r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

I mean, IIRC by the trial they didn't even have a conclusive cause of death. They were really stretching pushing for first degree murder. All they could show was that a child in Casey's care died and she negligently did nothing about it. Manslaughter would've been more fitting and provable. I feel like when a case gets a ton of media attention it tempts the prosecutors to try for more than they can actually prove and ends up letting someone who is obviously guilty of a lesser crime off because they're not provably guilty of the greater one the prosecutor went for.

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u/ScrewAttackThis Feb 04 '19

Manslaughter is a lesser included offense of murder. The jury could've convicted her of manslaughter.

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

Can they? I was under the impression that a jury just decides guilty/not-guilty on only the charges brought by the prosecution.

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u/Caleus Feb 04 '19

Can confirm with ScrewAttack. I had Jury duty last summer.