Tweet Helps Bounce Would-Be Juror In Casey Anthony Trial
CLEARWATER (CBSMiami.com) - There are lots of ways prospective jurors can be bounced off a jury panel. In the Clearwater jury selection for the murder trial of Casey Anthony, you can add Twitter to the list.
It's been slow going for attorneys trying to pick a total of 18 jurors and alternates who can fairly decide if Anthony murdered her daughter, Caylee. Now, in an effort to check out stories prospective jurors tell on the stand, attorneys have turned to tweets.
As prospective jurors answered questions Saturday about their background and qualifications to serve, lawyers instantly checked their responses against postings on online media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
It seems to have paid off. Prosecutors successfully challenged the seating of one prospective juror who they said had tweeted after a fender-bender, "Cops in Florida are idiots and completely useless."
Attorneys would use that to show the prospective juror might be less likely to accept the testimony of police officers as true.
So far, a dozen jurors have been selected, apparently having passed the social media screening.
Circuit Court Judge Belvin Perry said that once 15 prospective jurors are chosen, he would like to start swearing them in.
The 25-year-old Anthony is charged with killing her two-year old daughter Caylee in 2008. She has pleaded not guilty and told police that a baby-sitter kidnapped Caylee. Prospective jurors and the attorneys have a break Sunday, and the proceedings resume Monday.
