Please tell me the difference between this person:
And this person:
Both were tried in court for serious crimes. The difference? One walked free while another waits to see if their life will be spent in prison.
The bottom photo is of the former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, charged with 48 counts that range from involuntary deviate sexual intercourse to unlawful contact with a minor. Many former Penn State football players claimed that over the span of 15 years, Sandusky inappropriately touched, sexually harassed, and in one instance raped one of the victims. The late former head coach Joe Paterno was also tried, but died of lung cancer shortly after the accusations were made. During the trial, there was no physical evidence presented by the prosecution, only the testimony by the victims and others who testified, such as the mother of one of the victims who claimed that her son's "underwear would be constantly missing from the laundry." This statement was used as actual testimony against Mr. Sandusky. Besides these testimonies, there was no evidence presented to prosecute Sandusky.
The top photo is of famous mother Casey Anthony, charged with first degree murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony. Along with these charges were four counts of a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to a law enforcement officer. During this trial, there was an overwhelming amount of evidence presented by the prosecution in order to convict Anthony of this crime. There was motive (Anthony murdered her child to pursue a life of partying), there was physical evidence (telephone calls between Anthony and her parents), and the charges of lying to law enforcement officers showed she was trying to cover it up. Anthony made up a story of a fake babysitter that babysat her daughter the night of her disappearance, sending the police on a search for the made up babysitter. The defense merely used emotional appeal to defend Anthony in her trial. Very little evidence was given besides alibi.
Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 counts. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled and awaits sentencing in prison. He faces life in prison.
Casey Anthony was found not guilty of first degree murder. She was, however, found guilty of the 4 misdemeanor counts. She was sentenced to 4 years in prison and $4,000 dollars. However, due to 'good behavior', Casey Anthony served two days in jail. She walked a free woman on July 17th, 2011.
Where is justice?
I'm not here to discuss whether these decisions were right or wrong. May I only ask, where has the American justice system gone wrong in their efforts to offer justice for all? Sure, it is impossible to determine what truly happened. There must be closure in each case to suffice the needs of the victims and their families, but is this closure truly satisfying? There are millions of criminals who are walking free today, while even more are in prison convicted of a crime they did not commit. Hell, we've even seen this before here locally in Colorado. This isn't the first time that the justice system has failed. My simple question is this:
Where is justice?
