Amanda Knox

[LadyBeagleEyes]

Her appeal is being heard at the moment, and there is a good chance she'll be freed.
So who did kill Meredith?
If she and her ex boyfriend are deemed innocent, I hope the Italian police will continue to look into the case and get some justice for her.
I don't understand why they say the DNA is flawed, or have Knox's parents just managed to hire some very smart lawyers?
It's such a sad case.

Wonder how much the Italians were paid/promised to reach this verdict

Much anticipated in my neck of the woods, with wry smiles, cosidering the slight U turn that will require to combat.

"sono venuti per suonare e sono stati suonati"

Has anyone actually seen the Knox's home? Certainly doesn't look like the home of a family who could afford to buy off a prosecution in such an emotive/high profile case. These conspiracy theories are idiotic. And peddled by loons.

Bella - that is a great article.

These conspiracy theories are idiotic. And peddled by loons

A given.

Unfortunatly they are also more interesting and exciting than reality as far a far too many people are concerned.

Implausable or "really reaching" explanations are accepted at face vaule and repeated as FACT!

"They had a deal with (who ever interviews AK first) they used that money, they got it in advance"

"FOA relentelessly collected for four years, there were rich and powerful sponsors donating, like Donald Trump"

"S's rich and powerful family paid via their masonic contacts"

"Italy is virtually a third world country and utterly corrupt, you can buy off a jury for peanuts"

Holding up common sense or facts in the face of a CT is like holding up a mop in the face of a Tsumani.

The mud sticks problem is utterly depressing. About 20 years ago Lynette White was murdered in Cardiff. The police manufactured a case and some innocent men went to prison. Thankfully they were freed and another man convicted on the basis of sound forensic evidence and he confessed to the crime. Someof the police involved are currently being prosecuted for perverting the course of justice but STILL argue that the innocent men they sent to prison were guilty. Some people will NEVER change their mind despite everything pointing to them being wrong.

Good point about the CT just being more interesting. The boring facts (house broken into by man with criminal history and form for breaking into houses whilst armed with a knife, then assaults and murders girl, flees and leaves the country) just don't get the juices flowing as much as 'evil sex temptress joins up with two guys for sexy orgy/sacrifice of flatmate'

I find it so frustrating, and because I argue against all the point coming up I then end up seeming like I am the ranty one because I'm not nodding and agreeing 'yeah yeah, she definitely knew something, she just acted ODD, I just know it'

I agree with Littlepumpkinhead and others.

I keep having conversations with people where I say: 'that's not true', 'that never happened', 'that was something she was encouraged to imagine and retracted immediately and never admitted to court' bla bla bla.

And then they get affronted when I direct them to proper reports because reading stuff, unless it's Weeping Foxy Free to Make A Fortune, is too difficult, isn't it?

I don't invite these conversations. People keep assailing me with their stupid, prurient theories while expressing sorrow that 'poor Meredith has been forgotten in all this.'

"Some people will NEVER change their mind despite everything pointing to them being wrong"

I have been arguing debating this with a Facebook friend. I've needed to pull him up on several "facts" he has stated about Amanda, for example, he said she was cartwheeling outside the murder scene. I corrected hima nd told him that actually she was cartwheeling at the police station and I even put it into context for him. Every thing I explained, he said "She's still a weirdo, though."

People just WANT her to be guilty. It makes me so angry for her. No matter what she does from now on, she will be scrutinized by tabloid vacuuming dickheads. On teh front of one of the red tops this morning, there was a picture of her smiling on the escalator at Fiumicino airport with the headline "Meredith Who?" FFS, she has been freed after being imprisoned, wrongly, for four years. She more than has the right to look happy. I don't think I would be happy, if I were her. I would be bitter and I would want vengeance. She is just grateful to be out. All of this "Meredith has been forgotten" stuff is a red herring, too. This isn't about Meredith's murder. This is about a wrongful conviction.

I had all this when the Joanna Yeates landlord arrest was going on - I argued and argued with posters who said 'he looks weird - it's definitely him' and whom prior to that accused her fiance and even her father - all on appearance and stupid 'feelings'.

I was royally flamed and accused of having a 'morbid fascination' with the case myself, that I'd forgotten about the poor girl who had been murdered, that I was as bad as they were for continuing to argue the case of, well, not being an arse and accusing people on little more than a whim.

Looks like there are many more sensible people on these threads, thank goodness.

there's a really foul forum called Perugia murderfile full of people who spend their time calling AK a shedevil. for a while, a couple of years ago, I posted there and argued with most people. They turned on anyone who attemped to correct the misinformation they were spewing. It's people like that who will be a real threat to AK and her family because they really want to see her dead.

they posted stuff like "We should also not forget that a young man is serving 16 years for a crime that three people committed. Who are the other two, if Amanda and Raffaele are innocent? And why should Rudy be the only one to shoulder this burden if others aided him?"

madness, they actually feel sorry for Guede! They also seem to be obsessed by the fact that AK will now have access to the internet and they assume she will join their forum!

But the thing is some of you are talking as though you know what happened and for sure that she is innocent.

Who knows, no one knows.

I think it's wise not to come down on either side of the fence unless purely in legal terms, ie she has been freed and acquitted, or whatever the correct wording is.

the whole thing is still surrounded in mystery which is why it's still going on. But none of us knows if she was involved or not so it's best not to say she was or she wasn't. Pointless.

I have been lurking for a while but never posted, but after reading this thread I wanted to comment.

I am another of those who believed all I read in the media, and so assumed that Amanda and Raphael were guilty.

However, having been a friend of Mez's while at uni, I was really unsettled at the thought of her 'killers' walking free. I'm glad I've dug deeper and read the links shown on this thread, as well as all the articles that condemn the pair. It's right what many have said here - the "reasons" for them being guilty are mainly body language, behaviour etc, with very little actual evidence existing.

I can't say whether they're definitely innocent or guilty any more than the next person, but it does seem that this is the right outcome based on the evidence.

Anyway, I just wanted to say I am glad of having the chance to read this debate.

I'm really sorry that you lost your friend.

Me too, pajamas. All this must be really hard on her family and friends. I guess I am hoping that the prosecution too go back to Square One and really think about the evidence they have and what it points to, and if there are any avenues still to explore, before they decide to go back for a 3rd go at AK/RS.

Meredith deserves nothing less than the real truth. All the atrocious media reports about Knox have completely muddied the water. Intelligent posters are still popping up on these threads and basing their opinion on the media reporting rather than the actual facts. It is really that incidious. After the Daily Mail cock up the other night, I am not sure if I will ever believe fully anything written in the paper again!

I had a quick look at the Belgian reportage earlier on. Le Soir has a couple of paragraphs that refer to AK's drug fuelled "vie dissolue" ie the american went to Europe and went a bit mad, then said that the 1 million dollar campaign of her parents was a success. I was a bit . They never even bothered to think about the evidence and why the acquittal was made. Fortunately other news sources were a bit more balanced and informative.

Oh pajamas I am sorry to hear that you lost a friend like this. :(

Sorry - I sounded very cold and clinical when I posted . I really AM very sorry - no one should have to lose their child/sibling/friend in this way.

I really would like to see justice for Meredith and her family. I read that Guede is planning on asking for a retrial. He bloody knows what went on that night if anyone does. He was there WELL beyond reasonable doubt.

So sorry you lost your friend Pajamas, and sorry for Meredith's family who must be in a living hell because of this cock up, they'll never get their daughter back.

I can't believe some people are criticising AK's parents for being happy, sure they're on top of the world to get their daughter back who must have been in a living hell for 4 years. She has been proved innocent on evidence during the retrial.

I really cannot believe some peoples' opinions on here, it stinks. Let the girl get on with her life in peace.

And there is someone still in prison who did commit the crime, his DNA was all over the room, along with someone else's who wasn't AK!

Any Italians on this thread have a view?

My dh (Italian national) came home that night and was shocked at the verdict of the appeal.

A very italian case in that for every verdict or answer it begs more questions.

I personally don't have a a great feeling about the two released (and I didn;'t follow the trial in great detail).

But my random thoughts are:
K & S are free basically from a defence that said the dna evidence was unsound - the same evidence that convicted Guede. So although he went for the fast track route then surely could be said about his case.

The Kercher family asked for the many pages of other non dna evidence to be considered - it doesn't appear to have been considered at this stage.

It does make me wonder - less about the supposed defects of the Italian system but more about the nature of legal processes around the world.

I find it interested that many say that funny how the white people get off and the black person is in jail. In fact the victim was an minority and so is the person in jail - and the two white people get off.

How come the dna considered to be unsafe - yet Guede is in jail for murder with other people and it's the same unsafe dna that convicts him. How does his charge stand now the two other people are fee and the prosecution have no intention of reopening the case,

So odd - so sad. The poor Kercher family. They seem to me like pawns in all this - on the one hand they seemed to have been taken under the wing of the prosecution who were convinced there were three people involved and now they are out in cold with all the focus on A&R 'found innocent' (aka just not guilty under the legal process because of flaws in procedure).

I read that that Italian appeal process allows you to only discuss the weak points in a case. The DNA that linked AK/RS to the case was miniscule and collected in very unscientific manner. Guede's DNA was in lots of places at the crime scene. Plus he left a handprint which is how he was linked initially.

All taLk of race is irrelevant. Guede wasn't found guilty because he was black, it was because his DNA was every where at the crime scene. The other two were aquitted because there was little/nothing to link them to the crime.

I think unless anyone has inside knowledge or is 100% sure that AK and RS did it then we should really just go with the innocent verdict. I accept the innocent verdict as i don't want to think an injustice has been done. With that in mind I'd hate to further punishing these two who have had their lives and characters ripped apart by continuing to cast aspersions of guilt on them - haven't they suffered enough while we are sitting here gossiping, maybe over a glass of wine about this? Imagine you were them - they are never going to be able to put this behind them, do you really want to be party to continuing to punish them. This is not some silly publicity seeking celebrities out of OK or Hello.

Well the judge said they were acquitted as they didn't do it. That fits very nicely with my view. Others will have a different opinion though.

Does anyone seriously think it was a satantic sex game?

Well from reading some of the posts. some people do!

I don't know what it was but it was a devastating outcome.

Perhaps in Italy DNA evidence is the only evidence that is allowed - but I very much doubt it.

However, it seems that the rome appeal will only be based on the quality of the appeal which means the appeal will probably be upheld.

Rudy Guede has been silent. I wonder how he feels about his conviction based on his part 'with others'. Prosecution have said the case won't be reopened as, from their point of view, Guede was part of murder along with AK and RS. Now it's not according to the defence. So the Kercher family are just left hanging. So sad for them.

Well in my view it's the fault of the police that they failed to run the investigation properly and also evidently had people involved in running it who were not fit to be in that role and had already proven themselves to be untrustworthy.