Casey Anthony Found Not Guilty in Death of Her Daughter Caylee

It has been a long and riveting case, and moments ago Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.

The 25-year-old defendant sat and listened as the jury announced their findings after the seven women and five men deliberated for more than ten hours.

In a shocking outcome, Anthony was acquitted on charges of first degree murder, first degree manslaughter of a child, and aggravated child abuse.

However, she was found guilty on four counts of providing false information to law enforcement officials. She will be sentenced by Judge Belvin Perry this Thursday (July 7th) at 9:00am.

In a case that has captivated the nation ever since it began, Casey Anthony became the prime suspect in her 2-year-old daughter's disappearance after she failed to report her missing back in June of 2008. Mom Cindy Anthony made a dramatic 911 call after her daughter confessed that a supposed nanny had ran off with Caylee and that she had not seen her in 31 days.

Pictures taken during the time her daughter was missing show a smiling Casey Anthony partying with friends and dancing in revealing outfits. During this time she was also caught on camera purchasing items like lingerie and beer at a local Target with a check she had stolen from her friend.

Additionally, inquiries into the possibility of a nanny by the name of Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez turned up nothing, and Casey's family and friends all acknowledged never having seen such a person. A woman whose name actually is Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez ended up suing Casey Anthony for defamation, claiming her association with the case had ruined her life.

Six months after she went missing, Caylee Anthony's remains were found in the woods less than a mile from the Anthony home. The prosecution alleged that her mother had dumped them there. Forensic analysts were able to link duck tape and trash bag evidence recovered from the scene to the Anthony's home.

Lead defense attorney Jose Baez told the jury that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool and that Casey's father, George Anthony, helped her cover up the death to make it look like a homicide. 

Some of those who believe in Casey Anthony's guilt have agreed on the widely held theory that she attempted to "chloroform" her child to sleep so that she could party. Many of the searches done on the Anthony's home computer seem to support this idea. In this scenario, she would not have intended to murder Caylee. Instead, the little girl's death would have been the result of an accident that Casey stubbornly continued to cover up.