Casey Anthony was found not guilty Tuesday of murdering her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, after a trial that riveted the nation with its twists and turns.
Anthony, 25, cried and then hugged her chief lawyer, Jose Baez, and other members of her defense team once all counts were read.
Chief Prosecutor Jeff Ashton, meanwhile, shook his head slightly from side to side in apparent disbelief.
Across the room, Anthony's father wiped tears from his eyes. Without speaking to Casey Anthony, he and his wife left the courtroom escorted by police as the judge thanked the jury.
Anthony was also found not guilty of child abuse and aggravated manslaughter.
The only counts Anthony was found guilty of were for providing false information to investigators looking into the June 2008 disappearance of her daughter. The child's body was found in the woods six months later and a medical examiner was never able to determine how she died.
Judge Belvin Perry said he would sentence Anthony on those four counts Thursday morning. Anthony remained in custody pending the sentencing.
Each count carries a maximum of one year in prison. If convicted of all four counts, Anthony could receive a sentence of four years if the sentence for each count is run consecutively. She could also get credit for time served and has already spent almost three years in jail awaiting trial.
The jury deliberated for under 10 hours over the last two days and after hearing 33 days of testimony.
Given the relative speed with which the jury came back with a verdict, many court-watchers were expecting Anthony to be convicted in the killing, and they were stunned by the outcome.
Doug Berman, a criminal law professor at Ohio State University, said that while popular opinion came to the conclusion Anthony was guilty, jurors must hold to a higher standard one of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
"In some sense, it's a sign that the system worked well," Berman said. "The job of the system is not to turn this into a Hollywood ending, but to have all the actors in the system do the job to the best of their ability."
The 12 jurors, seven women and five men, declined to talk to the media afterward. The judge did not release their names.
Defense, prosecution speak afterwards Both legal teams addressed reporters afterwards.
"While we're happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case," Baez said. "Caylee has passed on far, far too soon. And what my driving force has been for the last three years has been always to make sure that there has been justice for Caylee and Casey, because Casey did not murder Caylee. It's that simple."
NOT SUPRISE AT ALL...INFACT IF I WAS A JUROR I WOULD RETURN A NOT GUILTY VERDICT TOO. 1. ALL THE PROSECUTION CASE WAS TOTALLY CIRCUMSTANTIAL 2. THE PENALTY FOR THE CHARGES SHE HAD WAS THE DEATH PENALTY 3. TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SENTENCING SOMEONE TO DEATH YOU HAVE TO BE SURE "BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT THAT SHE DID IT" 4. PROSECUTORS WERE NOT EVEN ABLE TO TELL THE CAUSE OF DEATH 4. IF YOU CANT EVEN DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF DEATH HOW CAN U TELL ME WHO DID IT? 5. THE DEFENCE CLEARLY SHOWED THAT MORE THAN ONE PERSON HAD A MOTIVE FOR KILLING THE CHILD AND THAT THE FAMILY WAS ALL SCREWED UP 6. SINCE THE DEFENSE LAWYER CLEARLY SHOWED THAT THEIR WERE OTHER THEORIES OUT THERE THAT COULDA HAVE TAKEN PLACE INCLUDING AN ACIDENTAL DEATH, THAT WAS COVERED UP BY THE FAMILY OR EVEN CASEY. HE WAS ABLE TO CREATE REASONABLE DOUBT. tHAT IS ALL HE NEEDED TO DO 7. INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
I TOTALLY BELEIVE SHE KILLED THE CHILD OR HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT...BUT THE MERE FACT THAT THEIR IS REASONABLE DOUBT EVEN BY 0.1% SHE DID NOT DO IT I WOULD STILL NOT RETURN GUILTY BASED ON MY FEELINGS ONLY...I WOULD BASE IT ON JUDICIAL PROCEDURES INSTEAD