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

Interesting Perspective

Whether you believed Casey to be innocent or guilty, Jeff Ashton's narrative of the events through her trial are very interesting. He had a position during the investigation where he was involved in the minute details of the case and in this book he reveals quite a lot of them to the reader. While he adamantly believes Casey is guilty, he does play a devil's advocate during parts of his telling of the trial where he concedes the defense made some good calls. I think that for anyone who had or has questions about what happened in this case and enjoys a true crime documentarian perspective will find Imperfect Justice hard to put down.

Awesome recount of the fight for Caylee Marie

Even though I knew exactly how this trial would end - I felt myself in such full support of the amazing fight the prosecution brought forward to convict Casey. Such a passionate group of attorneys who had such profound evidence - I am in shock all over again by the verdict. Thank you Mr. Ashton for your time to write this and your voice to tell the story. Very good audiobook of what is actually a sad but such a powerful story.

Amazing...

Breaks my heart what this beautiful baby experienced... Jeff does a great job in taking through the story of the trail and allowing you to connect to what they saw and experienced in the court room.

Frustrating!!

I understand starting off the book with the outcome of the trial, because we know what it was, but that made it 100 times harder to learn how meticulously gathered and overwhelming the evidence was.

I wish there were a way to bring charges against the jurors who clearly did not even abide by the minimum commitment they made to seriously consider, and ponder the evidence.

Well done behind-the-scenes glimpse of the prosecution's case, but totally BS that the jury was able to so callously and ignorantly disregard all of it. Shame on them.

excellent

insightful and fast paced. fantastic examination of the Caylee Anthony case from the man who knows it best. highly recommend

So Disappointed in our System of Justice

There was very little information that was new to me in the book, but I really followed the case closely while it was happening. It was news to me that Casey blamed everything on George and that her Attorney's tried to get her to accept a plea.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the case this is a very succinct and detailed retelling of the entire case. It is well told by Jeff Ashton as narrator. I appreciate his candor and his humor in his retelling of the story.
My disappointment in our justice system is in the fact that Jose Baez can get up there and brazenly lie about the facts of the case, then not support his lies AT ALL with any testimony what so ever. But his so doing caused enough confusion for the jury that they felt they could not make a decision. I thought a trial was an effort to find the truth, not an effort to confuse with lies and deceit presented as facts.

Glad he and Lisa Pulizer wrote it.

It's a great story. I side with the defense on evidence, so I enjoyed listening to Ashton lose again.

Be warned: If you want more incriminating evidence to be part of this book, you'll be disappointed. Nothing new is here revealed.

Great book for wanting in the minds of the prosecution’s case

I don’t have one complaint. Mr. Ashton did very well in explaining not only the details of the case, but the path they took to conviction and what might have went wrong. I had no doubt in my mind that Casey Anthony killed her daughter, and this book just solidified it. I was young when then happened and I remember then and now what a loss the whole world felt. I hope that little girl knows how much she is loved and missed dearly and it’s despicable that her own mother would betray all the love and trust that little girl had for her mom. I wish Casey nothing but the absolute worst in her life following what she has done, and I hope she thinks about it everyday.

Clearly written, detailed and concise

I've been wondering for years how 12 people could have gotten it so wrong and acquitted a murderer. Spoiler alert: this book clearly explains how it was determined, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Caylee Anthony was definitely murdered. It describes all the ways that Casey Anthony sought to cover up the crime, probably knew that her daughter was dead, may or may not have known her whereabouts, and partied like crazy after her daughter disappeared. They proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Casey Anthony was a compulsive liar and a horrible person. But the prosecution never clearly established the connection between Casey herself and Caylee's death. They never prove that Casey committed the murder. The reader is left wondering if one of Casey's boyfriends could have been the perpetrator. I TOTALLY get how 12 jurors could acquit Casey Anthony. All they could show was that she was likely guilty of hiding Casey's murder through a web of lies and deception. Did Casey do it? Probably, but I would have acquitted her, too.
Aside from a few "slow" spots with maybe a little too much detail about the jurors, I could barely stop listening. I kept waiting for the smoking gun that never came. A well-told story from someone who still thinks the jurors didn't have the IQ's to process the forensic evidence presented to them when, in reality, it simply failed to connect Casey directly to the act of murder itself.

Interesting

I found Jeff Ashton a compelling element in this trial. His passion for justice in this case was infectious. I loved his speaking style and voice.

Unfortunately, his narration falls a little flat. Sometimes he really "gets going" and the spark I found so enjoyable to listen to is there. More often, he sounds like he is reading something he is only mildly familiar with.

The review of the case is interesting, the "behind the scenes" is interesting. I was just expecting a little more from this book. Worth listening to but not as great as I had hoped.