The End of an Error
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 12:38PM The jury returned a verdict no one expected. Now, all we can do is move on and hope for the best. Here are some photos I took outside the courthouse yesterday.
Just remember one important thing. Had it not been for Caylee, we wouldn’t know each other, and because of her, I can proudly say I’ve made some very good friends. So have you. The past three years will never be forgotten. In our hearts, she will live forever. God Bless Caylee Marie.
Steve Helling from People magazine sat directly in front of me during the entire trial. I have the utmost respect for him and I’m proud to call him a friend.
I want to thank everyone for making my courthouse experience the best. I have one more article to post on the magazine site, and then I will move on with my life - by bringing you new adventures in the world of Dave.
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Reader Comments (17)
Dave, you did a wonderful job keeping us updated. I don't think I will ever wish to follow a case again this closely. My heart has been so heavy since the verdict. How these 12 jurors could have gotten it so wrong is beyond me. I will check in with your page to stay in touch with you and your followers.
Patti O'Curran
Romeo, MI
Dave, first off, thank you for sharing these pictures with all of us. You are so right that a small child who met a very sad end brought us together and we remained stedfast in our hopes and perseverence that Caylee would get justice. Things don't always work out in the way that we believe they should but we can not let this case make us lose faith in our justice systems. We learn by mistakes and yes, I believe that errors were made along the way. Who knows, maybe good things will come out of this whole roller coaster ride of the past three years.
We cannot live in the past as that is not healthy. These past few days, we have vented a lot of our frustrations but it is time to let them go. We must move forward with the knowledge we have gained and strive to make this a better world even if it is in some small way.
I am believer in the old adage that 'these things are sent to try us'. How we handle them will be our success or our failure.
Thanks, Dave. I am so glad to have you back!!
So now it goes down in history and you were there! Memories memories memories to last a life time, the good, the bad and the crazies. Your experiences in Caseyland would still make a good book. Sit outside and type up an outline around your blog entries and submit it. It seems most of the writing is already done. Just needs putting together. Crazies and all. Might want to change the names to protect the innocent and make the book a fictional one while you're at it. Because in the end.. after 3 years all we got was a story. I doubt we'll ever know the truth.
Loved how Judge Strickland went on tv and "set the record straight' about his recusal. We always thought it was because Cheney Mason didn't like the rulings against him.
It's been nice meeting everyone on the blogs. The are something I have never even been interested in before yours. Like you said above, like it or not, Casey did bring people together who might never have interacted otherwise. At least now the crazies will be gone for you.
Take care of yourself and your parents. Enjoy the sunshine.
WooHoo! I'm in! Thanks. Dave for your help in that and also for the perfect password-you know me well, my dear friend!
Many thanks for being our boots on the ground through this trial. I'm glad you were honored with the task of writing for Orlando magazine. But! I'm selfishly happy to have you back here now. The only thing that could top it is if there were emoticons here, lol!
Looking forward to reading more adventures and thoughts in Knechel Land! I'm proud to be a Knechelhead~
Love the pictures, Dave! It is nice to have you back on your blog. It is time to leave this trial behind us and move forward. One thing we can be grateful out of all of this is the people that we have met on here and become good friends with. There are so many nice people that we have had the chance to meet and interact with. You were given the opportunity to write for a great magazine and for the opportunity to meet some very special people during the trial. It is something that you will always remember. It is now time to move onto something different and to continue to interact with the same great people and new people that find your blog. Thanks for all of your writings during the hearings and the trial.
Sherry, I am proud to be a Knechelhead too!
Dear Dave, the title is most perfect for this article and Baby Caylee's verdict. I have to accept that this did not end the way we wanted and put it away. I have to be honest and say that I will probably keep one ear open for her antics, she will mess up again, and not really let go until she has to face justice. I only hope and pray it doesn' iinvolve a small helpless child...........I am so happy that you were given this opportunity. I had one complaint, they rarely took the camera to span the balcony so we were unable to see you.I did catch a few glimpses of you in hallway. Don't forget my name is on book list. Will there be a radio show tomorrow? Snoops has done a wonderful job trying to keep us all calm............
Dave, I hope you don't mind that I post this here, but this is a wonderful tribute to Caylee and I encourage everyone to listen to it.
Tribute to Caylee Written by Rascal Flatts Gary Levox
Really nice job. Your friends are right next to you waiting for your next adventure
I did not participate in blogging until this trial. I stumbled onto your site and never left. A big thank you for the exhaustive efforts you put in to covering this trial. I found your writing to be intelligent, thoughtful, and full of good old fashioned (although proven to be in short supply by a particular group of 12 people) common sense.
I can only hope that new laws being proposed will help at-risk children and hold bad parents accountable. There are many people who evidently need educating on what a good parent is and is not.
Due to the public reaction to this ridiculous verdict, I believe that the next parent put on trial for murdering their child will be looked at a higher degree of scrutiny and receive justice.
Thank you my new friend. I'll be checking back.
Welcome home, Dave.
Any Mouse
Hi Dave, You should be proud of a job well done. I'm glad we are getting you back. Please take that rest you so deserve and we will see you when you are ready. PS. Snoopy, Jonathan and Nan11 did a good job holding down the fort over at the cabin in the woods. Hugs to you.
Dave: Remember I found you from the video of the crime scene. I really have to say I also made some great friends. Snoop never forgets me. Even when I don't write for a few weeks. I really want to visit her. (Darn, I guess I need a passport). If I ever get to FL. I would also like to meet you. I hope we stay friends forever. Love to Everyone.
Welcome back Dave, I hope this post finds you resting & decompressing from this adventure. I too have never posted so many comments on any website until I found yours. I have learned so much from you & all your regular posters & found a safe haven for intelligent debate without the vitriol. I know i am biased I really hope you take this closed chapter in your life as the start of a new chapter & write THE book. You responded to my question at OM with what I think would be a great title " where is home now?" I am a Knechelhead too, proudly. On a lighter note my husband is relieved that the trial is over for a very different reason. He wanted to know who is this guy Dave, why I started almost every sentence with "but Dave wrote" & should he be worried. I assured him I had a mad crush on you but it is only in my mind LOL! Please stay well, your stamina was amazing, take care of you, Lisa PNS FL
Hello Dave
just back from vacation and reality, i'm dumbfounded about the end of this story..my heart is heavy and i cannot understand. But anyway many thanks for the great job you have done during these three years. I will still be one of your readers. you're a great journalist
Caylee will never be forgotten and will still be in our heart forever.
take care and have a nice day. greetings from Luxembourg.
Hi Rita! Greetings from Florida! I was wondering where you've been. I hope you had a wonderful vacation.
No one can fathom what happened in that trial. It came as a shock to everyone, including Casey and her defense. In the end, it does seem as if our work examining the case was worthless, but I like to look at the positive side of things. We've made some great friends along the way, from all around the world. Hint, hint.
Caylee will never be forgotten. She touched millions upon millions of people and she will live on in our hearts for generations to come. Her mother will always be remembered for one thing, just like Lizzie Borden, who was also acquitted. That was over 100 years ago, too.
Thank you for the nice compliment about my writing skills. I'm not sure what direction I'll be taking the blog, but it will be somewhere. Meanwhile, I'm glad you are going to continue reading. That's reassuring.
Hi Dave
many thanks for taking time and for your very nice message to me . I imagine the great shock it was and when i read the article I was not sure of what I was reading...I read it twice but as you said this sad story brings great friends and it permits me to know you. i will try to follow you wherever you decide to go...on your writings :-))
This story will haut us for years i guess but Caylee will be our lovely little angel.. I believe that nothing happens without a reason. Little Caylee generates so much love around...!
My vacation was extraordinary, I was in Norway visiting the fjords...with a special stop to the North cape!
Hope reading you soon have a great day...greetings from Luxembourg :-))
My pleasure, Rita! And I mean that. It's always a pleasure seeing you.
I do believe that, if nothing else, Caylee has brought a lot of people together and many of them have emerged as friends. That's a blessing when we think about it. No one will ever forget her, either, so she lives on in our hearts. As for Casey, her own defense team admits she has a lot of emotional issues. To me, that's an admission of some kind because people get out of jail all the time and blend in. Sh's got a lot of mental problems. She's also got a lot of people who want her dead. I'm not at all for that because we can't take the law into our own hands.
It sure does sound like you had a wonderful vacation. I'd love to visit Europe some day, including the Scandinavian countries. Lucky you!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rita. I really need to get back to writing, but my mind is mostly drawing a blank. Something will pop up.