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Nancy Grace has arguably played a bigger role than anyone in making the Casey Anthony trial a nationwide media sensation and was visibly stunned over the not guilty verdict delivered Tuesday.
In the wake of the verdict, the HLN talk-show host been getting a lot of grief over her opinionated statements, declaring Anthony guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, even before the trial was over.
VIDEO: Casey Anthony Trial: Nancy Grace Reacts to Not-Guilty Verdict
But asked if there was anything she would have done differently herself given the opportunity to cover the story all over again, Grace told CNN there is only one thing she would change: “The only thing I would have done differently is put on my hip boots and gone down to Florida and looked for Caylee myself.”
Grace also defended her right to make those statement on national TV, citing the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. And she still isn’t giving up her belief that Anthony is guilty.
“I’d like to see her admit she’s guilty and go to jail,” she added. “Other than that, I’m not in the business of forgiving. That’s up to the lord. I’m just relieved that I believe, that I know, Caylee is in a place where her mother cannot hurt her anymore.”
STORY: Casey Anthony Trial: Hollywood Reacts to ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict on Twitter
Meanwhile, Grace has some ideas about how she would have handled the prosecution of Anthony had she been involved with the case.
For starters, the former prosecutor — said she believes the biggest mistake was made in jury selection.
“There were some obvious problem jurors: You had one on there with an arrest for DUI; another with an arrest for drug paraphernalia; one who, along with his sister, had beaten up their father; one juror who said she could not judge,” she told CNN. “Why the heck would you not want someone off the jury who cannot judge?”
PHOTOS: 10 TV Trials That Shook The World
She added that the biggest weakness in the prosecution’s evidence was the lack of a cause of death.
“That is not required — there have been many, many cases with murder 1 convictions without any body,” she said. “But the fact that the defendant can get rid of a body or let a body (be) hidden for so long that you cannot determine a cause of death is not a reason a defendant should get a benefit or a gold star or A-plus. I think the fact they didn’t have a cause of death hurt them because the jury could not understand the case or take it in.”
Still, she said she believes that the prosecution overall did a “very good job.”
STORY: Life After Casey Anthony Verdict: What Will HLN Cover Next?
As for the defense, “I don’t think much of the defense case. However, when it gets so complex for jurors, the experts cancel themselves out.”
On her HLN show Wednesday night, Grace expressed outrage over the fact that one juror allegedly has expressed remorse over the not guilty verdict and that “Tot Mom is not innocent” (“Tot Mom” is Grace’s derisive nickname for Anthony).
“A juror now saying ‘Ruh-roh, I feel really bad about this, I don’t think she’s innocent’ — no!” she said. “You cannot retry the case. You got one rough cut at justice. That’s it! It’s over. Tot Mom’s set to walk free tomorrow morning.”
STORY: Nancy Grace Weighs in on Casey Anthony Closing Arguments
The jury deliberated for nearly 11 hours, finding Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder in the 2008 death of daughter Caylee. But they did find her guilty of four counts of providing false information to law information, which are misdemeanors.
“[Caylee’s] death has gone unavenged,” Grace said after the verdict was, adding that “tot mom’s lies seem to have worked” and “the devil is dancing” about the jury’s decision.
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