Amanda Knox Revisited - Must read; Doubts about the case

[Are_grits_groceries]

In just a few days, a verdict is expected in the trial of Amanda Knox, the 22-year-old Seattle exchange student on trial in Italy for the throat-slashing murder of her British roommate two years ago. Her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, is also being tried.

The trial in the Umbrian college town of Perugia has dragged on just short of a year. As this week’s closing arguments showed once again, the case has very little to do with actual evidence and much to do with the ancient Italian code of saving face.

In closing arguments, Knox was described as a “Luciferina” and “a dirty-minded she-devil.” Preposterous, made-up sexual motives were ascribed to her. One prosecutor speculated before the jury what Knox may have said to Meredith Kercher before, he claimed, forcing an orgy that resulted in her death:

“You are always behaving like a little saint. Now we will show you. Now we will make you have sex.”

Nobody alleges that Knox said this to Kercher. But prosecutors asked the jury to imagine her saying such a thing.

More:http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/amanda-knox-revisited/?scp=1&sq=egan%20knox&st=cse

Other articles by Egan:
An Innocent Abroad - http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/an-innocent-abroad/
The Knox Trial, Continued - http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/the-knox-trial-continued/

I really wonder about this verdict.

[peacebird]

1. jury has convicted her of murder

BREAKING NEWS:Jury convicts Amanda Knox of murdering her roommateAP

[Are_grits_groceries]

2. I know.

If people don't know much about the case, these articles may give some insight.

[Ineeda]

4. your link is an email address. ??? n/t

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. It took me right to the article. ?? nt

[Ineeda]

30. sorry, I was responding to peacebird - that's the bad link. n/t

[peacebird]

34. Sorry about that Ineeda - I have *no* idea how that happened...

[tonysam]

6. Naturally. Knox never had a chance with that nutjob of a prosecutor.

Italy is a wonderful place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

[pnwmom]

13. I wouldn't visit there now. Or pay for any of my children to visit there. n/t

[malaise]

3. Look how many Americans are sentenced at home

with serious doubts - funny how the NYT ignores them.

[Are_grits_groceries]

5. They're not telegenic,

white, and involved in some scandal. It has to be down to the standards of a made for teevee movie.

That said, I do think she got a raw deal.

[tonysam]

9. You bet she did.

48 Hours did a piece on her, and of course a lot of the comments bought the European tabloid horseshit.

They're going to air the latest update tomorrow night.

Link to the older report

[pnwmom]

11. There was NO physical evidence of Amanda's DNA in the room where the murder took place.

The NYT has covered many court room cases where there was doubt.

This was a witch trial and deserves the coverage it got.

[snagglepuss]

7. A year or two ago, either Prime Time or 60 Minutes did a story on Knox and

it sounded like the police set her up. A number of years ago when I was off to backpack around Europe, a friend who had been a banker in Milan told me never go to the Italian police. He was dead serious. He said they were not to be trusted at all. It left an impression and I thought of it when I heard the story. I think she and her boyfriend were basically framed.

[tonysam]

10. I have the 48 Hours link in the above post. n/t

[pnwmom]

12. The police immediately decided they did it. Then, even though they discovered

all the DNA and footprint evidence matched a totally unrelated person, they clung to their original hypothesis, grafting the Amanda theory onto the new case -- deciding that there must have been a conspiracy of three.

Disgusting.

[tonysam]

14. The dumbass European tabloids questioned the fact her (former) boyfriend

was comforting her and kissing her, when it was obvious by watching the clip both of them were pretty damned distraught over the death of her roommate.

Disgusting.

[sasquatch]

17. Oh yeah, the British tabloids had her convicted before the trial began

[HipChick]

18. that's nothing new

[sasquatch]

15. Well they don't have a lot of physical evidence, so you have to make the defedent out to be a -

monster.

[tonysam]

16. This case makes me glad for our legal system, imperfect

though it is.

[sasquatch]

19. Uhh...don't start hanging medals on our system, we do the same thing over here

and it works. Take Cynthia Sommers' for instance.

http://www.10news.com/news/20299685/detail.html
I hope she gets a shit load of cash from the prosecuters.

[pnwmom]

21. They allow conviction there by a simple majority vote. So in that sense,

our defendants are much better off.

[tonysam]

25. Yep. It appears the entire legal system in Italy is rotten to the core. n/t

[tonysam]

24. Well, let's face it, it's better, no matter how bad it can get

Over there, people don't have a prayer.

[Blue_Tires]

33. um; not to belabor the point, but our legal system has a long history of

executing inmates on flimsy or railroaded convictions...

[pnwmom]

20. They had NO physical evidence of Amanda in the room that was the crime scene.

And the apartment was shared by the girls, so it's not surprising that Amanda would have left DNA in her own bathroom.

[sasquatch]

22. My point exactly, but you've went very deeply into specifics

[pnwmom]

23. Right, I was supporting your point. n/t

[sasquatch]

26. Should we sharpen our GD skills by arguing which one of us is the most right

;)

[tonysam]

27. According to the headline on the CBS website, appeals

could take YEARS. By the time they exhaust, her time in prison will probably be up.

[sasquatch]

28. God that sucks

[goldcanyonaz]

29. Her lawyers can't even draft an appeal until the verdict is in written form

which won't be until late next summer.

[sasquatch]

31. What in the hell is going on over there?

[Nikki Stone1]

32. I have been concerned about this too. The girl got over 20 years in prison.

This is so damned slipshod.