Amanda Knox Leaves Italian Prison Following Acquittal - Yahoo! What are your thoughts on the events surrounding Amanda Knox's acquittal of murder on the appeal of her original conviction. Her co-defendant and former boyfried Rafaelle Sollecito was also acquitted. They have both left prison. Apparently another appeal can be filed by the prosecution and she could still be found guilty. I suppose the concept of double jeopardy does not apply here in Italy? However, she is headed back to the United States, so if that did occur, the United States would have to extradite her to Italy. According to accounts of the evidence that the prosecution provided in the first trial, I found it surprising they convicted her. I am used to American-style burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. In my mind, there was reasonable doubt that she did not commit the murder.
I know little about the case itself. Before I know that I'd like to ask how criminal trials are held in Italy....innocent until proven guilty? etc.
I don't know if she did it or not but something is definitely wrong with the prosecutor. I felt like he was just stubborn and didn't want to use logic and common sense in regards to the evidence, he just decided to make stuff up.
Italy does prohibit double jeopardy. But it has no law requiring her to stay in the country during appeal, so they would have to file for extradition. I was appalled by a number of things in the first trial. The DNA evidence was exceedingly skimpy and sloppily handled (7 weeks and countless uncontrolled handlings before a key item was even collected for testing!! ), enough to exclude it here. The lead prosecutor was already under criminal indictment for prosecutorial misconduct prior this murder, which in this country would have him suspended from the position. He was eventually convicted on that charge, which would get him disbarred here. His treatment of an author investigating that case was disturbing. When a West Seattle newspaper quoted some of Amanda's supporters at a local meeting -- an action fully protected by our First Amendment -- he filed a criminal indictment against the paper and attempted to confiscate their web domain name. Then the knife from Solecito's kitchen, with a barely detectable (not enough for any retest) trace of the victim's DNA -- not from blood, as the blood test was negative -- didn't fit the knife marks on the victim and in the bedroom. Now the UK press I've read is focusing on a supposed private jet that will bring her back (local press indicates the return will be on a commercial flight) and on the Hollywood and interview riches to be made from this, including vignettes of the potential celebrity interviewers and how much they might pay. All this while complaining about a Knox-lead publicity campaign driving this appeal, while oblivious to their own publicity campaign during the first trial. I thought the U.S. press had sunk to serious lows. But reading several overseas tabloids today, I can see that our 'news' does not yet occupy the bottom of the barrel. ---- PS. I often wonder whether the prosecutor was trying to extract vengeance for the Cavelese cable car disaster. Misconduct by a NATO pilot caused the deaths 20 civilians, but the eventual penalty was very light.
And this just in from at our friends at Lifetime TV..... A Lifetime movie about the Amanda Knox trial will be updated after the 24-year-old was cleared of murder charges in an Italian court Monday. "Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy," which first aired on the television network in February, has Hayden Panettiere playing Knox, who traveled to Italy to study abroad in 2007. While overseas, Knox's roommate was murdered and the Seattle-bred student was two years later charged with killing her. In 2009, Knox began serving a 26-year sentence in prison. But on Monday, a jury threw out the murder conviction and a sobbing Knox was immediately set free to return to America. Accordingly, a spokesperson for Lifetime said that the film centering on Knox's trial will now be altered. Going forward, whenever the picture airs on the network, it will be accompanied by several sentences explaining the latest turn in the case, which will appear before and after the film. The updated rebroadcast of the movie will air for the first time Tuesday evening. I guess they just had to rush the movie before the appeal was over just because they knew they could make money off of Amandas misfortune, BTW, poorly made, why bother to rerun it. Spare us! EAT CROW LIFETIME!!!
I know nothing of the case. I don't follow this sort of stuff. Just a few thoughts on the above posts: Prosecutorial misconduct happens here as well. Example: Leonard Peltier. (Who, BTW, was prosecuted by the same man who prosecuted me after I dug the hole at the missile silo to protest nuclear weapons: a man named Lynn Crooks. His prosecution of me was incompetent and I'd have gotten off on a technicality if I'd permitted my lawyer to make the motion. I wanted instead to present my argument against nukes.) If Knox was acquitted on appeal, it would be double jeopardy to try her again, and the U.S. would not extradite, since our law does not permit that. However, if her conviction was merely overturned (not the same as an acquittal) then trying her again would not be double jeopardy. Then Italy would have a case for extradition, but U.S. courts could deny it if they chose. Getting out of Italy seems like the wise choice.
Well they've overturned her acquittal again today. Apparently they introduced new DNA evidence, but I haven't heard anything about the nature of it. TBH most of the evidence I have read seems pretty thin, I definitely have my doubts about her (and co-accused Sollecito's) guilt.
so much for double jeopardy... but she's a redhead, and we all know that redheads can be batsh!t crazy at times... if I was her...I'd find a nice country that doesn't have extradition treaty with italy and live out my life. And not plan on doing much, if any traveling..
According to NBC news- as of this morning she's been told not to leave the county! This is going to be a mess....
I don't know about you... but not sure I'd put my life in the US goverments hands. As easy as it is to come into the USA illegally, it should be just as easy to leave illegally with some cash and start a new life...
I think her attorney(s) should have at least advised her to consider being out of the country the day the verdict was handed down. Who knows... maybe they did and she simply decided to stay? Now she's at the mercy of the US govt and it's not like she's some important scientist, NSA leaker, etc... that's beneficial to keep around. I'd hate to be in her shoes right now....
I really hope the US Attorney General decides to do it's own full investigation of the facts before even thinking about extradition. The more I read about this case the more it looks like a bizarre miscarriage of justice. Injustice in Perugia: Amanda Knox & Raffaele Sollecito Case Summary
She should also stay out of the business of predicting earthquakes. That also is an Italian crime if you are not perfect.
I don't know whether she did it or not. Obviously. But throughout this whole affair, I've been horrified by the bias in the media. If you read the US media, Knox is definitely innocent. She's a victim of Italy's corrupt and incompetent judicial system. there's absolutely no way she could possibly have done it, and it may well be that she's being victimised for being an American. If you read the British media, Knox is definitely guilty. She's a cruel and manipulative woman who chose to kill Meredith Kercher because it was the easiest way to get what she wanted. She's manipulated the American media and convinced the American people of her innocence by creating a ridiculous facade of being a nice girl who would never do that sort of thing. She lied in court to get acquitted, and now she's going to live a wonderful life in America, making money out of media interviews and book deals, and she'll never be extradited to face justice. As I said, I have no idea whether she did it or under what circumstances. I can't read Italian, and there's very little coverage of the case in the Australian press. There's absolutely no way I can have an informed opinion from reading the British or American press: both are biased to the point of absurdity. I think it's worth bearing that in mind before reaching your own conclusions.
I hope people take notice of this conflict, and realize that press bias is not unique to this case. Not even close. It appears in a great many issues. My view of this particular case was pretty much settled when the lead investigator - prosecutor, while facing previous criminal charges for misuse of office in the Monster of Florence case (charges that would get him suspended in the U.S.), filed Italian criminal slander charges against a small U.S. newspaper for exercising its U.S. First Amendment rights (quoting Knox's supporters at a fundraising event) on U.S. soil, and tried to seize its U.S. web domain.
