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

The rest of the story....

I was not one of the people who watched every second of the trial, but I saw enough to feel very strongly at the time that the jurors did not do their job. This book provided much more information and insight into why the jurors came to the conclusion they did. In the end though, a young child is still dead. As a mom, I don't understand how Casey and her family can continue to move forward like nothing happened. Cayley's life should have mattered more.

Excellent --grabs you.

Would you listen to Imperfect Justice again? Why?

Yes, further on down the road. Jeff Ashton does an excellent job of explaining all in one fell swoop what really happened. We viewed it on the news from day to day, we didn't get the whole picture clearly. There were so many things interjected by the defense, it made your eyes morph into pinwheels. This puts it all together step by step.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Prosecution team. They did a good job, with hands tied behind their backs as usual.

Which scene was your favorite?

Casey Anthony going to the Theme Park & waving to everyone, like she knew everyone there, and insisting to the police that she actually worked there, and ending up in a dead end in a corridor.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

4 Things that were mind baffling. 1. Poor George, the dad, who was accused of sexually molesting Casey, starting as a child. 2. The strange behavior of the mom with her vacillation back and forth of support of Casey. She just could not face reality as a personal defense mechanism for herself. 3. The frustration of a NOT GUILTY verdict. 4. Everyone here was a victim (the precious child, the parents, and the public) -- everyone was a victim except Casey Anthony. "She got away with murder."

Any additional comments?

This was excellent writing and information. In spite of the horrific crime, the book, itself, was interesting to listen to. It was an excellent summary for us to review what we watched at the time with our own lack of full information.

Made me angry

Great story, told well with great narration. Hated the outcome. I couldn’t recommend the book more.

Very well written

I purchased this audiobook because I followed this story with interest years ago as it unfolded. While much of the details has now faded from my memory, I remember the frustration I felt with Casey Anthony was found not guilty. I really appreciate the wonderful retelling of this story. It was riveting!

good overall

This gives a systematic blow by blow account of what happened from the very beginning to the very end of the Casey Anthony case. Yes, a lot of the information is already public knowledge. However, there are also a lot of gaps that we didn't get to see as members of the general public. If this case interested you, I would recommend you listen to this book. Jeff Ashton also does a great job with the narration.

Interesting content, terrible reading

While it was interesting to hear the inside details of the Casey Anthony case, Jeff Ashton's writing and narration were mediocre at best. His intonation oscillates between flat and soporific one moment, and oddly inflected the next, which is especially weird because he's reading his own words. And while I understand that the Casey Anthony case was highly controversial and polarizing (which is why it still fascinates people, I think), Ashton seems to have an axe to grind. He spends what I feel is an undue amount of time on calling the defense and the jury unintelligent and biased, which seems pretty rich for a man who mispronounces "minutia" three times, by my count. Still, he ends the book with a reminder that Casey's acquittal, while "unsatisfying" to many, is a legitimate product of the judicial system, and that what we should all take away from the case is to never forget the lesson of Caylee: cherish and protect those you love.

The honest truth is always a good read.

It's nice to hear the real truth and not a suger coated version, I think Kaylee deserves that much, she deserves to have her story told and Jeff Ashton tells it wonderfully.
R.I.P. Kaylee fly with the angels little baby.

Interesting perspective

What made the experience of listening to Imperfect Justice the most enjoyable?

I learned a lot that I hadn't heard about the case - albeit from a prosecutor's slant.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Imperfect Justice?

This book was more factual and we know the outcome, so there wasn't a lot of drama or suspense. I did find the passage about Casey trying to show investigators here imaginary office at Universal very interesting

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I thought the author made a bad choice in self-narrating, but all in all, it was fine.

Excellent Book.

I loved this book. Jeff Ashton is as wonderful a narrator as he is a prosecutor. This is a wonderful story, easy to follow. After finishing this book I am even more so shocked and disappointed in those jurors. The evidence was there. I am baffled am truly believe the jurors on this case are without a doubt the dumbest and most idiotic 12 people on the face of the earth. Casey herself could have confessed and those 12 morons still would have let her walk. They are heartless. In this book it is evident that Jeff Ashton cared for Caylee and fought passionately to bring her murdering no good mother to justice.

A fascinating look at a travesty of justice

Mr Ashton has written a very interesting account of his frustrations with the Casey Anthony case. He spent nearly three years involved in the prosecution of Anthony, a woman whose pathological lying and insolent behavior made her guilt obvious to nearly everyone. Her grandstanding attorney Jose Baez (a piece of work himself) and Anthony's mother behaved bizarrely and badly. It isn't clear to me that the jury system works anymore. People now seem to think that "beyond a reasonable doubt" means "beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Ashton reads the book himself, which was a great decision. He has a very good voice and read with conviction.