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It seems everyone wants to know what is happening next in the life of Amanda Knox, convicted of killing her British roomate Meredith Kercher in a violent attack along with then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Rudy Guede.
The most recent chapter in the saga is Lifetime’s movie portrayal of the case. Read my review here.
The full movie can be viewed on http://www.lifetime.com
The question on everyone’s mind is, is Amanda Knox guilty or innocent? The only people who may ever know for sure are Meredith Kercher and Amanda Knox herself.
While some people view the conviction of Knox and Sollecito as one based on spotty evidence and confessions made under stress, others say the trial is fair and that there is evidence to suggest that Knox WAS involved.
This case has not only captured my attention, but that of many others in various countries around the world. I really would like to get an idea of how people feel about this. Do you think Knox is guilty or innocent? Do you think she will be granted a new trial?
Leave me a comment below and share your view!
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Megan's Musings 
She is innocent. I have no dog in the fight, I simply have read the Judge’s report (400+ pages) to arrive at my conclusion. The prosecution REPEATEDLY shifts their explanation of the evidence to fit their assumption of how the crime was commited. They have not addressed some basic necessities of the crime such as motive and whether it was a planned or spontaneous happening. If it was planned, there would be proof of such, and if it was spontaneous they would not have taken a knife from her boyfriends apartment to commit the crime as the prosecution would have you believe. I point this out as a simple example of what is so flawed regarding this case. Even the quotes attributed to Knox have no context when used by the prosecution, if she was guilty the prosecution would have no trouble showing intent and the motive behind it. They have not proven a thing. The judges report read like a bad fiction novel and it is shocking what passes for a fair trial in Italy. One can only hoep their appeals process has a keener eye for what is actually considered a ‘fact’. thanks.
Hi Megan, both Amanda and Raffaele are innocent. The DNA evidence against them is sketchy and would not have been admitted in court in Rome, Florence or Milan.
The prosecutor in this case (for money, fame, save his job, didn’t like Amanda, whatever) chose a rush to judgment. Then it was realized a few days after he pointed his evil finger at the kids, that Rudy Guede murdered Meredith Kercher.
Rudy Guede (goo-day) left his DNA everywhere and the police found fingerprints. A manhunt ensued and he was arrested in Germany two weeks after he killed Meredith.
Then to Save Face (a really Big Deal in Italy) Prosecutor Mignini (min-yee-nee) kept going even after the real murderer was caught, tried, and sentenced.
The Drug-Fueled-Orgy-Gone-Wrong is his story and he’s sticking to it. Even if the DNA can prove him completely and utterly wrong.
This prosecutor is the Public Minister for Perugia, like a District Attorney here in the USA. A Very Powerful position, so he gets away with things. Things that would not fly in other parts of Italy.
It is our hope that his own court will rule against him or that the Supreme Court will reprimand him and let the kids go free.
injusticeinperugia.com is a great website to learn specifics about this case. Many good, honest people are supporting these poor families (and that includes Meredith Kercher’s family) and we hope you will too.
Amanda and Raffaele’s families have great websites that tell about their personalities and how you can help!
Visit amandadefensefund.org and raffaelesollecito.org
Both of these kids come from exceptionally nice families, it is totally tragic what has happened to them.
You stay safe too! And thanks for asking!
All I can tell you is that I do research for a living and I have studied this case systematically, point by point. My opinion is that there is not a chance in the world that Amanda Knox is guilty. Not a chance. It takes some study to realize what is going on here but when you put the time in you realize that Amanda Knox is the victim of an elaborate, cruel, and cynical hoax. The prosecution “case,” such as it is, is a web of mutually reinforcing misrepresentations and lies.
The pro-guilt faction, or “guilters” as they are commonly known, usually try to shout you down and overwhelm you with wild rhetoric instead of logic and evidence. Some of them may show up here and if they do they can be depended on to produce endless bulleted lists about lies, changing stories, lack of alibi, DNA, witnesses, cell phone records, computer records, bloody footprints, staged breakins etc. Guilty, Guilty, GUILTY! they shout.
They want you to check your brain at the door and just accept the fact that Amanda must be guilty without thinking. But if you do your homework, if you slow down, breathe deeply, and analyze you see, as I did, that not a single one of these claims survives scrutiny. Amanda Knox’s defense team has met every single prosecution claim with a powerful and convincing rebuttal.
Let me say that again. Amanda Knox’s defense team has met every single prosecution claim with a powerful and convincing rebuttal. That just does not happen unless the person accused is innocent.
You ask for some of the reasons Amanda Knox has to be innocent. I will give you four that are persuasive to me.
1. In the room were Meredith Kercher was murdered not a single sign of Amanda Knox’s presence was found. No DNA, no prints, no hair or fiber samples,no saliva. Zero, zip, zilch, nada, Nothing. Meredith was attacked and died in the area the size of a queen sized bed. If two other people had been involved the whole scene would have been markedly different.
2. The poor victim was hemorrhaging liters of blood and yet somehow none of it–not a drop–got on any of the clothes or shoes that Amanda was wearing–a total impossibility given the amount of arterial blood being sprayed about. Although they turned the apartment where she later stayed upside down along with all of her possession they found nothing. It is literally impossible to clean up that completely.
3. Not a single reliable witness or any of the hundreds of security cameras in Perugia showed Amanda away from her boyfriend’s apartment the night of the murder. The one witness that claimed to have seen her showed up months later and turned out to be a bum (literally a guy who lived out of garbage bins) who had testified for the police in three separate murder cases in the previous ten years. He was their go-to guy when they had no evidence. Now this same individual has been sentenced to prison for his role was arranging heroine deals. Imagine this was your daughter and the testimony of this kind of a dishonest clown was used to convict her.
4. For about a hundred reasons, the evidence was overwhelming that Meredith Kercher died several hours earlier than the prosecution said, at a time when Amanda and her boyfriend had a completely clear alibi.
Hope this helps. Just keep the word “hoax” firmly in mind and you will be on the right track.
Everything I have said in regards to my involvement in Meredith’s death, even though it is contrasting, are the best truth that I have been able to think. (Amanda Knox, 6 November 2007).
Boy, that was insightful. Post an edited, partial quote from Knox. That is done because revealing the entire quote, as well as other true facts, actually disproves your point.
I can’t improve on what’s been said so well above and won’t try. I’d just like to add that you wont go wrong if you simply follow the evidence wherever it leads. There is plenty of strong and compelling evidence and it all points to one man (Rudy Guede) killing Ms. Kercher when she walked in on a burglary in progress. Period.
Don’t fall into the logic trap that so many Guilters have fallen into. Don’t read lurid, voyeuristic pieces about Amanda in the tabloids and ask the unanswerable question “Is that how an innocent person would behave?”… because you can never know. I once had to tell a group of people that someone near and dear had been killed.. some cried. most were stunned in silence.. one giggled nervously.. on lady went to pieces. It was a proper response from each one. Who can know what is correct behaviour under the kind of stress Amanda must have felt ? A young woman alone in a foreign country.. without a lawyer or parent to advise her.. with a marginal command of the language ..being accused over and over of the bloody murder of her roommate. That she’s held up so well these last 3 years is testament to her strength and character. Instead of guessing why she kissed her boyfriend.. or did a cartwheel.. or bought thong underwear.. choose to follow the real evidence instead to where it logically leads.
They’re completely innocent. Many US cases, including the Jeanine Nicarico murder, the Norfolk Four and the West Memphis Three, involve the same basic problem: once the cops and the prosecutor publicly accuse someone, they refuse to admit a mistake no matter what. They will expend a massive effort to obscure the truth and confuse the facts. Juries and appellate courts usually buy it, especially in sex killings and other emotionally charged cases, and it often takes a long time to get the innocent people out. The WM3 are still locked up despite a massive effort over many years.
In this case, authorities have come up with a long list of “evidence,” none of which proves anything and all of which came after the arrests, to protect a public accusation on which many people had staked their credibility.
The murder of Meredith Kercher was a knife attack in a small white box, with a grid marked on the floor in the form of tiles. From a forensic POV, it is an advantageous setting that allows an expert to reconstruct the crime accurately and in detail. Amanda and Raffaele’s supporters include an extremely good forensic analyst who has done so. Here’s a summary of his reconstruction:
Click to access Meredith_Kercher_murder_reconstruction_graphic_-_Ron_Hendry.pdf
Hi, add one more to the long list of people who have come to realize their innocence. You can look up “Steve Moore”, he has articles. Also Ron Hendry made me realize something recently. He said, “The pattern of blood stains are irrefutable proof that Meredith was wearing the jacket when mortally wounded and that she ambled about a short time on the floor afterwards. This (along with other indicators) places the time of confrontation right after she came home instead of over two hours later and thus gives AK and RS an alibi. The photos of the jacket as found next to the Victim show conclusively that the jacket was totally reversed and indicative of the killer Guede removing them after the mortal wound was inflicted. However, the police first inverted one of the sleeves back to normal before they photographed the jacket during handling and then inverted the other sleeve to normal a short time later. The police report to Mignini and court exhibit both show only photos of the jacket returned to normal. The police report and court exhibit contains no analysis based on the initial found condition of the jacket and the blood patterns on the jacket. They should have come to the conclusion that the confrontation occurred right after she came home, that the likely cause for the confrontation was robbery, and that she was disrobed and sexually assaulted after the mortal wound.” The police put the jacket in the laundry hamper and didn’t come back to get it till some time later. What were these policemen thinking? Look up Ron Hendry, John Douglas believe in her innocence, too. Basically, everyone believes her innocence (very credible people) except for a few crazy hate groups, and for some who HAVE to keep them guilty for one of many sad reasons. The truth is sometimes very ugly. Good luck to you, however! 🙂 It sounds like you’re just wanting to know the truth…like that kind of person.
Miscarriage of justice commonly happens caused by the complete absence of a perpetrator. Here the real culprit is known more than 3 years! In this respect this miscarriage of justice will be recalled as the most stupid one.
Italy’s reputation is at the stake regarding that such a case with lack of reason, lack of enlightenment (witch hunt), lack of science, lack of diligence (the slowness of the trials itself is cruel), lack of proper journalism, complete lack of probability and capability regarding Amanda and Raffaele, lack of civil society etc. occurs in a town with TWO universities.
About the proceedings: An appeal trial is guaranteed and has (already??) begun 4 months ago at a snail’s pace and nobody knows how many months will it still take.
Greetings from Vienna
They are completely innocent. The forensic team bothched the investigation.
Reckless and Negligent evidence collection:
The Perugia Flying Squad didn’t bag HALF of the clothes Meredith Kercher was wearing the night she was attacked until 6 week or more after the murder and some items were never tested at all.
Primary evidence not bagged until six weeks or later after the murder: A light blue jacket worn while attacked, both socks, bra clasp, brown leather purse with bloody prints on it and puma shoes. A beige tote bag that was used that night was never tested. No record on testing the long sleeve t-shirt the victim was wearing. A bloody towel was collected but not stored correctly and allowed to rot
Items retrieved six weeks later on Dec 18th:
Light blue jacket the victim was wearing when attacked and that was forcibly removed with both arms of the jacket turned inside out. It was originally photographed on the floor near the victim’s head. The forensic team pulled it out of a laundry hamper on Dec 18th. What kind of forensic storage method is this?! Then they threw it on the floor before one of them finally decided to collect it. Rudy Guede’s DNA was later found on a cuff.
One sock came out from under the bed. A pile of clothes was placed on top of the bed and shoes beside and under it. A pair of bloody boots Meredith’s head was found resting on were also thrown in the pile. The sock would have been removed by Meredith’s killer and had blood on the cuff but was carelessly shoved under the bed with many other items far from where it was originally seen on Nov 2.
The second sock and BRA CLASP were found tangled under a rug by the desk, moved from their original location.
A brown leather purse that had been OPENED AND HAD BLOOD near the zipper was finally collected six weeks later. It had been moved from its original location. Why would it not be a top priority to see who opened the purse and stole the money?
The red and white puma shoes Meredith was wearing were in a pile of shoes by the bed on Dec 18th, even though they had spots of blood on them. One of them was still tied showing that the victim was wearing them when attacked.
The beige tote bag was never tested even though the killer may have looked through it to find KEYS needed to leave the cottage.
If this was YOUR daughter or sister would it be acceptable to NOT immediately bag and process the clothes they was wearing when attacked in order to find the killer? There is simply no acceptable explanation for this level of negligence. It is stunning and egregious.
Completely innocent. She doesn’t need a new trial. She will be exonerated on her appeal, guaranteed under Italian law. The evidence was incompetently collected and interpreted. The motivation behind their initial trial and first conviction was based largely on conjecture as shown in the judge’s own document.
Very true my good friend Patrick.
Even a superficial examination of this travesty displays overwhelming innocence for these suffering kids.
You can’t say lack of evidence will definitely let the suspect free. I have learned and compared both law systems in US and Italy, that in fact it is a separate 2 different worlds. This girl is indeed guilty based on the investigation process that had shown how she was trying to hide the facts. Now Obama had an order to kill an unarmed man (Osama) in front of his daughter, is that justice ? Somewhere else this kind of thing could mean breaking the democracy system. My point is despite there may be no enough evidence, but we can conclude based on the investigation that Miss Knox must be one of the murderers. IF YOU THINK IT IS NOT THE WAY US LAW SYSTEM WORKS, IT IS YOUR PROBLEM ! ITALIAN LAW SYSTEM WORKS IN ITALY !!
@Jury, are you serious? What evidence in this case proves Amanda Knox guilty of anything? How could she have been in the victims bedroom, viciously attack her, and not leave so much as a fingerprint, trace of DNA, or even a strand of hair behind? If someone in Italy can be convicted when there is absolutely NO credible evidence of their guilty, that doesn’t say much for their legal system. For you to say that it’s okay doesn’t say much for you, either.
Guilty, definitely, Amanda knows something is is not telling the truth, this much is obvious. Her innocence just does not come accross in the way she speaks and what she says, sorry. Too much denial going on with this case.
people don’t lie UNLESS they have something to hide
The Italian police and investigation teams have completly botched this case. Personally, I believe they were guilty and were involved. They wouldn’t have lied about where they were and at some stage, would have given the same story instead of having several goes at it.
If the Italians had done their job correctly and had gathered the evidence when they should have, they would have been proven to be guilty. To say that the evidence was gathered late and therefore it could have been contaminated is true but it doesn’t prove they are innocent any more than proving that they are guilty.
The evicence sadly doesn’t prove either way and therefore, someone guilty of this horrible crime is going to be allowed to go free. Luckily, she won’t be completly free as for the rest of her life, she’ll always be the girl who murdered Meridith and she’ll never live a normal life.