Imperfect Justice

Prosecuting Casey Anthony

By: Jeff Ashton

Narrated by: Jeff Ashton

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Filled with explosive new information, this is the definitive inside story of the case that captivated the nation and the verdict that no one saw coming....

It was the trial that stunned America, the verdict that shocked us all. On July 5, 2011, nearly three years after her initial arrest, Casey Anthony walked away, virtually scot-free, from one of the most sensational murder trials of all time. She'd been accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, but the trial only left behind more questions: Was she actually innocent? What really happened to Caylee? Was this what justice really looked like?

In Imperfect Justice, prosecutor Jeff Ashton, one of the principal players in the case's drama, sheds light on those questions and much more, telling the behind-the-scenes story of the investigation, the trial, and the now-infamous verdict. Providing an inside account of the case, Ashton, a career prosecutor for the state of Florida, goes where the press and pundits have only speculated, detailing what really happened during the investigation, showing how the prosecution built their case, and explaining how a woman so shrouded in suspicion was proclaimed innocent.

Moving beyond the simple explanations, Ashton offers an in-depth look at the complex figure of Casey Anthony, a woman whose lies he spent three years trying to understand. And yet this focus on Casey came with its own risks; here he details how this widespread fixation on Casey - both in the media and in the trial - may have undermined the case itself. As everyone got caught up in the quest to understand the supposed villain, somehow the victim, Caylee, was all but forgotten - not just to the public, but more important, to the jury.

Complete with never-before-revealed information about the case and the accused, Ashton examines what the prosecution got right, what they got wrong, and why he remains completely convinced of Casey Anthony's guilt.

©2011 Jeff Ashton (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Not guilty/You're kidding

I am a retired court reporter and I'm always amazed at juries. In my opinion the prosecution did prove she did it. The book was very interesting and well written. You would think that any intelligent person could understand the facts and convict her. The only consolation is that she will pay a very high price when God gets hold of her.

It all fits together!!!!

This book makes all the evidence so clear! It leaves no doubt about Casey
Anthony's guilt! This book will certainly have anyone on that jury knowing they made a really big mistake!

Amazing. Highly recommend.

I love prosecution books, especially when a prosecutor has strong emotion. The large reason I love to listen to these books is that there’s a lot of thoughts/evidence that may not be admissible in court but is still important. I think this is a way to get that information out there through the eyes of the law. Highly recommend.

Sincere and Hearfelt

You can tell the author comes from a sincere place and everything he said and did in the trial was in good faith. The most impactful part is his closing statements. It's worth a read just for the takeaway.

Just Okay

Did Jeff Ashton do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The storyteller was kind of "blah" and in my opinion the book would of been a lot better with a different reader.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt as though the story jumped around a little which made it a little hard to follow. I did find myself loosing interest often.

Excellent!!!

I am so glad that Jeff narrated this himself. What a dramatic read! I definitely recommend this.

Worth a listen, even if you think you know it all.

I was skeptical about the writer being the narrator, solely because the writer is a prosecutor by profession, and by no means a performer. But, when you think on it, you realize the legal teams behind some of the world's biggest cases must become actors, at least in some part, in order to deliver a case effectively to twelve undecided strangers.

Jeff Ashton's narration was easy to listen to, and hearing his own words in his own voice did serve to connect me more closely to his experience of the story. The murder of Caylee Anthony is one of those cases that draws every true crime enthusiast in. We all have our theories, biases, and conclusions. In his book, Jeff Ashton gives us yet another vantage point from which to surmise our version of the truth, as it is possible we will never know for sure what happened to little Caylee.

Engaging, informative, concise. No frill or flowers - just the facts, as he experienced them, with a little bit of "slice of life" thrown in, from the unique perspective of a prosecutor on one of the country's biggest cases.

Interesting end cap to the Anthony story

What did you love best about Imperfect Justice?

Jeff's rational and intelligent approach to the whole story. Insights to behind the scenes during the case and the evidence that was not presented.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how comprehensive it was. There was not much that was left out.

What does Jeff Ashton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I liked hearing his story even if he does come across a bit pompous at times.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

was the jury paying attention

Any additional comments?

Since a good deal of this story was revealed to me through Nancy Grace's obsessive coverage, jail house videos and 911 recordings, it was good to get a prosecutor's lay of events and people involved. I was impressed by Jeff's competence and intelligence. He stays clear of emotion which might diminish what the poor little girl suffered but helps to be more measured when exploring the sociopathic mother and her crooked lawyer. It is a more clinical and reserved examination of all the facts in the case. What continues to elude me and is not really explored by Jeff is the case of the grandmother. She continues to baffle me and maybe someone with more of a psychological background will need to cover that. Jeff basically says she chose her daughter over her granddaughter. I cannot fathom that degree of denial. The biggest mystery to me is the jury. After O.J. and now this case the jury system is deeply flawed and in need of a major overhaul. Maybe if it is as Jeff says the system works overall, special circumstances need to apply when such high profile cases are tried. The jury has so many different motives coming into play from those that just don't want to be there to those looking to benefit in some way. I guess that is also for another book.

Really good story.

Love this book, the details as told are fascinating.
However, I do wish that the author had chosen a professional narrator as his inflections are sometimes off.

Excellent book, extremely well told

in-depth and behind the scenes evidence proving Casey Anthony is every bit the manipulative narcissist child killer I thought she was. If you had any lingering doubts about her guilt, read this. The prosecutor and author tells a very honest and to the point story, he narrates well for Audible too. My only conclusion as to why she was found not guilty is that the jury had one brain between all of them and they were lazy on top of it. Poor Caylee.