Tonya Craft Says Acquittal 'Wasn't a Victory'

(May 12) -- The acquittal of Tonya Craft on Tuesday relieved those who have rallied behind the former Georgia kindergarten teacher since her arrest nearly two years ago for allegedly molesting three young girls. But the defendant herself was less than exultant in an interview this morning.

"It wasn't a victory," Craft told NBC's "Today" show. "There's nobody that wins in this situation. My whole heart has been taken, and I got half of it back."

Craft, 37, was arrested in June 2008 after she was accused of molesting three girls, ages 5 and 6, in her home between August 2005 and May 2007. After a five-week trial that captured national media attention, a jury began debating her case Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, they found her not guilty of all 22 counts, including child molestation, sexual battery and aggravated child molestation.

Had Craft been convicted, she would have faced up to 400 years in prison.

Speaking with host Meredith Vieira, Craft said she was hopeful the truth would come out, but was "scared to death" it wouldn't. She also described watching her own daughter testify against her in court.

"That was the absolute hardest thing I've ever experienced, because my job as a mother is to protect her," Craft said. "There obviously was no anger towards her. It absolutely broke my heart to see that my daughter had been pretty much indoctrinated to believe things that weren't true."

Craft's chief attorney, Dr. Demosthenes Lorandos, added that his client has been receiving death threats. "That's why we hurried her out of the courtroom," Lorandos explained during the same appearance on "Today."

David Craft, who has stuck with his wife throughout the entire ordeal, told Vieira he was proud of Tonya, who he said "never quit fighting."

Now that the trial is over, Craft says she is focused on getting her two children back, whom she has not seen in 712 days. She also wants to spread awareness of her struggle, warning that it can "happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone."

Craft left Chattanooga, Tenn., for a round of national talk shows Tuesday and is expected to appear on Larry King Live on CNN tonight.