The Amanda Knox Trial Explained

Luckily morons like Larry and 'Perug...' no longer are able to affect the discourse. Amanda is free.

 "(there's no motive for Guede either)."
Yes, Guede was there to rob the apartment. His motive was the money he stole.

"Knox's DNA had no business being mixed with Meredith's blood."

There was never any talk in either trial about Knox's DNA being mixed with Meredith's blood. There was a theory that Knox and Meredith had DNA on a knife that did not match the puncture wounds and a second knife was searched for, but never found. That DNA has been discredited.

Hardly, since he was acquitted of theft. And since the 'burglary' was staged in any case, as proven in the trial, that can hardly be the motive. Although, Meredith's phones were certainly stolen (and then dumped away from the cottage)...Knox and Sollecito were convicted of that.

What do you mean there was no talk in the trial of Knox's DNA being mixed with Meredith's blood? It was testified to on the stand and is in Judge Massei's 400 + page Motivations Report. Have you read it yet?

There wasn't a 'theory' that Meredith's and Amanda's DNA was found on the knife, it was fact...both of their profiles were found on it. Knox's was on the handle, Meredith's was on the blade.

The kitchen knife (with the DNA) was a match for the fatal wound. Raffaele's pocket knife (read the Massei Report) was a match for the secondary shallower wound to the victim's neck.

The DNA has NOT been discredited. Perhaps you missed the testimony in the hearings? The Independent experts were forced to concede that the DNA on the knife could not have arrived on it via contamination. This was due to the fact that it was revealed that no other items connected to the case for 6 days before the knife was tested. The knife is good.

The break-in was not staged and it was never "proven" - the prosecution said it was and that was it. 
The knife had starch on it.  Meredith's DNA would have been more enduring, hence the knife never had the DNA of anyone on it.  Meredith's profile could not have been there but Stephanoni took it into the back room, read the results to her own liking and then reported it.  No one else looked at it until the independent folks were called in to sort out the mess.  

None of your arguments matter because she's going to be acquitted.  Will you accept that verdict?  No of course not.  

Yeah, so much for that, she was just sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Some factual corrections to the above article:

1. Italian prosecutors are not 'lawyers', they do not come from the lawyer class. Italian prosecutors are in fact 'judges', part of the judiciary of which they are the most junior level. Judges study and train directly to become judges, either as career judges, or coming into it from other careers. For example, Judge Micheli who tried Rudy Guede and oversaw Knox and Sollecito's pre-trial, was never a lawyer but a former officer in the carrabiniri. Whilst it isn't inknown for a lawyer to make a career shift and become a judge, it isn't the general rule.

2. DNA from the crime scene was not matched to Rudy Guede's DNA that 'was on file from previous crimes'. Guede had never been convicted of any previous crimes and in fact that was part of the mitigation that formed his sentence reduction. Guede was identified by his finferprints found at the crime scene that were matched to his fingerprints that were on file from his identity card application. They did not have his DNA on file and did not have his DNA until they went to his apartment and retrieved a sample from his toothbrush and it was that they were able to match to samples found at the scene. Moreover, it was not his DNA profile that was found at the crume scene, but his Y-haplotype.

3. The police are not sueing Amanda Knox for 'slander', they are suing her for 'calunnia' (which has no direct equivelent in US/UK law). Calunnia is the making of the accusation of a crime against an individual which one knows to be false, in a legal setting (to police or prosecutor in a statement, or in court. Calunnia is is considered as being a crime against the state, rather then a personal crime. Convictions result in a mandatory prison sentence. The police are taking part in that charge because as with all crimes in Italy, the victims are included in the process. Amanda Knox's parents are facing a different charge, one of defamation 'defamazione' and that is regarded more as a civil offence rather then a criminal one (such as calunnia).  

4 The High Court did not rule that Knox's 'civil liberties were breached'. Its rulings on her statements was purely technical and based on legal mechanisms, not rights issue. Her statements were quite legal and no rights/liberties were breached.

Thanks for this comment.  I look forward to the Seattlest updating their article with facts not spin.

If AMANDA KNOX did not cut the throat of Meredith Kercher, then who did it? Is it Raffaele Sollecito? Rudy Guede did not kill Meredith Kercher and he only had sex with her. There is no reason and need for him to kill her. Now the defenders are coming with a totally false burglary story to save Amanda Knox. The question is who cut the throat of Meredith Kercher. There is no one else involved in the case. Why Rudy Guede alone rot in the jail for the crime he did not do? Having sex with a woman, consensual or not, no way equal to murdering someone. Let them release everyone and not only Amanda. It is not fair that rich and whites are walking free and poor and blacks are rotting in jail.

Rudy did it all.  He had to kill her after he raped her.  We know she fought hard and he had slugs of defensive wounds.  Rudy didn't need any help from two strangers. There wasn't room for them in that little room anyway.   Besides the entire fiasco was distinctly Rudy's MO.

If AMANDA KNOX did not cut the throat of Meredith Kercher, then who did it? Is it Raffaele Sollecito? Rudy Guede did not kill Meredith Kercher and he only had sex with her. There is no reason and need for him to kill her. Now the defenders are coming with a totally false burglary story to save Amanda Knox. The question is who cut the throat of Meredith Kercher. There is no one else involved in the case. Why Rudy Guede alone rot in the jail for the crime he did not do? Having sex with a woman, consensual or not, no way equal to murdering someone. Let them release everyone and not only Amanda. It is not fair that rich and whites are walking free and poor and blacks are rotting in jail.

This is what the pro-Knox people don't seem to get; if the DNA is dodgy for Knox and Sollecito then the same must apply to Guede.  Either all go free and the police start again or they all stay in prison.  Word in Italy is that, at best, Knox can expect her sentence to be reduced to between 19-16 years as she does not get the same discounts as Guede got because she did not opt for the fast track trial.

Larry is incorrect. Much of the British and Italian press are now writing positive articles regarding Amanda Knox's innocence. Two links bellow are British, the third, Oggi, is Italian: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/t... http://news.sky.com/home/world... from above headlines:"Murder in Perugia, the exclusive full video of the discovery of the hook of the bra of Meredith. In the exclusive survey of the Scientific Police was found during which the only evidence against RaffaeleSollecito. Among delays, violations, disappearances and sudden appearances."
-Steve Shay

As oppposed to what? They've been writing positive things about her for years. One only has to read your stuff on the West Seattle Herald to prove my point.

Thank you. Yes, I urge all people to read my articles in the West Seattle Herald. www.westseattleherald.com

Steve Shay

"AMANDA KNOX IS GUILTY AND ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN IN GENERAL AGREE WITH THAT AND ALSO A BIG PART OF AMERICA ARE ENOUGH INTELLIGENT TO UNDERSTAND THAT SHE IS GUILTY"
  
 I have never been to Seattle and probably never will. But, I do know that you would have to be a caps pounding moron to think she is guilty.

Lol WHAT CAN YOU ASPECT FROM AN ARTICLE WROTE BY A NEWSPAPER IN SEATTLE MADE FOR PEOPLE THERE, NOTHING BUT JUST BS
LOL AMANDA KNOX IS GUILTY AND ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN IN GENERAL AGREE WITH THAT AND ALSO A BIG PART OF AMERICA ARE ENOUGH INTELLIGENT TO UNDERSTAND THAT SHE IS GUILTY.

I SUGGEST ANYBODY TO START TO READ ANY NEWSPAPER MADE IN EUROPE (ITALY,GERMNAY,UK,FRANCE,AUSTRIA,ETC ETC) ALL THE ARTICLES MADE IN AMERICA ESPECIALLY IN SEATTLE ARE ALWAYS REPORT JUST THE "GOOD" NEWS ABOUT AMANDA KNOX AND COVER THE BAD PART, SO THAT PEOPLE IN SEATTLE JUST READ THE PART THAT THEY WILL MAKE APPEAR AMANDA KNOB A POOR ANGEL INNOCENT GIRL. I CAN REALLY SAY PATHETIC

FOR EXAMPLE I NOTICE THAT WHEN THE FAMOUS GUY "ALESSI" CHILD MURDER AND A MAFIOUS MAN IN ITALY WAS SAYNG THAT AMANDA WAS INNOCENT EVERY NEWSPAPER START IMMIDIATLEY TO COME OUT WITH NEWS "SHE IS INNOCENT FINALLY WE HAVE A WITNESS THAT SAID THAT SHE DIDN'T DO IT" ETC ETC

WELL LOL JUST A 3 WEEKS AGO WENT COME OUT AN ARTICLE IN EUROPE ABOUT THAT FAKE CONFESSION THAN THIS TWO GUY DID. AND ONE OF THEM ALESSI SAID TO THE COURT THAT SOMEBODY PAY HIM FOR MAKE A FALSE STATEMENT, BUT AGAIN I NOTICE THAN NOBODY JUST WROTE ABOUT THIS NEWS
WHY? MMMMM

IN ITALY IS WAY MORE EFFICIENT AND SERIOUS THAN IN AMERICA, JUST WATCH OJ SIMPSON OR STRAUSS KAAHN OR CASEY.LOL BUT UNFORTUNATELY ITALY IS A CORRUPT COUNTRY, LUCKY FOR HER THAT WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY SHE WILL BE ABLE TO BUY THE COURT AND GET FREE

A POOR GIRL IS DEAD AND NOBODY CARES, WHILE AMANDA KNOX BECAM A STAR, YOU PEOPLE ARE PATHETIC
EVERYBODY IN EUROPE JUST LAUGH AT YOU SO BAD BUT UNLESS YOU DON'T GET OUT FROM YOUR YARD YOU WILL NEVER KNOW

LOL REALLY MCDONALD'S,BURGER KING, LOVE IT

Larry is incorrect. Much of the British and Italian press is now writing positive articles regarding Amanda Knox's innocence. 

Two links bellow are British, the third, Oggi, is Italian:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/t..."Murder in Perugia, the exclusive full video of the discovery of the hook of the bra of Meredith  
In the exclusive survey of the Scientific Police was found during which the only evidence against RaffaeleSollecito. Among delays, violations, disappearances and sudden appearances."

It was not the only evidence found against Sollecito. His footprints in Meredith Kercher's blood was found on the bath mat and and in the corridor outside of the victim's room.

He was also witnessed in the vicinity of the cottage on the night of the murder and his alibi has been proven to be a bunch of lies. The secondary knie wound to the victim's neck has also been found to be a match fot his pocket knife. He was also found at the crime scene (with Knox) by the police.

The footprints were Rudy's.  Your information is old - they wanted it to be Raf's and told the press that but found out it wasn't when they actually tried to match up shoes.  Oddly they discover that they were Rudy's shoes.

Don't forget the Sollecito confession at the police station when he said he couldn't understand why he believed Amanda's "pack of lies" and that Knox had indeed left the apartment for up to 4 hours despite him saying earlier to police and journalists that they were at a party all night.  This was the trigger for the police to interview Knox and for her eventual arrest.  Sollecito has only retracted this statement to say he was at home all night and could not be sure Knox was with him all night. Some less biased reporting in Seattle would be nice, give the people of Knox's home town some real facts, good and bad so people get a rounded picture to make up their mind.  Or is this paper wedded to Gogerty Marriot?

No - they asked if she could have left while he was sleeping.  How does one say no to that?  They never said they were at a party.  They always stated that they were at Raf's. 

Indeed. Nor his made up lie about pricking Meredith while cooking (when he heard about the knife).

As for the night, Raffaele can't remember a thing about Amanda. As far as he was concerned, he spent the whole evening on his computer surfing the web, doing homework. Only, his computer and Internet records prove he wasn't, the computer wasn't touched all evening after about 9 pm. And what was Amanda doing while Raffaele was doing all the computer using that never was? Don't ask Raffaele, he has no idea where she was or what she was doing all that time. Someone as loud and hyper as Amanda Knox, in that little studio flat, yet he has no idea where she was or what she was doing.

The computers were fried by the Perugian police.  Anything they "say" was on them is suspect.  They "accidentally" fried 4 computers and any alibis that were there are now gone. 

For the most part I choose to ignore the irrational rantings of Miss Piggy. Her viciousness should be apparent to all. But let the record show that the computer records actually show that Raffaele's computer was in use all night. This is a major part of the appeal. Miss Piggy is just parroting the view of incompetent police investigators. The rest of the stuff about what Raffaele can or cannot remember is just arrant, unsupported nonsense. 

What fantasy computer records would those be? They never appeared in the trial. They never appeared in the appeal...and won't. They don't exist. There was no himan interraction of Raffaele's computer between 9:10 pm and  00:50 am. There was however, activity at 5:30 am the following morning when Raffaele and Amanda claim they were in bed asleep.

I've got a 400 + page sentencing report documenting the evidence supporting my facts. All you have is a list of talking points, denials and assertions with no evidence to support any of them.

PS: If Raffaele was on the computer all night as you assert (groundlessly), are you then calling Knox a liar? As according to her, she and Sollecito were doing other things together all night. They can't both be right. But, according to you, it must be Amanda that's lying. You see, that's the other problem...not only are both their alibis complete lies, neither of them match the alibi of the other.

Raffaele: I soent the whole evening on my computer, studying and surfing the web. I don't know where Amanda was or what she was doing. Computer and ISP records prove he was neither on the Internet, nor on his computer.

Knox: I read Harry Potter to Raffaele in German. We lay on the bed together and had a long deep talk about how his mother had committed suicide and how I was bullied at school because people thought I was a lesbian. I think we made love, I'm sure we made love. We had a very long hot shower together and Raffaele cleaned my ears. Raffaele remembers none of this. He doesn't even remember where she was, or what she was doing.

So, which is it...was Raffaele on the computer all night, or was he doing the things Amanda says they were doing?

Seriously I hope you are not in the US because you are an idiot.  Your post is childish at best and so what if her home state is hopeful she will be released from Italy after she was put through a piss poor trial.  It is true, even from European articles that the prosecutor has it out for her and her ex-boyfriend.  And let us turn your theory around about Italy being corrupt and she can "buy" her freedom; don't you think people can "buy" test results to show a DNA match to her and the ex-boyfriend to prove their supposed guilt.  I am sorry but there is just more circumstantial evident, not that truly proves anything.  I am not saying she is innocent or guilty but a better process should have been used before she was deemed guilty.

She's a convicted sex killer with a history of writing rape fantasies online and for carrying out "fake" rape hazing pranks.  Why would anyone want her back in Seattle?  As for there being "just circumstantial evidence", this shows how little you know about the Italian legal system.  Whether Americans like it or not, Italy gives equal weight to circumstantial and forensic evidence.  Just because there is no DNA at the scene doesn't mean there is no evidence.  There are, I think, 5 other mixed blood/dna samples of Kercher and Knox in the house that have no been contested by the defense. According to journalists watching the trial, Judge Hellman is very aware of the circumstantial evidence and has discussed it with colleagues for further opinion (also allowed in Italy).  To say there is no prosecution case is naive at best and nationalistic at worst.

No mixed blood.  No evidence either circumsrtantial or otherwise.  NONE.  Never was.  Now if you change the time of death so alibi's don't work, call any random knife even if the wounds don't match, the murder weapon, if you coerce people to testify the way you want and charge anyone who testifies against the prosecution with calumny (or whatever it is) you can't have a fair trial.  Mignini knows and uses all the tricks.  And he's been found guilty of it too. 

Just to point out here...nearly ALL cases are circumstantial. Circumstantial evidence is the bread and butter of criminial trials the world over and most convvictions are based on circumstantial evidence.

There is circumstantial evidence and direct evidence. Direct evidence is someone actually seeing the accused DO it. A confession is also direct evidence. Everything else is circumstantial evidence. Fingerprints? Circumstantial evidence. DNA? Circumstaintial evidence. People seem to equate 'circumstaintial' with 'weak'...it is not. And often times, circumstantial evidence can be stroger then direct evidence.

In terms of forensic evidence (which is also circumstial evidence), there is no rule that dictates that forensic evidence is any more valid or stronger then other forms of evidence, although there is an erroneous belief by the general public that it is. All evidence must be weighed on its own merits AND within the context of the other evidence. It's that what determines whether its strong or weak, not whether it's direct, circumstaintial or whether it's forensic.

Crime Scene CSI is a good TV show, but that's all it is...a TV show for entertainment. Real life and real crime investigation doesn't work like that. In most crimes, you may only have one or two pieces of forensic evidence, probably weak, and it's common to have none at all. A good example is the Scott Peterson case. His case was entirely circumstantial and there was no forensic evidence connecting him to the murder (in fact, there was a fraction of the evidence against hims as there is against Knox and Sollecito). Yet, it was more then enough to not only convict him, but put him on Death Row.

People shouldn't cry for Knox, she'll be out in 12 years and free to continue her life. Poor Meredith Kercher, is never going home.

The tendency of people like this "Perugia" person, who support the lunatic prosecutor Mignini, to raise the name of Meredith Kercher is absurd. They apparently believe the fact she is dead is an argument for Knox's guilt. And I don't know how to respond to to people like Megan45, with her lies about "rape fantasies." I'm not surprised that she and Perugia are allied - they are bad citizens and horrible human beings.

Why was the trial "piss poor"? Because it didn't give you the result you wanted? The prosecutor doesn't have it out for her, the prosecutor is doing their job. No more and no less is expected of them.

And no, people can't 'buy' DNA results in Italy. Especially when in the Italian system observers representing all parties are present for the tests (unlike in the US system).

What better process could Knox have had? Her trial lasted a whole 11 months. Ten thousand pages of evidence were examined and over 100 witnesses were heard. Knox and sollecito were represented by multiple lawyers and some of the best experts in the country that testified on their behalf. Knox herself was able to take the stand and also make declarations to the court. The whole process was open to the media and public. The trial was presided over by 8 judges and after the verdict the judges wrote a report of over 400 pages detailing the evidence, testimony and their decision. She was then was granted two automatic appeals. What 'better process' did you have in mind?

 The appeal, Michael!  

You know that the trial of the first instance isn't the final word, in fact it's basically irrelevant now.  They have two trials for a *reason*--mainly because system that puts that much faith into an 'incorruptible' prosecutor needs a failsafe, notably a different trial with a whole new prosecution team.  This one is an aberration in that regard, no wonder some were so distraught about it. I on the other hand was not, if you'll recall, I figured Costagliola wanted nothing to do with it, and would give Mignini enough rope to hang himself.  Now he twists on the meathook and they're trying to make room for Comodi as well.  Two for one! Italian-style economy, I approve!  You might not, as you'll end up paying for it, at least in a minute way, being a member of the EU that will shortly (faster than a speeding bureaucracy!) be bailing them out.  What a joyous development for you! Your tax dollars at work helping pay the costs of the damage done to the lives of Raffaele and Amanda!  :P

Nothing from the old trial was ever determined valid in finality, in fact it's all subject to change.  I don't think you ever truly grasped what a Motivations Report is, or what its purpose is. Massei had to take what was introduced at trial as 'evidence' of their guilt and somehow justify that decision, which wasn't made on any individual evidential basis, but basically because the theme was 'Foxy Knoxy and her boytoy get theirs!'  Thus the 400 pages of 'possible...indeed probable' and obfuscation, and rationalizations of the bizarre case he let through his court was his penance for washing his hands of it.  The break-in 'had' to be staged, because Amanda and Raffaele were found guilty, not because the 'evidence' of the 'staged' break-in was compelling. It was instead based on very dubious assumptions and undocumented contentions.

Which is why Hellmann threw it into the dumpster when he said 'the only thing we know is that the victim is dead.' None of those absurd conclusions like about the footprints that tested negative for blood, or the 'mixed traces in her own goddam sink being 'evidence' of them murdering anyone matter anymore. Now we have a chance for justice, and you'll get your chance to pay for first the pittance offered by the Italian government automatically for their wrongful imprisonment, and then the gargantuan sum that they'll get as a result of the ECHR ruling.  Plus you can help out by seeing the movies, you'll need to do that before you log onto IMDB to disparage the accuracy and insist that they're still lying, they're still *guilty!* :)

Stephanoni read all the results in absolute isolation.  No one was there with her.  The independent experts were the ONLY ones to look at (reported) results and conclusions drawn from them. 

Brandie you are the classic stupid american. who are you for judge an itlaian court? did you was there at the time? do you know the thurth of this case just because you read a stupid american magazine in a favor of amanda knox every week? lol you are really an idiot with the I in capital
shame of you, "roman invented the law and the costitution, and for let you know that a big part of the american costitution derived from the italian, lol maybe you should go online and read about it. but you are too stupid.
italy,france,uk,germany etc etc are not america. outside america you follow other rules!!!
and remember that america didn't even exist, and just 400 years a go was just a desert land with cactus and indian, columbus discovered america, and america take the name from amerigo vespucci "italian"
'italian are the fourth largest ancestry in america, all this people below have an italian ancestry by mom,dad or both parents, paris hilton,john travolta,nicolas cage,bradley coopers,bruce springsteen,lindsay lohan,al pacino,robert de niro,leonardo di caprio,hulk hogan, and more and more

respect other country and culture when you are also made from them

you are nobody to think or say what's is wrong or right, you are just a stupid person that take information from newspaper.

This is really foolish. Italy didn't exist before the 19th century, it was a collection of nation states and principalities. America is a much older and more refined democracy than Italy will ever be. On the evidence of the Knox case, the American legal system is also far more advanced than the Italian, where prosecutors, with no evidence, are allowed to tell superstitious juries that young college students worship satan, and kill their friends in his name.

and you can't seem to write a coherent sentence.  Were you too busy throwing about invectives to think about your prose?