There is an enormous amount that can be said about the whole affair, but the bottom line is that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent of the murder of Meredith Kercher, which took place when they were all students in Perugia in 2007. I originally thought that they were innocent, and then was swayed for a time into entertaining the possibility of their guilt by some things I read, among them Barbie Nadeau’s book Angel Face, which is compiled from her articles for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. But after more extensive reading, notably Candace Dempsey’s Murder in Perugia and Bruce Fisher’s Injustice in Perugia, I believe that they are innocent.
What has happened is a terrible miscarriage of justice. Their convictions were built on improper interrogations, irresponsible handling and use of evidence, dismissal of exonerating factors, unethical practices, prosecutorial misconduct, gross unprofessionalism, sensationalistic media smearing, character assassination, and more. Of course they hurt their own case by some things they said and did, but that does not make them guilty. Their convictions should be thrown out when their appeals come up, and efforts should be made to speed up the appeals process.
Of all the Italian law blogs I read, this is by far the best.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere is something really off about this case. It needs to be investigated and audited.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat does this article have to do with higher education. Dempsey and Fisher are friends of Amanda Knox parents. What do you expect from them. The girl is a cold blooded killer. She's already been indicted once. Have you read the 440 page Judges report? It's available on-line.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Everything I have said in regards to my involvement in Meredith’s death, even though it is contrasting, are the best truth that I have been able to think." (Amanda Knox, 6 November 2007).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMs. Iannone,
With all due respect, the books you cite by Fisher and Dempsey are extremely biased. "Fisher" appears to be the fictional creation of a Public Relations firm hired by the Knox family - not a real person. Dempsey is an ex-food writer and family friend, who speaks little Italian and attended a handful of court dates in Perugia.
You would be well advised to read the objective, detailed Trial Report (available at the "True Justice for Meredith Kercher" website) before passing judgment.
The evidence against Ms. Knox is frankly overwhelming. Personally, I was shocked by the conviction, but after a night of study it became obvious that the "Friends of Amanda" are attempting to mislead the American public.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo one believes they're guilty anymore. Candace Dempsey and Bruce Fisher didn't know these families before their involvement in this case. I'm not sure if Candace has ever met with them, (she probably has) but Bruce hasn't. This is deception loud and clear. It discredits these crazy hate groups all the more.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThey (Candace and Bruce) came in unbiased, and their conclusions were that there are innocent kids wrongly imprisoned.
This....is true justice for Meredith.
This case happened while students were studying abroad. That's what makes it relevant to higher education. Students need to know.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRegardless of anyone's personal opinion on the Bruce Fisher book, the author is quite real and authentic. I am both fascinated and impressed that his detractors have taken the time read his book. I await my copy of the newly released item.
Steve Shay
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWest Seattle Herald
Ms. Iannone,
Could you please detail why you think the two are innocent? That is, introduce the pieces of evidence that were used to convict them, and critique why you think these pieces of evidence point to their innocence.
I understand you are reviewing a book here, but your reasons for assuming innocence are recapitulations of many unsubstantiated theories.
If you read Fisher's and Dempsey's books, then you can surely provide some evidence of your newfound innocence in regards to Sollecito and Knox.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMs. Iannone,
Could you please detail why you think the two are innocent? That is, introduce the pieces of evidence that were used to convict them, and critique why you think these pieces of evidence point to their innocence.
I understand you are reviewing a book here, but your reasons for assuming innocence are recapitulations of many unsubstantiated theories.
If you read Fisher's and Dempsey's books, then you can surely provide some evidence of your newfound innocence in regards to Sollecito and Knox.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't know how any intelligent person could read the "440 Page Motivation Report" and not come away shaking their head at the absurdity of it all. In addition to Dempsey's and Fisher's books, read Mark Waterbury's "Monster of Perugia". You will learn a lot about DNA profiling and it misuse, as well the myriad of flaws in the Motivation.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseReckless and Negligent evidence collection.
The Perugia Flying Squad didn’t bag HALF of the clothes Meredith Kercher was wearing the night she was attacked until 6 week or more after the murder and some items were never tested at all.
Primary evidence not bagged until six weeks or later after the murder: A light blue jacket worn while attacked, both socks, bra clasp, brown leather purse with bloody prints on it and puma shoes. A beige tote bag that was used that night was never tested. No record on testing the long sleeve t-shirt the victim was wearing. A bloody towel was collected but not stored correctly and allowed to rot
Items retrieved six weeks later on Dec 18th:
Light blue jacket the victim was wearing when attacked and that was forcibly removed with both arms of the jacket turned inside out. It was originally photographed on the floor near the victim’s head. The forensic team pulled it out of a laundry hamper on Dec 18th. What kind of forensic storage method is this?! Then they threw it on the floor before one of them finally decided to collect it. Rudy Guede’s DNA was later found on a cuff.
One sock came out from under the bed. A pile of clothes was placed on top of the bed and shoes beside and under it. A pair of bloody boots Meredith’s head was found resting on were also thrown in the pile. The sock would have been removed by Meredith’s killer and had blood on the cuff but was carelessly shoved under the bed with many other items far from where it was originally seen on Nov 2.
The second sock and BRA CLASP were found tangled under a rug by the desk, moved from their original location.
A brown leather purse that had been OPENED AND HAD BLOOD near the zipper was finally collected six weeks later. It had been moved from its original location. Why would it not be a top priority to see who opened the purse and stole the money?
The red and white puma shoes Meredith was wearing were in a pile of shoes by the bed on Dec 18th, even though they had spots of blood on them. One of them was still tied showing that the victim was wearing them when attacked.
The beige tote bag was never tested even though the killer may have looked through it to find KEYS needed to leave the cottage.
If this was YOUR daughter or sister would it be acceptable to NOT immediately bag and process the clothes they was wearing when attacked in order to find the killer? There is simply no acceptable explanation for this level of negligence. It is stunning and egregious.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCarol, thank you for this post. It just so happens that I am a real person. I am not a fictitious character created by any PR firm. If Norbert took the time to read my book he would know these things. Norbert's tactics are not uncommon. Attack the author to distract people from the facts.
Harry Rag forgot to include the entire text of Amanda's statement. Amanda finished with this: "All I know is that I didn't kill Meredith, and so I have nothing but lies to be afraid of"
Amanda's words don't sound like a confession to me. Harry knows this. That's why he doesn't include the full text in his comments.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMs. Iannone,
The most striking thing to me about this case is how much the defendants, especially Ms. Knox, were demonized. The second most striking thing was how many of the leaks in the first few weeks of the case were warmed over bologna.
Norbert has spoken falsely. Ms. Dempsey used the court transcripts in the writing of her book and covered many of the court dates.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCarol hit the nail right on the head. Speaking of unethical behavior, the authorities gave false testimony during court on multiple occasions. They said they found bloody footprints in the apartment compatible with Amanda and Raffaele. When ask the authorities testified test had not been performed to verify the substance was blood but later it was learned that the test had been performed and the substance was not blood. I know this is hard to believe but it happened and it's documented on page 256-257 in judge Micheli's motivation report. Also the authorities said the postal police arrived before Raffaele called the police's emergency number. We have CCTV cam photos that prove this this is not true (see injusticeinperugia). Also they said the CCTV cam timer was approximately 10 minutes fast. Raffaele's lawyer provided proof to the court that this was not true. This isn't all the false statements the authorities made. See Bruce Fisher's book for a long list of false testimony on behalf of the authorities.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis case has brought out many strong opinions on both sides. The more one follows the case, however, the more one realizes that those who really look intelligently at the reported facts of the case conclude Amanda and her former boyfriend are innocent. On the other hand, the contingent who continue to militate for them to be kept in prison repeat and keep repeating lies and misinformation that was passed around by disreputable persons and media almost right from the beginning. What is more, when the things they say are refuted by reliable information and sound logic, they resort to personal attacks and various attempts to silence those who support innocence.
The mental set of those who continue to profess guilt and to incite cruelty against Amanda, her former boyfriend, their families and those who have formed an opinion in favour of innocence, is truly troubling. In many ways the people who troll the internet in an effort to continue the brutal treatment of Amanda Knox show themselves to be the sort of people they accuse Amanda of being. All things being equal, I would prefer to share my community and my neighbourhood with Amanda, her former boyfriend Raffaele and their families, than with the people who think it is alright that they should not only be kept in prison, but in many cases, who would deny them the right to argue their innocence on appeal according to law.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMr. Fisher is not authentic ... and the real Bruce Fisher of Seattle is not amused.
Most of the individuals posting here have been either hired by the Knox Family's PR firm, are friends of the Knox family, or are groupies craving for attention.
Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito murdered Meredith Kercher in cold blood ... and have been inventing new alibis ever since.
Happily, the Perugia courts have not been fooled.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNorbert,
Can you back up your claim that some have been paid? If not, the honorable thing to do is to withdraw it and apologize. Here are some examples of my claim: the bleach receipts that did not exist, the Harry Potter book that was right where Ms. Knox said it was all along, the CCT footage that supposedly showed Ms. Knox at her flat...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNorbert, if you have a legitimate cause you don't *need* a 'PR firm;' if you don't have one you can spend eleven million (1980!) dollars on one delegate, just ask John Connally. There's something exhilarating about finding out about a gross miscarriage of justice and posting on it, refuting the lies and conspiracy theories of those who for some reason would see Amanda and Raffaele rot away in prison while the real killer Rudy Guede saunters out of prison aged thirty.
You don't need to *pay* people to do that, being one of the Good Guys is its own reward. :)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLuckily, people around the globe are awakening to the reality of what went on here. Stripped of all pretense, the prosecution "case" is a cruel and elaborate hoax. This web of lies was concocted with breathtaking arrogance by people who feel that they can do absolutely anything they want, unrestrained in any way by common decency or broadly recognized principles of justice. They believed that if they told enough lies, shouted loudly enough, obfuscated endlessly, and, just for good measure, brought charges against those who disagreed with them, the public and press would be cowed into acquiescence.
Well, it didn't work. When you work through the case systematically you realize that Amanda and Raffaele proved their innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt. No prosecution claim survives scrutiny and analysis. The statements were clearly coerced. The witnesses amount to a series of sick jokes. The knife was not the knife. The footprints were not bloody. The mixed DNA is meaningless. The claim that there was a staged break in is extravagant nonsense. The cell phone and computer records work for the defense not the prosecution. The victim clearly was attacked and died at least two hours earlier than the prosecution claimed. So it goes.
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