Anthony jurors lay low after names are released

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

The names of the Casey Anthony jurors are public, yet the reason they acquitted her still is largely unknown.

Jurors were either unavailable or didn’t want to talk to the media Tuesday when a judge released their names, three months after they found Anthony not guilty in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. In the days since the verdict, Anthony and the jurors received death threats, and angry messages were posted online. Many people across the nation thought the jurors let a guilty woman go free.

Anthony went into hiding, and it appears jurors have done the same thing.

Associated Press reporters went to the homes where jurors were thought to live, but in most cases, the blinds or drapes were closed, and no one answered. Dogs could be heard barking inside some of the homes. When someone did come to the door, they said the juror didn’t want to speak or in one case, said the juror didn’t live there.

“The jurors have known that this day would be coming for a long time. They’ve had plenty of time to think about it,” said Tampa defense attorney John Fitzgibbons, who was not involved in the Anthony case. “It may simply be that the jurors want to move on from this case. Or it could be some sort of collective decision by the jurors if they are working on something else jointly.”

Fearing for their safety, Judge Belvin Perry delayed releasing their names, saying he wanted a “cooling-off period” to pass. It may have worked. Vitriolic comments popped up online Tuesday, but in far fewer numbers.

Legal experts said Perry’s decision was reasonable but highly unusual.

“I can’t recall another situation like this, but I think in this case it was necessary,” said Leslie Garfield, law professor at Pace Law School in New York. “... You ask people to serve the justice system, but in situations like this, there has to be protection for these people. We have to try to protect them somehow.”