Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony.

• Author: Lewis, Mark

Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony

By Jeff Ashton with Lisa Pulitzer

Disclosure: 1) I am a prosecutor; 2) I know and have great regard for Jeff Ashton; 3) I think the jury got it wrong.

Although not necessarily written for this purpose, Jeff Ashton, in his book about the Casey Anthony trial, appears to try to understand how the jury, given the formidable circumstantial evidence and the overwhelming number of incidents of the defendant's lies, could have reached a "not guilty" verdict in such a short amount of time.

The majority of the book concentrates on the investigation leading up to the filing of charges and the ultimate trial. Ashton, who came onto the prosecution team due to his expertise in scientific evidence, presents a compelling case for conviction, even in light of the medical examiner's inability to specify a cause of death. As prosecutors often state in closing arguments, while people may not always be telling the truth, the circumstantial evidence does not lie.

On the subject of lying, Ashton documents the incredible number of times during the investigation that Casey was caught telling one false tale after another. He depicts a person who would unashamedly lie until backed into a corner, which is what literally happened when she led investigators through Universal Studios to...