Italian jury finds Amanda Knox guilty of murdering British roommate

[heidi salazar]

Amanda Knox sobs as guilty verdict read

Perugia, Italy (CNN) -- An Italian jury has found American student Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito guilty in the stabbing death of British exchange student Meredith Kercher.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years.

Both were convicted on all charges except theft and together must pay 5 million euros ($7.4 million) to the victim's family. In addition, Knox must pay 40,000 euros ($60,000) to a man whom she falsely accused of the killing.

Knox, wearing a lime jacket, her hair in a single braid, began to sob -- her sniffles and sobs punctuating the otherwise silent courtroom -- as the judge read the verdict quietly, without expression.

Few of the eight jurors looked at her. Six of the jurors were wearing red, white and green sashes -- the colors of Italy's flag.

Sollecito's stepmother cried out her stepson's name twice as he and Knox were led from the court.

 Curt Knox, Amanda Knox's father, walked the four blocks from the courtroom to his hotel staring stonily ahead, holding his two tearful daughters by the hand.

He said nothing as they strode through the streets of the medieval town except "Move," when journalists got in his way.

"We are extremely disappointed in the verdict rendered today against our daughter," Knox's family said in a statement.

"While we always knew this was a possibility, we find it difficult to accept this verdict when we know that she is innocent, and that the prosecution has failed to explain why there is no evidence of Amanda in the room where Meredith was so horribly and tragically murdered.

"It appears clear to us that the attacks on Amanda's character in much of the media and by the prosecution had a significant impact on the judges and jurors and apparently overshadowed the lack of evidence in the prosecution's case against her."

Knox and Sollecito will appeal the verdicts, attorneys said.

After the verdict, Knox's lawyer, Carlo Della Vedova said his client was upset, but strong.

He would not speculate on the reason for the verdict.

"We have to see the motivation," he said, referring to legal paperwork the judge must file within 90 days to explain the jury's reasoning.

Her family was disappointed, but not surprised, by the verdict, Knox's aunt Janet Huff told CNN.com

"It was terrible, it was gut-wrenching just to hear them say it," said Huff, speaking from her Seattle, Washington, home.

"And to see the people outside the courtroom applauding -- that just made me sick that people can be that callous and cold."

Knox and Sollecito were charged with murder and sexual violence in the November 2007 stabbing death of Meredith Kercher. Knox and Kercher, both studying abroad, were roommates. A third suspect was found guilty in a separate trial.

Prosecutors argued Seattle, Washington, native Amanda Knox was a resentful American so angry with her British roommate that she exacted revenge during a twisted sex misadventure at their home two years ago.

They said Knox directed Sollecito and another man infatuated with her, Rudy Guede, to hold Kercher down as Knox played with a knife before slashing Kercher's throat.

Defense lawyers argued that Guede, who was convicted in a separate fast-track trial and is currently appealing his conviction, was the sole killer. On Thursday, Knox took the stand for a third time in the Perugia courtroom, telling jurors that she is not a "killer" who stabbed her former roommate.

"They say that I am calm. I am not calm," Knox said in Italian. "I fear to lose myself, to have the mask of the killer forced upon me. I fear to be defined as someone I am not."

Prosecutors touted an airtight case.

See the evidence that convicted Knox

They argued DNA on Kercher's bra clasp belonged to Sollecito. And the alleged murder weapon, a 6 ½-inch kitchen knife taken from Sollecito's home, had the DNA of Knox on the handle and Kercher on the blade, prosecutors said.

During the trial, the defense sought to cast doubt on the knife evidence, arguing it doesn't match the wounds on Kercher's body.

And they said the bra clasp with Sollecito's DNA on it was left at the crime scene for weeks and is so contaminated that the evidence can't be considered credible.

Knox's family has argued she has been the victim of character assassination.

Members of Kercher's family have declined repeated CNN requests for comment.

Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini accused the defense of "lynching" the Italian police who worked on the case.

Knox and Sollecito have been jailed for more than two years. The trial began in January in Perugia, a university town about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Rome.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/04/italy.knox.trial/index.html

[Granny B]

The family all believe she is innocent.  I have been following this case on the tv news and of course everything the US media says would lead one to believe she did not have anything to do with the murder.  According to them she is patently innocent.  But then in our case, we are still hearing how innocent the murderer is too.

But like here in the US, there was a jury, there was forensic evidence, and there was a judgment.  She was found guilty.  I am not going to second guess the jury there in Italy. Instead, I am going to say, I uphold their decision in this case.

We hear from Italian citizens who criticize us for giving the death penalty to murderers.  I would appreciate them showing us the same courtesy as I have to them, in our jury decisions in the US! 

Cause anywhere in the world you go, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

[germanintexas]

Widely discussed subject ... I just met with some classmates over lunch to discuss a math project and this case came up in small talk.
My personal opinion is that even if she was treated differently as a foreign national, the guy who got convicted was a local, which leads me to believe that the evidence presented proved their guilt. Had he gotten off and she convicted I would've believed that the jury acted out of disdain for Americans. Just my personal opinion.

[Moh]

According to the prosecution, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito (her rich Italian "boyfriend" whom she'd apparently known for all of six days) one night spontaneously decided to rape and murder her housemate, Meredith Kercher, in league with Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast native, whom Sollecito had never met and Knox barely knew. It seems awfully strange to me that three such different people would get together one evening and decide to commit a rape-murder. What's more, the prosecution's theory as to motive has shifted. At first, the prosecutor claimed that the murder was committed as part of a satanic-ritual sexual orgy, but then later asserted that the murder was Knox's reaction to Kercher's upbraiding her for not helping to clean the house more and for bringing too many guys home.

It'd make much more sense if the prosecution's theory were that either Guede acted alone or Knox acted alone or Sollecito acted alone or Knox and Sollecito acted in concert. But, for all three to be in cahoots doesn't make much sense, doesn't square much with human experience--though stranger things have happened I suppose.

From what I've read, the proof against Guede, who'd had prior run-ins with the law, seems pretty solid. He claims he had consensual sex with Kercher (his DNA was found inside of her), went to the bathroom to relieve himself after eating a dodgy kebab (all the while supposedly listening with headphones to music on his iPOD) and, upon re-entering the bedroom, found a man stabbing Kercher to death. Guede then fled to Germany. With a ludicrous story like that, he seems to me the most clearly guilty of the three.

The proof against Knox and Sollecito includes the fact that they both lied about various things: in ever-changing stories, they both lied about their whereabouts on the night of the murder, while Sollecito lied about what time he'd called the police and Knox lied when she tried to pin it on her boss, Patrick Lumumba, who, as it turned out, had an airtight alibi. Sollecito's love of violent Japanese comics and Knox's idiotically performing cartwheels in the police station didn't go over well either. Plus, as I understand it, the prosecution claims to have matched Sollecito's shoe to a shoeprint found in Kercher's blood as well as finding his DNA on her bra clasp (though the defense claims that this clasp was discovered 70 days after the murder). There was also a knife discovered at Sollecito's place that had Kercher's DNA on the tip and Knox's DNA on the handle (although if the knife came from the house Kercher and Knox had shared then maybe it wouldn't be strange to find Knox's DNA on it). Naturally, the defense fiercely disputes all of the forensic evidence.

That's the proof in a nutshell as I understand it. Is there more damning evidence that I haven't included? And don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those mindless Knox defenders who think that the Italian judicial system has nothing better to do than pick on American coeds. Her behavior, at the very least, has been outright stupid and justifiably raised suspicions, and she may well have committed murder. However, it does seem the evidence against her, as far as murder's concerned, is a bit on the thin side. Maybe one of the three will eventually fess up and clarify what really took place that night.

[JT]

Moh gave a detailed summary of this case, to which I can add little extra information.

I must say, though, that this is one of the most puzzling murder cases I've ever seen.  All of them appear to be in some way culpable for Meredith Kercher's murder, but there is no smoking gun to incontrovertibly pin any one of them to her murder.  I would agree with Moh that Rudy Guede is clearly the "most" guilty out of the three, and his longer prison sentence would suggest that the jury concurs.  But Knox and Sollecito have acted throughout this case in a matter unbecoming of those who are supposed to be innocent of the brutal, sadistic murder of a roommate they say they considered a friend.  The duo's prurient, licentious behaviour before the crime, their bizarre attitude immediately post factum, and Knox's cocky attitude during the trial can only serve to heighten an unbiased onlooker's suspicion.  And doing cartwheels in the police station during questioning is about as boneheaded as one can be.

I can't, however, agree with the American bandwagon which has reflexively declared Knox to be innocent.  I read a long comment thread on the Seattle Times website this morning (Knox hails from Washington State), and a very large number of armchair lawyers have declared the Italian judicial system to be rife with corruption and anti-American sentiment.  Some even seem to think that she should have been accorded a trial under U.S. Constitutional standards, or even repatriated for trial: apparently they have forgotten that Americans' constitutional rights technically only extend as far as the border (and to other common law jurisdictions, to be pedantic).  While I don't think her trial has been conducted perfectly (certainly the lack of jury sequestration during this yearlong trial is troubling), she has not been railroaded.  If this crime had been committed in the United States, I believe that she would probably have been convicted just the same -  and she could be facing a death sentence.  Her supporters seem to be acting more on an emotional than a factual basis.  Were an Italian standing trial for murder in the United States, outraged Italian peanut gallery commentators would be told to mind their own business and stop interfering in the judicial processes of a sovereign nation.  Remarkably, those who would tell the Italians to butt out are the same folks currently complaining about Foxy Knoxy's treatment.

[Granny B]

I agree with you there, JT.  She seem like a flake to me. But not Snow White.  There is something just not right about the case.  Her innocence is not proved to my satisfaction.  She has done too many things that say she had at least a hand in the murder or covering up for it after. 

[Moh]

Although it's not necessary to prove motive, it certainly would be useful in explaining the case. Why do you think three people (two of whom, Sollecito and Knox, had no criminal record) from such different backgrounds who barely knew each other would decide to rape and murder someone? I can't come up with a theory of the case that makes much sense. It seems that the prosecution hasn't been able to either. I think that's why they initially came up with the idea of a satanic-ritual murder, though they eventually dropped this theory since there was really no evidence to support it.

In Italy, as in the US, the standard of proof in criminal cases is "beyond a reasonable doubt" ("al di là di ogni ragionevole dubbio"). Acknowledging the fact that we weren't in the courtroom and didn't see all of the evidence, what proof against Knox makes you think she's guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of committing murder?

[Michael]

I tend to second JT. There was enough evidence to sentence Knox. For some supporters (not you Moh) it seems to be hard to believe if a female, especialy a good looking one with a bright future commits a murder.

Michael

[heidi salazar]

I wish I could quote a reporter who covered the trial from start to finish, basically in a nutshell she said...the defense did a terrible job of tearing down the flimsy evidence the prosecution presented, and that the reporting in the foreign press was inaccurate due to testimony being lost in translation. Obviously, according to this article the prosecution feels differently.


Amanda Knox prosecutor: We had a strong case

Family members of Meredith Kercher said Saturday they were satisfied with the verdict that found American Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, guilty of the fatal knifing of the British student.

"Ultimately we are pleased with the decision," said Lyle Kercher, Meredith Kercher's brother. "But it was not a moment of celebration. We are here because our sister was brutally murdered."

The victim's sister, Stephanie Kercher, talked Friday about her family's grief.

"Our lives have been on hold, really. You can't really carry on as normal," she said. "You have to take each day as it comes. It's not ever going to be the same without [Meredith]."

Knox and Sollecito were found guilty of murder Friday after a lengthy, sensational trial. Knox was given a 26-year sentence; Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years. Both will appeal, attorneys said.

Knox and Sollecito were convicted on all charges except theft. The pair was accused of staging a theft to cover up the killing. Authorities said 300 euros (about $444) was discovered missing from Kercher's purse.

The pair must pay 5 million euros ($7.4 million) to Kercher's family. In addition, Knox must pay 40,000 euros (nearly $60,000) to a man whom she falsely accused of the killing.

One of Knox's sisters said Saturday that Amanda "had a rough night."

Her mother, Edda Mellas, said, "She had a lot of support. The inmates and the guards were all taking great care of her. They care a lot.

"Amanda, like the rest of us, is extremely disappointed -- upset about the decision," Mellas said. "We're all in shock; we're all heartened by the support" that she said residents of Perugia and other Italians had shown.

"People from all over the world have been sending us messages of support all through the night," Mellas said. "We told her she's going to get out of there. It's [just] going to take a little longer."

Sollecito's lawyer, Luca Maori, criticized his client's punishment -- less than the life sentence the prosecution requested but far short of exonerating Sollecito -- as making no sense.

"For the grave crimes they claimed, you either sentence them to life. ... or you acquit. There is no middle way," Maori said.

Public prosecutor Giuliano Mignini told CNN he feels he presented a strong case. He said about 20 magistrates worked alongside police during the investigation. However, he said that in the face of the planned appeals, clearly the conviction is not final.

Learn how the murder case played out

People who disagree with the verdict should at least respect it, because so many professionals were involved in the investigation, Mignini said.

"I believe, evidently, that they think there was violence. They are the deputies who establish the foundation" of charges, he said. "And they did this."

The victim's mother said she believed the defendants were guilty of the slaying.

"You have to go with the evidence," Arline Kercher said.

Take a look at the evidence against Knox

Knox's lead defense attorney, Luciano Ghirga, said that when he met with his client Saturday morning, she was angry and continued to proclaim her innocence.

He told CNN the situation has been a trying experience, and Knox hardly slept Friday night after the verdict. She was consoled by the other prisoners, who managed to get her a cup of warm milk, Ghirga said.

The jury reached its verdict after deliberating nearly 11 hours on the 11 counts. Jurors must submit an explanation of how they reached their decision to the judge within 90 days, and this "jury motivation" will be made public.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of life in prison. Italy does not have the death penalty.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/05/italy.kercher.react/index.html?eref=rss_crime

[JT]

Meredith Kercher murder: Rudy Guede's jail term reduced

An Italian appeal court has slashed a jail term for an Ivorian immigrant in the 2007 sex murder of British exchange student Meredith Kercher from 30 years to 16.

Rudy Guede's sentence is now far shorter than those of the two other accused in the case, American Amanda Knox and her then Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, who were convicted on December 5 in a separate trial.

"I'm not happy because I am innocent," Guede said as he left the courtroom.

Knox was jailed for 26 years and Sollecito for 25.

Guede, who turns 23 on Saturday, had opted for a "fast-track" trial in exchange for lenience.

Prosecutors say Guede, Knox and Sollecito were high on drugs when they murdered Kercher after she refused to join in a sex game at the home the two women shared in the central Italian university town of Perugia.

Knox, now 22, and Sollecito, 25, are appealing their convictions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6867267/Meredith-Kercher-murder-Rudy-Guedes-jail-term-reduced.html

____________

What a joke...

[Granny B]

Meredith Kercher murder: Rudy Guede's jail term reduced

What a joke...

I'm not laughing

[14dp]

Prosecutors say Guede, Knox and Sollecito were high on drugs when they murdered Kercher.....

I wonder if under Italian law being intoxicated is a mitigating or an aggrevating factor.  This is one of those sure-fire acid tests that liberals always fail because to a liberal it is mitigating.   

[Moh]

16 years is ridiculous and, what's more, he likely won't do all 16 of them.

Some more evidence against Knox that wasn't included in my earlier posts:

-- The knife found at Sollecito's place with Knox and Kercher's DNA on it had been bleached. A shopowner identified Knox as waiting outside for him to open his shop at seven on the morning after the murder to buy bleach (Knox claimed to have been in bed at seven). Bleaching a knife would strongly suggest one was trying to remove all traces of blood, though the question remains: why not just dump the knife somewhere?

--Knox's blood was found co-mingled with Kercher's blood in at least four different places in the house where the murder took place.

--Knox claims to have taken a shower in a bathroom splattered with Kercher's blood without calling the police.

--Knox blamed it on Patrick Lumumba until an airtight alibi emerged for him. Once it was abundantly clear that the murder couldn't be pinned on him, Knox changed her tune and claimed the police had coerced her into blaming Lumumba by cuffing her in the back of the head a couple of times and by calling her a "stupid liar". She was subsequently convicted of slander for these assertions.

--Knox's supporters claim the forensic investigation in her case was botched and that the forensic evidence used against her is completely tainted and unreliable. However, her supporters seem to have no problem at all with the forensic evidence used against Guede, which had been gathered by the very same investigators who'd gathered the forensic evidence implicating Knox. In other words, Knox's supporters would have us believe that the forensic investigators were absolutely incompetent with Knox-related evidence but totally competent with Guede-related evidence.

[Michael]

Bleaching a knife would strongly suggest one was trying to remove all traces of blood, though the question remains: why not just dump the knife somewhere?

Someone can find the knife. The type of knife can be idendified, someone may knew who owns such a knife, ...

Michael

[Moh]

Bleaching a knife would strongly suggest one was trying to remove all traces of blood, though the question remains: why not just dump the knife somewhere?

Someone can find the knife. The type of knife can be idendified, someone may knew who owns such a knife, ...

Michael

Good points!