with a contempt finding, but he reserved ruling on that matter. Casey Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 18, 2011

  Casey Anthony, right, consoles her attorney Jose Baez after Chief Judge Belvin Perry expressed deep frustration that defense attorney Jose Baez attempted to elicit critical testimony from William Rodriguez, testimony that had not been disclosed to the prosecution earlier. Perry may end up punishing Baez with a contempt finding, but he reserved ruling on that matter. at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, June 18, 2011.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 17, 2011

  Casey Anthony is shown at the defense table before the start of court in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse, Friday, June 17, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 17, 2011

  Dr. Tim Huntington, forensic entomologist, testifies during the murder trial of Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse, Friday, June 17, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 17, 2011

  An evidence photo showing trash found in the trunk of a car is held by an attorney during the Casey Anthony murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse, Friday, June 17, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 17, 2011

  George Anthony listens to testimony during the murder trial of his daughter Casey Anthony at the Orange County Courthouse, Friday, June 17, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. Anthony, 25, is charged with killing her daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008.

• Casey Anthony Trial June 16, 2011

  Casey Anthony, with her attorney Cheney Mason, during day 20 of her first-degree murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse, in Orlando, Florida, Thursday, June 16, 2011.

Ashton's book is the first account written by one of the key players in the trial that captured the attention of the nation last summer. He retired soon after the trial ended.

In it, he takes direct aim at Anthony's defense attorneys, specifically Jose Baez, whom he says he genuinely dislikes. He said Baez was careless with the facts, unmindful of deadlines and encouraged Anthony to be uncooperative with detectives searching for her daughter.

"There is an unearned air of arrogance about the man that is incredibly frustrating to witness," Ashton writes. "The word I used in describing Jose is smarmy: somebody who is slick, underhanded and doesn't shoot straight."

Baez said in a statement that Ashton's characterizations were false.

"Having read several of the comments Mr. Ashton makes in his new book, I am both surprised and somewhat disappointed he has chosen to attack me on a personal level," Baez said. "Without going into specific detail, I will say only that many of his accusations are absolutely false."

Ashton also displays an unflattering view of the jurors. He wrote they seemed to give a lot of thought and discussion to which movies they wanted to watch or which restaurants to go to while they were sequestered. Yet no juror asked a single question about the evidence during deliberation.

"From the moment our jury had been fielded ... we'd had concerns over their apparent absence of strong opinions as well as over the amount of effort they seemed willing to expend on this," Ashton writes. "In retrospect, I think those concerns were justified."

Three jurors gave television interviews immediately after the verdict, but they have since refused to talk to reporters about the case.

Ashton said people who disagreed with the acquittal and still think Anthony was guilty should leave her alone and ignore her, in hopes she'll fade from the public memory.

"My advice to people who are angry about this is to ignore Casey, and I hope that's what they do," he said on NCB's "Today" show Tuesday.

"I hope that someday, and I know this probably won't happen, the name Casey Anthony will invoke a `who's that?'"

The book, for the first time, also discloses the results of two psychological evaluations taken of Anthony.

Two defense psychologists who did the evaluations never testified. But Anthony told the psychologists that she was sexually abused by her father, Ashton wrote.

As part of their defense, Anthony's attorneys said Caylee drowned in the family swimming pool, and that her father, a former police officer, helped cover it up. Anthony's partying and shopping during the month before her daughter was reported missing was caused in part by her father's sexual abuse, according to the defense theory. Her father, George Anthony, repeatedly denied those claims in court and afterward.

One psychologist expressed apprehension about his evaluation being used to support that defense theory, Ashton writes, especially since Anthony had scored in a normal range on a test designed to discover mental disorders. The other psychologist gave Anthony a battery of tests to diagnose stress from trauma such as sexual molestation. The tests didn't support the theory that she had been molested, Ashton writes.

A few weeks before trial, prosecutors met with George Anthony, and his wife, Cindy, to give them a heads-up about the molestation accusations that the defense planned to use at trial.

"George looked like he had been crying, like someone had just killed Caylee all over again," Ashton writes. "He was just devastated."

More than six months after she disappeared, a meter reader found Caylee's remains in a swampy, wooded area near where she lived with her mother and grandparents. Ashton said in the book that law enforcement and volunteers never examined that area until Roy Kronk reported seeing the remains there in December 2008.

"In the end, Murphy's Law prevailed: everyone assumed that someone else had searched there, but in fact no one actually had," Ashton writes. "Everyone, including law enforcement, assumed that the most obvious place had to have been combed and given the all clear - which just proves the adage about what happens when you assume. Everybody ends up looking like and ass and a nation spent an extra four months searching around the country for a lost little girl who was a quarter mile from home."

A spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency investigating Caylee's disappearance and death, said Monday that pinpointing a place to search for the toddler was challenging.

"Mr. Ashton, as part of the prosecution team, was well aware of the difficulties in establishing a starting point," Capt. Angelo Nieves said. "Casey Anthony told numerous lies to law enforcement throughout the investigation concerning her daughter's whereabouts."

Comments

[Joseph Levy]

03:56 PM on 11/29/2011

What I think really happened is that Casey Anthony did not kill her daughter. She hired someone else to do it for her. You would have to be pretty smart to put the body in a place where no one will be able to find it for several months, and Casey Anthony does not appear to be that smart.

[nenabonita]

05:00 PM on 11/23/2011

Love your comment smayo, I thought the same thing!

[audioenhanced]

06:21 PM on 11/23/2011

The baby killer huh? Kinda funny u know more then the professionals whom cannot even state whether a murder occurred let alone whom was responsible due to the ficticuous media representation, misleading prosecution whom make up their own evidence to convict someone with the death penalty knowing this information. U should be thankful there are people like Karen myself and others who are not Casey supporters but supporters of proper justice. Be thankful that there are people out there who don't feel that a prosecution should be able to make up their own evidence to convict someone of a crime, especially in a death penalty case. If there was actual legal evidence not fabricated u can bet I , Karen and the others would be the first to want a conviction, however it's good to know that jurors will see through smokescreens to give a proper verdict not one by media or public opinion out there. It may come in handy someday when u or your loved ones come up on trumped up charges, knowing that u won't be convicted on some story the prosecution makes up because they are looking for fame and not justice!

[petercrisssgirl]

09:07 PM on 11/29/2011

Ummm...the professionals deemed cause of death to be actually "HOMICIDE by undetermined means"....Nope, prosecutors shouldn't be able to make up evidence....and neither should defense attorneys be allowed. If the jurors honestly went through the evidence and testimony provided them, then yes, they did their job and can be respected for their verdict....HOWEVER, they self-admitted that they did NOT do this.

[audioenhanced]

12:02 PM on 11/23/2011

I wonder whether Ashton got the majority of his advice on how to write a profitable book by good ole Nancy, remember the old saying "all lawyers are legally paid liars", also remember that besides the defense the entire prosecution are lawyers, that should tell all when it comes to this book!

[Karen StovallStringer]

01:40 PM on 11/23/2011

Or my favorite:

Q. How can you tell when a lawyer is lying?
A. His lips are moving.

[fearlessfaith]

11:14 PM on 11/22/2011

"There is an unearned air of arrogance about the man that is incredibly frustrating to witness," Ashton writes.
1. unearned air of arrogance about the man that is incredibly frustrating to witness
Oh, like laughing while the defense is giving closing arguments.

2. "The word I used in describing Jose is smarmy: somebody who is slick, underhanded and doesn't shoot straight."

Oh, like saying that everyone should forget about Casey Anthony and not to buy any books or read about her and then you write a book.

Seems like he is using Jose as a reflection of himself.

[Karen StovallStringer]

09:44 AM on 11/23/2011

Very astute comment. Wish I'd written it. :)

[MiMi LLawsonn]

04:02 PM on 11/21/2011

For those of you who think this was a weird case.....well....you need to go to WRAL(dot) com and search for Brad Cooper.....North Carolina had a trial this year which was video taped live and is available for the public to view....THE TRIAL AND VERDICT WILL SHOCK YOU....speaking of CORRUPTION AND COVER UP.....this trial SPEAKS VOLUMES.....and then please sign the petition also, if you agree... http://www.change.org/petitions/north-carolina-judicial-system-and-north-carolina-general-assembly-make-sure-that-those-who-are-accused-get-a-fair-and-just-trial

[hereisallie]

09:29 PM on 11/25/2011

I've reviewed this case, and to me it was apparent that there was plenty of reasonable doubt. The problem lies with the jury, and the fact that they were denied change of venue. Most of the trial, though in my opinion there was a bias, was fair. Even if they showed a video of her being pulled into the van, if the jury renders a verdict of guilty, the verdict stands. It is in a sense the exact opposite of the Casey Anthony trial, where the public seems to think that there was an overwhelming amount of evidence, and the jury didn't see it that way.

[Mary Shaver]

03:03 PM on 11/21/2011

The jury were a bunch of fools, and it is no wonder Casey went free. When you care more about the movie you are going to see and what you are having for your next meal, what chance does justice have in that situation. Jose Baez was a man who appealed to those jurors, he was them. That opening statement was the winner for him. Hats off to someone who can appeal to the absolute lowest common denominator and win freedom for a woman who at the very least had a part in her child's death.

[rebel0498]

01:28 AM on 11/23/2011

I wouldn't have Jose Bozo defend me on a parking ticket. The jury was too lazy to review the evidence and decided that a young white girl was incapable of hurting her baby. Jose just got lucky for having a bunch of fools as you rightly put it.

[Karen StovallStringer]

09:54 AM on 11/23/2011

A white female defendant, a latino defense attorney, and a black judge. Reads like an EEOC slam dunk. Yet, still few are satisfied with the outcome. I do not know for a fact that Casey did not kill Caylee. But I do know for a fact that Ashton did not prove that she did.

[Matt10011]

01:06 PM on 11/21/2011

ib guess aston wil never understand how slimy, snarky, smarmy, nasty and inexcusable his own behavior was during the trial. he was outrageous. the laughing boy. outrageous.

[nenabonita]

01:24 AM on 11/22/2011

Oh sure... like Jose Baez was much better. A woman does not report her child missing, wastes many months of police enforcement looking for the little girl, blames others for her negligence (if the drowning is true), and then finds a loser who gets his first criminal case and is lucky enough to convince a bunch of people that accepted to act as jurors to get a free meal. What a lucky person CA is!!!

[Karen StovallStringer]

10:41 AM on 11/22/2011

You know, Jeff Ashton tried to do the same thing; blame the jury. He participated in the jury selection. They performed their civic duty. Mr. Ashton didn't prove his case. That's not the jury's fault.

[audioenhanced]

12:40 AM on 11/23/2011

I do agree with u on how lucky Casey is to be a free woman considering all the underhanded things Ashton and co. pulled, but sometimes there is justice in the world after all. And while everyone who made arguments time after time on how wrong it is to make money off dead child's death, how come these arguments ended when it came to Ashton's book, or movie deal, he is the one of many leaches making money off of Caylee's death, not Casey,just as Nancy Grace made millions, yet no complaints there. Isn't it funny how the only one that isn't out trying to leach off of Caylee's death is the one everyone complained about in the first place!

[spongeworthy06]

01:53 AM on 11/21/2011

Dont buy this hacks book. Unless of course hes donating the proceeds to a children's charity, which I doubt.

[rebel0498]

05:11 AM on 11/21/2011

Why? Did you already read it?

[spongeworthy06]

11:08 AM on 11/21/2011

Hes trying to make money off the murder of a child

[Karen StovallStringer]

02:05 PM on 11/20/2011

I need more than 250 characters, obviously. May I purchase some from others who are not posting??
;p

[cutesky]

03:53 PM on 11/20/2011

alright already...you've said enough!!!!!

[Karen StovallStringer]

10:46 PM on 11/20/2011

Well darn, somebody had the unmitigated gall to "mark as favorite" on this comment. So, I'll do it too. :D

[Robin-B]

03:58 PM on 11/20/2011

One character is sufficient.
Do you have *any* character?

[smitthy]

04:03 PM on 11/20/2011

I think you nailed it. The second part of thread w/ Jon C. is now gone... so I will remain vicariously satisfied in yours here, Robin.

Who honors Caylee? A good question for party-girl fans.

[Karen StovallStringer]

11:01 PM on 11/20/2011

I do. Do you?

[Karen StovallStringer]

02:01 PM on 11/20/2011

You want everyone to ignore Casey Anthony and forget about her. You want at some point in the near future that folks will say, "who is Casey Anthony?" Then you write a book about her and sell your book's movie rights. Forget about her while you line your pockets? You sure got the jump on everyone else. You must have been writing that book at the beginning of the trial.

The worst thing for me is everyone jumped to dump the costs of the search and trial in Casey Anthony's lap when the KeyStone Kops were bickering over what had and had not been covered. This includes the small area Mr. Kronk, the meter reader, called in about back in July or August. I don't think any costs accrued between July and December should be included as a debit on Casey's side. That belongs squarely in the State's lap.

Now, Mr. Aston, you may ride off into the sunset. Just don't hold your tail too high. That would be a sign of pride. You should have none.

[Robin-B]

04:02 PM on 11/20/2011

What gets me is that Caylee has no support, respect, or reference in your comment. J.Ashton is on Caylee's side and his book is relevant. I'll read the book and ignore CA in the process, after all.. it's Ashton's book, not CA's.

[Karen StovallStringer]

11:18 PM on 11/20/2011

Jeff Ashton is on Jeff Ashton's side and no one else's. He had a fit of unseemly mirth in the court room where he was trying to take Casey's life. No one knows how Caylee died. Or, no one who is saying and been proven to have done so. I might read Ashton's book if I find one at a garage sale or a flea market for 25 cents. Otherwise, I will not read the arrogant man's manuscript.

[pipersfu]

11:31 AM on 11/21/2011

Ashton is on Ashtons side completely, Make the big bucks while its Hot. Obviously by your number of posts about her, you won't soon ignore her, thats a known fact.

[Truwriter]

01:23 PM on 11/21/2011

No, I think he has a right to talk about the case and he has a lot of information that we did not know before hand. That he might make money from the book is really out of his hands, he could not have a publishers do the book and circulate it without them making money from it. I am not sure why people get hung about this guy, but no so much that Anthony will become a celeb and be on the red carpet walks and all the talk shows in a very short time and SHE did kill her child.

[Karen StovallStringer]

02:36 PM on 11/21/2011

How do you know she killed her child? Can you prove it?

[Karen StovallStringer]

01:59 PM on 11/20/2011

Let's lead off with the "smarmy" Mr. Baez, as you called him. It's simple. You're jealous. You wanted to win this trial before riding off into the sunset. You probably remember your own years of vim, vigor and passion about the cases you were working. Jose Baez has that. You have lost it. Actually, I have a picture in my mind of Mr. Baez being boyous, young, entertaining and cute. And you, sir, are anything but cute though you certainly are arrogant. You were unhappy with the jurors. You complained about their discussions of what to eat and what movies to watch while sequestered in their rooms. That was all they had to do! Everything else was prohibited. The jury not asking about any evidence during their deliberations. You are surprised? Your evidence crashed and burned pretty much as you presented it if not shortly thereafter. The forensic computer analysis of the Anthony's PC? Up in smoke with corrupted software. Cause of death? None. There was NO cause of death for Caylee and there never will be unless someone else spills it.

You decided you didn't like the jury as soon as they had the ball in their court and began deliberations. Remember, at the very beginning, all those dreary days of jury selection? You had your chances then.

[pipersfu]

11:34 AM on 11/21/2011

Karen StovallStringer, Thanks for some very good and honest posts, at least you speak from facts, not like others on here who speak mainly from their imagination, and wishful thinking.

[Karen StovallStringer]

02:38 PM on 11/21/2011

Thanks, pipersfu. I have enjoyed a lot of your posts. :)

[Truwriter]

01:25 PM on 11/21/2011

You talk about the case as though it was a movie. You saw the defense attorney as being "young, entertaining and cute". I would say you will make a fine juror in another airhead panel for some other poor child's murder. They will surely entertain you.

[Karen StovallStringer]

02:15 PM on 11/21/2011

You know, I guess in some respects it was a lot like watching a movie but the commercial breaks were humongously long. Mr. Ashton was quoted as calling Baez "smarmy." I did not see him that way. I merely described him as I saw him and Mr. Ashton described him as HE saw Baez. We all have the right of free speech. You exercised your right when you responded to my comments. I love America!

[Karen StovallStringer]

01:50 PM on 11/20/2011

You know, Mr. Ashton, you have so much gall that I'm betting the house you would get a healthy verdict (no pun intended) after a check of your gall bladder.

You blame everyone but yourself for your abysmal performance during the prosecution of Casey Anthony. You even have the gall to blame Murphy's Law instead of lack of planning and double-checking all the evidence you intended to use in Court. I think hatred was driving you. You wanted to see the life leave Casey Anthony's eyes with a death penalty. You had the gall to laugh so hard your face was red and your body was shaking with mirth while you were, metaphorically, holding her head on a chopping block, and you laughing with glee. That was not a time of levity.
TBC

[pipersfu]

11:35 AM on 11/21/2011

Beautiful and Honest post.

[smitthy]

01:54 PM on 11/19/2011

It seems all the Ashton Haters have something in common, besides their continuous hate of Jeff Ashton and the Prosecution, as well as hating those who express disagreement w/ the jury, which has been on-going in these forums for months. They are "pro-jury" as well as Baez and Casey.

In their arguments, the haters suggest disgust that Jeff Ashton is profiting from telling his account of events. They argue that such an effort is disrespectful to Caylee. They do so, while today and yesterday they continue to dishonor this child, while defending the actions of her "mother". Yes, CA was acquitted... and as JFord stated "not-guilty does not mean innocent". There will continue to be disagreement about this verdict.

But Haters should understand that no matter what happened, there was no justice for Caylee. Lies are disgusting, only the Truth honors Caylee. I believe Ashton's book is a step in that direction.

[jonathan comer]

02:24 PM on 11/20/2011

Sure makes me feel good to know that after accusing Casey or anyone else you haters disliked of trying to make blood money off of Caylee's death, the first to strike for blood money was your hero Ashton. So who is really dishonoring the child? He decided to exploit the tragedy to enrich himself and he did so and at the same time provided an avenue for Casey to make money from the movie deal. Just an all-around good guy that Jeff Ashton.......?

[smitthy]

02:33 PM on 11/20/2011

What you Casey lovers hate is the Truth. You've turned Casey into the victim from day one, which is despicable.

[Robin-B]

03:07 PM on 11/20/2011

CA sold pictures to the media long before this trial was lost. Aston wrote this book for himself, and he had every right to.

[thudpucker]

05:09 PM on 11/20/2011

Thanks for the supprt. I'm slowly getting caught up.

[Kim Anderson Claeys]

12:53 AM on 11/19/2011

He sure retired fast and got his book out even faster. Makes you really wonder what kind of prosecutor he really was!

[pipersfu]

01:23 AM on 11/19/2011

Ashton is nothing but a Money grabber, it was on the news last night that he sold the movie rights to Lifetime, for a great deal of money. I think it all shows what kind of a person he is.

[babybelle]

06:34 AM on 11/19/2011

If you could write a book and have it turn into a movie I doubt you or anyone elase would turn down the money!
Good for Ashton!

[babybelle]

08:14 AM on 11/19/2011

Casey is nothing but a money grubber, or should I say money GRABBER ?
Stealing money from friends and relatives .
Where is your outrage against this thief ?

[smitthy]

04:19 AM on 11/19/2011

His retirement was in the works long before, and he stayed on to finish this case.

[excab2]

03:32 PM on 11/20/2011

What is so hard to figure out about Jeff Ashton? He was just way too nice and dealing with people used to pulling any stunt to get their client off. Somehow, you have to wonder who took Casey in? Must be hell in that household. Poor wife probably pretty sick and tired by now. Wasn't it Cheney who said "Sure, she can stay for a short time." Just saw a story from another Florida case where Cheney was the Defense Attorney. Guy who mowed down four people in cold blood and thought he was smart enought to get away with it.

Thing is, LE are like German Shepard dogs. Sooner or later, they are gonna track you down and bring you to justice. Good on them. And, bring in Criminal Profiler Dayle.

[nik101]

09:52 PM on 11/18/2011

The jurors did not believe Ashton's evidence. Partly because he acted like an arrogant bully in the court room. I wonder if he mentioned that in his book. The 3 jurors who did speak out, felt Ashton's condescending presentation was not totally credible. Therefore, even if Anthony is guilty, Ashton & Ashton alone blew it.

[Robin-B]

03:30 PM on 11/20/2011

In other words, you feel that the jurors deliberated using their emotional feelings against J.Ashton as their reasoning behind the verdict? I sure hope not, that would be against their instruction.

[Robin-B]

03:56 PM on 11/20/2011

No idea why this posted twice. Maybe it was very relevant?