45°
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - When Ray Morabito heard that Casey Anthony was found not guilty for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Thursday, his opinion of the American justice system changed.
"The judicial system is out of whack," said Morabito, 67, a lifelong White Plains resident. "She should have gotten life without parole. And her mother and father were covering up. They should have gotten sentenced... The jurors should be shot."
On Thursday news that a jury found Anthony guilty only of four counts of lying to the police hit the streets of White Plains. The Florida jury decided there was not enough evidence linking Anthony to the death of her daughter Caylee Marie in June of 2008. She was found not guilty of murder and aggravated child abuse charges that could have gotten her a death sentence. Anthony has been in jail for 30 months and may be able to get out as early as this summer if her good behavior continues.
The Anthony case offered a well-publicized example of the state of parenting in America for some in White Plains, including Joel Springer.
"What's going on in families today?" said Springer, 43, a Bronx resident who works for a financial firm in White Plains. "She's accusing her dad of molesting her. The family is arguing. I'm a parent and I think parents today are so negligent. That's why things like this are happening. When anything like that happens to a child, the parents are responsible. The blood of her kid is on her hands. Justice in America has really fallen."
Others like Mary Ana Motta, 57, felt they would have judged the case similarly.
"Before people slam her they should make sure they know what they're talking about," said Motta, a White Plains resident hoping to sell knitted crafts at a gift shop and publish a book. "She doesn't look like a killer to me. She's under a lot of stress right now. That's why it's hard for her to remember everything. She may not have been lying. She might have just forgotten some details."
Follow the Daily White Plains on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to follow Daily Voice White Plains and receive free news updates.
