jeff ashton today talked about the duct tape as a murder weapon. let's take a look at this one. >> why would you put duct tape over the face of a child? well, there's two reasons, one is perhaps to silence them, but then why do you need three? remember, this case, there wasn't one piece of duct tape placed over caylee's face, there were three, overlapping at angels, placed over her face. you need three because your purpose is not to simply silence the child, your purpose is to make sure the child cannot breathe. one, two, three. and then the child dies. >> judge jeanine: wow. you've got the prosecutor describing the actual act of murder, the number of pieces of duct tape. holly, how is the jury responding to this one? >> you know, judge, this was right around 10:30 this morning and it was around, if not half the time that the jury typically gets a little mid morning break, and i noticed them getting very fittingy, i didn't notice any facial expressions or anything like that, but this is the first time during this trial that i have noticed at least

i think jeff ashton stayed away from trying to go too ". he's trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. still didn't give you the when, the where, didn't give you the how and didn't go into the use of the chloroform which to me is telling on the lack of premeditation. >> what we do have is jeff ashton talking about how casey spent her time between when allegedly caylee died and when the whole gig was up. let's listen to what jeff ashton says, some of the things she does. listen to this. >> casey anthony was at blockbuster on june 16th walking arm in arm with her boyfriend tony. caylee was in the trunk of her car in the early stages of decomposition. when casey returned to the house on the 17th or 18th, she backed her car into the garage with the intention of burying caylee in the back yard. she went to brian burner and borrowed a shovel. based upon the dog alerts in the back yard, she in all likelihood actually took caylee's body back to the back yard and set it down for a period of time. was digging too much work? perhaps. and she de

jeff ashton today talked about the duct tape as a murder weapon. let's take a look at this one. >> why would you put duct tape over the face of a child? well, there's two reasons, one is perhaps to silence them, but then why do you need three? remember, this case, there wasn't one piece of duct tape placed over caylee's face, there were three, overlapping at angels, placed over her face. you need three because your purpose is not to simply silence the child, your purpose is to make sure the child cannot breathe. one, two, three. and then the child dies. >> judge jeanine: wow. you've got the prosecutor describing the actual act of murder, the number of pieces of duct tape. holly, how is the jury responding to this one? >> you know, judge, this was right around 10:30 this morning and it was around, if not half the time that the jury typically gets a little mid morning break, and i noticed them getting very fittingy, i didn't notice any facial expressions or anything like that, but this is the first time during this trial that i have noticed at least

you heard jeff ashton talk about the three pieces of duct tape, the chloroform. i mean, everybody saw this evidence, circumstantial, people are saying. it's circumstantial. well, circumstantial evidence is as powerful as direct evidence. it's a series of circumstances that lead you to the belief that this person committed the crime. so while they charge first-degree premeditated murder, the jurors had options. it's my belief that they went back there and they didn't believe any involvement, like dan abrams had. they believed the defense's theory. because if they believed she had some involvement, there would have been a conviction on child abuse or aggravated manslaughter, something to prove she had an involvement in this case, and they didn't buy any of it. >> robin? >> i think there was a potential for overcharging. even us legal pundits weren't quite sure if this was a first-degree or was this an accident? that was the hard part of this case that resonated through. but the key problem here, this is the case for professional juries, if i've ever seen it. that s

you heard jeff ashton talk about the three pieces of duct tape, the chloroform. i mean, everybody saw this evidence, circumstantial, people are saying. it's circumstantial. well, circumstantial evidence is as powerful as direct evidence. it's a series of circumstances that lead you to the belief that this person committed the crime. so while they charge first-degree premeditated murder, the jurors had options. it's my belief that they went back there and they didn't believe any involvement, like dan abrams had. they believed the defense's theory. because if they believed she had some involvement, there would have been a conviction on child abuse or iaggravated manslaughter, something to prove she had an ninvolvement in this case, and they didn't buy any of it. >> robin? >> i think there was a potential for overcharging. even us legal pundits weren't quite sure if this was a first-degree or was this an accident? that was the hard part of this case that resonated through. but the key problem here, this is the case for professional juries, if i've ever seen it. that

you are going to hear prosecutor jeff ashton hear prosecutor jeff ashton abouananananannouncer ] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helpi drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ woman: saving for our child's college fund was getting. man: yes it was. so to save some money, we taught our 5 year old how to dunk. woman: scholarship! woman: honey go get him. anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. >> greta: letters casey anthony wrote behind bars are raising eyebrows. she writes about having more children. did you hear that? more children. she writes about wanting to have more children. between the years 2008, 2009 she wrote more than 50 letters to a fellow female inmate many she writes let's make a deal, let's get pr

you heard jeff ashton talk about the three pieces of duct tape, the chloroform. i mean, everybody saw this evidence. circumstantial, people are saying. it's circumstantial. well, circumstantial evidence is as powerful as direct evidence. it's a series of circumstances that lead you to the belief that this person committed the crime. and so while they charge first degree premeditated murder, the jurors had options. it's my belief that they went back there and they didn't believe any involvement, like dan abrams said. they believed the defense's theory. because if they believed she had some involvement, there would have been a conviction on child abuse or aggravated manslaughter, something to prove she had an involvement in this case, and they didn't buy any of it. >> robin, let me bring you in here. do you agree with that? i mean, do you think that's what went wrong here? >> well, i do think there was a potential for overcharging. even us legal pundits weren't quite sure if this was a first degree or was this an accident? that was the hard part of this case that r

>> -- what jeff ashton is going to do? >> at this point it is unclear if he's going to be back here nor sentencing tomorrow. we know for sure he's reretiring. i heard from sores when it looked -- like this case was going to trail in '09 he was looking to retire and was going to push retirement. who knows if he is going to full retirement or private practice. >> greta: book deals offered to anybody on the prosecution, defense, defendant, jurors, you heard anything about that? >> i do know that jose baez has hired a big time agent out of new york. he was on a news program tonight. i've heard many of some deals being made many i'm not sure if one was made for that interview. there are rumors swirling that casey would get a high dollar for her first interview. >> greta: that will be interesting to see if that happens. i wonder if she poison for most people in terms -- news organizations don't, in terms of the entertainment. entertainment networks, that she is poison. >> i have an issue any time anybody pays for an interview. t

>> jeff ashton is an experienced prosecutor. he did a masterful job in his closing argument with what he had. he did have direct evidence of pre-meditation. he didn't convince me that casey anthony is guilty of pre-meditated murder. >> no aggravated child abuse perhaps. let's see what they have. coming up the role the tiny victim's grandpa played. wait until you see george anthony's role as it's delineated in these closing arguments all he played in the continuing tragedy after this. >> george is getting trying to find out what is really going on but george is being told to stay out of it. if you read his suicide letter it says in there if you go to the third page it says i have tried for months in fact over a year, and i was told to stop being negative. george is trying to get beneath the layer of the lie but he's being told to stay out of it. stop being negative. casey's lies continue. >> george anthony, grandpa jo-jo to caylee has been a central figure since day one. what role did he play in the tragedy. jeff ashton mocks def

jeff ashton is here. naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. >> greta: what do you say to those who criticized this jury's verdict? >> they can criticize it. i understand some might have more of an emotional involvement that's understandable that they would criticize if they are emotion ali involved it affects them personally. fortunately, they picked people who -- who had no bias which equates to a fair trial which everyone in this country deserves. >> greta: you just heard from juror number 3. here's more of our interview with the foreman and what he and other jurors thought about casey anthony's father george. jose baez's opening statement said there was child molestation in the family. george on casey and also lee. did you believe that? >> no. >> greta: you didn't believe it? >> there was no evidence to back that. so i could not take that into consideration. that was not a discussion of ours. when we got

ashton's imagination. >> greta: i talked to jeff ashton the prosecutor. i asked him -- she disappeared in june or died in june. there was a call in august by the meter reader. then the remains were found in december. i asked him if the remains had been found in august, when the first call was made, whether there would have been more forensic clues which would have indicated cause of death? he said even that was too late. do you agree or not agree? >> i don't agree. it is possible. it is possible, possible, that's the case we the fact of the matter is, the child was alive june 16th. was seen with the grandfather. if the sheriff's department had done their job, i'll always wonder why they couldn't do the slightest thing. mr. kronk, not known to any of these people, not involved. he called and told them he found a skull. he told his co-workers that were with him, he found a skull. it was located only 19 feet from the edge of the pavement. how in the world, detective, deputy, any law enforcement officer responding to that, particularly in light of the profile

ashton's imagination. >> greta: i talked to jeff ashton the prosecutor. i asked him -- she disappeared in june or died in june. there was a call in august by the meter reader. then the remains were found in december. i asked him if the remains had been found in august, when the first call was made, whether there would have been more forensic clues which would have indicated cause of death? he said even that was too late. do you agree or not agree? >> i don't agree. it is possible. it is possible, possible, that's the case we the fact of the matter is, the child was alive june 16th. was seen with the grandfather. if the sheriff's department had done their job, i'll always wonder why they couldn't do the slightest thing. mr. kronk, not known to any of these people, not involved. he called and told them he found a skull. he told his co-workers that were with him, he found a skull. it was located only 19 feet from the edge of the pavement. how in the world, detective, deputy, any law enforcement officer responding to that, particularly in light of the profile

let's play jeff ashton the prosecutor. here it is. >>> no real hard evidence, no dna, no fingerprints, nothing, but she is liar and flake. convict her on that and she lied. she didn't act the way she means too to but let's make her pay for her life. that is what the case about. an accident that snowballed out of control. it's out of control right now. >> gregg: wrong sound bite, he is using the testimony of george anthony's alleged mistress to suggest that george confessed it was all an accidental drowning? >> absolutely. what he is doing is taking any piece of evidence he can in this case and using it to his advantage, attempting to show doubt. look, they have already admitted the defense has, there was a death here. it's not a who done it case, it's a case you would ultimately conclude whether premeditated or was it done by accident. if he establishes and the jury could believe that it was accidental, you have saved her life and you mitigate the charges. it's no-no longer murder one. >> gregg: we'll talk about why we're

so what jeff ashton, the prosecutor is saying, she's crazy like a fox. there is a method to her madness. in fact, he went on to say in that little clip, every time she gets caught in a lie and it's not working, she change it up. he calls it casey 3.0. this is the latest version of the story. while the defense wants to say, oh, she's so crazy she's cuckoo for cocoa puffs, jeff ashton is saying, no, no no. it is deliberate, it is intentional and just because you come from a dysfunctional family, it does not turn you into a murderer. there are tons of people from dysfunctional families who don't kill their children. >> jane developi ivelez-mitchel played higher? was at this time lies? the duct tape? the smell in the car? what played higher for the prosecution today? >> they went through it all. first they did a psychological profile of casey anthony as this consummate liar complimenting her. then they ended with the forensics with all the thing that were found at the scene of the remain that they can connect to casey anthony or the anthony home. like the be

i think jeff ashton set a trap for jose baez. when i said he trusted the jury, i wasn't suggesting he won't have a great rebuttal. but to me it's like he's saying to baez, i set my fish, the line is out. i'm going to let you return and tire yourself out and then bring you in. he's setting a trap. he's going to have baez up there for hours, trying to fill everything in. ashton is going to get up there or ms. burdick is going to get up and say, are you kidding me? common sense? why doesn't he say the man from mars is responsible for this. >> i'll be surprised if we don't see the superimposition of the live face of caylee and then they went and showed the skeletal remains which never should have been put into evidence, but since it was, i would be surprised if he didn't end with that. >> i'll go on a limb. jose baez, i still think he should front the ridiculousness of his opening. to get up and focus in on the when, the where, the how and the what and punch the holes that he did punch during the trial, and then sit down. he has then

jeff ashton is here. what does he have to say about the verdict? was he prepared for casey to take the stand? hear from jeff ashton, next. >> a very sensitive and tricky situation, george and cindy anthony testified multiple times for the defense and prosecution. did casey's parents help or hurt her case? our legal panel is here, stay tuned. [ male announcer ] this...is the network -- a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more amecans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... f greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. >> greta: the unanimous verdict had many gasping, especially the prosecution. prosecutors argued that caylee was suffocated by her mother and she lied to the police to cover-up her crime. after 11 hours of deliberation

so what jeff ashton, the prosecutor is saying, she's crazy like a fox. there is a method to her madness. in fact, he went on to say in that little clip, every time she gets caught in a lie and it's not working, she change it up. he calls it casey 3.0. this is the latest version of the story. while the defense wants to say, oh, she's so crazy she's cuckoo for cocoa puffs, jeff ashton is saying, no, no no. there is a method. it is deliberate. it is intentional. and just because you come from a dysfunctional family, it does not turn you into a murderer. there are tons of people from dysfunctional families who don't kill their children. >> jane velez-mitchell, what played higher? the duct tape? the smell in the car? what played higher for the prosecution today? >> they went through it all. first they did a psychological profile of casey anthony as this consummate liar complimenting her. how clever she is. then they ended with the forensics with all the thing that were found at the scene of the remain that they can connect to casey anthony or the anthony home

jeff ashton is here. what does he have to say about the verdict? was he prepared for casey to take the stand? hear from jeff ashton, next. >> a very sensitive and tricky situation, george and cindy anthony testified multiple times for the defense and prosecution. did casey's parents help or hurt her case? our legal panel is here, stay tuned. ♪ we believe doing the right thing never goes unnoticed. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more amecans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... f greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. >> greta: the unanimous verdict had many gasping, especially the prosecution. prosecutors argued that caylee was suffocated by her mother and

here's jeff ashton in one of the most stark moments in his closing argument just a few moments ago. >> a trip down the rabbit hole into a bizarre world where men who love their granddaughters find them drowned and do nothing. where men who love their granddaughters take an accident, a completely innocent act and make it look like a murder. for no reason. a world where a man who buries his pets will take the granddaughter who was the love of his life and throw her in a swamp. this is the world that the defense invites you to occupy. . verizon claims its 4lt is twice afast as at&t. we're putting them to the test against the speed of a rescue unit. go ! they're downloading a music album. the first network to finish gets rescued. does your phone know that we're racing ? done ! verizon's done ! i've got seven left ! the fastest network in america. verizon. built so you can rule the air. now powering the lg revolution. fiber one. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. uh, forgot jack's ceal. [ jack ] wt's for breakfast? uh, try the number one! i've never heard of that. [ wife ] it's grea

i mean i think that jeff ashton did a tremendous job at the beginning in closing argument. david mattingly talked about the breakup. but what happened back there is judge perry admonished both lawyers, both jeff ashton and jose baez with a fairly serious sanction here. and i think those sort of ant s antics, smiling and gesturing and shaking your heads, generally don't do those sort of things. look. what jose baez did in referring to ashton as laughing boy or something like that was inappropriate. and, you know, this is no johnnie cochran. but baez, to his credit, has gotten a couple of points across. i think the phrase "fantasy of forensics" will stick with the jury. i think he's had a couple of very powerful points, fredricka. and the bottom line is that he has been going for a little bit over two hours. i think richard and i agree that we're not going see very much more. >> yeah. >> and then at that point we're probably looking at least another two hours. so when judge perry says instructions the charges will be tomorrow, that's right. the question is how long the rebutt

she never made eye contact with jeff ashton. kate? >> nbc's kerry sanders in orlando tonight, thank you so much. for more on today's closing arguments, we're now joined by kendall coffey, a former u.s. attorney in florida, who has worked on many high-profile cases. he has been closely watching this trial. good evening to you. as you look back, which side has the stronger case after a month-long trial? >> well, the prosecution has a strong circumstantial case based on plenty of forensic evidence. but the question is, do they have without any smoking gun, evidence enough to prove premeditated murder by a mother who apparently loved her child beyond a reasonable doubt? that's why i think in the final analysis, the first-degree murder charge, premeditation, is going to be a close call. >> how important are closing arguments? today's closing arguments? is it your experience that generally jurors already have their minds made up by this point in a trial? or can they be the clincher? >> well i think plenty of the jurors have got very strong

she never made eye contact with jeff ashton. kate? >> nbc's kerry sanders in orlando tonight, thank you so much. for more on today's closing arguments, we're now joined by kendall coffey, a former u.s. attorney in florida, who has worked on many high-profile cases. he's watching this trial. good evening to you. as you look back, which side has the stronger case after a month-long trial? >> well, the prosecution has a strong circumstantial case based on plenty of forensic evidence. but the question is, do they have without any smoking gun, evidence enough to prove premeditated murder by a mother who apparently loved her child beyond a reasonable doubt? that's why i think in the final analysis, the first-degree murder charge, premeditation, is going to be a close call. >> how important are closing arguments? today's closing arguments? is it your experience that generally jurors already have their minds made up by this point in a trial? or can they be the clincher? >> well i think plenty of the jurors have got very strong feelings before

. >> reporter: prosecutors jeff ashton and linda drane berdick. they did not comment. >> we're disappointed with the verdict today. >> their boss and state attorney, lawson lamar. >> i never, ever criticize a jury. theirs is the task of deciding what to believe. >> reporter: the lead prosecutor in this case, jeff ashton, announced this will be his last case. he is now retiring. the jurors were given an opportunity to comment. they chose not to. they are, tonight, on their way back home to st. petersburg, florida. about 100 miles from here. they've been sequestered in orlando. cindy and george anthony released a statement from their attorney that reads in part -- while the family may never know what happened to caylee marie anthony they now have closure for this chapter of their life. brian? >> kerry sanders starting us off in orlando, thanks. >>> we're joined here in the studio by our friend from "today on nbc" savannah guthrie, former white house correspondent for us and long-time lawyer as someone that's covered a lot of these trials and you mad

. >> reporter: prosecutors jeff ashton and linda drane berdick. >> and their boss -- >> i never, ever criticize a jury. theirs is the task of decide what can to believe. >> reporter: the lead prosecutor in this case, jeff ashton, announced this will be his last case. he is now retiring. the jurors were given an opportunity to comment. they chose not to. they are, tonight, on their way back home to st. petersburg, florida. about 100 miles from here. they've been sequestered in orlando. cindy and george anthony released a statement from their attorney that reads in part -- while the family may never know what happened to caylee marie anthony they now have closure for this chapter of their life. brian? >> kerry sanders starting us off in orlando, thanks. >>> we're joined here in the studio by our friend from "today on nbc" savannah guthrie, former white house correspondent for us and long-time lawyer as someone that's covered a lot of these trials and you made a point with me earlier today about the law that i found so interesting. it applies directly 20 what we witnessed. >> so many peo

jeff ashton got up, boom, boom, 45 minutes mu. laid out what he needed. >> when did the dust-up half? after lunch or before lunch? >> this was after. >> david this was after lunch, but there was a long lunch break. i'm sure you got to sample the mood or the temperature there. take us inside of what's happening in the courtroom and in orlando, outside of the courtroom where you are as we get down to the final moments here. >> the jury has been paying very, very close attention to what is going on inside that courtroom. it's only been in the last hour or so that they started to f fidget around in their seats. you talked about how long the defense is taking with closing arguments, they had an awful lot to cover. we had over 100 witnesses called in this case and now they're going through piece by piece driving home the point of what they're calling fantasy forensics. they are also calling out every opportunity they can reasonable doubt saying there is no cause of death here, there's no fingerprints, there's no dna. some very big blind

and the jury won't know that because jeff ashton did what he did, he is not a dog with a bone, but a dog with a cow, here. >> i want to go around to all of you and ask if you can quickly about the verdict. >> first-degree murder and no death penalty, because they want to parse the blame out, and the apple does not fall far from the tree, and they know that cindy is a liar, and no death penalty. >> drew? >> well, one of the key things that we have to look at is see what the state says about the closing argument, because jane said there are a lot of unanswered question, and will they lay out the time and the place of how they believe she was killed, or leave it up to the jurors, and how much weight will the jurors give to it? >> and jane? >> what i have learned, don, never predict what the jury will do, because they don't hear all of the hullabaloo, because they are in a vacuum and they are experiencing the trial in a completely different way than you and i are, so i won't predict. >> and jim, you have soon the cases from start to finish and been in court with many of them, and talk to

but jeff ashton even said, look, weigh this as you want, okay? don't listen to me, take this as how you want. but then he turned it over to his co-counsel who just drove the point home that this was about common sense. i don't think the jury's going to be caught up on the science because that's not how the prosecution handled this case. rightfully so. jon: nicole, as you point out, it only takes one juror. did the defense put enough doubt out there for this jury that one person might seize on it? >> well, the only people that know are those jurors, and really that's what a good defense attorney should be doing is trying to find that one juror at least who can hold their ground and decide that the case has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, so if he had gotten to any of these jurors, that's all it takes. >> hey, nicole, you'd rather be sitting here than in the studio right now, wouldn't you? i mean, inside the courtroom, you don't want to be waiting for this verdict right now. >> oh, absolutely. i'd definitely want to be, you know -- i don

joining us is the prosecutor, jeff ashton. you still believe in your heart that she is a murderer. knowing that she will be on the streets in just a few days, what goes through your mind? >> well, i mean, we obviously didn't prosecute the case unless we believed in it, so we still do. at this point, the jury has spoken. they are the ones who have decided the case and we have to respect that. when she's on the street, i simply hope that people will just leave her alone. >> do you view her at all as a threat to public safety, a risk? >> i would be concerned if she was a caretaker of children again. but, no. i think she's at greater risk from the public right now than vice versa. >> let's talk a bit about the case. some of the jurors coming out -- i want you to listen to jennifer. she told abc that one of the issues that was so difficult, some of them talked about being sick to their stomach a. hunch that they might have done it but couldn't vote guilty because it was a capital murder case. let's listen to jennifer ford. >> i think it was mentioned a few times that she charged her wit

>> lead prosecutor in the case, jeff ashton is my guest right now. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> i know it's been a whirlwind for you since the verdict came down but now we're starting to hear from the jurors. one thing is they couldn't get to murder. the evidence, according to them, did not get them to murder. did you ever think that in your wildest dreams? >> i didn't. and, you know, when we look at the photographs of how caylee was found and the evidence, you know, we saw something. obviously, the jurors didn't see it and that's part of the jury system is they get to look at it the way they look at it. but i'd always said that if someone could look at the photographs of how she was found, the duct tape, where it was and i know most people didn't get to see it in an unblurred way which is good, you know, but, you know, it said something to me. and obviously, it didn't to them and that's the jury system. >> so the cause of death, obviously, you would have hoped that the coroner could have come to the stand. she did say it was homicide. but

. >> reporter: prosecutors jeff ashton and linda drane berdick. they did not comment. >> we're disappointed with the verdict today. >> and their boss -- >> i never, ever criticize a jury. theirs is the task of deciding what to believe. >> reporter: the lead prosecutor in this case, jeff ashton, announced this will be his last case. he is now retiring. the jurors were given an opportunity to comment. they chose not to. they are, tonight, on their way back home to st. petersburg, florida. about 100 miles from here. they've been sequestered in orlando. cindy and george anthony released a statement from their attorney that reads in part -- while the family may never know what happened to caylee marie anthony they now have closure for this chapter of their life. brian? >> kerry sanders starting us off in orlando, thanks. >>> we're joined here in the studio by our friend from "today on nbc" savannah guthrie, former white house correspondent for us and long-time lawyer as someone that's covered a lot of these trials and you made a point with me earlier t

jeff ashton told the jury there is only one reason to do that torque suffocate her. that is why he says there is premeditation he, which is why he is arguing that the jury should find her guilty of first degree murder. they also saw full screens on the monitors inside. photographs taken from the woods where caylee was found, including that little t-shirt that was in tatters which originally said, "big trouble comes in small packages." shannon? >> phil keating, thank you so much. you have been on this around the clock. we'll check back in with you and the recess right now. as it gets underway, we'll check now. joining us now with a bit more analysis, criminal defense attorney joseph viacava. welcome today, sir. i want to start asking what is your impression from what you have heard from both sides so far this morning? >> well, the prosecution did an excellent job of outlining their case in a methodical organized manner which is helpful for jurors. the defense lawyer has his work cut out for him to explain all the inconsistencies in the client's story and his defense.

. >> jeff ashton, the lead prosecutor, is there with the rebuttal which he just ended after about an hour and we are in a 20-minute break, and joseph, let me ask you, because that is a common sense appeal, and did he lose it point by point by point and could he have stuck with some of the more common sense themes? >> absolutely. he lost the jury, when he went close to 40 minutes outlining the junk science what i call the junk science. >> but doesn't it say to you yesterday that when they were talking about the, as they put pit fantasy of forensics, that that got to the prosecution, and they felt obviously a need that they had t respond to that in a point by point by point way. >> and obviously the defense made a point and hung their hat on that this was junk science and not allowed in court and first time allowed in court and not much peer review on these topics. and yes, they scored point, and what the prosecution tried to do and fell flat in attempts is to try to rehabilitate it and bring it back to life, but at the point they tried to bring out the xhcommonsense approach, it s too

. >> judge jeanine: it seems jeff ashton did more of the forensic stuff and linda does the fire and brimstone take it away and ends with the picture of the tattoo and casey anthony dancing up a storm. >> i've been covering this story for three years. it takes a lot. a lot of rehashing today. for some reason, when she said that and played a conversation with casey anthony and her parents where she is dropping if bombs and telling them off -- dropping f-bombs and telling them off in this fit of rage and theres this picture up, very emotional. >> we can only wonder what the jury is thinking. you were in the courtroom. you were looking at that jury. any emotion other than the back and forth that you talked about? >> they've been paying extremely good attention. particularly, today. yesterday i only noticed one juror taking noticed -- taking notes. today i noticed four. when there was the 911 call played where cindy anthony had this emotional outburst the one we've heard where we found my daughter's car today and smells like a dead body in the trunk. two jurors looking straight over to casey to se

. >> reporter: lead prosecutor jeff ashton told beth about karas object "in session" his team felt they did everything they could in presenting the case. >> the idea that somebody would put duct tape on a child after they were dead, to me, just makes so little sense that it left only the possibility of the tape being used to kill caylee. i didn't think there was any other reasonable explanation. >> reporter: jose baez, lead defense attorney, told abc news that the prosecution's mistake was charging casey anthony with first-degree murder. >> they have the power to charge anyone for any charge that they feel they can prove. so if they are going to bring it they better be able to prove it. >> reporter: baez said casey is misunderstood and he is afraid for her safety once she's free. >> i think casey can -- could have been anything she wanted in this world. and i think there are still plenty of things casey can do in life. i think that casey can be a productive member of society. >> reporter: jose baez says he will be asking the judge for casey anthony's release today. we will see what happ

now jeff ashton, the lead prosecutor in this case, said he was, of course, disappointed. he postponed his retirement. he put three years of his life into this case. but he says he's had cases where the juries have deliberated more. he spoke to us early today. >> i -- i cannot believe that's what happened. but again, beyond a reasonable doubt is a high standard. and, you know, the jurors may have thought as i do but beyond a reasonable doubt is a high standard. i respect the fact that they, you know, applied the law to the case as they saw it. >> reporter: and so as we move forward, judge perry's courtroom will be back in business tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. when casey anthony will be brought in and he will sentence her on those misdemeanor charges. i spoke to the jail and the jail tells me that they do have a security plan in place if the judge allows her to walk free. her attorneys intend on fighting for that. and if she walks free, the jail has made a very clear point that they are not going to reveal how that will take place. whether she'll walk out of the courthouse, whether

so rather than going down the rabbit hole as jeff ashton referred to yesterday, they can look back and look at the big picture and not get lost in the trees of the forest and see this case for what it really is. i think that she pretty much dispelled and shutdown all of what seem to be cockamamie theories, and i thought she was powerful and masterful sglcht and in your experience of a case like this, there is so much csi-kind of evidence, but the obvious gaping hole in the prosecution's case which is that they have no cause of death which allowed this opening for the idea that there could have been an accidental drowning, how does a jury weigh that? how do they weigh this expert testimony which is often contradictory with commonsense with the emotion? >> well, i think it is going to be very difficult for the jury to weigh all of the evidence in this case. however, what linda did say which is one of the most important things of this case is to look at the totality of the evidence. the big picture here. what does all of this evidence altogether suggest? and that is really what the jury i

that's where i run into jeff ashton in the hallway there. he was very pumped up. he clearly felt that verdict was going to go their way, as did many because they thought it was a short deliberation, usually meant it was going the prosecution's way. into the courtroom everybody is silent. it is packed. every seat is taken. then you watch the defendant come, in casey anthony. she was clearly very shaken, trembling. she had tears in her eyes. her attorneys were crowding around her. they were speaking to her in soft tones. they obviously had a fear this could not go their way. then you had the verdict that was read. and what a 180. as far as everybody that was listening, there was no sound. they were literally left speechless because of what they had heard. the only sounds in the courtroom were gasps, literally, coming from the defense team. and then sons. -- sobs. this was not high five period yet, not hugs yet. it was an sob as if every emotion they had tied up in all of them came coming at once and they went into that group hug there. then you also saw casey's reac