Not sure what I think of this - pretty suspicious of the Italian legal system...anyways discuss: Amanda Knox Guilty of Murdering Roommate, Italian Court Says Share Business ExchangeTwitterFacebook| Email | Print | A A A By Flavia Krause-Jackson Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Amanda Knox, a 22-year-old American student, was found guilty by an Italian court of the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia. She was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Knox, a Seattle native, has been jailed for two years while standing trial for the murder along with Raffaele Sollecito, her Italian ex-boyfriend, who was also convicted today, to 25 years in prison. Rudy Hermann Guede, an Ivorian immigrant, was found guilty of the killing in July in a separate “fast-track” trial and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The half-naked body of Kercher, 21, was found in her bedroom, strangled and stabbed to death, on Nov. 2, 2007, in a house she shared with Knox and two other women. Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini told the court that Knox masterminded a drug- fueled sex game involving Sollecito and Guede that turned violent, leading to Kercher’s murder. Knox and Sollecito then staged a burglary to cover the crime, he said. Knox’s defense team, led by Carlo Dalla Vedova, argued that there was insufficient evidence to tie Knox to the crime and said leaks to the media had swayed public opinion against her. Prosecutors had asked the court to sentence Knox and Sollecito to life in prison. Knox, Sollecito and Guede have all given different versions of events and maintained their innocence. Each has the right to appeal the verdict twice until the Court of Cassation, Italy’s highest appeals court, has the final say. Italy has no death penalty. Kercher, a London native and Leeds University student, had enrolled at Perugia’s University for Foreigners through the Erasmus exchange program shortly before she was killed. Knox was also a student at the university. Both women worked at a bar run by Patrick Diya Lumumba, who Knox named as the possible killer before police corroborated his alibi. Lumumba was held for two weeks before being cleared. The Knox story has garnered media attention around the world. A Dec. 3 opinion piece in The New York Times said an innocent verdict for Knox would be the “obvious” decision based on “the standard that the law calls for.” The London- based Times reported a claim by Guede that Kercher thought her American roommate was “a drugged-up tart.” Italian newspapers have reported on everything from the love letters Knox has received from admirers to the outfits she’s worn in court. Knox was arrested on Nov. 6, 2007, in connection with the death of Kercher and formally charged with murder, theft and sexual assault on July 11, 2008. To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in Rome at fjackson@bloomberg.net http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aiI.TziY.JLk&pos=8
I don't think it was bright to go panty shopping with her boyfriend the day after her roommate was brutally raped and murdered. Her behavior was not smart. Her family and friends are arguing that there is no evidence BUT this is not the US. Italy can do whatever it wants. And it sounds like the jury used her character (weed, drinking, sex fiend) to determine the verdict.
Not that I give a sh-t about Nancy Grace - but she was all over it. http://blog.seattlepi.com/dempsey/archives/160929.asp
The issue I have with the decision is that there seems to be a distinct lack of conclusive evidence that she committed the crime. That alone bugs me about the verdict because it goes against the innocent until proven guilty standard in trials -which should be common practice in all courts these days. Then again, this is Italy we are talking about-where the half the national GDP is produced in underground activities...
A knife was found in her boyfriends apartment with the victims DNA on the blade and her DNA on the handle. Pretty conclusive...
Haven't followed this case all that close, but I find it typical that Americans give this girl so much benefit of the doubt.
I have been following the case and I think she was involved in the murder. Also, just my impression of how she presented herself during the case - she was trying to play the innocent pretty girl, but there just seems to be something really evil about her.
Quick thought: If you were guilty, would you be so selfish to ruin your parents for life? They will never (by themselves) pay off the debt. Eff retirement. They'll be living off family and friends until they die. And if you were a lender, why would you give them money unless it's charity? I don't know the exact numbers, but her dad has taken out major loans to hire attorneys and remain by her side in Italy. At a certain point, I think you would say go home. Apparently the appeals process takes years. If you did the crime, 26 years is not long especially if you're in your early 20s. She could have gotten life.
SJC, What about the case makes you think she is guilty? In the US press she has been portrayed as completely innocent. What have you heard over there? DD
wait a second...if she's guilty...meaning she participated in the brutal murder and rape of the victim.....if she did that....do i think she'd be concerned with the effects of lying to try to get off the hook for it??? umm...yes. yes, i do.
It's strange they railroaded that black guy years ago, but are just now finishing up the trials of Knox and her boyfriend. The prosecutors in this case sounded more like writers for a tabloid than actual lawyers. If this happened in the States I doubt she is found guilty.
What country do you live in brah.... is the sky blue there? Your innocence is directly proportional to how expensive your lawyer is. At least where I live.
