Casey Anthony (C), flanked by his lawyers Jose Baez (L) and Dorothy Clay Sims, reacts to the being found not guilty of charges of murder first degree of his daughter Caylee at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, on July 5, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/red Huber/Pool.ORLANDO, Fla | Tue, July 5, 2011 3: 00 pm EDT
ORLANDO, Fla (AFP) - the jury of the Florida Tuesday said Casey Anthony not guilty of murder in the death June 16, 2008, of its 2 year daughter, Caylee, in a case that riveted millions since Caylee was first reported missing in the same year.
The defence had argued that Caylee was killed in an accidental drowning.
The prosecution said she smothered his daughter and asked for a first degree murder verdict which could bring the death penalty for the 25-year-old.
Jurors deliberated 11 hours over two days.
The jury also said Anthony not guilty of child abuse or aggravated manslaughter of a child.
It has been recognized guilty of four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
Anthony appears visibly nervous before the verdict, downcast and biting his lip.
She sobbed after the jury is not guilty finding to the charge of murder was read and finally broke in a broad smile after the end of the procedure, hugging the defence team.
But no there was no contact with his mother and his father, who left the courtroom without talking about it.
Anthony had initially told detectives that Caylee was abducted by a nanny, triggering a search at the national level which ended on December 11, 2008.
This is where Caylee remains found in woods near the home of Anthony with duct tape hanging from his skull.
The trial lasted seven weeks and has attracted the attention of a large part of the nation, with curiosity, fuelled by the live coverage of the testimony on cable news. The notoriety of the case has prompted comparisons to the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
(Reports by Barbara Liston;) Written by Colleen Jenkins; (Editing by Peter Bohan and Jerry Norton)
