Caylee’s Dead, Casey’s Free, and Ashton Profits

Consider this an addendum to ”Guilty Until proven Innocent: Casey Anthony and the Media”. In that piece, I decried how none of this media circus - much less the “outrage” expressed in the wake of the verdict - was about “Justice for Caylee” at all.

How do I know this? Simple observation.

Casey Anthony was sentenced earlier today (July 7, 2011) to 12 days in jail on four counts of Lying to Investigators. The State of Florida (probably looking to save face after such a bungle) is filing a motion to be able to pursue Anthony for costs incurred during the investigation due to being found guilty of the above charges. The State claims it is looking to recoup the costs of that investigation - including possibly suing Anthony, who may profit in the form of interviews, book deals, movie deals, you name it. Naturally, the State (as well as many other whom we’ll get to in a moment) are “outraged that Anthony would profit from the death of her little girl.

Meanwhile, lead prosecutor Jeff Ashton was not at the sentencing hearing this morning in the Orange County Courthouse. He announced his resignation after the acquittal on July 5, stating that he would remain on duty through July 7. Yet, he wasn’t in Orlando. So, where was Ashton during the sentencing hearing?

In New York. He had already appeared on The Today Show (NBC) and on Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell (HLN) on July 6. He appeared today on Good Morning America (ABC), Piers Morgan (CNN), Nancy Grace (HLN), and Joy Behar (HLN) making the media rounds. It’s safe to say that, just like Casey Anthony would be, that Ashton was paid for every one of those appearances.

So, if the State wants its investigation money back so bad, why doesn’t Ashton (still an employee of the State of Florida during his media appearances) donate his earnings to the state to recoup those costs? There is no plan to at the moment, leading to the conclusion that Ashton is profiting off of the death of Caylee Anthony just as much as Casey Anthony stands to. Those networks that had him on have had a fit with the idea of Anthony making money off of this ordeal, but have no qualms about paying Jeff Ashton, who skipped town the moment it was over to get his face on television. And yet, absolutely no one has called him on it.

The obvious hypocrisy is in the media and the State of Florida overlooking a State employee who failed to get the job done making money off of failing to provide “Justice for Caylee” while decrying Casey Anthony – who was found not guilty of any charges of murder or manslaughter, mind you – for doing the exact same thing. If the profiteer is one of the “good guys”, then it’s all good and fine, right?

That’s how I know that none of this entire ordeal was about “Justice for Caylee”. And, with that, I’m done dealing with it.