UK press admits Amanda Knox is innocent

[mainer]

Last edited Sun Feb 2, 2014, 03:21 PM - Edit history (2)

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/31/amanda-knox-raffaele-sollecito-case-harsh-verdict-italian-justice

The Italian justice system has pulled off an astonishing and unenviable feat: finding Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito guilty of murder – for the second time – without a shred of evidence to substantiate the verdict.

This case, so long and tortured and so unsatisfactory to many, seems destined to go down not just as a breathtaking miscarriage of justice, but one that raises serious doubts about Italy’s ability to mete out criminal justice based on factual verification and proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Consider: the appeals court that in 2011 found Knox and Sollecito not guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher and set them free after four years in prison made clear that almost every pillar of evidence mounted against them had collapsed. A court-ordered reappraisal of the forensic evidence completely dismantled the prosecution’s claims about the purported murder weapon, refuted the contention that Sollecito’s DNA was on Kercher’s torn bra strap, and made clear there were no physical traces of either defendant in the room where the murder took place.

Nothing, in other words, tied them to the crime except for theories and conjecture unsupported by actual evidence. By contrast, the DNA of Rudy Guede, the Ivorian-born drifter now serving a 16-year sentence for the murder, was all over the crime scene.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/the-amanda-knox-verdict-isnt-justice-for-meredith-kercher-its-a-witchhunt-9101549.html

Guede had Kercher's blood on his hands and left other evidence behind; there is no incontrovertible evidence placing Knox or Sollecito in the bedroom; forensic evidence cited by the prosecution was discredited at their successful appeal in 2011. Yet the Italian authorities have stood by an idea formed in the immediate aftermath of the killing, which is that a woman must have been the prime mover. The case long ago become a circus, with some British papers gleefully hailing the return of "Foxy Knoxy" after Thursday's verdict. At her original trial, this femme fatale supposedly had such power over two men who hadn't previously met that she was able to persuade them to take part in a murder influenced by black magic.

These were the fevered imaginings of a rank species of misogyny.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/dani-garavelli-knox-s-endless-court-farce-1-3290215

So what about forensic evidence? There’s even less of that. There are website pages devoted to the question of DNA but the prosecution case is founded on two main claims: that Knox’s DNA was found on the handle of a knife in Sollecito’s kitchen and Kercher’s on the blade, and that ­Sollecito’s DNA was found on a bra clasp in Kercher’s room. As ­injusticeinperugia.org points out, the knife has never been established as the murder weapon and was subject to a controversial testing procedure after traditional methods failed to find a match. As for the bra clasp, it was gathering dust on the floor for 47 days before it was found by police and even then was badly handled.

Kercher died in a bloodbath, but this is the only DNA evidence linking Sollecito to the scene. There is no DNA linking Knox to it.

[Gothmog]

1. This is good news

The evidence against Knox is weak. The Italian press has decided that Knox is guilty and her conviction was based on public opinion and not facts

[OregonBlue]

2. Agreed. The prosecutor has a bizarre theory but NO actual evidence.

[Helen Borg]

23. He did not reveal the entire theory though...

I'm curious to see what he is talking about and what evidence they found to back up their theory.

[sked14]

3. Well, according to someone here,

she's guilty as hell and should be extradited back to Italy.

[11 Bravo]

7. Yeah, I wonder how long it will take for the foremost defender of the Italian judicial system ...

to show up on this thread.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. I wonder what the Daily Mail's take is. But not enough to go look at that rag.

[sked14]

8. That's ok, I'll take one for the team.

'She should be locked up in U.S. while the process goes on': Meredith Kercher's family demand Amanda Knox is jailed NOW

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550246/Amanda-Knox-Meredith-Kerchers-family-demand-jailed-U-S-NOW.html#ixzz2sC38llOX
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Amanda Knox could face up to five years in jail in the US as she awaits extradition to Italy, it was revealed last night, as the family of her victim called for her to be ‘locked up while she waits’.


Top U.S. extradition lawyer Bruce Zagaris said if her latest conviction for the murder of Meredith Kercher is upheld by the Italian Supreme Court, she will be put in jail.


Mr Zagaris said: ‘It is rare for the U.S. to deny extradition requests from allied countries like Italy. Her lawyers would have the chance to appeal and any extradition is a long, drawn-out process which takes between one to five years.


‘If Italy applies for extradition Knox would be arrested by marshals and placed in jail. She could apply for bail and may get it but it would be a close call. It’s likely that she will spend one to five years in jail in America while the process drags on.’

And then, there's this.

But a close friend of the Knox family, retired Seattle judge Michael Heavey, said: ‘There is no way Amanda will spend another night in jail

Now, I have to go take a shower to get the stench out.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

5. That should be "claims", not "admits".

"Admits" implies that they know the answer.

It's also worth noting that you should probably amend to "some articles in the the UK press claim, while others deny".

[mainer]

9. Actually, ANY UK papers is significant in this case

Since they'd all been united against Knox at the start.

We're never going to see "all" papers agree on anything.

[jsr]

6. Recommend

[dipsydoodle]

10. Blog entries and a made up headline.

[mainer]

11. GD doesn't require "headlines"

And these are editorials by regular newspaper columnists. Not mere entries by bloggers.

[dipsydoodle]

12. How about Seattle murderess confirmed guilty in court of law then.

That's accurate : not spin.

[mainer]

13. "murderess" is accurate?

"declared guilty" is accurate. Not "confirmed."

[dipsydoodle]

14. The appeal confirmed the original finding of guilt : hence confirmation.

The first appeal was set aside by the Court of Cassation and so is now as if it never occurred.

[mainer]

15. This is the usual definition of confirmed:

con·firm [kuhn-furm]
verb (used with object)
1.
to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify

Has the court actually established "truth"? I think not.

[dipsydoodle]

16. They both validated and verified the original finding.

You simply provided a list of alternative uses of the word.

Last words on subject.

[Comrade Grumpy]

17. Do you really think she killed her roommate?

Or is this some sort of British nationalism thing?

[dipsydoodle]

18. May not have actually done so herself but I suspect involvement

which in the case of a murder charge pretty much carries the same penalties

The fact remains that she was found guilty in a court of law now confirmed in a court of appeal. I've got better things to do than harp on about the legal systems of other countries.

Nationalism has got sfa to do it. It will be interesting to see at a future date in the event a Bulgarian woman murders a Macedonian woman somewhere in Albania it gets the same sort of attention here.

[Bonx]

19. Why do you suspect her involvement ?

There wasn't any evidence of it.

[dipsydoodle]

20. Just a personal feeling.

With regard evidence you should ask others here on DU who were actually in the court during the recent appeal trial.

[Adrahil]

21. I read pretty extensively about the eviedence.

There is no solid evidence linking Knox to this murder. None. You might think she's guilty. But beyond a reasonable doubt? No way. Not even close.

[asjr]

22. I am wondering if the Kercher family

have been pressing the police or judges to re-open this case. they evidently have some sway over them.

[defacto7]

24. I've been caught in the Italian justice system

just long enough to know how corrupt it is. Money talks. Money washes away all subjective or accusational sins in Italy and the lack of it can cost you time. I know nothing of Amanda Knox, but I do know about the Italian system.