Fresh hope for Amanda Knox after new DNA tests on knife 'proved to be insufficient to convict her'

By Nick Pisa
Last updated at 8:21 PM on 24th March 2011


  • Knox goes to court to halt film about the murder being aired
  • She brands movie 'an invasion into my life'
Amanda Knox has been given fresh hope in her murder appeal after DNA tests on a knife by independent experts ‘proved to be insufficient to convict’.
The examinations were part of a review granted earlier this year by an Italian appeal court judge.
The results will fuel the defence team’s insistence that the original forensic evidence was badly handled and collated.
Appeal: Fresh analysis of DNA found on a knife used in the murder of Meredith Kercher has said there was insufficient evidence to convict Amanda Knox, seen arriving at court today
Appeal: Fresh analysis of DNA found on a knife used in the murder of Meredith Kercher has said there was insufficient evidence to convict Amanda Knox, seen arriving at court today
Long running: Knox's appearance in a Perugia court room was just the latest leg of her appeal
Long running: Knox's appearance in a Perugia court room was just the latest leg of her appeal
Knox, 23, is serving 26 years for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, 21, who was found semi-naked and with her throat cut in the house they shared in Perugia.
The trial was told that Knox’s DNA was on a 12in kitchen knife but according to leaked details yesterday, two forensic experts from Rome’s La Sapienza university said that the amount of material on it was too low to convict Knox.
They also re-examined a bloodied bra clasp belonging to Meredith on which DNA from Knox’s co-accused Raffaele Sollecito, 25, was allegedly found – after it had been ‘lost’ for six weeks.
The two professors said the clasp was ‘so deteriorated’ that it was impossible to test it for DNA.
According to the leaked report, the clasp - which had been cut from the bra - had been poorly kept in a 'liquid jar' and not properly dried which meant it had 'rotted and rusted'.
Raffaele Sollecito
Meredith Kercher
Denial: Raffaele Sollecito is also appealing against his conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher, right. The 21-year-old was found partially clothed with her throat slashed in her bedroom in Perugia
Both professors will now cast their opinion on original tests carried out by police scientists on both items to see if they were properly carried out.
Prosecutor Manuela Comodi, played down the revelations and said: ‘There is nothing new here.’
Computer studies graduate Sollecito, 25, was given 25 years jail.
Both he and Knox deny any involvement in the murder and are appealing against their conviction. The verdict is not expected for some months.
Crime scene: The Perugia home which Meredith shared with Knox as part of her European Studies degree
Crime scene: The Perugia home which Meredith shared with Knox as part of her European Studies degree
The original trial had been told by prosecution experts that although the amount of DNA found was small, it was enough for a conviction.
Knox's lawyer Luciano Ghirga said: 'We have always said that there was not enough DNA to convict Amanda and the fact that this has now been independently confirmed is positive news for us.'
Appeal: Amanda Knox is led into court. She is continuing to fight to prove her innocence of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher
Appeal: Amanda Knox is led into court. She is continuing to fight to prove her innocence of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher

Fiction: A film adaptation starring Heroes star Hayden Panettiere as Amanda Knox has been made about the murder. Catching an advertising trailer prompted convicted killer Amanda Knox to 'cry and almost faint'
Fiction: A film adaptation starring Heroes star Hayden Panettiere as Amanda Knox has been made about the murder. Catching an advertising trailer prompted convicted killer Amanda Knox to 'cry and almost faint'
Her appeal will resume on Saturday with prosecution super-witness Antonio Curatolo due to give evidence.
At the original trial in 2009, he told the court he had seen Knox and Sollecito at the scene and clearly remembered the night as he 'recalled youngsters waiting for buses to out of town night clubs'.
However, bus firms have already told the court that no transport was provided on the night of November 1, 2007, as it was a bank holiday.
Ms Kercher, of Coulsdon, Surrey, was in Italy as part of her European Studies degree at Leeds University and had only been in Perugia for two months when she was murdered.
Meredith's parents have called the American film 'horrific' and 'disgusting'. The footage includes the moment Meredith is pinned down by Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and Rudy Guede
Graphic: Meredith's parents have called the American film 'horrific' and 'disgusting'. The footage includes the moment Meredith is pinned down by Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and Rudy Guede
The trial has sparked such interest from both sides of the Atlantic that a film starring Hayden Panatiere in the lead role has been made.
But Knox is furious about the film, and today went to court in a bid to stop 'Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy' from being shown, slamming it as 'an invasion of my life'.
Knox's lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said that the movie has aired on the Lifetime television network despite his legal attempt to prevent it from being viewed.
Terror: The film captures in close up the moment Meredith (Amanda Fernando Stevens) is attacked on the floor of the shared house in Perugia
Terror: The film captures in close up the moment Meredith (Amanda Fernando Stevens) is attacked on the floor of the shared house in Perugia
He says the film also is available on Lifetime's website, and on video streaming sites.
Knox's lawyer says his client is being damaged, citing her ongoing appeal of her murder conviction.
The lawyer says the civil case was delayed until July 4 so Lifetime can respond to a summons to appear before the court.
The film has already been slammed as 'horrific' and 'disgusting' by Meredith's heartbroken parents John and Arline Kercher.
It sees Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere play American exchange student Amanda Knox, who was convicted of Kercher's murder three years ago, play an active part in the terrible events.