Friday, November 26, 2010
Meredith is the victim here...not Amanda
Former lovers Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito have been found guilty of murdering British student Meredith Kercher after she refused to take part in a drug-fuelled sex session at her flat in Italy in November 2007.
The 21-year-old, from Coulsdon, Surrey, had just started a one-year course under the Erasmus programme of international exchanges to study modern history, political theories and the history of cinema.
Before leaving for Italy at the end of August 2007, she had been reading European studies at the University of Leeds.
Described as sociable and loving by friends and family, pictures show her smiling broadly.
Slow death
But within three months she was dead in the flat she rented with Knox, in the Via Della Pergola in the central Italian city of Perugia.
Police found her semi-naked body covered by a duvet. Her bedroom door was locked, but the window had been broken.
Officers had entered the flat to return Miss Kercher's mobile phone, which had been found abandoned in a garden by a neighbour.
Miss Kercher's body showed signs of bruising, and tests revealed evidence of sexual activity shortly before her death - but a post-mortem examination could not confirm she had been raped.
Among the police's early theories was that Miss Kercher had been attacked by a heroin addict, because the flat was near a car park used by dealers - or that her death had been the result of a botched burglary.
But police soon arrested Knox, 22, and Sollecito, 25, and prosecutors accused them of killing Miss Kercher because she had refused to take part in an extreme sex session.
A pathologist's report said her death was slow and painful because despite the fact that her throat was cut, the blow did not sever her carotid artery.
Miss Kercher's family said she was a hard worker, but also enjoyed socialising with her friends and family.
In a statement after her death, they said: "As anyone who had been lucky enough to have known her would testify, she was one of the most beautiful, intelligent, witty and caring people you could wish to meet."
Silent vigil
Speaking of her trip to Italy, Miss Kercher's parents Arline and John said she was "excited at the prospect of spending the year studying there to improve her language skills, make new friends and immerse herself in the culture".
Her parents have three other children, Meredith's sister Stephanie and brothers John and Lyle.
Before going to university, Miss Kercher - known among friends and family as Mez - attended the £10,000-a-year private Old Palace School in Croydon, near London.
After her death, more than 100 students bowed their heads in silence at a vigil at Leeds University.
Miss Kercher's brutal and mysterious death has fed intense media speculation in both Europe and America.
One man, Rudy Hermann Guede, 22, who has joint Italian and Ivory Coast nationality, had already been convicted of her murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is appealing against his conviction.
Knox and Sollecito are also thought likely to appeal against their convictions. They have been sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7693702.stm
The 21-year-old, from Coulsdon, Surrey, had just started a one-year course under the Erasmus programme of international exchanges to study modern history, political theories and the history of cinema.
Before leaving for Italy at the end of August 2007, she had been reading European studies at the University of Leeds.
Described as sociable and loving by friends and family, pictures show her smiling broadly.
Slow death
But within three months she was dead in the flat she rented with Knox, in the Via Della Pergola in the central Italian city of Perugia.
Police found her semi-naked body covered by a duvet. Her bedroom door was locked, but the window had been broken.
Officers had entered the flat to return Miss Kercher's mobile phone, which had been found abandoned in a garden by a neighbour.
Miss Kercher's body showed signs of bruising, and tests revealed evidence of sexual activity shortly before her death - but a post-mortem examination could not confirm she had been raped.
 |  She was one of the most beautiful, intelligent, witty and caring people you could wish to meet  Miss Kercher's family statement |
Among the police's early theories was that Miss Kercher had been attacked by a heroin addict, because the flat was near a car park used by dealers - or that her death had been the result of a botched burglary.
But police soon arrested Knox, 22, and Sollecito, 25, and prosecutors accused them of killing Miss Kercher because she had refused to take part in an extreme sex session.
A pathologist's report said her death was slow and painful because despite the fact that her throat was cut, the blow did not sever her carotid artery.
Miss Kercher's family said she was a hard worker, but also enjoyed socialising with her friends and family.
In a statement after her death, they said: "As anyone who had been lucky enough to have known her would testify, she was one of the most beautiful, intelligent, witty and caring people you could wish to meet."
Silent vigil
Speaking of her trip to Italy, Miss Kercher's parents Arline and John said she was "excited at the prospect of spending the year studying there to improve her language skills, make new friends and immerse herself in the culture".
Her parents have three other children, Meredith's sister Stephanie and brothers John and Lyle.
Before going to university, Miss Kercher - known among friends and family as Mez - attended the £10,000-a-year private Old Palace School in Croydon, near London.
After her death, more than 100 students bowed their heads in silence at a vigil at Leeds University.
Miss Kercher's brutal and mysterious death has fed intense media speculation in both Europe and America.
One man, Rudy Hermann Guede, 22, who has joint Italian and Ivory Coast nationality, had already been convicted of her murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He is appealing against his conviction.
Knox and Sollecito are also thought likely to appeal against their convictions. They have been sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7693702.stm
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
JAILED KILLER AMANDA KNOX LAUNCHES BID FOR FREEDOM
Amanda Knox was jailed for 26 years last year for killing British student Meredith Kercher
Thursday November 25,2010
By Daily Express reporter
AMANDA KNOX said she was “waiting for her freedom” as her murder appeal began in Italy yesterday.
American Knox, 23, was jailed for 26 years last year for killing British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007.
Knox looked tense and thinner but smiled at her stepfather Chris Mellas and friends sat at the back of the court.
One of her legal team put a comforting arm around her, as the student, known as Foxy Knoxy, listened to legal arguments.
Before the hearing, Knox told Italian MP Rocco Girlanda, that jail had “broken my dreams” but she was hopeful of freedom .
Knox’s lawyers are seeking a full review of the case, including disputed DNA evidence found on a knife.
Miss Kercher’s family, from Coulsdon, Surrey, were not at the hearing, which was adjourned until December 11.
Larry King Transcript...Supporting Knox family...
They're calling it Italy's trial of the century. Amanda Knox's parents are going to be here in a couple of minutes to talk about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Welcome back. It's being called the "trial of the century" in Italy; 22-year-old American exchange student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend are accused of the murder and sexual assault of Amanda's British housemate, Meredith Kercher. Kercher was found semi-naked, her throat slit, in the house she and Amanda shared with two others in November of 2007.
A third person -- a man from the Ivory Coast -- was convicted of the brutal killing in a separate proceeding last year. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His appeal is slated for next month. Amanda's trial got underway in January. Testimony and evidence presentation has now been complete. Closing arguments begin November 20. The jury will deliberate on December 4th.
We welcome to LARRY KING LIVE Edda Mellas and Curt Knox, the parents of Amanda Knox. She's been in a prison now for two years. You talked to her. How's she doing?
EDDA MELLAS, MOTHER OF AMANDA KNOX: You know, she's hanging in there. It's been a long time, she's -- you know -- innocent and has sitting in -- sitting it in jail, so it's scary, but she's doing the best she can.
KING: How are you doing?
CURT KNOX, FATHER OF AMANDA KNOX: We're hanging in there, we're -- we're being strong for her. I mean --
KING: Do you go over and see her?
KNOX: Oh, absolutely. I think both Edda and I have made at least 12 trips over there, back and forth over the last couple of years.
KING: Few days ago, the court rejected her request for an independent review of contested evidence. What are your lawyers tell you about how serious that is?
EDDA MELLAS: Well, I mean it could be good or it could be bad. I mean we asked for the independent review because we were sure that anybody independently looked at it, would support our position. Maybe the court decided that they don't even need that support, that our arguments have already been good enough.
KING: What do you make of the whole thing Curt? What's -- what's your view of this? I mean you were not there.
KNOX: I believe that there was a huge mistake made very, very, early on by you know having a -- literally a case closed, you know, presentation by the police over there. And then when they really found out that -- that Rudy Gooday (ph) was the one that actually did it --
KING: The man convicted.
KNOX: The man convicted -- that they were just too far into it and they've been trying to press it ever since.
KING: Now was your daughter and her boyfriend present at --
KNOX: Not at all, they -- they stayed at her boyfriend's house the night that the murder took place.
KING: Why were they arrested?
KNOX: You know, in the time between when Meredith was found and the time of their arrest, there was total of ninety hours in that window. During that time, they were questioned and interrogated for over 41 hours. The last of that was a 14 hour all night interrogation, where there was psychological abuse, physical abuse, where she was hit. And at that stage of the game, I think, you know, they made conclusions.
KING: Were they tried together? Her and --
MELLAS: Yes, they are being tried together.
KING: Amanda testified in June sometimes in English, sometimes in Italian. Here's a little of what she said about her interrogation by police several days after Meredith Kercher's murder, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA KNOX, ON TRIAL FOR MURDER: They called me a stupid liar. And they said that I was trying to protect someone. So I was there and they told me I was trying to protect someone. But I wasn't trying to protect anyone. And so I didn't know how to respond to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: And at the immediate aftermath of the murder, your family in Germany -- you have family in Germany?
MELLAS: Yes --
KING: -- suggested that Amanda come and stay with them. You said she made a big mistake in not leaving Italy.
MELLAS: Yes. Actually many people asked her. We all asked her.
KING: She should have split.
MELLAS: Absolutely, she had many opportunities the police have that on record but didn't release that until almost a year after the crime. And but they did have on record that many people asked her to leave but she said no. "I'm going to stay. I'm going to try and help. I'm going to try and finish school" And one of the reasons that they said they were holding her and not releasing her because she was a flight risk. But she never planned to flee.
KING: What was her motive, Curt? What does the state say was her motive in killing this person?
KNOX: Well, the state said that it was a drug infused sex orgy --
KING: Between her, her boyfriend, and this woman?
KNOX: Yes.
KING: And the other guy. Four people were there --
(CROSS TALK)
KNOX: Yes, and that -- they didn't even know this other guy.
MELLAS: Yes.
KING: The state's contentions were four people were present and one died. One has been convicted? Does your daughter know this person that's been convicted?
MELLAS: You know she had vaguely met him. You know when she was arrested and he was arrested, she couldn't even remember his name. And he's the only one that left DNA, finger prints, everything all over the crime scene. Nothing of Amanda, but still she's in the same kind of boat that he is in.
KING: What a puzzle! We'll be right back with more, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TEA LEONI, ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Tea Leoni. As one of CNN Hero's Blue Ribbon panelists in 2007, I helped recognize the extraordinary work of every day people who are changing the world. As both a board member and goodwill ambassador for the US Fund for UNICEF, I advocate for the world's children, and work to increase awareness and funding for their needs.
I see clearly just how much the world needs heroes. Now, I am thrilled to help CNN introduce one of this year's top ten honorees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD BLAUSER, CNN HERO: Disabled children, they're really the forgotten ones in this war. I came to Iraq as a civilian contractor. There were a lot of children that either dragged themselves on the ground or they had to be carried.
There were so many people willing to reach out and touch the lives of these kids.
My name is Brad Blauser. I bring pediatric wheelchairs to Iraqi children in need. People donate on my website. The wheelchairs are brought over. I distribute them to the different military units, and help get these children into the wheelchair.
There is no paycheck. It's not really safe here, but I made a difference in the lives of these families.
Definitely, the sacrifice has been worth it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I interviewed him. What a great story! Have the Knox's ever considered the possibility -- possibility that their daughter could be guilty? Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Edda Mellas and Curt Knox remain, the parents of a Amanda Knox. Joining us in New York, John Q Kelly, former prosecutor and famed civil litigator, frequent guest on LARRY KING LIVE. It's good to see him. It has been a while. What are your thoughts on this case John?
JOHN Q. KELLY, FMR. PROSECUTOR: My thoughts, Larry, it's probably the most egregious, international railroading of two innocent young people that I have ever seen. This is actually a public lynching based on rank speculation, and vindictiveness. It's just a nightmare what these parents are going through and what these young adults are going through also.
KING: You don't know John, do you?
MELLAS: No, no.
KING: What do you make of it John? Why would they do this? If they already convicted someone, why go after Amanda and this other guy?
KELLY: Well, as I said, it's almost because Amanda showed too much stoicism after the death of her roommate, who she barely knew. These were two girls living together less than eight weeks.
And, you know, Larry, you've always seen this in these murder cases and things like the husband didn't cry enough, or they weren't upset enough when the children went missing. This is one of these things where, I guess, under the Italian culture, she did not respond the way they wanted her to respond. And they sort of put together a case with, you know, gum and toothpicks to try to make a case against her. And it is outrageous.
KING: Edda, do you ever think she might have done it?
MELLAS: Never.
KING: Do you, Curt?
KNOX: Never.
KING: John, the court's recent decision to reject her request for an independent review, does that help or hurt on appeal, if she's found guilty?
KELLY: Well, first of all, I certainly hope she's not found guilty. It would help her appeal, because it would show she was deprived of something that could have been very significantly helpful to her. She lost her own forensic expert, who, I think, left the team in May or so.
So -- but I mean, there's no forensic evidence. There's no physical evidence. There's no motive. There's no opportunity. There's no confession. There's no substantive evidence whatsoever against Amanda.
KING: Well, who has the state presented as witnesses?
KELLY: I think the only forensic evidence they had was a small portion of Amanda's DNA on the handle of a knife in Raffaele's apartment, where she was all the time. And it's not even consistent with the murder weapon that was used. The murder weapon was a three and a half inch knife. This is a six and a half inch knife that had a minute portion of Amanda's DNA on it, and inconclusive tests that on the tip of it there was some of Meredith's blood.
And it's just -- it wouldn't even hold up before a grand jury, and now we're trying to send these young people away for life.
KING: Now, John, you're a former prosecutor. Normally, prosecutors stick together, so we appreciate your standing up here. What is your knowledge of Italian courts? Are the juries generally open and fair?
KELLY: The problem with this is the jury's made up of six lay people and two judges. The jurors are not sequestered, and there are these huge lapses in the trial. Like right now, we have a month and a half now between this and closing statements where the jurors are home, watching the news, being inundated with whatever spin the local media wants to put on it. Obviously, they're not favorable, certainly, towards Amanda. They love showing the shot you're showing there that shows some sort of indifference. What I think it shows is some sort of compassion and care between them, and that they're upset about what happened to Meredith.
But, you know, the case is being tried in the public. There is nothing that's substantive that links into the crime, but it's just sort of -- it's almost like gotcha time. The Italians and this prosecutor want to get Amanda regardless of her guilt or innocence.
KING: Do you think that is because she is stoic? Is that the kind of person she is?
MELLAS: You know, she's very much a person who internalizes. She was extremely upset, and her roommate testified that when she found out it was Meredith that was killed, she was very upset. She cried. She did all of that. But by the time those photos were taken, it was hours later, and she was being comforted by Raffaele.
And those that know her, you could see the shock in her face. She was just devastated.
KING: Do you know the boy?
KNOX: Yeah, I have met him over there a few times.
KING: They're no longer boyfriend and girlfriend, right?
KNOX: No.
KING: But they're still together, and they're still --
(CROSSTALK)
KNOX: They're still friends, but they're being tried together.
KING: We'll be back with more. Judy Bachrach, the contributing editor of "Vanity Fair," has written about this case, who's lived in Italy, she'll join us. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: News cameras are not allowed in the courtroom during some of the testimony. So what you're seeing was shot off a TV screen. It explains the less than perfect quality that we're used to showing you.
Joining us is Judy Bachrach, contributing editor at "Vanity Fair." She's in Washington, written about this case for the magazine. She's lived in Italy, was back there less than three months ago. What's your read, Judy?
JUDY BACHRACH, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "VANITY FAIR": Well, there are two Italys, which nobody seems to really understand who lives in this country. And one is the Italy of the privileged and government officials, and for instance, of Silvio Berlusconi, who runs the country. And he tries to have laws passed that allow him immunity in the event he's charge with corruption.
And then there's the Italy that tries the ordinary person. And the ordinary person is considered guilty until proven innocent. Italy's laws are direct descendants of the Inquisition. And therefore, Amanda, who is, after all, an American and a foreigner, and somebody to be suspicious of, is going to have the book thrown at her.
Nobody's going to believe her. She's going to be kept, as she indeed was, in isolation, grilled for 14 hours at a time, slapped around by the cops. And whatever comes out of those so-called interviews is going to be taken as gospel.
KING: You think, therefore, she's going to be found guilty?
BACHRACH: I think that in Italy, there's something called "brutta figura," which literally means you show a bad faith to the world. If they don't convict her, if she's found innocent after two years of being in jail for a crime she didn't commit, then Italy looks like it has a very corrupt judicial system.
It has a "brutta figura," which it really does. It has a very corrupt judicial system, and they will show an ugly face to the universe. And that's the last thing they want. And that is something that Edda and Curt have to be aware of, that this is a country that looks at an ugly face as the worst thing that can possibly happen to Italy. Not convicting a girl of something she didn't do, but of looking bad in the eyes of the universe.
KING: But don't they love Americans in Italy, Judy?
BACHRACH: They love some Americans. I have to say, in this instance, they don't love Amanda. Perugia's a very small town. It is very -- in -- in a sense, it's very close-minded. It is not Rome. It is not Paris. And it looks at Amanda in a different way than, say, she'd be looked at if she was living in Sydney or New York City.
They're very provincial. The prosecutor is famously incompetent and very right wing. He does not like her; he did not like her style of life. And she is being judged on that rather than anything she may or may not have done to that poor British girl.
KING: John, what would a -- what would -- what --
BACHRACH: -- of evidence.
KING: I -- I gather you're as strong as John on this. John, what would an appeal be like?
JOHN: Well, ironically, both sides could appeal. I mean, Amanda can be acquitted --
KING: Really?
JOHN: She could leave the country, and then, on appeal, they could convict her and seek to extradite her back to Italy, after an appeals court -- KING: Whoa.
JOHN: -- would convict her. And there's -- there's such a level of vindictiveness here, I could see that almost happening.
KING: Edda and Curt, you guys feel --
BACHRACH: I can -- I can see it happening --
KING: Hold -- hold on a second, Judy. Hold it Judy.
KING: Edda and Curt, you must feel very apprehensive.
MELLAS: It's scary.
KNOX: It is. It's one where we have to believe that what they're hearing in court -- and it's so clear that she had nothing to do with it -- then they'll come out with the right answer. I mean, that's -- that's what we have to believe.
KING: When are you going over there?
MELLAS: We're leaving just as the -- as the closing arguments go and the verdict. So the end of November.
KNOX: Yes.
MELLAS: Yes, there's always somebody over there. My brother's there right now. My husband's going next week.
KING: Thank you very, very much. Thanks for coming. We wish you the best. Thank you Judy Bachrach and John Q Kelly, as always, thank you.
BACHRACH: My pleasure.
KING: By the way, you'll find the link to Judy's very detailed article about the Amanda Knox case on our blog. Just go to CNN.com/LarryKing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Welcome back. It's being called the "trial of the century" in Italy; 22-year-old American exchange student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend are accused of the murder and sexual assault of Amanda's British housemate, Meredith Kercher. Kercher was found semi-naked, her throat slit, in the house she and Amanda shared with two others in November of 2007.
A third person -- a man from the Ivory Coast -- was convicted of the brutal killing in a separate proceeding last year. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His appeal is slated for next month. Amanda's trial got underway in January. Testimony and evidence presentation has now been complete. Closing arguments begin November 20. The jury will deliberate on December 4th.
We welcome to LARRY KING LIVE Edda Mellas and Curt Knox, the parents of Amanda Knox. She's been in a prison now for two years. You talked to her. How's she doing?
EDDA MELLAS, MOTHER OF AMANDA KNOX: You know, she's hanging in there. It's been a long time, she's -- you know -- innocent and has sitting in -- sitting it in jail, so it's scary, but she's doing the best she can.
KING: How are you doing?
CURT KNOX, FATHER OF AMANDA KNOX: We're hanging in there, we're -- we're being strong for her. I mean --
KING: Do you go over and see her?
KNOX: Oh, absolutely. I think both Edda and I have made at least 12 trips over there, back and forth over the last couple of years.
KING: Few days ago, the court rejected her request for an independent review of contested evidence. What are your lawyers tell you about how serious that is?
EDDA MELLAS: Well, I mean it could be good or it could be bad. I mean we asked for the independent review because we were sure that anybody independently looked at it, would support our position. Maybe the court decided that they don't even need that support, that our arguments have already been good enough.
KING: What do you make of the whole thing Curt? What's -- what's your view of this? I mean you were not there.
KNOX: I believe that there was a huge mistake made very, very, early on by you know having a -- literally a case closed, you know, presentation by the police over there. And then when they really found out that -- that Rudy Gooday (ph) was the one that actually did it --
KING: The man convicted.
KNOX: The man convicted -- that they were just too far into it and they've been trying to press it ever since.
KING: Now was your daughter and her boyfriend present at --
KNOX: Not at all, they -- they stayed at her boyfriend's house the night that the murder took place.
KING: Why were they arrested?
KNOX: You know, in the time between when Meredith was found and the time of their arrest, there was total of ninety hours in that window. During that time, they were questioned and interrogated for over 41 hours. The last of that was a 14 hour all night interrogation, where there was psychological abuse, physical abuse, where she was hit. And at that stage of the game, I think, you know, they made conclusions.
KING: Were they tried together? Her and --
MELLAS: Yes, they are being tried together.
KING: Amanda testified in June sometimes in English, sometimes in Italian. Here's a little of what she said about her interrogation by police several days after Meredith Kercher's murder, watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA KNOX, ON TRIAL FOR MURDER: They called me a stupid liar. And they said that I was trying to protect someone. So I was there and they told me I was trying to protect someone. But I wasn't trying to protect anyone. And so I didn't know how to respond to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: And at the immediate aftermath of the murder, your family in Germany -- you have family in Germany?
MELLAS: Yes --
KING: -- suggested that Amanda come and stay with them. You said she made a big mistake in not leaving Italy.
MELLAS: Yes. Actually many people asked her. We all asked her.
KING: She should have split.
MELLAS: Absolutely, she had many opportunities the police have that on record but didn't release that until almost a year after the crime. And but they did have on record that many people asked her to leave but she said no. "I'm going to stay. I'm going to try and help. I'm going to try and finish school" And one of the reasons that they said they were holding her and not releasing her because she was a flight risk. But she never planned to flee.
KING: What was her motive, Curt? What does the state say was her motive in killing this person?
KNOX: Well, the state said that it was a drug infused sex orgy --
KING: Between her, her boyfriend, and this woman?
KNOX: Yes.
KING: And the other guy. Four people were there --
(CROSS TALK)
KNOX: Yes, and that -- they didn't even know this other guy.
MELLAS: Yes.
KING: The state's contentions were four people were present and one died. One has been convicted? Does your daughter know this person that's been convicted?
MELLAS: You know she had vaguely met him. You know when she was arrested and he was arrested, she couldn't even remember his name. And he's the only one that left DNA, finger prints, everything all over the crime scene. Nothing of Amanda, but still she's in the same kind of boat that he is in.
KING: What a puzzle! We'll be right back with more, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TEA LEONI, ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Tea Leoni. As one of CNN Hero's Blue Ribbon panelists in 2007, I helped recognize the extraordinary work of every day people who are changing the world. As both a board member and goodwill ambassador for the US Fund for UNICEF, I advocate for the world's children, and work to increase awareness and funding for their needs.
I see clearly just how much the world needs heroes. Now, I am thrilled to help CNN introduce one of this year's top ten honorees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD BLAUSER, CNN HERO: Disabled children, they're really the forgotten ones in this war. I came to Iraq as a civilian contractor. There were a lot of children that either dragged themselves on the ground or they had to be carried.
There were so many people willing to reach out and touch the lives of these kids.
My name is Brad Blauser. I bring pediatric wheelchairs to Iraqi children in need. People donate on my website. The wheelchairs are brought over. I distribute them to the different military units, and help get these children into the wheelchair.
There is no paycheck. It's not really safe here, but I made a difference in the lives of these families.
Definitely, the sacrifice has been worth it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I interviewed him. What a great story! Have the Knox's ever considered the possibility -- possibility that their daughter could be guilty? Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Edda Mellas and Curt Knox remain, the parents of a Amanda Knox. Joining us in New York, John Q Kelly, former prosecutor and famed civil litigator, frequent guest on LARRY KING LIVE. It's good to see him. It has been a while. What are your thoughts on this case John?
JOHN Q. KELLY, FMR. PROSECUTOR: My thoughts, Larry, it's probably the most egregious, international railroading of two innocent young people that I have ever seen. This is actually a public lynching based on rank speculation, and vindictiveness. It's just a nightmare what these parents are going through and what these young adults are going through also.
KING: You don't know John, do you?
MELLAS: No, no.
KING: What do you make of it John? Why would they do this? If they already convicted someone, why go after Amanda and this other guy?
KELLY: Well, as I said, it's almost because Amanda showed too much stoicism after the death of her roommate, who she barely knew. These were two girls living together less than eight weeks.
And, you know, Larry, you've always seen this in these murder cases and things like the husband didn't cry enough, or they weren't upset enough when the children went missing. This is one of these things where, I guess, under the Italian culture, she did not respond the way they wanted her to respond. And they sort of put together a case with, you know, gum and toothpicks to try to make a case against her. And it is outrageous.
KING: Edda, do you ever think she might have done it?
MELLAS: Never.
KING: Do you, Curt?
KNOX: Never.
KING: John, the court's recent decision to reject her request for an independent review, does that help or hurt on appeal, if she's found guilty?
KELLY: Well, first of all, I certainly hope she's not found guilty. It would help her appeal, because it would show she was deprived of something that could have been very significantly helpful to her. She lost her own forensic expert, who, I think, left the team in May or so.
So -- but I mean, there's no forensic evidence. There's no physical evidence. There's no motive. There's no opportunity. There's no confession. There's no substantive evidence whatsoever against Amanda.
KING: Well, who has the state presented as witnesses?
KELLY: I think the only forensic evidence they had was a small portion of Amanda's DNA on the handle of a knife in Raffaele's apartment, where she was all the time. And it's not even consistent with the murder weapon that was used. The murder weapon was a three and a half inch knife. This is a six and a half inch knife that had a minute portion of Amanda's DNA on it, and inconclusive tests that on the tip of it there was some of Meredith's blood.
And it's just -- it wouldn't even hold up before a grand jury, and now we're trying to send these young people away for life.
KING: Now, John, you're a former prosecutor. Normally, prosecutors stick together, so we appreciate your standing up here. What is your knowledge of Italian courts? Are the juries generally open and fair?
KELLY: The problem with this is the jury's made up of six lay people and two judges. The jurors are not sequestered, and there are these huge lapses in the trial. Like right now, we have a month and a half now between this and closing statements where the jurors are home, watching the news, being inundated with whatever spin the local media wants to put on it. Obviously, they're not favorable, certainly, towards Amanda. They love showing the shot you're showing there that shows some sort of indifference. What I think it shows is some sort of compassion and care between them, and that they're upset about what happened to Meredith.
But, you know, the case is being tried in the public. There is nothing that's substantive that links into the crime, but it's just sort of -- it's almost like gotcha time. The Italians and this prosecutor want to get Amanda regardless of her guilt or innocence.
KING: Do you think that is because she is stoic? Is that the kind of person she is?
MELLAS: You know, she's very much a person who internalizes. She was extremely upset, and her roommate testified that when she found out it was Meredith that was killed, she was very upset. She cried. She did all of that. But by the time those photos were taken, it was hours later, and she was being comforted by Raffaele.
And those that know her, you could see the shock in her face. She was just devastated.
KING: Do you know the boy?
KNOX: Yeah, I have met him over there a few times.
KING: They're no longer boyfriend and girlfriend, right?
KNOX: No.
KING: But they're still together, and they're still --
(CROSSTALK)
KNOX: They're still friends, but they're being tried together.
KING: We'll be back with more. Judy Bachrach, the contributing editor of "Vanity Fair," has written about this case, who's lived in Italy, she'll join us. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: News cameras are not allowed in the courtroom during some of the testimony. So what you're seeing was shot off a TV screen. It explains the less than perfect quality that we're used to showing you.
Joining us is Judy Bachrach, contributing editor at "Vanity Fair." She's in Washington, written about this case for the magazine. She's lived in Italy, was back there less than three months ago. What's your read, Judy?
JUDY BACHRACH, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "VANITY FAIR": Well, there are two Italys, which nobody seems to really understand who lives in this country. And one is the Italy of the privileged and government officials, and for instance, of Silvio Berlusconi, who runs the country. And he tries to have laws passed that allow him immunity in the event he's charge with corruption.
And then there's the Italy that tries the ordinary person. And the ordinary person is considered guilty until proven innocent. Italy's laws are direct descendants of the Inquisition. And therefore, Amanda, who is, after all, an American and a foreigner, and somebody to be suspicious of, is going to have the book thrown at her.
Nobody's going to believe her. She's going to be kept, as she indeed was, in isolation, grilled for 14 hours at a time, slapped around by the cops. And whatever comes out of those so-called interviews is going to be taken as gospel.
KING: You think, therefore, she's going to be found guilty?
BACHRACH: I think that in Italy, there's something called "brutta figura," which literally means you show a bad faith to the world. If they don't convict her, if she's found innocent after two years of being in jail for a crime she didn't commit, then Italy looks like it has a very corrupt judicial system.
It has a "brutta figura," which it really does. It has a very corrupt judicial system, and they will show an ugly face to the universe. And that's the last thing they want. And that is something that Edda and Curt have to be aware of, that this is a country that looks at an ugly face as the worst thing that can possibly happen to Italy. Not convicting a girl of something she didn't do, but of looking bad in the eyes of the universe.
KING: But don't they love Americans in Italy, Judy?
BACHRACH: They love some Americans. I have to say, in this instance, they don't love Amanda. Perugia's a very small town. It is very -- in -- in a sense, it's very close-minded. It is not Rome. It is not Paris. And it looks at Amanda in a different way than, say, she'd be looked at if she was living in Sydney or New York City.
They're very provincial. The prosecutor is famously incompetent and very right wing. He does not like her; he did not like her style of life. And she is being judged on that rather than anything she may or may not have done to that poor British girl.
KING: John, what would a -- what would -- what --
BACHRACH: -- of evidence.
KING: I -- I gather you're as strong as John on this. John, what would an appeal be like?
JOHN: Well, ironically, both sides could appeal. I mean, Amanda can be acquitted --
KING: Really?
JOHN: She could leave the country, and then, on appeal, they could convict her and seek to extradite her back to Italy, after an appeals court -- KING: Whoa.
JOHN: -- would convict her. And there's -- there's such a level of vindictiveness here, I could see that almost happening.
KING: Edda and Curt, you guys feel --
BACHRACH: I can -- I can see it happening --
KING: Hold -- hold on a second, Judy. Hold it Judy.
KING: Edda and Curt, you must feel very apprehensive.
MELLAS: It's scary.
KNOX: It is. It's one where we have to believe that what they're hearing in court -- and it's so clear that she had nothing to do with it -- then they'll come out with the right answer. I mean, that's -- that's what we have to believe.
KING: When are you going over there?
MELLAS: We're leaving just as the -- as the closing arguments go and the verdict. So the end of November.
KNOX: Yes.
MELLAS: Yes, there's always somebody over there. My brother's there right now. My husband's going next week.
KING: Thank you very, very much. Thanks for coming. We wish you the best. Thank you Judy Bachrach and John Q Kelly, as always, thank you.
BACHRACH: My pleasure.
KING: By the way, you'll find the link to Judy's very detailed article about the Amanda Knox case on our blog. Just go to CNN.com/LarryKing.
QUESTIONS LARRY KING will not ask the parents of Knox
CNN’s Larry King interviews Curt Knox and Edda Mellas tonight [now Friday] at 9:00 pm in the United States.
To prevent this thing turning into yet ANOTHER cloying spinathon + bawlathon, Larry, how about posing these questions?
And if you the readers of TJMK would like to add questions in Comments, we’ll be opening a new permanent page for them on TJMK.
So that instead of getting snowed as so often in the past, reporters can use the questions to cut to the heart of the matter.
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Don’t you think that Amanda’s latest of several defence positions is weakened by the fact that her new alibi - that she was with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito all night - does not coincide with the alibi of Raffaele - who has used his right to not declare in their trial but stated just after the crime that he was at his apartment all night, and that Amanda left between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. on the night of the murder?
(Raffaele’s defence lawyers and his father have confirmed to journalists covering the trial that while they have some defence issues in common with Amanda - for example, questioning the DNA analysis - Raffaele’s defence is not necessarily supportive of or in line with Amanda’s.)
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why did Amanda cut short a questioning session (where she was accompanied by her lawyer) in December 2007, near the beginning of the investigation, and maintain silence - as is her right under Italian law - until the trial was well underway in 2009?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why do you need a costly, professional PR campaign aimed at an American audience, when your daughter is in an Italian trial? Some observers feel that since the legal case against Amanda is strong, your only hope is to influence the State Department and obtain its political intervention in this case. However, American diplomats - beyond providing basic, standard consular support - don’t want to touch this case with a ten-foot pole.
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why do you question the honor and professionalism of the Prosecutor of Amanda’s murder trial through your Amercian focused PR campaign, when Amanda’s Italian defence lawyer had to apologise to Prosecutor Mignini for this campaign?
This campaign extrapolates the slight that an American fiction author (Douglas Preston) felt when he was momentarily arrested after stumbling into a police sting operation and when he was using a false name. This arrest was recently rejected for separate legal action against Mignini. On the basis of Preston’s bad feelings, the PR campaign tells us that Mignini has a “history” of inappropriate behaviour.
Do you agree that this smells of “spin”? Why can’t you fight Amanda’s legal battle on the basis of a solid, coherent alibi?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why would Amanda call you in the middle of the night in Seattle to tell you about what was still supposedly only a break-in in her house (before Meredith Kercher’s door was broken down by the police who soon arrived), when Amanda was accompanied by her Italian boyfriend who would know better than her how to react? Why to your great surprise at Capanne Prison could Amanda not even remember making that call? And why on the witness stand did it take you many minutes to summarize that 88-second call?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Before the trial started, Amanda’s Italian defence lawyer publicly stated that Amanda had not been hit by police during her questioning on 5 November 2007 (during which she stated she was in the cottage when Meredith was murdered, and when she falsely accused Patrick Lumumba of being the murderer - an accusation which has given rise to an additional charge against her).
Once the trial had started, and coinciding with the arrival of Amanda’s stepfather Chris Mellas in Perugia, Amanda made a spontaneous statement in court that she had been slapped on the back of her head during this questioning, and her Italian lawyer had to incorporate these statements into her testimony.
Are you satisfied with the Italian defence team? Are they aligned with the talking points of the PR campaign?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
The justification that Amanda has been held in preventive custody since she became a suspect is due to the possibility that she may flee Italy (in addition earlier on in the investigation to the possibility that evidence may be tampered with).
On various occasions you have publicly regretted not getting Amanda out of Italy before she was arrested. Also, Seattle King County Judge Heavey (associated with the “Friends of Amanda” campaign) sent a letter to the Italian judiciary on State of Washington letterhead where he decried alleged irregularities and illegalities in the investigation (nobody knows what he based these allegations on). Such an official letter would suggest to Italian authorities that were Amanda ever to find herself in the United States before her legal processes have finished, that it could be difficult or impossible to extradite her back to Italy.
Are some of the public statements made on behalf of Amanda counterproductive to obtaining her early freedom?
http://truejustice.org/ee/index.php?/tjmk/comments/larry_king_on_cnn_friday_please_ask_mellas_and_knox_these_tough_questions/
To prevent this thing turning into yet ANOTHER cloying spinathon + bawlathon, Larry, how about posing these questions?
And if you the readers of TJMK would like to add questions in Comments, we’ll be opening a new permanent page for them on TJMK.
So that instead of getting snowed as so often in the past, reporters can use the questions to cut to the heart of the matter.
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Don’t you think that Amanda’s latest of several defence positions is weakened by the fact that her new alibi - that she was with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito all night - does not coincide with the alibi of Raffaele - who has used his right to not declare in their trial but stated just after the crime that he was at his apartment all night, and that Amanda left between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. on the night of the murder?
(Raffaele’s defence lawyers and his father have confirmed to journalists covering the trial that while they have some defence issues in common with Amanda - for example, questioning the DNA analysis - Raffaele’s defence is not necessarily supportive of or in line with Amanda’s.)
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why did Amanda cut short a questioning session (where she was accompanied by her lawyer) in December 2007, near the beginning of the investigation, and maintain silence - as is her right under Italian law - until the trial was well underway in 2009?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why do you need a costly, professional PR campaign aimed at an American audience, when your daughter is in an Italian trial? Some observers feel that since the legal case against Amanda is strong, your only hope is to influence the State Department and obtain its political intervention in this case. However, American diplomats - beyond providing basic, standard consular support - don’t want to touch this case with a ten-foot pole.
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why do you question the honor and professionalism of the Prosecutor of Amanda’s murder trial through your Amercian focused PR campaign, when Amanda’s Italian defence lawyer had to apologise to Prosecutor Mignini for this campaign?
This campaign extrapolates the slight that an American fiction author (Douglas Preston) felt when he was momentarily arrested after stumbling into a police sting operation and when he was using a false name. This arrest was recently rejected for separate legal action against Mignini. On the basis of Preston’s bad feelings, the PR campaign tells us that Mignini has a “history” of inappropriate behaviour.
Do you agree that this smells of “spin”? Why can’t you fight Amanda’s legal battle on the basis of a solid, coherent alibi?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Why would Amanda call you in the middle of the night in Seattle to tell you about what was still supposedly only a break-in in her house (before Meredith Kercher’s door was broken down by the police who soon arrived), when Amanda was accompanied by her Italian boyfriend who would know better than her how to react? Why to your great surprise at Capanne Prison could Amanda not even remember making that call? And why on the witness stand did it take you many minutes to summarize that 88-second call?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
Before the trial started, Amanda’s Italian defence lawyer publicly stated that Amanda had not been hit by police during her questioning on 5 November 2007 (during which she stated she was in the cottage when Meredith was murdered, and when she falsely accused Patrick Lumumba of being the murderer - an accusation which has given rise to an additional charge against her).
Once the trial had started, and coinciding with the arrival of Amanda’s stepfather Chris Mellas in Perugia, Amanda made a spontaneous statement in court that she had been slapped on the back of her head during this questioning, and her Italian lawyer had to incorporate these statements into her testimony.
Are you satisfied with the Italian defence team? Are they aligned with the talking points of the PR campaign?
Question for Curt Knox and Edda Mellas:
The justification that Amanda has been held in preventive custody since she became a suspect is due to the possibility that she may flee Italy (in addition earlier on in the investigation to the possibility that evidence may be tampered with).
On various occasions you have publicly regretted not getting Amanda out of Italy before she was arrested. Also, Seattle King County Judge Heavey (associated with the “Friends of Amanda” campaign) sent a letter to the Italian judiciary on State of Washington letterhead where he decried alleged irregularities and illegalities in the investigation (nobody knows what he based these allegations on). Such an official letter would suggest to Italian authorities that were Amanda ever to find herself in the United States before her legal processes have finished, that it could be difficult or impossible to extradite her back to Italy.
Are some of the public statements made on behalf of Amanda counterproductive to obtaining her early freedom?
http://truejustice.org/ee/index.php?/tjmk/comments/larry_king_on_cnn_friday_please_ask_mellas_and_knox_these_tough_questions/
CNN Larry King Live...Interview With Parents of Amanda Knox
Aired December 7, 2009 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, Amanda Knox' parents from Italy. Their exchange student daughter was called a drug-crazed killer, a she-devil who played sex games before slitting her roommate's throat. Did the jury convict that image of Amanda? Mom and dad say that the girl they raised could never have murdered anyone, and they'll tell us how they plan to get her out of prison, and why they'll never give up clearing her name and winning freedom, next on "Larry King Live."
Edda Mellas and Curt Knox are with us tonight. They're the parents of Amanda Knox. She's the 22-year-old American exchange student convicted of murdering roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy. The guilty verdict against Amanda and her Italian ex-boyfriend was returned on Friday.
We thank you both for visiting us tonight from Italy. And even though this couple, they are divorced, they are totally united in their support of their daughter.
You've had an opportunity to see her, Edda, how is she?
EDDA MELLAS, AMANDA'S MOTHER: You know, the first time we saw her, she was completely crushed. Devastated, you know, in shock, as we all are. A second visit today and she's, you know, she's got her -- she's ready to go, ready to fight on.
KING: Chuck, what was your reaction after seeing her today? I'm sorry, Curt, what was your reaction?
CURT KNOX, AMANDA'S FATHER: You know, she -- that's fine. You know, she was actually kind of put me in a good frame of mind, because she was in a good place, as I'm going to be leaving here in the next day or so. But it made me feel good to see that she was ready to charge on, and she wanted to get back to studying at school and stuff like that. So we're going to work on getting that prepared for her.
KING: Is the prison there enough? Do you have open visitation, Edda?
MELLAS: No, you know, it's certainly limited. We get -- well, normally twice a week. But it's Christmas over here, so there's lots of holidays. Twice a week, an hour a day -- an hour each time. But we do get to sit and hold her hand and touch her and hug her. So that's nice.
KING: As we'll be discussing a lot of differences between the United States and the Italian legal system. For one thing, Amanda was allowed to speak out during closing arguments. She addressed the court in Italian. You'll hear a translation. Here's an excerpt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA KNOX (through translator): I have reflected in the past few days over what I wanted to say. It came to my mind and I wrote down a question that has left many people perplexed. And I wrote down a question that perhaps is still very perplexing to many people. And also, many people have asked me this question, and that is how do you manage to remain so calm?
Well, first of all, I am not calm. During these days, I wrote on paper in front of me that I'm afraid. I am not calm. I wrote down that I was afraid to lose myself. I fear being defined as someone I am not, and by actions that I did not commit. I am afraid of having an assassin's mask forced on my skin.
Regarding the decision to keep me in prison these past two years, I confess that I feel let down, sad, and frustrated, especially because these decisions to me seem to be saying, well, let's see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Curt, your said your reaction to that was shock over the verdict, and then anger. Want to elaborate?
KNOX: Well, what we were expecting, and especially since this trial has been gone on so long, which is almost 11 months -- during the last five or so days where we had closing arguments and there was really precise handling and review of the evidence and really a complete breakdown of what the prosecution was putting forth during these last few days, with the Italian judicial system having beyond a reasonable doubt, I was expecting a complete innocent verdict, you know, far beyond reasonable doubt. And with them to come up with guilty I think was a huge mistake, and it just angered me beyond all belief.
KING: And you, how did you react, Edda?
MELLAS: Well, I was also in shock. We had been told, you know, by everyone how there -- you know, because there was no physical evidence of her at the crime scene, because there was no motive -- in fact, the prosecution had changed the motive four times during the trial. And at the end, they finally had to say, well, we don't have a motive, but it doesn't matter. And you know, there's no physical evidence, there's no eyewitness, there's no murder weapon. You know, everybody was -- everybody in the press, the people in Perugia were all telling us, you know, it's going to be OK. She'll be let out. So we were shocked.
KING: Did you get to see her right after the verdict? Curt?
MELLAS: No.
KNOX: No. We were not allowed to. Usually they would allow us after each hearing, to go back behind the wall and hold her for 30 seconds. And in this case, they just took her away. KING: I understand, Edda, she's been moved to a different cell. Is that right?
MELLAS: That's true. She was in a cell, a five-person cell, and she's now been moved to a two-person cell with the only other American in the jail there as her roommate.
KING: Curt, how would you describe generally the conditions where she is?
KNOX: Well, we only get to see the visitation room, and we don't get to actually see where she stays within her cell. But I can tell you it is very cold. It is concrete. There is, you know, nothing nice about it at all. It's a maximum-security prison. And it's -- it's not where you want to have your child for two years for something that she didn't do. And hopefully, it will be shorter than a year before we can get to the appeals level.
KING: And, Edda, is that where she's scheduled to be if she were to do 26 years? She'd be in that place where you visit her?
MELLAS: Well, we have no idea. Where you're kept is really dependent on the prison system, and it can change on a whim. I know that there are -- you know, Raffaele, when he was here at this jail, he was here one day, and the next day he was just gone. And so it really depends on the prison system.
KING: We'll take a break. When we come back, we'll ask about the appeals system.
Our, audience, what do you think about the verdict? Go to CNN.com/larryking. Click on blog, let us know, and we'll be back with Amanda Knox's parents after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Edda Mellas and Curt Knox, the parents of Amanda Knox. Here's another excerpt from her comments during the closing arguments of her murder trial. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA KNOX (through translator): Many people tell me that if they were in my shoes, they would have pulled their hair out by now, tearing their cell apart. And I say that I do not do these things. I don't let myself be beaten down. In these situations, I take a deep breath. I try and I try to look for the positives. I try to find the positives in important moments. And I know that this moment is one of those moments. Because in this moment, unlike the previous moment, a true decision must be taken on an action.
I feel more in contact with you, more vulnerable in front of you. But I am trusting and confident of my knowledge. And for this, I thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Curt, one of our legal eagles, Lisa Bloom, says the appeal system in Italy is actually fairer for the defendant than in the United States. You don't just have to rule on constitutional grounds. They consider the whole matter, and if they deem someone didn't do it, even if the jury said they did and there was no malfeasance of justice, they could throw the case out. Have you heard the same thing?
KNOX: Yes. That's absolutely true. We've also heard that there is a slightly different phase where they could actually open it up for further evaluation of evidence that can even provide new information to the hearing as a whole. So there is very different scenarios than what happens in the United States.
KING: Edda, does that encourage you?
MELLAS: Oh, absolutely. You know, there's many Italians who have told us that, you know, worst-case scenario, the first level rarely works correctly. But they'll get it right in appeals. She will get out of there. They will not, you know, put away this innocent young girl for a crime that she didn't commit.
KING: It could take up to a year before it's even heard, right, Curt, how -- is that going to be hard to deal with?
KNOX: Well, absolutely. I mean, that would now make three years that Amanda has spent in a maximum-security prison for something that she had no part of.
And, you know, it's frustrating all around. And what really bothers me is that it's such a big mistake that took place inside this particular court. And I actually hope they push it up, recognizing that it was such a failure in this case.
KING: Her attorney said she seemed depressed, Edda. Did you find her that way?
MELLAS: Yes, you know, the last -- she was very, very strong at the beginning, but the last few months have just been devastating for her. She, you know, she couldn't stay strong forever. And you could really tell that she was suffering. I mean, it was just horrible for her.
Today was better. She's ready to fight on. Her lawyers have told her to have courage. She knows that she's getting support from all over the world, which is just amazing, and that helps.
KING: Curt, you said you're going home, what, in the next day or so? Are you going to be able to be in touch by phone?
KNOX: You know, we actually are able to have a 10-minute phone call each week. And that's one of the extremely nice things, to at least be able to hear her voice. And then, you know, Edda will be staying during the rest of the month of December and then I'll come back in January. So we'll just kind of keep having a person over here at all times like we have for the last two years. KING: So there'll always, Edda, be someone there. What about letters? Can you mail every day something?
MELLAS: Yes. Oh, absolutely. And she does get a lot of mail. And she loves the mail that she gets. You know, I think she told me she got one letter that was addressed to her that all it said on the envelope was "Amanda Knox, Italy," and it got to her, which is just amazing. Yes, she gets lots of letters of support.
KING: Frankly, Curt, are you surprised by all of the attention by people and the media?
KNOX: Well, there's two different perspectives on that, Larry. The first one is the impact that it had on the actual case itself, which really started with a case closed by the prosecution, you know, literally just days after Meredith's death, without looking at physical evidence, and the whole snowballing effect that that had of continuous mistakes being made. And the impact that I personally believe it had on the verdict in this scenario.
The other side of the coin is, as Edda said, the amount of support that has come out on her behalf and on our family's behalf has been extraordinary, and we're very thankful for it.
KING: And we'll be back with Edda Mellas and Curt Knox right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back. We've got the final excerpt from Amanda's courtroom remarks during closing arguments. You'll hear the translator. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA KNOX (through translator): Because you've stood with me not only directly but indirectly through my lawyers, my defense, my family, and my friends are the reason. They are the ones who are saving my life every day, day after day, that I manage to stand this.
And I also have to thank the prosecution, because for sure they are sincerely trying to do their job, even though they don't understand. They don't understand. Even though they haven't been able to understand, because they are trying to bring justice to an act that has taken a person from this world. And therefore, I thank them for this, for what I am doing, for what they are doing.
The important thing now is that I thank you because now it is your turn, and therefore I thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Edda, how has all of this changed your daughter?
MELLAS: Oh, you know, none of us will be the same. And Amanda most of all. She went to Italy this care-free, trusting, naive, just wanting to see the world, happy young woman. And she's really become -- she had to grow up. She's much more serious, she's much more cautious. Yes, it's been hard.
KING: Curt, naturally you weren't there. Is there ever a moment when you have doubt about her innocence?
KNOX: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. It's never even crossed my mind. The way that she was raised, the way that she goes about her life, the way that she makes her friends, and truly the friends that she has are close friends, they are not kind of just superficial friends. And nothing in her background would ever lead you to believe that she would be associated to something like this.
KING: Edda, in the immediate aftermath of the murder, your family in Germany suggested that Amanda come and stay with them. She didn't. Do you think that would've changed things?
MELLAS: Oh, you know, I kick myself every day that I didn't make her leave the country. And so does my cousin in Germany. Because had she left and -- none of this would've happened. She wouldn't be where she's at. But, you know, we can't go back and fix that. We just need to go forward.
KING: You don't think they would have extradited?
MELLAS: No, there was no -- there's no evidence against her. You know, none of that interrogation that they bullied her into that the supreme court found illegal, none of that would've happened. There's no physical evidence of her at the crime scene. They would have had no reason to, you know, extradite her or even attempt to arrest her. And they even admit to the fact that they really have no physical evidence, that it's just sort of some bizarre circumstantial stuff that they have.
KING: We'll take a break and come right back and ask the parents why they think she was found guilty. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Edda Mellas and Curt Knox. You mentioned no evidence. Didn't the prosecution assert that Amanda's DNA was on the handle of the kitchen knife used to kill Meredith? And Meredith's DNA was on the blade? Isn't that true, Edda?
MELLAS: You know, well, no, they found a knife in Raffaele's house. It's kind of yes and no. And there was Amanda's DNA on the handle, and that's because she -- she actually, you know, cooked meals there.
The speck of DNA that was about a human cell that they found on the blade is highly controversial. It's what they call low copy number DNA. And in, you know, the FBI won't even use it in the United States because it is so unreliable, that you can't -- you can't prove anything with it. And that's all they think they have.
KING: Curt, why did she -- why was she found not guilty? Found guilty, rather. Why did she lose this case?
KNOX: Well, frankly, what I believe happened in this particular courtroom was a huge character assassination that literally took place for two years. And the extreme exposure that this case got, and the misreporting, leaks of false information, and all of that just snowballed. And during the closing arguments, the defense teams for both Amanda and Raffaele did an extraordinary job of breaking down all of the physical evidence and literally having the prosecution change to a fourth motive of, you know, we don't need a motive.
I believe this court didn't have the courage to say not guilty and just push it off to the appeals level, which is completely unacceptable to me.
KING: Edda, what do you know about that night? What do you know about the stories of drugs and sex games and the like? What do you really know?
MELLAS: Well, you know, we know -- we don't know what happened at Amanda's house, because she wasn't there. You know, what we do know for sure and what has been proven by evidence, for instance, is that Amanda and Raffaele were seen at Raffaele's house. It shows computer activity at his house. They were there. They cooked dinner. They watched a movie. They hung out. All of that is proven through computer records, all the way up until at least, I think, 9:15.
Now, they believe that Meredith was killed about 9:30. And somehow the prosecution claims that in 15 minutes, Amanda and Raffaele got totally wasted, ran off, found a guy that they didn't know, committed this murder, in about 15 minutes. It's ludicrous. Amanda was at Raffaele's house. They stayed there all evening. That's what we know for sure.
KING: Do you buy any of the anti-Americanism idea, Curt?
KNOX: You know, I would like to believe that there isn't any of that. But after listening to what took place in the court of law, and, you know, the huge mistake that was made in the result of this, you know, I frankly don't know what to believe. And I -- I'll leave it there at this point.
KING: We have a third person, the Ivory Coast immigrant named Rudy Guede, who was convicted of Meredith's murder earlier in the year in a separate trial. Although police say he implicated Amanda, he declined to testify. After he declined to testify, the prosecution tried to have transcripts of his interrogation introduced. The motion was denied. What do you make of his involvement in all of this?
MELLAS: You know, it's interesting. Because we do know what was admitted of his. We know that his DNA is all over the room, in the victim's blood, on the victim's body. His footprints are in her blood all over the room. His DNA is in her purse. After the crime, he all of a sudden had money that he didn't have earlier in the day. He went out partying, and then he fled the country. And we know also -- and what was admitted in Amanda's trial -- the only thing that really was admitted -- was that when he was on the run and the police were secretly wiretapping him and he was talking to a friend of his, the friend said, you know, they think Amanda was there. And he goes, oh, I know who Amanda is and she was absolutely not there.
KING: Curiouser and curiouser. Back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: One curious aspect about your daughter. She falsely implicated a man named Patrick Lumumba. He was cleared. Why would she do that? In fact, she was sentenced to pay 40,000 euros to Patrick Lumumba for defamation. Do you know, Curt, why -- where he came in?
KNOX: Well, there -- during the time frame in which Meredith lost her life and when Amanda was actually arrested, it was about a 90-hour time frame. During that 90 hours, Amanda was actually questioned and interrogated for over 41 hours, and it culminated in a 14-hour overnight, very aggressive interrogation.
She told us it's -- she has never been more scared in her entire life. She was asked to visualize a number of things. They prompted her towards Patrick Lumumba, and literally she described even in her testimony six to eight people circling her, shouting at her, questioning at her, hitting her in the back of the head.
And at that stage of the game, you're virtually willing to sign anything in order to get out of that situation. And that's a circumstance that if you take a look at it, across the world, you're going to find that a number of people do a number of things. And I believe that's exactly what happened in this case.
And one thing to point out here is that both of the statements that she made during that interrogation were actually thrown out by the Italian supreme court. So in this particular circumstance, yes, he was part of the trial, and yes, he was awarded something. But I believe in the appeal process, we're going to be able to show that she was essentially coerced into it, and therefore the civil settlement will go away.
KING: The Kercher family, the victim in this, is suing for $36 million in civil damages from your daughter, her former boyfriend, and the man previously convicted. What do you say to them? Edda, what do you say to that family?
MELLAS: You know, I understand -- you know, we've always said that we can only imagine the pain that they're going through. They lost their child. There's nothing that compares to that.
You know, I don't know about the civil penalties. I know that Amanda has nothing. And so, I think it's mostly a symbolic type of a thing. But again, I can't imagine the pain that they're going through for the loss of their child.
KING: Curt, Senator Maria Cantwell, who represents your daughter's home state of Washington, says she's complained to the Italian embassy about this case and plans to raise the issue with Secretary of State Clinton. Secretary Clinton said she's willing to meet with the senator or anyone who has a concern, but the State Department said today it has not received any indications that Italian law was not followed in this case. So the State Department seems to be backing away. What do you make of that, Curt?
KNOX: Well, first of all, I'd like to say thank you to Maria Cantwell. Because she's really standing out, you know, front and forward on Amanda's behalf. And we appreciate any support that will allow us to bring our daughter home, because she is in a prison now that she does not belong in. And she's been there too long for something that she hasn't done.
You know, I think as people -- and literally, this happens over here in Italy, as well. As people look closer and closer at this case and in this individual court, they're seeing that, wait a minute, this is the wrong verdict for the evidence that was presented in the court of law. And I think it needs to be looked at more and more. And I truly appreciate the efforts that she's putting forth in trying to bring that to a conclusion.
KING: No comment on what the State Department said?
KNOX: You know, I don't -- I don't know specifically. I -- we're kind of running a little bit in the dark since we're so far away.
KING: Yes.
KNOX: You know, I think if they look into it further, they're going to find that they're going to want to pursue it a little bit more.
MELLAS: And we already know. I mean, even the Italian supreme court has ruled that her rights were repeatedly violated. So, you know, this has not all gone, you know, hunky-dory. Even on Italian standards, they've made huge mistakes, and her rights were repeatedly violated.
KING: We have some Twitter questions for Edda and Curt right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The family of Meredith Kercher was present when the verdict against Amanda Knox was announced afterward. Meredith's brother Lyle had this reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYLE KERCHER, MEREDITH KERCHER'S BROTHER: We're pleased with the decision, pleased that we've got a decision. But it's not a time, you know, it's not a time for celebration at the end of the day. You know, it's not a moment of triumph. And as we've said before, at the end of the day, we're all gathered here, because, you know, our sister was brutally murdered and taken away from us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We have some Twitter questions for our guests. One person asks, Edda, has your child ever shown any signs of drug or sexual addiction?
MELLAS: Never. You know, Amanda was an honor student all the way through high school and college. She was a normal girl, just like all college students who maybe try things that their parents really don't want them to. But she was a great kid, who was getting great grades and working jobs, and, no, she was not doing anything extreme.
KING: Curt, are you surprised -- another Twitter -- are you surprised at all the sex references with regard to your daughter? Are you shocked at that?
KNOX: Actually, yes. I mean, Amanda was what I might refer to as a late bloomer when it came to boys. But one of the things that she was very focused on was her school work. And it's one that she never let go. And with that, you know, I think any time that you have young individuals, they're going to experiment, you know, in sexual encounters with other males and so forth. But, you know, to try to portray her as being sexually deviant or something like that is absolutely incorrect, and she's just a normal college kid. And it's unfortunate that people would even consider something like that.
KING: Edda, anther Twitter question. Why did she go to Perugia?
MELLAS: You know, Amanda wanted to see the world. And she really is gifted in languages. And she wanted to see a really ancient culture. She wanted to come here and immerse herself in the language and the history and the people. And Perugia is not what people consider a tourist town. She wanted to go someplace that was more just normal Italy. And that is why she came here.
KING: Curt, what has the defense team come up with? What's their theory of the crime?
KNOX: Well, I think it's actually a fairly simple one when you really look at it and look at the evidence that has taken place. Number one, you've got Rudy Guede, who has a prior history of breaking and entering through second-story windows with a knife.
MELLAS: And a rock.
KNOX: Yes, and definitely throwing rocks. But the other thing about that is -- I think in this circumstance, he broke in intending to steal rent money, because it was at the very beginning of the month. He got surprised by Meredith coming home, and I think he took some steps to potentially have an encounter with her. And it got out of hand, and he basically killed her, and then essentially took off for Germany. And it's literally that simple.
KING: We'll be back with some remaining moments with Edda Mellas and Curt Knox. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KING: Edda Mellas and Curt Knox. Edda, what would you say to the family of the deceased?
MELLAS: You know, again, we said it so many times. We can't even imagine their loss, and the pain that they must feel. But we would also tell them that we know that absolutely, that Amanda had nothing to do with this. And Meredith was her friend. And this is -- you know, there's a couple new victims in this whole mess, and that's Amanda and Raffaele.
KING: Curt, did the prosecution ever present a theory of a motive?
KNOX: You know, they actually went through four of them. The first one was a Satanic rite. The second one was a sex-drug orgy. The third one was a hatred for Meredith. And they could not prove any of those. So they just moved on to we don't have a motive during the closing argument phase.
And at least in the United States, you need to have a motive in order to, you know, convict somebody. And it just shows the entire weakness of the case. And having the defense literally break down all of the physical evidence during closing arguments, it was so crystal clear to me that she was innocent and should have been found that way. But there's been a huge mistake in this particular courtroom, and it needs to get fixed and fixed soon.
KING: Edda, one of the twitterers wants to know, in what way the embassy or consulate in Italy will help them or maybe has helped them?
MELLAS: You know, unfortunately, they -- everybody is, quote, keeping an eye on this case. We're in a foreign country. We have to abide by the laws in this country. You know, they're watching closely. We're not sure yet. I'm actually meeting -- I'm going to the embassy on Friday to have another meeting. And so, really, we don't know how they can help or if they can help.
KING: We're going to ask Edda Mellas and Curt Knox to sit by. Two -- we have two segments left. Two prominent American attorneys, John Q. Kelly, who supports them completely. He has been on with us before. And defense attorney Mark Geragos. They will comment on this case and then we'll get to hear what Edda and Curt think about what they say right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Edda Mellas and Curt Knox are with us in Perugia, Italy. We're now joined by the prominent defense attorney here in Los Angeles, Mark Geragos. And in New York, John Q. Kelly, former prosecutor, now a civil litigator. Among his clients, the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson and the parents of Natalee Holloway.
Mark Geragos, what's your read on this?
MARK GERAGOS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think Amanda's parents have got a real beef here. It's I think every parent's worst nightmare, to send your child overseas and then have them get ensnared in something like this. And by all accounts, the evidence was anything but overwhelming, and certainly not convincing. And this -- I don't know who said it, whether it was them or one of the other relatives, somebody had a great statement that I heard, which was they weren't trying Amanda, they were trying some fictional character. And it sure sounds like that's exactly what happened.
KING: Edda, is that what you feel?
MELLAS: Oh, absolutely. You know, it's amazing. Everything that was said in court about Amanda, we're all looking at each other going, who are they talking about? And it didn't even follow the evidence of the people that knew her and testified about her. It was just weird fantasy, bizarre.
KING: John, you've really been involved in this. You've been on with us before about it. Would this have been different if this were the United States?
JOHN Q. KELLY, ATTORNEY: Well, I think so. I mean, there's been injustice here, there's been justice in other countries. But this is just beyond the pale, Larry. The manipulation of evidence, the unfavorable inferences drawn from most common of circumstances and conduct was just a gross injustice here. I mean, what the prosecution did was take normal negatives and create evidence out of them. If there were no fingerprints in the room, it's because Amanda cleaned them up. If there were no footprints there, she must have cleaned them. When her hard drive was destroyed by the police, she must have done it. When the murder weapon did not fit the wounds on the victim and the outline on the bed, the bloody outline, they said there must have been at least two knives involved then.
So what they did was just explain their lack of evidence by creating this elaborate cover-up and conspiracy that Amanda and Raffaele were involved in.
KING: Curt, were you happy with the defense?
KNOX: I thought our defense team, and for that matter, Raffaele's defense team, did a great job in breaking down and breaking up any physical evidence in the court of law. But I think as both of the attorneys that are on here with us have stated, there was something much bigger going into this thing, and literally the character assassination that Amanda experienced upfront just continued to snowball. And they made a person that they needed in order to fit their fantasy story that they put together.
KING: Mark, we have already heard that the appeal system in Italy is more favorable to the defendant than it is in the United States. For example, they don't just have to rule on whether the Constitution was violated or not. They look at the whole case.
GERAGOS: It's almost a de novo procedure, which you don't here.
KING: Meaning?
GERAGOS: De novo meaning you get to start fresh. You get to start new.
KING: They look at the whole thing?
GERAGOS: They look at the whole thing from start to finish. It's not limited to just legal questions. It's not limited to evidentiary questions or anything of that...
KING: That seems incongruous to the way a trial is held.
GERAGOS: Well, it basically gets you two bites at the apple. The problem is, as they've indicated, is she sits there in a prison for something that by all accounts, she didn't do.
And, you know, as John says, the injustice here is something that is shared in America. I mean, there are many cases in America where you have this similar prosecutorial technique of character assassination. It's the -- he doesn't act right or she doesn't act right evidence. Or you get any rumor or anybody with an ax to grind to get up there and say anything they want. That inflames juries and tends to get jurors to focus on things that are not evidence, and instead to get passionate or prejudicial.
KING: Why do you think, John, that the prosecution was so heavy- handed? Why were they apparently out after her?
KELLY: Well, first of all, there's a lot of pressure on them to solve this case quickly. I mean, Perugia is a small college town. It's very sedate there. And all of a sudden, they had this salacious, you know, sexually deviant, senseless killing here of a beautiful young woman, by all accounts a wonderful woman. And you know, they needed suspects. They needed to make an arrest. And they arrested these two individuals based on groundless speculation before they even examined the forensic and physical evidence. They didn't want to back down from it.
Larry, one other thing I wanted to point out that's never really brought up is they talk about Amanda's inconsistent statements. That last four and a half hours, she was considered a suspect then. And under Italian law, they were required to videotape that last four and a half hours, and that's where all the controversy comes in about what she was abused and was she harangued, was she asked, you know, hypothetical questions. Italians say no. Amanda is absolutely adamant about how she was questioned...
KING: They don't have the tape?
KELLY: ... and coerced, and there's no tape there. So the hard drive on her computer that would have shown her friendship with Meredith and the videotape that would have been required, and I'm sure was taken, of her interrogation, both miraculously disappeared.
KING: And we'll have more moments right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Mark, what would be the key aspect of your appeal and how -- would you be encouraging for Edda and Curt?
GERAGOS: Well, yes, if the reports I read are correct, they've mortgaged and bankrupted themselves basically to fund the defense. But obviously, they're not going to give up hope. They'll do whatever they have to do. It's their daughter.
KING: Would this be a good appeal?
GERAGOS: Well, I think so. I mean, it would be a great appeal if you were someplace where you could trust the justice system. I don't know how much trust at this point they have in the Italian justice system that basically, as they've said and I parroted, erected and built a fictional character, convicted that fictional character, invoked almost class warfare in order to do it. And, as John said, went to great lengths to take what are normal negative exonerating inferences and create bad evidence, if you will, out of them.
KING: John, do you think they'll get a fair appeal?
KELLY: I certainly hope so. I think with the pressure brought on for scrutiny right now, I think they will. The goal is to get the case out of Perugia, get two new judges, get six new lay jurors, a little more open minded and not infected by the media of the first month after this case broke. And you know, the parents, Curt and Edda, have incredible resolve right now, more resolve than ever to bring Amanda home, and I know they're going to.
KING: Edda, are you optimistic?
MELLAS: You know, I have to be. I mean, if I wasn't, I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. And I have to keep fighting for Amanda. There's no way that we'll stop fighting for Amanda.
KING: Curt, what about you?
KNOX: Same thing. I mean, she is not going to be left in a foreign prison 6,000 miles away from us for something that she didn't do. And it's so crystal clear to me that there is such a huge mistake in this courtroom that that has to be fixed, and it has to be fixed soon.
KING: And I know both of you give many thanks to the thousands of people writing to you, right, from all over the world? Edda?
MELLAS: Oh, huge. The support, Larry, has been unbelievable, and thank you for allowing us to take a second here to truly thank the letters and the outpouring from -- starting in Italy, all through Europe, all over the world. You know, lots of people in Seattle obviously, but everywhere. And we want to thank them for their support.
KNOX: And it's been extraordinary. I mean, just, you know, literally everywhere you can think of, there's been support for not only Amanda but for us as a family, and it's great to see. And we truly appreciate it.
KING: Mark, are you surprised at this support from everywhere that this case has generated?
GERAGOS: No, it's interesting. If these same things had gone on in America, people have kind of a naive faith in the American justice system. I think that when you place it and say, well, this happens in Italy and people don't have that prism of faith in the American justice system, and they then say, well, look, but for the grace of God walk I or my kids, I think people are more rational about it and understand what a horrific situation this is.
KING: John, are you surprised?
KELLY: No, not at all. I mean, it's an extraordinarily unjust situation. It's from a very good family. And it's every parent's worst nightmare. You know, that their son or daughter could be overseas studying, which so many strive for, and get swept up by circumstances, and you known, their lives are destroyed.
KING: Edda Mellas, Curt Knox, we'll continue to keep in touch. Thank you for being with us. Mark Geragos, John Kelly, as always.
Amanda Knox's parents gain sympathy on 'Oprah'
"How do you intend to set Amanda free?"
Oprah Winfrey takes Edda Mellas' hand during a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show. (OprahWinfrey.com)
That's how Oprah Winfrey closed a teaser promoting her interview with the parents of Amanda Knox, the 21-year-old Seattle native who was convicted of murder in an Italian court for the killing of British student Meredith Kercher.
Since the December conviction, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas have asserted Amanda's innocence and vowed to fight for her release. If their plan includes an appeal to the court of public opinion, then a seat in Oprah's studio, a question like the one above and a hand hold like the one shown to the right could mean they're onto something.
AMANDA KNOX'S PARENTS ON OPRAH
Related videos
· The weekly call from Amanda Knox
· Knox's sisters speak out
· ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas discusses the case
AMANDA KNOX CASE
Recent seattlepi.com coverage
· Debate continues over Knox's guilt
· Amanda Knox guilty of murder
· Verdict reaction: Family grieves, some blame Italy
· Donald Trump on Amanda Knox: 'Boycott Italy'
· Amanda Knox's parents appear on Larry King
Online, Oprah tells the story in pieces, beginning with the basics many of us in Seattle already know: In November 2007, the body of Meredith Kercher was found in a house she shared with University of Washington student Amanda Knox in the city of Perugia, Italy, while both were studying abroad. Two years later, after a tumultuous trial in a case that became an instant international media sensation, Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted in the murder. Knox was sentenced to 26 years.
Knox and Mellas told Oprah all the evidence indicates that Rudy Guede -- a man convicted earlier in the killing -- was the only murderer. They said they're waiting for the release of a "motivation document" to understand the jury's process in reaching its verdict before they move forward with an appeal.
Knox's parents also confirmed what I've heard for some time -- that Amanda is still taking University of Washington classes, doing Italian and German assignments from prison.
"It keeps the light on at the end of the tunnel, that this is not wasted time for her as she's working toward her graduation of college, because she's going to get out of there," Knox told Oprah. "She's absolutely innocent. You go through a trial by media versus a trial inside the courtroom. Inside the courtroom, there is not the evidence to come up with a guilty verdict. It is so far past that to where she should be [found] innocent.'"
Knox attorney Theodore Simon was also on the show, calling the "lack of evidence" "profound and compelling."
If it seems like the show did a lot for the argument that Knox's conviction was unfounded and invalid, that's because it apparently did. No criticism in the Oprah online story goes unaddressed by Knox's parents. And once addressed, they're left alone.
As Oprah usually does, she focused on the human element, making the tears come more out of sympathy for a distressed family than from an exploration of the crime.
The most revealing video in the online package is this one, showing the Knox family gathered around the phone for Amanda's weekly call from prison. Here's a key segment from the show's accompanying online story:
Oprah Winfrey takes Edda Mellas' hand during a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show. (OprahWinfrey.com)
That's how Oprah Winfrey closed a teaser promoting her interview with the parents of Amanda Knox, the 21-year-old Seattle native who was convicted of murder in an Italian court for the killing of British student Meredith Kercher.
Since the December conviction, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas have asserted Amanda's innocence and vowed to fight for her release. If their plan includes an appeal to the court of public opinion, then a seat in Oprah's studio, a question like the one above and a hand hold like the one shown to the right could mean they're onto something.
AMANDA KNOX'S PARENTS ON OPRAH
Related videos
· The weekly call from Amanda Knox
· Knox's sisters speak out
· ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas discusses the case
AMANDA KNOX CASE
Recent seattlepi.com coverage
· Debate continues over Knox's guilt
· Amanda Knox guilty of murder
· Verdict reaction: Family grieves, some blame Italy
· Donald Trump on Amanda Knox: 'Boycott Italy'
· Amanda Knox's parents appear on Larry King
Online, Oprah tells the story in pieces, beginning with the basics many of us in Seattle already know: In November 2007, the body of Meredith Kercher was found in a house she shared with University of Washington student Amanda Knox in the city of Perugia, Italy, while both were studying abroad. Two years later, after a tumultuous trial in a case that became an instant international media sensation, Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted in the murder. Knox was sentenced to 26 years.
Knox and Mellas told Oprah all the evidence indicates that Rudy Guede -- a man convicted earlier in the killing -- was the only murderer. They said they're waiting for the release of a "motivation document" to understand the jury's process in reaching its verdict before they move forward with an appeal.
Knox's parents also confirmed what I've heard for some time -- that Amanda is still taking University of Washington classes, doing Italian and German assignments from prison.
"It keeps the light on at the end of the tunnel, that this is not wasted time for her as she's working toward her graduation of college, because she's going to get out of there," Knox told Oprah. "She's absolutely innocent. You go through a trial by media versus a trial inside the courtroom. Inside the courtroom, there is not the evidence to come up with a guilty verdict. It is so far past that to where she should be [found] innocent.'"
Knox attorney Theodore Simon was also on the show, calling the "lack of evidence" "profound and compelling."
If it seems like the show did a lot for the argument that Knox's conviction was unfounded and invalid, that's because it apparently did. No criticism in the Oprah online story goes unaddressed by Knox's parents. And once addressed, they're left alone.
As Oprah usually does, she focused on the human element, making the tears come more out of sympathy for a distressed family than from an exploration of the crime.
The most revealing video in the online package is this one, showing the Knox family gathered around the phone for Amanda's weekly call from prison. Here's a key segment from the show's accompanying online story:
Edda and Curt both say the hardest moments for them is trying to explain to Amanda why she is in this position. On one particular day, Curt says he held Amanda for 45 minutes while she cried. "I think it was one of those days [where Amanda was wondering]: 'Why is this happening to me? I haven't done anything. I've told the truth,'" Edda says. "And how do you explain that to her? That mistakes happen and she's in the middle of this massive mistake and that it will get fixed and trying to make sure she she knows that she will get out of there."
Not so Foxy Knoxy: Killer Amanda looks pale and spotty as she arrives at court for murder appeal
By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 3:18 PM on 24th November 2010
Amanda Knox arrived at court for the start of her appeal against the murder conviction looking pale, spotty and much less glamorous than she had during her infamous trial.
And the granny-style pale blue cardigan she was wearing did not do much to disguise the year she has spent behind bars for killing 21-year-old Briton Meredith Kercher.
The American, jailed for 26 years after what judges said was a frenzied sex game that spiralled out of control, appeared tired and drawn.
It was a surprisingly low-key outing given she was due to see her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in court, their first meeting in 12 months since sentence was passed.
Haggard: Wearing a blue cardigan, Amanda Knox looks pale and drawn as she is led into court in Perugia for an appeal hearing
Concerned: The usually glamorous American, dubbed Foxy Knoxy by world media during her murder trial, is sharing a cell with another female inmate
The appeal trial was immediately adjourned until December 11, with two more hearings set for December 18 and January 15.
Knox, 23, had always protested her innocence. Her stepfather Chris Mellas said: 'Amanda is actually fine, she's looking forward to it.
Media glare: Friends and family have said Knox is confident her appeal will be successful and said she had been the victim of a miscarriage of justice
Denial: The 23-year-old smiles at one of her lawyers as she enters the court room
'Amanda thinks it's amazing. Since she read it, it's been like waiting for Christmas trying to get this appeal going because she feels it's so strong that she will get out.
'We're requesting that the evidence be reviewed by third party people who are not biased - people not from the prosecution or defence, people who do not have any real interest in the matter other than the interest of science.'
Appeal: Raffaele Sollecito, Knox's former boyfriend who was also convicted in the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, arrives at court for the hearing
Victim: Meredith's semi-naked body was found with her throat cut in the house she shared with Knox. Right, the U.S. student during her trial
Meredith Kercher's semi-naked body was found in November 2007, locked in her blood-splattered bedroom in the house she shared with Knox and two other students in the university town of Perugia.
Her throat had been cut.
Prosecuters have accused Knox or persuading Sollecito and a third man, Rudy Guede, to take part in an extreme sex game involving Kercher, which then turned violent.
They said Knox was furious at the student for criticising her for a lack of cleanliness and promiscuity.
Crime scene: The house in Perugia where Meredith was killed during a sex game that descended into violence
Knox's family, along with parts of the U.S. media, have said that he conviction was a miscarriage of justice.
Madison Paxton, a friend who travelled from her hometown of Seattle for the hearing, said: 'I think mistakes are made in every justice system throughout the world and mistakes were made in this one and I think it will be fixed.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332606/Amanda-Knox-looks-pale-drawn-arrives-court-murder-appeal.html#ixzz16DMqqeVM
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Brutal Killer Amanda Knox
A bloodbath ... the crime scene where Meredith Kercher was murdered
BRITISH student Meredith Kercher was murdered in a brutal fight with her flatmates which was then made to look like a random sex attack, according to a top forensics expert.
Expert ... Luciano Garofano
In December last year, Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty of sexual assault and the murder in Perugia, Italy.
They were sentenced to 26 and 25 years, respectively.
However, in an appeal launched today, the pair will claim the third suspect in the case - Ivory Coast-born waiter Rudy Guede, 23, who was sentenced to 30 years but had it reduced to 16 on appeal - acted alone and killed Meredith, 21, during a burglary which turned into a sex attack.
But retired DNA expert Luciano Garofano believes neither American "Foxy Knoxy" nor the Italian courts have got the story completely right.
Murdered ... Surrey student Meredith Kercher, 21
Garofano told The Sun last night: "The scene was deliberately made to look like a rape after Meredith was killed.
"Her bra was found ripped off, but when the blood spray from her slashed throat was analysed, it showed it sprayed in a very neat V shape across her cleavage.
"It was not on the whole of her breasts, as it would have been if she was naked."
Garofano, 56, once advised the UN on where war crimes had been committed during the Bosnian war. If there was a CSI series set in Italy, it would be based on the work of this man.
Garofano has more than 32 years of forensics experience and used to work for Italy's elite Carabinieri police. He is also a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Despite having no official involvement in the Kercher case, Garofano has spent the past three years poring over all the evidence - from police reports to court files - including information not disclosed in court.
Guilty plea ... Rudy Guede
He took a special interest in the case as it occurred on "his patch". Crucially, Garofano would have been head of the case had the Carabinieri received the emergency call, but the Polizia took it. Under Italian law, whichever force answers the initial call sees the case through.
In court, prosecutors said Londoner Meredith's bra was ripped by Knox, 23, and Sollecito, 26, while he raped her, and her semi-naked body was proof of a sex game gone wrong.
But Garofano insists: "I believe Meredith was killed as a result of a fight, not rape. If we look at the photo of the crime scene you can see the top left corner of the room is not covered in blood.
"Yet to the left of the corner, blood has been sprayed up the white door of the wardrobe. They are droplets, not spurts of blood.
"This shows that Meredith's killers were in front of her when they made the stab, as the artery would have spurted outwards - the blood spurt went on the attackers.
"Meredith's head had a bruise on the back of it. This is where she was pushed against a wall.
"The inside of Meredith's leg was also bruised. This is consistent with a karate move she may have pulled off in an act of defence.
Heading back to court ... American student Amanda Knox is appealing her murder conviction
"We know Meredith was a karate expert. Meredith then probably hit Knox. I say this because drops of Knox's blood were found at the crime scene, consistent with a nose bleed.
"Someone then restrains Meredith, maybe Knox, maybe Sollecito. While one restrains, the other stabs Meredith in the neck.
Boyfriend ... Raffaele Sollecito is also
appealing his murder conviction
appealing his murder conviction
"Blood spurts over the attackers, which is why the wall is clean, but then Meredith slumps to her knees. We see blood spray across the white cupboard at kneeling height, where Meredith is breathing out the blood that has welled up in her lungs.
"A little to the left you will notice a pool of blood. Meredith was probably lying down by this point and bleeding heavily.
"She was then moved and continued to cough blood, which has sprayed on to the outside of the wardrobe and on to her chest.
"Meredith bled to death in a lot of pain. The attack was very quick and happened in a small area. The rest of the room is not disturbed. Her bedside table has a glass of water untouched and a letter perched. If the fight had been prolonged these things would have moved.
"That is why the idea of rape is far-fetched. Rape would have taken a long time and Meredith could have put up a fight. There is also too little DNA evidence to suggest she had been raped."
Garofano also explains the involvement of Rudy Guede. He was a mutual friend of Knox and Meredith and may have been in a relationship with the victim.
Garofano says: "Guede said he was sitting on the toilet when he heard the attack. There is evidence he was in the loo.
"Someone at some point attempts to stem the bleeding from Meredith's neck with a wedge of white towels.
House of horrors ... the building in the Italian city of Perugia where Meredith was brutally murdered
"Guede claims this was him and there is no reason to doubt that. But Guede then helped make the scene look like a break-in and rape."
Finally, Garofano reveals how Meredith's killers botched their attempts to cover up the murder.
He says: "The rock 'thrown' through the window is too big to have fitted through the gap.
"We also see that the glass of the smashed window falls all over the ransacked objects in the room. Yet Knox and Sollecito claim the window was broken by an intruder, allowing the intruder to climb inside and ransack the room, as well as rape and kill Meredith.
Staged ... rock that smashed window 'would not fit the gap'
"If this was the case, the glass would be underneath the other mess. The window was smashed after the room was messed up.
"The terrible events leading to Meredith's death were committed by people already inside.
"I believe the police have prosecuted and convicted the right people, even if they got some of the details wrong."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3243013/Italian-DNA-expert-gives-his-verdict-on-the-murder-of-Meredith-Kercher.html#ixzz16BG38zJ7
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