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Jury Acquits Casey Anthony In Murder Case

RENEE MONTAGNE, Host:

From member station WMFE in Orlando, Nicole Creston reports on the nationwide response to that verdict.

NICOLE CRESTON: Unidentified Woman: As to the charge of first-degree murder, verdict as to count one, we the jury find the defendant not guilty, so say we all.

CRESTON: Orlando-area State Attorney Lawson Lamar spoke for the prosecution.

LAWSON LAMAR: Our team did an exemplary job. I'm proud of them, and I stand by their work. I never, ever criticize a jury. Theirs is the task of deciding what to believe.

CRESTON: Opinions from social media like Facebook and Twitter and from prime-time talk show hosts like Nancy Grace have continued to stoke the fire.

NANCY GRACE: I just don't believe that her father, a former cop, dumped Caylee's body out in the makeshift pet cemetery in the woods to rot. I don't believe it. That means she's lying.

CRESTON: Defense attorney Cheney Mason chastised the media at a post-verdict press conference, saying they'd created the frenzy.

CHENEY MASON: Well, I hope that this is a lesson to those of you having indulged in media assassination for three years, bias, prejudice and incompetent talking heads saying what would be and how to be.

CRESTON: For NPR News, I'm Nicole Creston, in Orlando.

MONTAGNE: On Facebook, more than 1.5 million users said they would leave their porch lights on as a memorial to Caylee Anthony.

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MONTAGNE: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Nicole Creston