Amanda Knox conviction overturned

[rhody]

Breaking news:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-111003amanda-knox-verdict,0,7326366.story"

Knox, who will now be freed, was led from the courtroom in tears.

Rhody...

 

[AlephZero]

According to a BBC news report this afternoon (before the verdict), only till the next round of appeals.

The prosecution had said they would appeal if the result went one way, the defense said they would appeal if it went the other way...

 

[rhody]

According to a BBC news report this afternoon (before the verdict), only till the next round of appeals.

The prosecution had said they would appeal if the result went one way, the defense said they would appeal if it went the other way...

Alpha,

In their haste to get the verdict out, is incorrect information being given, if the prosecution appeals, does this mean Amanda will have to return to Italy if the appeal is upheld, and can she leave until it is either accepted or rejected ?

Rhody...

 

[PAllen]

Hard to be sure what is reliable, but:

"Knox is free to return to the United States. "

from:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/italy-amanda-knox-verdict.html

If true, and if appealed, the question is extradition. I have no knowledge of this.

 

[PAllen]

Also, from the Guardian:

"One of Knox's lawyers, Carlo Dalla Vedova, said his client would be released from prison immediately and spend the night with her family at a guesthouse outside Perugia. She is expected to leave for her home city of Seattle on Tuesday."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/03/amanda-knox-raffaele-sollecito-cleared-murder

This source also says seeking extradition is possible, but no indication of likelihood of success:

"But it was expected that Knox would leave immediately for the US, and if the court of cassation were to reinstate the decision of the lower court, the authorities would have to seek her extradition."

 

[PAllen]

Ok, here is one opinion on likelihood of extradition:

"Prosecutors are expected to appeal, even in the knowledge that once Knox has gone home she will almost certainly not be extradited back to Italy."

from:

http://www.london24.com/news/meredith_kercher_murder_amanda_knox_cleared_of_killing_london_student_1_1078822

 

[PAllen]

On the other hand, there appears to be no legal obstacle to extradition:

"Deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner told CNN: "Questions regarding Italian law and process are not ones we can answer. They need to be addressed to Italian authorities.

"The United States and Italy do have a bilateral extradition treaty, which has been in force since 1984. Questions about possible return to the U.S., extradition request, etc. are too speculative for us to be able to comment.""

source:

http://www.wfmz.com/news/Knox-appeal-How-will-her-fate-be-decided/-/121458/1764808/-/1ctt03/-/

 

[leroyjenkens]

This is surprising to me. The evidence that I heard sounded pretty damning.

 

[Ms Music]

I actually thought she was guilty of sin until about a week ago. Now I think Mignini is crazy as sin...

I had read a comment on a news article saying that the prosecutor was about to go to prison, so I decided to read up more. I know you can't trust much on the internet, but go here and peruse a bit after reading this page. http://www.injusticeinperugia.org/Mignini.html

The selling points for me was finding out that Amanda and Raphael had only been dating 6 days. I remember reading a long time ago that Raphael was a virgin until he met Amanda. So how does one go from being a virgin, to participating in a drug (pot) fueled satanic sex act that ends in murder in less than 6 days? And then to find out that the only foot prints, the only hand and fingerprints in the entire room, were to Rudy. None from Amanda, none from Raphael. Also that apparently all the computers taken have been burned in a most "unfortunate" accident. Things just didn't quite add up before with me, but now they do.

I think Mignini is a sick, twisted person that should never have been allowed to practice law in any manner.

I am happy for the Knox and Sollecito families, and I hope the Kercher family can eventually see that justice has been served with Rudy Guede, and realize that their precious daughter/sister/family member/friend has NOT been forgotten at all. Mignini has brought so much attention to this case that most of the world knows the name Meridith Kercher. But their loss is more than most of us could ever understand. We may never know the whole truth, but I truly believe it was possible for this to have been done by one person only.

 

[lisab]

I actually thought she was guilty of sin until about a week ago. Now I think Mignini is crazy as sin...

I had read a comment on a news article saying that the prosecutor was about to go to prison, so I decided to read up more. I know you can't trust much on the internet, but go here and peruse a bit after reading this page. http://www.injusticeinperugia.org/Mignini.html

The selling points for me was finding out that Amanda and Raphael had only been dating 6 days. I remember reading a long time ago that Raphael was a virgin until he met Amanda. So how does one go from being a virgin, to participating in a drug (pot) fueled satanic sex act that ends in murder in less than 6 days? And then to find out that the only foot prints, the only hand and fingerprints in the entire room, were to Rudy. None from Amanda, none from Raphael. Also that apparently all the computers taken have been burned in a most "unfortunate" accident. Things just didn't quite add up before with me, but now they do.

I think Mignini is a sick, twisted person that should never have been allowed to practice law in any manner.

I am happy for the Knox and Sollecito families, and I hope the Kercher family can eventually see that justice has been served with Rudy Guede, and realize that their precious daughter/sister/family member/friend has NOT been forgotten at all. Mignini has brought so much attention to this case that most of the world knows the name Meridith Kercher. But their loss is more than most of us could ever understand. We may never know the whole truth, but I truly believe it was possible for this to have been done by one person only.

The bolded text above - that's critical. I imagine there would have been a *lot* of blood - how can someone be in the fray, and not leave a hand or foot print?

I agree with your conclusion.

 

[SamirS]

About 2 years or so ago there was an entire article about the evidence in this case in the German "Spiegel" Magazine, which was actually one of the few articles about Knox that were not damning from the outset but actually bothered to be neutral.

After reading it I researched a bit myself and from then on I was quite convinced that the prosecution had no case actually and so I consider it good news that she's free, and if I were her, I'd immidiately leave to the US.

Mignini struck me as having an agenda and that Knox was a convenient scapegoat, representing things he somewhat obviously hates (sex and pot, to name two).

My conclusion is the same as MsMusic and lisab's.

 

[DoggerDan]

This is surprising to me. The evidence that I heard sounded pretty damning.

As I read things, the Italian prosecutors were pretty damning. Of course her fingerprints and DNA were all over the place -- Kercher was her roommate. She lived there! Knox was a young college student, not savvy about forensics, and found her friend and roommate lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Did you expect her to keep her distance and start stringing police tape around the crime scene? Or more likely, go see if she could provide immediate assistance/first-aid?

I, for one, am very glad to see the conviction of the lower courts overturned. A judge appointed an independent panel to review the evidence, one which had no side in this fight, and the panel concluded the evidence was flawed. The Italian police admitted all remaining evidence was circumstantial. Given the fact she lived there, I would be surprised if they had not found circumstantial evidence.

Kudos to the jury who overturned Knox's conviction!

I hope the prosecution does appeal. I hope Knox is found innocent at the highest level. I hope the Knox family sues the heck out of Mignini, Perugia, and Italy. Four years of not knowing whether or not you were going to spend the rest of your life beyond bars. In a foreign country. While innocent.

 

[rhody]

Now that she is back in the states, I wonder if she will succomb to what I call, "PTSDTMFFASPD". Can you guess what that is ?

"Post traumatic stress due to media feeding frenzy and stalking paparazzi disorder".

It will be interesting to see how this plays itself out in the coming months. Will Italy try to have her extradited on appeal of the verdict ? I agree with Ms Music's assessment, enough is enough, the prosecutor is unbalanced to say the very least, and evidence did not hold weight for a beyond reasonable doubt conviction.

From what I have read her family has spent considerable funds and mortgaged the homes in her defense. If the media is worth anything, it can at least help put her family on solid financial ground again.

Rhody...

 

[rhody]

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/127133/amanda_knox_jail_details_are"

Then there's the whole issue of whether Amanda Knox will decide to launch a lawsuit of her own -- against those creeps in the Italian jail that supposedly constantly harassed her sexually. Stories about prison guards coming into her cell late at night and another official calling her to his office alone under the guise of a "late night meeting" are just beginning to come to light. In one case, the prison officials even made up a story that she was HIV positive in order to trick her into writing down the names of all the men she slept with. Knox wrote in her diary how she hoped it wasn't true, that she didn't want to die. This makes the stories we hear about American prisons sound like a country club.

and from the family of the girl who was killed...

The Kercher family, who still won't believe or forgive Knox for what they say is her involvement in their daughter's murder, are planning to sue Knox for $12 million (the amount she was ordered to pay when first convicted, but that got put on hold during the appeal). It strikes me as odd that the family would be able to even launch a suit like that in the face of the appeal finding Knox not guilty, and I would think their time is better spent pressuring the Italian authorities to find their daughter's true killer (whoever that is) rather than to keep hitting this dead point.

Rhody...

 

[DoggerDan]

I hope Amanda sues the Italians for all they're worth.

The Kerchers need to sue the Italians, not Amanda, for wrongly blaming an innocent girl. It was the actions of the Italians that lead to their emotional turmoil. Amanda was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[rhody]

A follow up...

Amanda Knox seeks book deal to tell murder trial story

Experts say she could land a seven-figure book deal for her story.

Knox's parents reportedly spent huge sums of money on lawyers and publicists, as well as travel and living costs, during the fight to free their daughter.

Hopefully that will include enough money to defend herself against the civil suit filed against her by the Kercher's.

Rhody...

 

[dlgoff]

now that she is back in the states, i wonder if she will succomb to what i call, "ptsdtmffaspd". Can you guess what that is ?

"post traumatic stress due to media feeding frenzy and stalking paparazzi disorder".

It will be interesting to see how this plays itself out in the coming months. ...

a follow up...

amanda knox seeks book deal to tell murder trial story...

ptsdtmffaspd=$$$$$$$$$

 

[rhody]

ptsdtmffaspd=$$$$$$$$$

Let's hope not Don, after she writes and publishes the book, she doesn't strike me as the type that would seek her fifteen minutes of fame.

Rhody...