Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Amanda Knox can there be justice ?
The parents of Amanda Knox, Curt Knox and his wife, Edda Mellas are facing libel charges over their claim that Italian police abused their daughter.
Knox was the US student, along with her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.
They were convicted in 2009 of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher in the cottage the two women shared in Perugia. Kercher was found semi-naked, with her throat slashed. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito to 25. Both have denied the charges and their appeal begins as the Lifetime movie about the case hits the air. Another man, Rudy Guede, from the Ivory Coast, was also convicted of the killing and sentenced to 16-years. He appealed and lost.
The charges come from an interview they gave to the Sunday Times three years ago.
They have, and are still, alleging that Amanda was physically and verbally mistreated during questioning after Kercher's murder in 2007.
The police denied harming Knox.
Not living in Italy, a court charged them while they were not even present in Perugia. They are now scheduled to stand trial on the 4th of July.
Curt Knox, Edda Mellas and Amanda have stated that Amanda was not assisted by an interpreter, she was denied food or water, she had been abused both physically and verbally and that she had been slapped on the back of the head and threatened.
Libel is a criminal charge in Italy and carries a sentence of six months to three years, as well as a fine.
Lawyers for Sollecito and Knox are arguing that there is neither reliable forensic evidence nor a motive. The prosecution acknowledges it could not supply a motive for the involvement of Knox or Sollecito in the killing.
In the meantime the Lifetime movie is drawing criticism on all sides.
The murder victim's father, Jon Kercher, has criticized the re-enacted sequence as "absolutely horrific."
Earlier this month, Knox's lawyer sent a warning to Lifetime to cancel the film and trailer that reportedly included a threat to go to court to keep the film from airing. "The movie is ill-timed since Amanda's appeal is under way.”
"Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy," features "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere, aired despite opposition from both the families.
Author and forensic scientist, Mark Waterbury, believes Knox is innocent.
Waterbury examined the case for a new book.
He said the new movie could damage Knox, because it is airing while the case is still in appeal. "The Monster of Perugia: The Framing of Amanda Knox," Waterbury wrote Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted because of corruption in the Italian legal system. Waterbury not only believes Knox is innocent, but he also claims she was framed by corrupt prosecutors. Waterbury worries that potential jurors could be tainted since the media have a huge impact on the Italian justice system.
No matter where this goes, it doesn’t appear there can be justice because speaking out results in the Italians pressing charges just for questioning.
http://www.t2conline.com/news-room/headliners/1339-can-their-be-justice-for-amanda-knox
Knox was the US student, along with her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.
They were convicted in 2009 of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher in the cottage the two women shared in Perugia. Kercher was found semi-naked, with her throat slashed. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito to 25. Both have denied the charges and their appeal begins as the Lifetime movie about the case hits the air. Another man, Rudy Guede, from the Ivory Coast, was also convicted of the killing and sentenced to 16-years. He appealed and lost.
The charges come from an interview they gave to the Sunday Times three years ago.
They have, and are still, alleging that Amanda was physically and verbally mistreated during questioning after Kercher's murder in 2007.
The police denied harming Knox.
Not living in Italy, a court charged them while they were not even present in Perugia. They are now scheduled to stand trial on the 4th of July.
Curt Knox, Edda Mellas and Amanda have stated that Amanda was not assisted by an interpreter, she was denied food or water, she had been abused both physically and verbally and that she had been slapped on the back of the head and threatened.
Libel is a criminal charge in Italy and carries a sentence of six months to three years, as well as a fine.
Lawyers for Sollecito and Knox are arguing that there is neither reliable forensic evidence nor a motive. The prosecution acknowledges it could not supply a motive for the involvement of Knox or Sollecito in the killing.
In the meantime the Lifetime movie is drawing criticism on all sides.
The murder victim's father, Jon Kercher, has criticized the re-enacted sequence as "absolutely horrific."
Earlier this month, Knox's lawyer sent a warning to Lifetime to cancel the film and trailer that reportedly included a threat to go to court to keep the film from airing. "The movie is ill-timed since Amanda's appeal is under way.”
"Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy," features "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere, aired despite opposition from both the families.
Author and forensic scientist, Mark Waterbury, believes Knox is innocent.
Waterbury examined the case for a new book.
He said the new movie could damage Knox, because it is airing while the case is still in appeal. "The Monster of Perugia: The Framing of Amanda Knox," Waterbury wrote Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted because of corruption in the Italian legal system. Waterbury not only believes Knox is innocent, but he also claims she was framed by corrupt prosecutors. Waterbury worries that potential jurors could be tainted since the media have a huge impact on the Italian justice system.
No matter where this goes, it doesn’t appear there can be justice because speaking out results in the Italians pressing charges just for questioning.
http://www.t2conline.com/news-room/headliners/1339-can-their-be-justice-for-amanda-knox
Larry King now retired but he helped the Knox family whore their way through his TV show....TOUGH questions he would not have dared to ask the family...
Larry King, On CNN Friday, Please Ask Mellas And Knox THESE Tough Questions
Posted by Kermit
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?
Muder scene, after Amanda and her boyfriend had slaughtered Meredith Kercher
http://truejustice.org/ee/index.php?/tjmk/comments/larry_king_on_cnn_friday_please_ask_mellas_and_knox_these_tough_questions/
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