On November 21, 2011, the Orlando Public Library had to turn people away because they were at standing room only capacity for their current author, a bookish, retired prosecutor. The November 22, 2011 Orlando Sentinel story "Cheers greet former prosecutor Jeff Ashton at Orlando library as he discusses Casey Anthony book" describes the affect of Jeff Ashton has on people who followed the Casey Anthony case and read his book. One of his fans shakes as she gets her book signed, a 92 year old buys the book as a gift before they sell out, and Ashton's joke about Casey Anthony's lies ("She couldn't lie straight in bed.") must have rocked the house. Reading the ebook edition of Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, explains why Jeff Ashton has such a following.
Overview of Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton
In Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, Jeff Ashton demonstrates that almost everyone was working to find justice to atone for the death of Caylee Anthony. The state investigative and prosecution teams are following Casey down hallways of lies in efforts to find Caylee Anthony, find Caylee's body, and find Caylee's killer. The defense attorneys stay busy trying to find explanations for Casey Anthony's partying photos and "beautiful life" tattoo, and Ashton says that defense attorney Jose Baez was also brokering photos of Caylee for Casey, who was sitting in jail — one of ten people who seemed to do too little for the toddler, Caylee Anthony.
We also see Casey's family is frantically trying to understand what happened to Caylee while their privacy is slipping away from them as quickly as their daughter and granddaughter slipped out of the house in June 2008. Judges are working to ensure Casey gets a fair trial and that the media is able to report events under the expansive Florida Sunshine Laws. Judge Perry was also in charge of the remaining nine people who, like Casey, apparently put their own comfort and above Caylee — the jury. Ashton describes a jury of people who asked about entertainment, dinner plans, and pretzels in the break room, but who never asked the court about any evidence in the State of Florida vs. Casey Marie Anthony.
This review was done with the Nook ebook. There are photos in the book, but none are gruesome (although it would be hard to tell in greyscale, anyway). The ebook is available in all major formats, and the ISBN is 9780062125323. The book was released November 15, 2011, and the audiobook was released on the same date. You can preview Jeff Ashton's Imperfect Justice ebook on Harper Collins digital ebook tool.
Jeff Ashton Answers Questions in the Book and in the Media
While there are a few questions that linger after reading Imperfect Justice, such as why Cindy Anthony's dogs were dying and sick and if that was a prelude to Caylee's death, Jeff Ashton does an excellent job of explaining what happened during the investigation of what happened to Caylee and the trial against Casey. Before the verdict, Ashton and the prosecutors were silent, but after his retirement announcement days after the verdict was announced, Ashton went on talk shows and helped people understand that the jury wasn't relating to the evidence in the same way most of the people who followed the trial related to the evidence.
It is through Jeff Ashton's perspective that people can understand why the jury dismissed scientific experts, behavior evidence, and common sense. He says the jury wanted evidence delivered "on a silver platter," and although it happens on TV, he says most murderers work in secret. He also states, categorically, that people have to let go and move on, and the best way to honor Caylee is by caring more about children and victims in general.
Jeff Ashton also explains the suffering of the Anthony family, and he is sympathetic to a family that doesn't want to acknowledge truths about an imperfect daughter. On November 16, 2011, CF News 13 said that "George and Cindy Anthony read Jeff Ashton's New Book," and that their attorney, Mark Lippman, indicated that the Anthonys "don't have a problem with [the book]."
As of November 22, 2011, The Official Jeffrey Ashton Page on Facebook has 11,432 fans and 2,296 people "talking about" the page. Another Jeff Ashton Facebook page has 6,782 "likes". Comments are effusive about "Our Hero! Caylee's Hero!" Ashton is responding to his fans on the site, including upcoming dates for his next book signing. Harper Collins has an author alert sign up form for people who want to see favorite authors speak, and Jeff Ashton is one of the authors listed.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
