Tag: Amanda Knox

Raffaele Sollecito, the co-defendant of Amanda Knox who was also acquitted of murder this week by the appeals court, alleges the police treated him violently and with coercion after his arrest. Amanda Knox has said in the past she was assaulted and browbeaten by police.

Ms Knox has also claimed that she was assaulted during questioning and that the verbal and physical intimidation caused her to wrongly claim that an innocent man, the bar owner Patrick Lumumba, committed the killing. [More...]

Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, one of the two judges advising the jury suggested in an interview today that perhaps Amanda and Raffaelle know who was involved in Mereditih Kercher's killing.

Update: 6:43 pm MT: It's over. Amanda had a range of emotions from happy to teary. Here's Amanda walking from the plane into the terminal with lawyer Ted Simon; Here's Ted speaking at the press conference; Here's Amanda speaking.

Update: 6:10 pm MT: The plane has landed. It's now arrived at the gate. Here's a picture of the media waiting. [More...]

I usually like the Daily Mail reporting despite its tabloid nature. It also has good photos. Today it made a big misstep. Via Gawker and Malcolm Coles: In its hurry to be first reporting the Amanda Knox verdict, the Daily Mail got it wrong, and hit the "publish" button on a pre-written article pronouncing Knox guilty. The article even included reaction quotes from the prosecution.

Prosecutors were delighted with the verdict and said that 'justice has been done' although they said on a 'human factor it was sad two young people would be spending years in jail'.

Here's a screen grab of the article, which the Daily Mail corrected minutes later.

Update: Amanda Knox's nightmare is over. She's free. Her murder conviction is overturned. Only the slander charge against police was upheld. Raffaele Sollecito was also freed. Here's Amanda listening to the verdict, after the verdict is announced, being led out of court, and the crowd outside which was cheering. One half hour later, they are still outside. Amanda will soon leave this prison.

Update: 1:45 pm: Amanda is seated now. She looks as nervous as she must feel. She's surrounded by police. [More...]

Five inmates testified in for Amanda Knox today at an appeals court hearing in Italy.

Prosecutors are doing everything they can to say these witnesses are hardened criminals who can't be trusted.

Whatever happened to "what's good for the goose is good for the gander?" Prosecutors never say that when they call criminals as snitches to prove someone guilty. Then they say things like "you have to lay down with dogs to catch the fleas" or that the criminal may be a bad person but he's telling the jury the truth. [More...]

An appeals court in Italy has ruled independent experts will review the DNA evidence presented to the jury in the murder case against Amanda Knox.

The key to the prosecution had been a 12-inch kitchen knife. Genetic material - but not blood - on the handle was linked to Knox, and similar material on thhttp://www.talkleft.com/admin/storye blade to Miss Kercher. Defence lawyers argued that the DNA traces were too slight to be reliable.

Meanwhile the bra clasp, on which Sollecito's DNA was found, had been "lost" for six weeks after it was taken as evidence and could have been contaminated, his lawyers said.

The court will also allow new evidence that impeaches one of the prosecution's witnesses. [More...]

Italy insists Amanda Knox's conviction and 26 year sentence for murdering her roomate is fair.

Some think she has a good chance on appeal. Others say she was the victim of anti-Americanism and never stood a chance.

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell has problems with the verdict. [More...]