Amanda Knox verdict: Guilty of murder

yep December 4, 2009 (3:15 pm)

Maybe the parents can have some peace now (of the brutally, murdered woman).

rob December 4, 2009 (3:16 pm)

I knew it. Knew her. Now it’s all up to the lawyer and an appeal.

Amanda and all visitors to other countries should not be so bold to play with drugs it influences juries.

ann December 4, 2009 (3:16 pm)

Sad.

bb December 4, 2009 (3:20 pm)

I just don’t believe there was any motive for Amanda to kill her roommate…what tragedy.

seven December 4, 2009 (3:28 pm)

Good call yep.

BB December 4, 2009 (3:34 pm)

The motive makes no sense…what a tragedy.

seven December 4, 2009 (3:37 pm)

If this were a black dude it wouldn’t have gotten the same attention.

seven December 4, 2009 (3:42 pm)

Oh wait! O.J.! never mind.

AD December 4, 2009 (3:46 pm)

I’m saddened to hear of the guilty verdict. I don’t think she is guilty. But I really don’t know? Who does. Obviously this trial did not answer that question 100%. Very messed up trial.

I hope justice is served to whomever killed Meredith, and if Amanda is innocent she will be set free.

jiggers December 4, 2009 (3:48 pm)

I gueesed wrong. Anyways, the Italians wanted to set an example regardless.

jtm December 4, 2009 (4:00 pm)

Yes they did. 6 jurors were wearing Italian flag sashes. This is sad, she is not guilty.

seven December 4, 2009 (4:05 pm)

Yeah…they set an example alright. Commit a crime do the time.

Bill December 4, 2009 (4:06 pm)

I didn’t doubt she was guilty from day one. But on the bright side, prisons in Europe are way nicer then here. Full disclosure: my brother in law had been in both.

seven December 4, 2009 (4:09 pm)

yeah sure…brother in law. ha!

huh December 4, 2009 (4:12 pm)

yeah, she’s a saint – going so far as to accuse an innocent man (patrick lumumba)of the crime. didn’t care about ruining another life. and changing her story over and over again. guilty.

Ms Evelyn December 4, 2009 (4:12 pm)

No one wins in situations like this! Nothing can bring the victim back. Now two families are forever changed…Just tooo sad…

onceachef December 4, 2009 (4:14 pm)

Very tragic ending…we may never know what really happened – and Seven -I won’t call you what you obviously are. Of course the parents of Meredith Kercher want the real killers to pay for their daughter’s death, but it was not proven without a reasonable doubt (there were a lot of reasonable doubts as a matter of law and fact) that Amanda Knox did this…her actions/lifestyle raise suspicions, of course, but it’s not iron clad proof by any means that she murdered someone. I would assume that Kercher’s parents would want the RIGHT person convicted, not necessarily the roomate. Making inflammatory statements about her not being black (and warranting attention) and referring to OJ Simpson is quite simply an indication of your lack of common sense and callousness as a human being….grow up!

Cleveland Ken December 4, 2009 (4:18 pm)

I don’t know why this has been big news. She is a murder and she should go to jail. You might say she isn’t a murder but she was convicted so guess what, now she is murder. She should rot in jail I say. Now let’s get on to some news that’s worth a damn.

Tina December 4, 2009 (4:20 pm)

Finally….justice! Guilty on all counts! Looks like foxy knoxy will have plenty of time to regret her decision to commit murder! Now hopefully the victim’s parents can find some peace.

KJK December 4, 2009 (4:22 pm)

Shocked! My heart goes out to all the families this has had an impact on. Such a tragedy for all involved.

seven December 4, 2009 (4:23 pm)

right….show the same sensitivity and skepticism when the guys who killed Steve Bushaw go up for trial. guarantee you won’t even be paying attention then. hypocrite. My common sense tells me that we cheered when a black man suspected of murder was killed but cry when a blond girl gets convicted tells me something is amiss. thank god that you were once a chef because i’d be afraid to eat the smug stew you cooked up.

TJ December 4, 2009 (4:28 pm)

Seven, why the brother in law comment? You are entitled to your opinions, but don’t you have anything better to do than comment sarcastically on everyone else’s comments? Three families and many supporters of all sides have been greatly affected by this tragedy, have some respect.

luckymom30 December 4, 2009 (4:30 pm)

Unbelieveably sad news!

EyeLiveInWestSeattle December 4, 2009 (4:35 pm)

Are you kidding me? What were these people thinking having the blog-press in their home when the verdict was read? Did they think there was no chance their neice was GUILTY? Oh well, on a brighter note, great picture WSB! You captured the shock on their faces. Awesome. Well done!

WSB December 4, 2009 (4:47 pm)

EyeLive, note the photo credit – Seattle Times, with whom we have an informal partnership, photo used with their permission. They and a multitude of other folks from the citywide media were there. I would have liked to have used a photo from Italy but we don’t have a partnership with the wire services.

Brian December 4, 2009 (4:36 pm)

Freedom Pizzas!

FCT December 4, 2009 (4:40 pm)

Folks, no of us were there, either at the scene of the crime or in the court room to hear the evidence.

Is she guilty/innocent?

I have no idea. It is not my place to judge her. All I do know is that an Italian Court found her guilty and three or four families lost their loved ones.

Sad all around.

Bill December 4, 2009 (4:40 pm)

26 year sentence in Europe means nothing, according to my brother in law, as a first time offender her sentence will be reduced to 5-6 years, plus probation – (for good behaviour)- minus 2 years she’s been in custody already.So in 3 to 4 years Amanda will be back with us !!! Cheer up people, It’s Europe, things are different there!!!

EyeLiveInWestSeattle December 4, 2009 (4:42 pm)

Hey Seven… she isn’t blonde. You should stop now. She was found guilty after a trial that lasted how long? It’s done, people. Anyway, she is going to jail and that’s that. Kercher’s family will be in the news in the coming day or so to tell all of you they are confident the murderers are in jail. I am looking forward to next week. Wanna know why? This crap won’t be in the news anymore. Amanda will go away very, very soon.

ann December 4, 2009 (4:46 pm)

The fact that anyone would refer to her as “foxy knoxy” pretty much tells me she was doomed from the start.

luckydad40 December 4, 2009 (4:48 pm)

Justice has been served…Ask her schoolmates at Seattle Prep, none of them are surprised that she was capable of doing something so sinister. I would like to send my condolences to the family of the murdered woman, and a big “I told you so” to the Knox family. Always live by this rule…..Dont take America for granted…..Never commit a crime, engage in drug use or anything illegal in a foreign country.

EyeLiveInWestSeattle December 4, 2009 (4:55 pm)

Well said, LuckyDad.

vincent December 4, 2009 (5:12 pm)

I hate it when I get so loaded at a party I cant remember if I did or didn’t have anything to do with someone being dead the next day. Nice picture WSB! HARD HITTING LOCAL NEWS, LOOK AT OLD PEOPLE CRY! THE SHOCK, THE HORROR, THE PAGEVIEWS $$$$$

Gabriele December 4, 2009 (5:14 pm)

Thank you, FCT, for your comment. I am with you, the voice of reason!

cherylc December 4, 2009 (5:27 pm)

luckydad40, did you go to school with her? I am curious about how she was perceived by other kids. That said, I don’t have any idea if she’s guilty or not. I do wish her looks and gender hadn’t received attention in the way it has; that attention revealed the level of misogyny that still exists.

I feel sorry for the families of all involved, especially Meredith Kercher’s family, who are living the ultimate nightmare.

DCS Foyle December 4, 2009 (5:33 pm)

It is no surprise that many in West Seattle do not feel justice has been served, but I would encourage everyone to take some time and read other news services’ (especially non-American) accounts to try to get an objective take on this. If you read the BBC World Service, you get a wholly different perspective.

Firstly, why would the jury convict Knox if they weren’t satisfied by the evidence that she was guilty? To those who claim this is due to anti-Americanism, I would remind you that the victim was English, while Knox, an Ivory Coaster and AN ITALIAN are also going ‘up the river’ for this. I honestly don’t think the Italian jury had a nationalistic ‘dog in this fight’. It is also insulting to Italians to infer that they are incapable of rendering a just verdict. This is Italy, not some kangaroo kourt in a third-world country. The Italian jurors were every bit as thoughtful as any American jury; give them some credit.

Ms. Knox had good lawyers as well, it’s not like her legal team was outclassed. Both legal teams were Italian; once again, no reason for bias.

It’s a little disingenuous for AK’s supporters to say the Prosecution had no case. While none of the accused were found at the scene knife in hand, there were more than enough strands of circumstantial evidence to weave a net they could not escape.

Knox’s own behaviour doesn’t help. Why would an innocent woman try to throw nightclub owner Patrick Diya Lumumba ‘under the bus’, and ruin his life? Is this the action of an innocent? No one has really explained that one. Also, no one is buying the assertion that AK is a plaster saint. According to the BBC, ‘Randy Mandy’ had gained the reputation of a wild ‘party girl’ at the UW before she left for Italy. Her well-documented fondness for weed doesn’t help either.

In the end, no one will ever know for sure what happened that night. One is dead, and the other three told wildly inconsistent and changing stories. I think it is safe to assume the murder of Meridith Kercher wasn’t the act of some unknown intruder who’s still on the loose. In the end, an Italian jury heard enough to be convinced that the Prosecution had made it’s case, and acted accordingly. Deal with it.

This should serve as a cautionary tale to all Americans who travel and study abroad. Americans abroad tend to be ignorant of the finer points of cultures other than their own, and have a rather spoiled view that they should be treated different (read: better) because they’re American. They think they can behave with impunity, and if they get in a jam, the US Ambassador will swoop in with a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card. Never forget that you are no longer in America, and you are now bound by the rules of a different legal system then your own, so you’d be well advised to keep your nose clean and avoid all dodgy behaviour like the plague. ‘Foxy Knoxy’ carried on like Perugia was just an extension of the UW’s Greek Row, and got in way over her head. Now she’ll have 26 years to contemplate the errors of her ways, and how she’s going to cough up her share of the nearly four million Euros (appox 6 million USD) restitution ordered by the Italian court.

BTW, I hope she likes spaghetti; I understand they serve it 4x daily in Italian prisons.

Kayleigh December 4, 2009 (5:33 pm)

It’s embarrassing to watch people fawn over Amanda and her family while giving scant attention to Meredith, the victim. I realize the local angle probably gives us more Amanda coverage here in Seattle, but still, I had to search out info to learn about Meredith as a person. I’m so sorry for her family.
.
I have no idea whether or not Amanda is guilty because I wasn’t there. Sad for everybody regardless.

frog baseball December 4, 2009 (5:37 pm)

so wait a country upholds its laws and thats somehow anti-america or some other nonsense? setting an example? yeah if you commit heinous crimes in their country you will pay the price whether you are rich, poor, white, purple, etc.

Elle December 4, 2009 (5:43 pm)

RIP Meredith Kercher. How quickly we all forget the victims.

Bree December 4, 2009 (5:53 pm)

Amanda Knox is GUILTY, guilty as sin. She was the ONLY person in the room with motive when poor Meredith was sexually assaulted and taunted and tortured and finaly killed. No one needs to find her “iron clad guilty,” most particularly when this girl railroaded herself into this verdict with her lies and changing stories…how about this Amanda version where poor unfortunate Patrick Lummume (?spelling) was the murderer and Amanda said that Meredith’s “screams of agony were so bad that I had to block my ears.” SHE IS A LIAR and a murderer. Amanda Knox had NO REASON to implicate Patrick except to shift suspicion from herself. Rot in prison you psychopath and finally perhaps some justice for Meredith’s family and for Patrick L..

Bill December 4, 2009 (6:01 pm)

Bree, nobody rots in prison in Europe, see my posts above, she will be back home in few years on probation…

Mac J December 4, 2009 (6:01 pm)

Luckydad, I’m a little puzzled about your implication that Prep kids were “not surprised”. I was two grades ahead of her, my brother was in her class, and a friend of his dated her. I’d say we were all plenty surprised, and from the way this trial was conducted I have a lot of doubts about the outcome.

Can you imagine getting a fair trial from jurors free to soak in European tabloid media? What kind of court takes a summer vacation? Never mind the incredible dearth of material evidence, and extreme reliance on character assassination.

While I can’t say for sure, not having been at the scene, a combination of the published details, Occam’s Razor, and the reputation of the Italian system of law lead me to doubt today’s ruling.

Let us hope that now that the prosecutors have their victory in the newspapers the Italian prison system will quietly do the right thing.

William of Baskerville December 4, 2009 (7:18 pm)

Mac J, for a person who’s quick to accuse the Italian court of “character assassination”, you sure are quick to drink deep from that well yourself; shame on you. What are you talking about when you cite the “reputation of the Italian system of law”? Without citing specific cases, you’re no better. Our vaunted system isn’t perfect for that matter.

DCS Foyle raised a real good point; unless you can offer some concrete evidence that the Italian jury had an axe to grind against Amanda, shut the hell up and stop insulting them. They heard the Prosecution, they heard the defense, and they rendered a verdict; how is it so different than here?

So the court takes a summer vacation; so what? If our courts wouldn’t treat jurors little better than prisoners, maybe we wouldn’t have so many folks trying to weasel out of jury duty when summoned, yes? Do you think the judges instructions to the jury are much different then in an American court?

We Europeans do get annoyed by the ‘spoiled brat’ attitude you Americans take when you don’t get your way, but we’re not going to compromise our integrity just to see you get ‘humbled’. The Knox family has every right to appeal, and while they may well wish to throw good money after bad so they can continue to live in a state of denial where their Amanda is simply a ‘good girl’ who’s been railroaded by an inferior and corrupt legal system, they may be better served pausing and asking themselves how well they REALLY knew her. Do your parents know everything about you, or do you have some secrets?

Finally, you quote Occam’s Razor, but I’m not sure you understand it; rather, you wanted to throw out something that makes you look sophisticated. In essence, Occam’s Razor simply states that when considering different options, the simpler one is likely the case. The Prosecution’s version is the simplest, and most likely. Kids high on hash start roughhousing with a recalcitrant roommate, things get out of hand, and one winds up dead. This seems to make a lot more sense than talking porkies about a nightclub owner (now ruined, by the way), or suggesting that the crime was committed by some phantom villain who came out of nowhere, killed Ms. Kercher, and disappeared without a trace. If anything, Occam’s Razor supports the Prosecution.

Oh yes, and what exactly do you mean the “Italian prison system will quietly do the right thing”? You think they’ll bake a file in her next birthday cake. I wouldn’t hang my hat on a early parole. Were talking murder here, and I hate to break it to you, but life is just as precious to the Italians as it is to us.

Ciao, babe.

David December 4, 2009 (7:26 pm)

I don’t know if she was guilty or not. However, given that she was always smiling at the camera and looking smug, the verdict doesn’t surprise me one bit. She could have used some counseling on how to act during a murder trial.

Rain December 4, 2009 (7:39 pm)

Amanda was wrongly convicted. Plain and simple. Support and prayers for her and her family.

Mark December 4, 2009 (7:49 pm)

In prison she can reflect and pen, “If I Did It”, with a forward from OJ

Let this be a lesson. dont get high

Brother Cadfael December 4, 2009 (7:59 pm)

Not to belabour a point, but I also would like to remind the arrogant, selfish ‘an-American-can’t-get-a-fair-trial-in-Italy’ crowd that Amanda Knox wasn’t alone the the Defendant’s Dock. The Italian jury also sent a young Italian man of good family and excellent prospects off to a 25 year sentence. Do you really think this jury had such an axe to grind against Americans that convicting Raffaele Sollecito would be considered acceptable ‘collateral damage’?

If it’s not impossible for an American to try to see things from the Italian perspective, please try: Italy is a friend of the United States. It’s sons have bled alongside American boys in Iraq and Afghanistan. They stood alongside you in the ‘War on Terror’, even after it became little more than a pretext to try to grab control of a large chunk of Middle Eastern oil, so you can sit in your SUV at the Starbucks drive-though and idle your motor for less than $3 a gallon. Italy is a prime destination for American tourists and students. Many Italians have American relatives. Do you REALLY think the Italian jury wanted to piss America off so bad they’d send a clearly innocent couple to prison until they reach middle age? Oh, please.
So please, stop suggesting the Italian jury has somehow been unfair or ‘anti-American’, just because things didn’t turn out the way you liked. Maybe they know Amanda Knox better than you do. Sometimes, even ‘good kids’ from upper-middle class families do stupid and bad things. They have to pay for it like anyone else. Get over it.

lola December 4, 2009 (7:59 pm)

DCS Foyle: Succinctly put.

Mike December 4, 2009 (8:58 pm)

No motive! No evidence! Unless the Italians fix this, I will never set foot in that country again. Too bad, it used to be one of my favorite places.

GetReal December 4, 2009 (9:07 pm)

DCS Foyle, well said indeed.

Mike, they’ll be happy to not have you.

Wing December 4, 2009 (9:09 pm)

No motive? No evidence? Please …

sadness December 4, 2009 (9:25 pm)

This would not have happened if weed was legal.
/sarcasm

DI Jack Regan December 4, 2009 (9:29 pm)

“No motive! No evidence”? No brains on your part, Mikey boy. Have you paid any attention to the case at all? The Prosecution offered plenty of both, and despite two years to work on it, the Defense failed to adequately counter it. There was no ‘rush to judgment’ here. If anything, the Italians bent over backwards to give Ms. Knox every benefit of the doubt. The last thing Prime Minister Berlusconi wants is to have to explain to Hilary Clinton why a ‘girl next door’ like Amanda Knox can’t get a fair trial in Italy, so calm down, take a deep breath, and give your brain a chance, OK? If you don’t want to go to Italy, fine. I really doubt they’ll miss you.

Bill December 4, 2009 (9:29 pm)

DCS Foyle, now since you’ve mentioned it… When my brother in law got busted in Europe, that was exactly what he was doing. Calling US Ambassy 5 times a day DEMANDING that ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card. Because he is an AMERICAN!!! Until the very last seconds of his trial he kept waiting for that ambassy van with tinted windows to come and save him…

deb December 4, 2009 (9:48 pm)

were we really supposed to believe that just because she was a healthy looking, pretty American girl, that she couldn’t possibly have committed this crime? She confessed, and two days later (after her parents and lawyers got to her), took it back! Sorry Amanda, you’re not 3 years old anymore! Amazing how the American press has not showed one simple episode on the life of the slain British girl. Americans really are something! Good looking, nice Americans commit murder every day – ie. Ted Bundy. Why does everyone always say “she is a lovely girl, wouldn’t kill a fly” – why don’t people GET that we never know anyone, really!

ln8r December 4, 2009 (10:03 pm)

She’s never appeared to show any sort of remorse for the situation. I find her creepy.

CMT December 4, 2009 (10:08 pm)

Mac J – thanks for sharing that you and others who went to school with Knox were surprised.

William of Baskerville – you don’t seem to have a problem insulting or make assumptions about Mac J (and others) and your statement that “We Europeans do get annoyed by the ’spoiled brat’ attitude you Americans take when you don’t get your way . . . Ciao Babe” is over the top. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion about the verdict.

Westside J. December 5, 2009 (12:05 am)

Didn’t know her. Not sure she’s innocent, but Im definetely not convinced she did it. As for you all who think there was “plenty of evidence” pointing towards her guilt- you need to do more research. The evidence they had was weak at best. Her behavior never helped her case, but that alone isn’t worth much either. Like I said, she may have done it, she may have not.. But the one thing that is certain is that the trial didn’t prove anything one way or another. And the fact that the jury was open to influence of the media?? Why do you think it is that our system here prohibits that??

bongo December 5, 2009 (12:18 am)

Based on the evidence that was given in the media, I have to say I would have had a reasonable doubt…there must be a lot more that the police in Italy know that wasn’t relayed in the media — so who knows if she is guilty or not…but, she sure does have a weird demeanor about her — she could have had a much better testimonial speech prepared, what she said in her own defense was pathetic and strange. Couldn’t anyone coach her about how to behave and dress? Was she just not listening to her family — why were they there if they weren’t insisting that she follow their advise — did they give her ANY clues about why she was so deep in doodoo? She did seem to enjoy the attention and to be narcissistic based on the media reporting only of course. I too would like to know more about how she was perceived by classmates at Seattle Prep. If she is guilty, she is one sick sociopath. So far she has proven, without any question, to be totally naive and stupid about her behavior in a foreign country and then while on trial… just her own worst enemy really. Very sad for all the families involved.

Bob December 5, 2009 (1:28 am)

Maybe she will learn to RAP and be a star when she gets out…you go sista!!

CHILL December 5, 2009 (2:06 am)

It is no surprise that many in West Seattle do not feel justice has been served, but I would encourage everyone to take some time and read other news services’ (especially non-American) accounts”If you read the BBC World Service, you get a wholly different perspective.”

Don’t make me laugh. Amanda Knox was tried and convicted in the British/Italian media before the trial began. The unprofessional sensationalism in the UK/Italy ensured she got convicted no matter what. Here in the USA, the media has been neutral for the most part showing the pros and cons instead of convicting her in the court of public opinion.

Gorth December 5, 2009 (3:29 am)

I have always believed the innocent state their case of innocence from the beginning and their story is consistent to the end. That does not mean they will not be convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. The guilty on the other hand can’t get their stories straight and poor Amanda just couldn’t remember which story was the real one.

I just can\\\'t believe it December 5, 2009 (3:44 am)

I just can’t believe it

West Seattle December 5, 2009 (8:40 am)

” I do wish her looks and gender hadn’t received attention in the way it has; that attention revealed the level of misogyny that still exists.”

.
So appreciating beauty makes you a misogynist now? My, what a cold, stale place you want the world to be.

Trolly McTrollPerson December 5, 2009 (9:29 am)

I just read over at perugiamurderfile.org (great BBS if you’d like to hear some points of view other than the Amanda Knox Media Juggernaut, Inc.) that Knox’s family is looking at establishing residence in Perugia now. I’ve heard of ‘helicopter parents’, but this is ridiculous. AK is an adult, not a confused kid (though she may act like one). This is as good a time as any to grow up and understand that mummy and daddy aren’t going to bail you out of every jam you get in. Maybe it’s time she didn’t have “a visiting day go by where she wasn’t visited by a friend or family member”. In a way, I do feel sorry for the Knox family. They’ve gone in hock up to their eyeballs to defend their little girl. I wonder if they are in a State of Denial regarding the possibility that their dear little prep-school progeny, who they had been grooming for the Perfect Yuppie Life, could actually be a callous, self-absorbed, and ultimately somewhat pathological brat. Perhaps they just can’t contemplate that, as they feel it would somehow be an indictment on them as parents? I suppose the Knox family can recoup some of their costs by selling screenplay rights and let someone make a movie for the Lifetime (aka the ‘pretty white women in trouble/men are no damn good) Network (who do you suppose they’ll cast as the principal characters?).

It is useful to compare and contrast the Knox and Kercher families. While the Knox family has thrown a very public hissy fit pretty much since Day One, and launched a major media offensive portraying the Italians as incompetent, corrupt, or both, the Kercher family has largely borne their pain in silence.

We may never know for certain who held the knife, but it’s pretty obvious that Sollecito, Guede, and Knox were all somehow in on it up to their armpits. Don’t you find it interesting that none of them have come out and publicly accused the other of doing the deed, but have each subtly tried to throw each other under the bus? Note AK’s writing about how her boyfriend “could have taken the knife and pressed my fingers on it while I was sleeping”, and Sollecito writing in letters leaked to the media about AK ‘being all about her personal pleasure’, etc. With friends like these, who needs enemas? The reason all this went on is simple: they’re all ‘dirty’, but no one can finger the other without implicating themselves in another crime that would lock them up, and both Knox and Sollecito probably gambled on getting acquitted due to ‘lack of evidence’. In other words, rather than horse-trade and get a plea deal, they played for the whole pot and lost. It will be interesting to see if one or the other now fingers the other publicly.

Mossy Rock December 5, 2009 (12:15 pm)

Onceachef wrote: “Of course the parents of Meredith Kercher want the real killers to pay for their daughter’s death, but it was not proven without a reasonable doubt (there were a lot of reasonable doubts as a matter of law and fact) that Amanda Knox did this…”

In their press conference, they were very clear in saying that they feel the guilty verdict was justified. They and their lawyer had access to the entire case file (10,000 pages). For them, justice has been served, and they even had words of compassion for the three young people found guilty of the brutal crimes against Meredith Kercher. They specifically thanked the Italian investigators and police, the prosecutors and the entire country. They stayed out of the courtroom until the day of the verdict, which is commendable. Their presence could have influenced judges and jurors more than any media. They are incredibly composed and empathic people.

West Seattle December 5, 2009 (12:17 pm)

“little prep-school progeny, who they had been grooming for the Perfect Yuppie Life”

Ahhh, class envy, always a good predictor of idiocy.

EyeLiveInWestSeattle December 5, 2009 (12:19 pm)

Already, after some 15 hours, AK is not the headline on major US news. I am willing to bet that within the next 24 hours, we won’t see her on the front page.
The door has closed. She was found guilty and pretty soon, the media will focus on someone else. The Tiger Woods story is taking over on a news channel near you!
One last note: I don’t think the Knox family own “rights” to her story. Soooo… all you people that think she is innocent should take a crack at writing from that angle. Why not get what you can, right? You are so eloquent with your “facts” on how she is supposedly innocent. Give it a try!

Big Guy December 5, 2009 (1:18 pm)

I don’t know if she was guilty or innocent. I do know that there was this attitude that “she couldn’t have done it because she was from Seattle”. from her family and the media. Maybe her parents shouldn’t have gone on national media talking about having her ticket home.Their early strategy of just keeping quiet might have been the best way to go.She looked guilty on tv and that might have translated to the jurors. Next time you utter that phrase “if you haven’t done anything you have nothing to worry about” that folks who support the patriot act and other erosions of our rights like to say you might think twice!

Living in West Seattle Since 1985 December 5, 2009 (1:25 pm)

I hope Amanda’s name will be cleared on appeal and she will be sent home. If she had been in an American court for the same crime, she would not have been put in jail.

I heard (on NWCN) Maria Cantwell is going to talk to Hilary Clinton about her concerns over the way the Knox case has been treated.

Hopefully something good will happen out of that talk.

Bill Reiswig December 5, 2009 (1:54 pm)

Anyone convinced that Amanda Knox is guilty should read the rather convincing writing of Timothy Egan in the NYTimes.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/amanda-knox-revisited/?scp=2&sq=Knox&st=cse

I think to convict someone of murder there needs to be a very high hurdle of evidence. Mr. Egans writing on the matter leaves me in a great deal of doubt as to how strong this evidence is, and to the trustyworthyness of the Italian Court that came to this verdict.

Del December 5, 2009 (2:09 pm)

Who hires a PR firm when their daughter is accused of murder in another country? Does this make sense? I guess it does help contol what the U.S. public finds out about the trial but how does it help Amanda?

GenHillOne December 5, 2009 (2:58 pm)

Isn’t Timothy Egan from WS and/or has a child who is friends with Amanda Knox?

WSB December 5, 2009 (3:03 pm)

Seattle, yes. West Seattle, no. (I just checked public databases.) His daughter wrote a piece about being an exchange student abroad and stigma related to the case but wrote in it that she didn’t know Amanda K. PI.com wrote about it here:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/127257.asp

remon December 5, 2009 (3:15 pm)

Timothy Egan was not in Perugia during the trial. He was not privy to any evidence and nor were any of these “so called” experts. Many of these sessions were closed door sessions and only a fraction of the evidence was put into print. Journalists with integrity gave a fair and unbiased accounting of the trial from start to finish. If you want to actually read about the trial, I would suggest you start with Barbie Latza Nadeau or Andrea Vogt, American journalists who reside in Italy and speak fluent Italian. I am not here to comment on Knox’s character or the trial otherwise. I just feel if you never took the time to actually read Judge Micheli’s report or the actual evidence that sent them to trial in the first place, you shouldn’t be commenting on their guilt or innocence or damning italian judiciary.
Italy is a wonderful country and there are many, many experts who feel she was given a fair trial but, it’s hard to hear them over the moronic talking heads………

seven December 5, 2009 (4:12 pm)

What a crappy year.

SanAntonian December 5, 2009 (4:37 pm)

so sad.

CPO Snarky December 5, 2009 (4:58 pm)

Well, I guess we’ve learned that when your kid’s in trouble in another country, hiring a bunch of PR guns to feed ‘talking points’ to the (mostly) lazy US media while pissing off the Italians can be counterproductive. As Barbie Nadeau of Newsweek succinctly put it in July, “There should be a basic set of rules when on trial for murder: Don’t antagonize the prosecutor and judge. Dress appropriately in court. Don’t let your family pose for photos in front of the crime scene. These basic tenets have somehow escaped Amanda Knox, the 22-year-old Seattle native whose trial for sexually assaulting and murdering her British roommate resumes on Friday”. You can check out the article at http://www.newsweek.com/id/206765 . Also eerily prophetic were the words of Clint van Zandt, a former FBI profiler and TV commentator that Friends of Amanda tried to sway to their cause. He said “I’m not sure I would’ve tried to indict the criminal justice system in defending her…that may come back to haunt them.” (Seattle Times). FOA may have been better served investing in more and better lawyers and investigators and doing a better job of slogging it out in the courtroom, rather than conducting a ‘trial by media’. Winning over the media here may feel good, but it didn’t amount to a hill of fagoli in Perugia.
Personally, AK comes across to me as a not-so-canny manipulator. I bet her next magic trick will be to ‘find Jesus’ while awaiting her appeal. Like Patriotism, Religion is often the last refuge of the scoundrel.

Porter December 5, 2009 (5:00 pm)

I’m sure there will be contradictory towards my comments but let me ask those whom favor Amanda:

How would you view this case if Amanda was slain and the accused was the italian girl, this case tried in the same court house and the girl found guilty from the this SMALL evidence??

Take your time, there’s no reason to rush your answer.

luckydad30 December 5, 2009 (5:18 pm)

Why doesnt Cantwell/Gregiore do something about this state’s deficit?, instead of contacting Clinton about reaching out to Italy. This state/country is in a much bigger crisis than Amanda Knox.

Porter December 5, 2009 (5:34 pm)

Amanda’s family believes she’s innocent, it’s normal, but for those whom support Amanda, look at her pics and ask yourselves if she looks like a drug user. If you can’t say she looks like a drug user, then you can’t say, positively sure, that she can not be guilty, especially if evidence link her to the crime.

Looks don’t mean anything. It’s evidence and stories (alibies) that do and if there’s evidence, SMALL or Large, it’s enough to view closely; especially if the stories make no sense. Amanda, were you there or weren’t you? Did you kill her or didn’t you? What the HELL??

Casey Anthony (Orlando,FL case) tried the “girl next door” attitude too but it didn’t work because a CHILD was missing and evidence lead back to Casey.

Also, if Secretary Clinton gets involve, she must help the other two accused as well, it’s only fair. Remember, one can not be innocent unless they all are because the boyfriend and her were together, along with Guede who meet them that night. So how do you free one and not the others?

Need I remind everyone, this isn’t a racist or hatred issue because there are other nationalities involved. I’m American (African) and if homeboy (Guede) was there, then he’s apart of it, especially if there’s evidence. But American news seem to highlight the American (Caucasian) when there are other races falsely accused of murder or other crimes everyday. About 9 years ago a black man was released from 14 yr prison after being found innocent of murder.

Louie DePalma December 5, 2009 (6:43 pm)

I’m having a great visual right now…a dreadlocked homeboy wearing a “Free Mumia” t-shirt running into a preppie twink wearing a “Free Amanda” t-shirt on California Avenue. Priceless.

Westside J. December 5, 2009 (7:23 pm)

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/06/amanda-knox-meredith-kercher-trial-perugia

Read the whole thing.

LivingInW.SeattleSinceOneDayBeforeUMovedHere December 5, 2009 (8:20 pm)

It’s a TRAVESTY!

Why can’t money & a highly priced PR machine decide justice in Italy, like it can in the US?

That’s what the FreeKnox people want — all the justice you can buy.

SMQ December 5, 2009 (8:45 pm)

although i must admit some evidence seems bogus simply because the two girls lived together, so of course evidence of both will be present, but why the bloody boyfriend footprint…? oh, and well maybe a motive is not clearly stated, but how is it possible that you cannot remember where u where on a specific night even after dwelling on it for over a year?!?!!? u must at least remember the place where you got high
that right there is evidence!

Diane December 5, 2009 (10:53 pm)

”I do wish her looks and gender hadn’t received attention in the way it has; that attention revealed the level of misogyny that still exists.”

“So appreciating beauty makes you a misogynist now? My, what a cold, stale place you want the world to be.” (W Seattle commenter)

The coverage hardly “appreciated her beauty.” It was muckraking, called her a slut, a whore, etc. That’s misogyny.

I guess the “upside” is that if not for her youth, attractiveness, and I think race, this case wouldn’t have got the attn it did. If she’d been fat, ugly, and non-white, few in this country (including Cantwell) would care.

And if the world was truly a “cold stale place” at least I wouldn’t be afraid to leave my apt. (I’m a Seattle resident)

wanker December 6, 2009 (12:11 am)

You guys are i—s. The only evidence the “guilty” people claim is stuff like “she looks guilty” or “she acts guilty”.

The guy who did it was/is already in jail – a drug dealing drifter – where all the evidence already points.

The Italians are bunch of corrupt fools and the posts from the British punters are retarded.

Eve December 6, 2009 (2:14 am)

Why don’t accept that maybe she is guilty,you don’t know what goes on in her mind.

AlkiGirl69 December 6, 2009 (10:33 am)

“Knox also was convicted of defaming a Congolese man whom she initially accused of the killing.”

Musta been railroaded to be forced to try to shift blame to someone else.

Someone else who’s life she’s ruined, someone else who doesn’t have a wealthy family to buy the services of a high priced PR firm and a professional fundraiser.

luckydad4 December 6, 2009 (11:28 am)

Did you see the aunt and uncle in the photo above? They are far from a wealthy fmaily…Just willing to exhaust every resource for money.

EyeLiveInWestSeattle December 6, 2009 (7:48 pm)

Just as I said… this story is fading. Pretty soon, there won’t be a peep. Even OJ doesn’t get any coverage anymore, and he tried to steal his stuff back! On to better things like bank failures and the war in Afganistan and Iraq.

anti what December 6, 2009 (10:52 pm)

From first appearances, her conviction seems problematic, but the Italian courts are capable of sorting it out. Had she been accused of the same crime in the US, she would have found herself in a much more dire situation. The same flimsy physical/circumstantial evidence convicts people in the US. There’s no anti-Americanism here. At least she has a chance to see the light of day again, whereas here she would have been sentenced to life or received the death penalty. Let’s evaluate our own grave injustices that have been increasingly perpetrated at an alarming rate against the most helpless of individuals–immigrants, petty criminals and the mentally ill–before so many of you throw around accusations at the Italians with such hubris. Everywhere I look I see venomous declarations from ‘upstanding’ Americans calling for someone to go to jail, be executed, deported, detained, tried, or just airing blanketed insults. Maybe you should all stop to ask yourselves how long it will be before over half of Americans will have served a stint in jail or prison. As it is, estimates put the proportion of American adults with criminal records (minor traffic violations are excluded) anywhere from 17-24%, 6.5% of which are felons.

The Italian courts often reverse the initial convictions on appeal, which is another grain of hope Amanda would have been deprived of had she been convicted here. May the truth win.

gigi December 7, 2009 (12:01 am)

Are you people serious? Just because this woman is from Seattle doesn’t make her innocent! Everyone is so sad about the verdict, what about Meridith Kercher? and her family? Amanda Knox was found guilty by a jury, period! The evidence was there, period! Is it so inconcievable that someone from Seattle is unable to be guilty of murder? Please??

Westside J. December 7, 2009 (8:51 am)

Actually, Gigi, the evidence wasn’t really there. Do some research. She could be guilty, but for every piece of “evidence” that said she is, there is a piece that says she isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, she sure conducted herself in a questionable manner, but that doesn’t actually prove anything.

Westside J. December 7, 2009 (9:08 am)

And, I’ll add, your ” Seattle innocence” theory holds absolutely no weight.. And it’s a little insulting. Bundy/Ridgeway ring any bells?

Eastender1 December 7, 2009 (11:53 am)

The evidence was there. Because we do not have faith in our justice, we shouldn’t question another countries system. The problem with Amanda Knox was a few things, and I will state them shortly. The theory that says for every piece of evidence stating she was guilty, there is a piece that says she isn’t, makes no sense. If there is any evidence that involves you in being suspected in taking part of a murder, that over powers evidence that says you weren’t involved. As we all know, they dig deeper into guilty evidence first and foremost. AK changed her story when questioned. She is not stupid, silence is always key. Why say anything? She of course did, said she was there, heard the screams, then says she didnt. Blamed it on an innocent man. Didnt mind the backlash this business owner was going to have to deal with. Also, the media only reports what is displayed. She was seen smiling numerous times before and during trial periods, showing no feelings towards her friend being murdered. She clinged to her boyfriend as if they knew the truth, keep a tight bond, and the truth wont get out. She is guilty. You could never get me (a Seattle Prep grad, same age as Amanda, also college educated), to say something to the police to implicate me period! Now we can only hope Ms. Foxy, can stay sober (drugs and alcohol), and tell the truth in a memoir.

Westside J. December 7, 2009 (8:41 pm)

I’ve said since my first post that she may be guilty. I’ve also stated that while she acted like she was hiding something, and I believe she is, there was not and never has been enough “cold hard evidence” to convict her. There are theories based on her behavior and shakey evidence of the prosecution.

And why has everyone all the sudden overlooked the prosecutions ever-changing story of what happend and motive?? That story changed more than AK’s!

Claire December 7, 2009 (8:45 pm)

They have been found guilty after due process. The only reason Guede ´was already in prison´is that he opted for an express, early trial, so he could be tried separately (he didn´t trust his codefendents and how right he was!)- otherwise they would all have been tried now together. Luckily the judges who looked at the evidence compiled by the investigation decided all three had a case to answer – rather than ´´yey we´ve got a black guy, so let the Italian with wealthy dad, police sister and good connections go and the American college girl go cos we don´t want problems with the US´´ I guess that kind of integrity is hard for some people to imagine?? Knox fingered a random innocent Black guy who was released because he had a solid alibi and no bloody footprints etceteraetceteraetcetera to tie him to the crime. The police find that the evidence points to her and her boyfriend who …don´t have an alibi…and then a third unknown person´s DNA etc is found at the scene. Luckily they have his prints because he´s an immigrant to Italy and he turns out to be another Black guy.That Knox knows.Interesting given the tiny number of Black people in Italy and both guys are associated with Knox. Her aunt ´´Meredith had an African American hair in her hand´´!!!! African American hair?? And Americans BELIEVE this stuff?? Absolutely no source, never happened, LIES. As for whoever thinks the BBC IS the tabloid press – and the jurors were swayed by the Sun and Italian tabloids, hardly. In fact Knox´s mother was the one giving OGGI tearful interviews every week and cute photos of Knox as a kid. She´s been on every US news outlet and, shamefully, a number of once respected British broadsheets (now US owned?, telling the same wellworn lies so if she hasn´t got the result in court she wanted, it´s not because the jury wasn´t sequestered, it´s because the jury wasn´t swayed by histrionics, poor me, manipulation, threats from the US, lies and smears outside the courtroom, either pro or anti Knox. The foxy koxy stories have been outnumbered about 20 to 1 by the poor grieving tearful broke desperate mother/ mean Italian, backward system witchhunt, they hate Americans etc, so go figure. Anyway we´re not so stupid that we believe the tabloid press – YOU do though! Italians hate Americans!? Really?? See what I mean??One of the problems for Knox and Sollecito is the DNA that was good enough to nail Guede is processed by the same lab that has nailed them. There´s no doubt that they did it. Meredith was murdered. The evidence puts them there. The jury has also seen and heard evidence that we are not privy to (the court was closed to the press at times due to the sheer heinousness of the evidence of the attack on Meredith) and they have been found guilty. Case closed. The only reason they haven´t got life is because of their youth. Actually some people who really know the strength of the case wish she had been tried in America because she would have come off much worse. But then if this were in the States there´d be no story, because the family PR couldn´t spin it appealing to fear of and contempt for other countries´laws. She would have got life in prison. Life. RIP Meredith.

Claire December 7, 2009 (9:23 pm)

Also to be fair her defence couldn´t do much. The sheer volume of stuff that didn´t add up in their statements was impossible to explain- almost every statement of Knox´s was contradicted by all Meredith´s other friends, M´s boyfriend, Patrick, the police, the flatmates, the interpreter, her own mother…it just went on and on. But worse, her statements were contradicted by her codefendents, and then she contradicted herself numerous times and the evidence contradicted her. It is shocking and grotesque that Knox was involved in Meredith´s murder- but don´t blame the police, the scientists, the witnesses, the jury, the judges, the system or the country. It´s quite hard to convict in Italy (for obvious reasons) and defendents have a lot of rights, such a the right to silence, the right to make spontaneous statements they are not examined on, they don´t have to swear an oath to tell the truth and they have automatic appeal rights. Anyone who has read court testimony knows that Knox was treated very fairly by ALL parties and had every opportunity to explain her numerous inconsistencies and give a clear narrative once and for all. She didn´t. Her testimony is excruciating at times and impossible to believe, even when you´re trying really hard. And her boyfriend refused to testify. His last statement to the police was two years ago, when he told police he had lied before at Knox´s behest and that she had gone out that night from 9 to 1. (That´s when and why she confessed she was present at the murder and implicated Patrick) He didn´t testify because he couldn´t both give her an alibi and keep consistency with his previous stories.

That´s why her defence left an awful lot of evidence alone and stressed the nice girl who´s been called names in the media angle. They also never said she´d been hit which is kind of a big ommission given that 90 percent of her testimony was claiming she´d been hit and forced to implicate Patrick. The contamination didn´t fly, don´t know about the knife. The moving of the body, the staged break-in, the lamp, they didn´t even TRY to go there. She had the best defence money could buy and a fair trial. She is guilty. They all are.

Martin December 8, 2009 (4:23 am)

Someone got her just deserts! Do the crime, do the time. For all those that are crying foul over the Italian judicial system: different countries, different rules. AK should have thought about that before she decided to break the law in another country! She’s lucky she didn’t commit this crime here in WA, lest we forget it’s been 8 years since we’ve last doled out capital punishment. I do feel badly for the family, especially since it’s obvious that the person they once loved severed the tie that binds the day she decided to commit murder. Sadly, Amanda did so with absolutely no regard for the very group of people that now bemoan her guilty verdict. I’m sure the family and friends are good folks who normally don’t side with criminals and murderers. Well, this ought to be no different.

Westside J. December 8, 2009 (2:32 pm)

I’ve read just about everything out there. Both sides of the spectrum. And I’m still not convinced.

coco December 11, 2009 (3:53 pm)

Here a link where you can read about the case ….
Amanda is a lier, she started to lie from the beginning, she even told and described police about Meredith dead scream and no body knew that at that time (only the políce)……
http://www.truejustice.org/ee/index.php?/tjmk/C344/
perugiamurderfile.org

coco December 12, 2009 (1:35 pm)

4. “I really don’t remember this phone call…”
Edda is not the only one who finds it surprising that Amanda could simply forget making the call.

Judging from the records, and from Edda’s testimony, that forgotten call appears to have triggered Raffaele’s calls to the police.

Prosecutor Manuela Comodi focused specifically on this point when questioning Amanda in court on June 13, 2009.

Initially, Amanda claimed that she was still unable to remember having made the pre-dawn phone call. She reported that the first call she remembered making was the one at 1324 (0524 in Seattle), which followed up the forgotten call with an account of how the police had arrived and had now found Meredith’s body.

Comodi: You said that you called your mother on the morning of Nov 2.

Amanda: Yes.

Comodi: When did you call her for the first time?

Amanda: The first time was right away after they had sent us out of the house. I was like this. I sat on the ground, and I called my mother. (Note: This is the 1324 call.)

Comodi: So this was when either the police or the carabinieri had already intervened.

Amanda: It was after they had broken down the door and sent us outside. I don’t know what kind of police it was, but it was the ones who arrived first. Later, many other people arrived.
It’s hard to know what to make of Amanda’s account here. It’s one thing to have forgotten making that pre-dawn phone call. But Amanda is now expecting the court to believe that she has also forgotten this prison conversation with her mother, along with the suggested reason (“stress”) for forgetting the call.

As Comodi presses her further about this phone call, Amanda’s only response is that she simply doesn’t remember making it.

Comodi: But from the records, we see that you called your mother – not only from the billing records but also from the cell phone pings – that you first called your mother at twelve. (Note: this is the 1247 call – actually much later than 1200.) At midday. What time is it at midday? What time is it in Seattle, if in Perugia it is midday?

Amanda: In Seattle it’s morning. It’s a nine hour difference, so, ah, three in the morning.

Comodi: Three o’clock in the morning?

Amanda: Yes.

Comodi: So your mother would certainly have been sleeping.

Amanda: Yes.

(Note: because of a difference in when Daylight Savings Times changes, the actual difference on November 2, 2007, would have been just eight hours. Midday would be four o’clock in Seattle. 1247 in Perugia would be 0447 in Seattle.)

There is imprecision both from Comodi and from Amanda with regard to the pre-dawn phone call. The call was not made at midday in Perugia, but at 1247. The gap between Seattle and Perugia was in fact – unusually – only eight hours during that particular week.

The prosecutor is drawing attention to the earliness of the hour – or at least, the earliness of the hour as Amanda understood it to be. 0447 is getting close to a time when it might be acceptable to call an early riser, whereas 0300 certainly isn’t. Perhaps this is the reason for Comodi’s allowing the time to shift earlier at this point in the conversation.

The next section of dialog makes it clear that Comodi’s main aim in this line of questioning is to establish what was Amanda’s motive in making this call.

It’s one thing to call your mother in the middle of the night because the police have just discovered a dead body in your house. But it’s another thing entirely to call your mother at three in the morning because you think there might have been a break-in at your house the previous night.

The obvious implicit question here is: “Why call your mother, who’s fast asleep on the other side of the world, before you’ve even called the police?”

There are credible answers that that an innocent person might provide to this question – for example, by claiming that she was faraway, in a foreign country, and she just wanted hear a friendly, comforting voice.

But Amanda doesn’t say anything of the kind. Instead, she anticipates and wards off the question, by insisting that she simply has no memory of making the call in the first place.

Comodi: But at twelve o’clock, nothing had happened yet. That’s what your mother said…

Amanda: I told my mother…

Comodi: …during the conversation you had with her in prison. Even your mother was amazed that you called her at midday, which was three or four o’clock in the morning in Seattle, to tell her that nothing had happened.

Amanda: I didn’t know what had happened. I just called my mother to say that [the police] had sent us out of the house, and that I had heard something said about…

Comodi: But at midday nothing had happened yet in the sense that the door had not been broken down yet.

It’s worth noting here that, although Amanda has estimated midday as 0300 in Seattle, Comodi silently corrects her by saying “0300 or 0400”. Comodi knows perfectly well that the difference in Daylight Savings Times affected the time difference.

But the prosecutor’s intention is to clarify why Amanda made that phone call to her mother, not when she made it.

We’ve seen that, in Amanda’s email, she claimed that she and Raffaele had reached a point where they had decided they would have to call the police. In the courtroom, Amanda sticks to that story.

But the cellphone records show that before Raffaele called the police, Amanda called her mother in Seattle. Comodi wants to know why she did that.

In the following brief exchange, Amanda repeats five times that she cannot remember making that call.

Amanda: Hm. Okay. I don’t remember that phone call. I remember that I called her to tell her what we had heard about a foot. Maybe I did call before, but I don’t remember it.

Comodi: But if you called her before, why did you do it?

Amanda: I don’t remember, but if I did it, I would have called to…

Comodi: You did it.

Amanda: Okay, that’s fine. But I don’t remember it. I don’t remember that phone call.

In the above exchange, Amanda sounds irritated (“okay, va bene”) to be reminded of this phone call, and insists that she simply doesn’t remember it. For her part, Comodi reminds Amanda that this is not a “he said/she said” scenario. (“Lo ha fatto.” “You did it.”) There is no possibility of denying that the call took place. This is a phone call that is recorded on the billing records and by the cellphone pings.

WSB December 12, 2009 (2:10 pm)

Coco, what are these excerpts from? Is it something you wrote, or court documents, or??? We cannot have long excerpts of someone else’s content, from Web or elsewhere, here, so please add links or else I’ll have to delete them – we take copyrights very seriously, as a news organization – TR (WSB editor)

coco December 12, 2009 (1:43 pm)

5. Why is this phone call important?
We might wonder about why it is important whether or not Amanda could remember calling her mother at 1247, before the body was discovered.

It’s important because that police records show that the communications police had already arrived at the house, and had spoken to Amanda and Raffaele, at the point when this phone call was made.

What really happened during those few minutes appears to be as follows.

– CCTV footage in the car park shows a black Fiat Punto (the same as the model driven by the policemen) arriving at 1225. The police themselves recorded their arrival at the cottage at 1230.

– Filomena calls Amanda at 1234 – Amanda doesn’t mention that the police are already there, but she does say (for the first time) that a window is broken in Filomena’s room.

– Filomena then calls her boyfriend, Marco, and asks him to go to the cottage, because she knows that he will be able to get their more quickly than herself.

– Marco and his friend Luca arrive at the cottage and find that the police are already there, that they have spoken to Amanda and Raffaele and that Amanda has written down some phone numbers.

– Raffaele and Amanda then go into Amanda’s bedroom. A few minutes later, Filomena herself arrives, with her friend Paola Grande. Paola testified that she saw Raffaele and Amanda emerging from Amanda’s bedroom just before one o’clock.

– It would appear that Amanda and Raffaele went into Amanda’s bedroom at around 1247 and made four phone calls: the first to Edda Mellas, the second to Vanessa, and the third and fourth to the police. In other words, while Luca and Marco were talking to the communications police, Amanda went into the bedroom and phoned Edda Mellas.

The explanation Amanda gave her mother as the reason why she forgot the call was that there were so many things happening at that moment. And in fact, there would appear from this reconstruction of events that in reality there were a lot of things happening at once.

But in Amanda’s own version (given in her email) she claims that there actually weren’t many things happening at that point. There were just two people in the house – herself and Raffaele. She claims the police arrived later, after Raffaele dialled 112, and Marco and Luca arrived later still.

In other words, at this point – when Amanda and Raffaele’s version conflicts with the testimony of the other witnesses, with the phone records, with the police records, with the CCTV footage from the car park, and even with the testimony of Amanda’s own mother – they need some kind of coherent story.

Raffaele has exercised his right to silence.

Amanda claims she can’t remember the phone call she made to her mother. And the reason she gives for not remembering the phone call contradicts her own story about what was happening at the time.

Johnny December 12, 2009 (4:40 pm)

“”I’ve said since my first post that she may be guilty. I’ve also stated that while she acted like she was hiding something, and I believe she is, there was not and never has been enough “cold hard evidence” to convict her. There are theories based on her behavior and shakey evidence of the prosecution.

And why has everyone all the sudden overlooked the prosecutions ever-changing story of what happend and motive?? That story changed more than AK’s!””

Comment by Westside J. — December 7, 09 8:41 pm

The above is good old fashioned American incompetence speaking.

Can’t you people understand that the trial of Amanda Knox took place in a historical world that doesn’t give a cat’s ass about any rights you wrongly believe you have as Americans?

The fact that Amanda Knox was convicted, by the Italian criminal justice system, is further evidence to suggest that a just verdict was rendered. All of this Americanism, or lust for hot, young, white, feminine flesh, simply has no place in determining whether Amanda Knox gets to spend the next 26 years of her life in the free world, or behind bars.

Clearly, and without question, Amanda Knox has been making up stories, and lying, in an effort to shield the truth. Her only motive for these lies and fabrication has been to shield the truth. Nobody who comments here on this piddly little blog “knows” whether Amanda Knox knifed the throat of Meredith Kercher, but that doesn’t matter one bit.

Amanda Knox has been convicted as the result of her own actions, and her own evasive responses in a situation where an innocent person would sing the truth like a bird.

From so many miles away, all that we can know is that Amanda Knox has not been telling the truth.

Given the standards in the Italian justice system (the only standards that matter), that in itself is quite enough to convict Amanda Knox of this murder.

The Knox/Huff/Mellas family is just wasting valuable financial resources in pursuing this any further. The continued efforts at present are akin to masturbating without climaxing, all at their daughter’s emotional expense.

Mary H. December 30, 2009 (2:44 am)

Funny you should mention the “lust for hot, young, white, feminine flesh,” Johnny, since that’s what put Amanda in jail in the first place. On the part of Mignini and his cohorts, that is.

Johnny wrote: “The fact that Amanda Knox was convicted, by the Italian criminal justice system, is further evidence to suggest that a just verdict was rendered.”

What on earth is Johnny talking about, one wonders. This logic suggests that every conviction by every criminal justice system is a just one. Do you really believe that, Johnny?

Johnny also wrote: “Given the standards in the Italian justice system (the only standards that matter)…”

Huh? Whatever happened to ethical standards? You know — right and wrong? Since when do we all throw up our hands and say, well, if that’s the way one country wants to deal with legal issues, then that’s the way it is, there’s nothing we can do about it?

What if, during World War II, we had said that the standards in the German military system were the only standards that mattered when it came to their country’s Jewish population?

Finally, Johnny wrote: “…in a situation where an innocent person would sing the truth like a bird.”

Amanda “sings” nothing but the truth. What you really want is for her to admit guilt. Not gonna happen. And it’s not because she is more determined than her captors.