Casey Anthony found not guilty of murder of daughter (BLOG)

(Reuters) - A Florida jury on Tuesday found Casey Anthony not guilty of murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, a case that riveted millions since the child was first reported missing three summers ago.

The verdict spares the 25-year-old from facing the death penalty, which prosecutors planned to seek if Casey had been found guilty as charged of first-degree murder.

She faces possible jail time after being found guilty of lying to police and will be sentenced on Thursday at 9 a.m. local time.

"Casey did not murder Caylee. It's that simple," defense attorney Jose Baez told reporters after the verdict was announced at about 2:15 p.m. local time.

Casey appeared visibly nervous ahead of the verdict, downcast and biting her lip.

She sobbed after the jury's not guilty finding on the murder count was read, and finally broke into a broad smile when the proceedings ended, hugging the defense team.

The prosecution said Casey smothered Caylee with duct tape on June 16, 2008, drove around for several days with Caylee's body in her car trunk and then dumped the remains in woods near the Anthony family home.

The defense argued that Caylee died in an accidental drowning.

Twelve jurors, sequestered away from their homes for the duration of the trial, deliberated nearly 11 hours over two days. They declined to speak with reporters after reaching their decision.

They found Casey not guilty of the felonies of aggravated child abuse or aggravated manslaughter of a child.

She was found guilty of four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum of one year in jail per count.

Casey initially told detectives Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny, triggering a nationwide search that ended on December 11, 2008.

That's when Caylee's skeletal remains were found in woods near the Anthony family home with duct tape dangling from her skull.

Casey, who has been jailed nearly three years since her arrest, did not testify at the trial.

She had no immediate contact on Tuesday with her mother and father, who left the courtroom without speaking to her.

"While we're happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case," Baez told reporters. "Caylee has passed on far, far too soon."

The defense team did not take any questions from the media.

"I'm ecstatic for (Casey) and I want her to be able to grieve and to grow and somehow get her life back together," defense attorney Baez said.

The trial lasted for seven weeks and caught the attention of much of the nation, with curiosity fed by live coverage of testimony on cable news. The notoriety of the case has prompted comparisons to the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.