Casey Anthony Trial – Criminal Defense Attorney John Contini Weighs In - BNN

by mom_in_il Thu May 26, 2011 4:51 am

Casey Anthony Trial – Criminal Defense Attorney John Contini Weighs In
Posted on May 25th, 2011 by Simon Barrett

Excerpt:

I am not an expert on the Legal System, nor the tactics that are used in high profile cases. But as the old saying goes, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, there is a pretty good chance that it is indeed a duck!

I watched the Opening Statements with great interest yesterday. The prosecution’s lead attorney Linda Drain-Burdick gave a 2 ½ hour presentation of the case they planned to present. It was rational, and had few flaws that I could see. That is not to say that they do not have an up-hill battle on their hands. They are aiming high by seeking the Death Penalty, much is made of ‘the burden of proof’, and to ask that a life be taken is a step that is not taken lightly. The State was conservative and convincing, a guilty verdict certainly seems reasonable, even expected, however, I for one am not sure that they have enough to secure the Death Penalty.

Much more shocking was the defense’s opening statement. Rumors have been swirling for quite some time about what strategy Jose Baez might use. However even careful watchers of this case were surprised with the veracity of the presentation.

In order to try and gain an understanding of the events I contacted well known Florida Defense Attorney John Contini. I expected him to present a pro-defense position. The ‘birds of a feather’ syndrome? I was completely wrong. John Contini is a veteran in the world of criminal defense. As the saying goes, he has no dog in this fight, and as such is free to talk in general terms. Here are his thoughts:

The prosecution will eventually argue that the defense opening statement is typical of what defense lawyers tend to do when the facts are against them. They’ll argue that the defense, like an octopus that sprays out an ink-like substance to blind its prey, will spray out enough of a smokescreen to blind the jurors from seeing or focusing on the real facts and truth.

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