Imperfect Justice

Prosecuting Casey Anthony

By: Jeff Ashton

Narrated by: Jeff Ashton

Jeff Ashton was part of the prosecution team in the Florida homicide trial of Casey Anthony, the single mother accused of murdering her little girl, Caylee. The most sensational courtroom drama since the infamous O.J. Simpson affair, the Casey Anthony trial had people coast-to-coast riveted. In his stunning true crime masterwork, Imperfect Justice, Ashton gives a fascinating and impassioned insider’s account of the investigation, the trial, and the acquittal that shocked the nation, and makes a powerful case as to why allowing Anthony to walk free was a devastating travesty of justice.

So Disappointed in our System of Justice

There was very little information that was new to me in the book, but I really followed the case closely while it was happening. It was news to me that Casey blamed everything on George and that her Attorney's tried to get her to accept a plea.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the case this is a very succinct and detailed retelling of the entire case. It is well told by Jeff Ashton as narrator. I appreciate his candor and his humor in his retelling of the story.
My disappointment in our justice system is in the fact that Jose Baez can get up there and brazenly lie about the facts of the case, then not support his lies AT ALL with any testimony what so ever. But his so doing caused enough confusion for the jury that they felt they could not make a decision. I thought a trial was an effort to find the truth, not an effort to confuse with lies and deceit presented as facts.

Glad he and Lisa Pulizer wrote it.

It's a great story. I side with the defense on evidence, so I enjoyed listening to Ashton lose again.

Be warned: If you want more incriminating evidence to be part of this book, you'll be disappointed. Nothing new is here revealed.

Great book for wanting in the minds of the prosecution’s case

I don’t have one complaint. Mr. Ashton did very well in explaining not only the details of the case, but the path they took to conviction and what might have went wrong. I had no doubt in my mind that Casey Anthony killed her daughter, and this book just solidified it. I was young when then happened and I remember then and now what a loss the whole world felt. I hope that little girl knows how much she is loved and missed dearly and it’s despicable that her own mother would betray all the love and trust that little girl had for her mom. I wish Casey nothing but the absolute worst in her life following what she has done, and I hope she thinks about it everyday.

Clearly written, detailed and concise

I've been wondering for years how 12 people could have gotten it so wrong and acquitted a murderer. Spoiler alert: this book clearly explains how it was determined, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Caylee Anthony was definitely murdered. It describes all the ways that Casey Anthony sought to cover up the crime, probably knew that her daughter was dead, may or may not have known her whereabouts, and partied like crazy after her daughter disappeared. They proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Casey Anthony was a compulsive liar and a horrible person. But the prosecution never clearly established the connection between Casey herself and Caylee's death. They never prove that Casey committed the murder. The reader is left wondering if one of Casey's boyfriends could have been the perpetrator. I TOTALLY get how 12 jurors could acquit Casey Anthony. All they could show was that she was likely guilty of hiding Casey's murder through a web of lies and deception. Did Casey do it? Probably, but I would have acquitted her, too.
Aside from a few "slow" spots with maybe a little too much detail about the jurors, I could barely stop listening. I kept waiting for the smoking gun that never came. A well-told story from someone who still thinks the jurors didn't have the IQ's to process the forensic evidence presented to them when, in reality, it simply failed to connect Casey directly to the act of murder itself.

Interesting

I found Jeff Ashton a compelling element in this trial. His passion for justice in this case was infectious. I loved his speaking style and voice.

Unfortunately, his narration falls a little flat. Sometimes he really "gets going" and the spark I found so enjoyable to listen to is there. More often, he sounds like he is reading something he is only mildly familiar with.

The review of the case is interesting, the "behind the scenes" is interesting. I was just expecting a little more from this book. Worth listening to but not as great as I had hoped.