Attorneys for media organizations and publications file a motion for Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. to release the names of the 12 jurors in the trial of Casey Marie Anthony. A hearing was held Thursday to discuss matters and Perry reserved ruling until the "cooling down" phase of the case is at ease before he approves or denies the motion.
Casey's first-degree murder trial ended on Tuesday, resulting in her acquittal that left many people angered and wondering why. She was accused of the killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony, in 2008, by the suffocation of duct tape to her nose and mouth.
Rachel Fugate represented the Orlando Sentinel, WFTV, Tampa Tribune and the Associated Press, alongside Alison Steele and Anne Arsenhault who are the attorneys for the St. Petersburg Times. They disagree with Perry concealing the names of the jurors.
The jury has expressed to the court administration that they don't want to speak. What was supposed to be a press conference on Tuesday ended up not being so, after the jury declined to attend. "We asked each of them if they wanted or not wanted to talk and they indicated they did not want to talk," said Perry.
One of Perry's main concerns is the safety of the jury, which included five men and seven women. "Some people would like to take something out on them," Perry said.
Fugate said although the safety concerns are a legitimate matter, they are "not enough to weigh in favor of essentially having an anonymous jury" because it "strikes to the very core of our judiciary and our open court system." She said she would like the public to understand the verdict the jury has returned.
Fugate argues that while the trial was still in continuance, the jurors were sequestered in order to be ridden of any opinions provided by outsiders, but says at this point in time, there are people interested in contacting them "to ensure the legitimacy of the verdict."
"It is the right of the public in this community to ask the question," said Fugate.
Fugate also stated that not only to jurors have no choice to sit in at a trial, but witnesses are subpoenaed as well and have the obligation to face "intense public scrutiny" for opinions rendered.
"Do we now ask the citizens of Pinellas county to bare the burden of providing 24-hour protection to those individuals ... How long do they do it?" Perry asked.
He explained that Pinellas county, where the jurors were selected, was going through an extensive budget-cut and perhaps lack the funds necessary to put extra enforcement on safety, especially after a 3% reduction in deputies' and police officers' pay was made.
Fugate Steele expressed the urgency of collecting the names. "My clients would like the information as quickly as possible," Steele said. "It's already been two days."
A juror was interviewed already by the St. Petersburg Times but was in anonymity. An alternate Russell Huekler has already spoken out to networks, along with juror number three, Jennifer Ford.
In an interview with ABC news, Huekler said he agreed with the not guilty verdict his fellow jurors voted upon. "There was so much reasonable doubt," Huekler said. "The prosecution did not present the evidence that showed that Caylee had been murdered. They didn't show a motive."
Ford came forth Wednesday and expressed in an interview with Dateline that the jurors were "sick to their stomach with verdict," because they felt not enough proof was provided to convict Casey of murder.
Jurors number six is asking for $50,000 to be interviewed, but it is unknown if any networks have provided the offer.
It was released when the trial ended that they were sequestered at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel on Universal Blvd. in Orlando for the six-and-a-half week stay in the city. The chief of due process services for the Orange County Courthouse said the hotel met their needs for this high profile case, including state rates, security and flexibility.
"The hotel was willing to accomdate the Court's needs by housing the jurors in designated areas and restricting certain channels at no extra cost," Levey said. "Also, the hotel's dining areas were able to guarantee the jurors' privacy during their extended stay."
Perry decided not to give approval or disproval of the motion as of yet.
"There are some people who have exercised their right ... Their right to privacy; that they want to be left alone," he asserted. "That's where I find myself in a quandary."
"Let the emotions simmer down," Perry concluded.
(Photography by Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)
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