Conviction of Amanda Knox Is Falling Apart In Appeals Trial

Amanda Knox in Italy

Amanda Knox, an American student studying in Italy, was convicted of being an accessory to the murder of fellow student Meredith Kercher in 2009.  At first the conviction seemed obviously right and proper; however, various parties, including form FBI and other crime experts, subsequently reviewed the evidence and concluded that Knox is innocent.

Amanda Knox's appeals trial began in May, and the prosecution's case against Knox is being demolished bit by bit.  Key witnesses in the first trial are convincingly refuted or shown to be untrustworthy; scenarios described in the trial are shown to be completely untrue, e.g. that Knox was seen buying bleach the day after the murder (she didn't), that her boyfriend's kitchen knife had the victim's DNA (it didn't) even after having been washed in bleach (it wasn't).  A woman witness who had testified that she had heard a scream the night of the murder now admits she has mental problems; other witnesses have been utterly refuted (one of which is a drug addict and homeless man who has testified at numerous trials for the prosecution).

The most "convincing" evidence has been found to be complete fabrications by the Italian prosecutor.  The prosecutor seems mentally unbalanced and dangerous:  he has filed over a dozen lawsuits against journalists and even Knox's parents for criticizing him and the outcome of the trial.  One blogger had his blog removed by its host after the prosecutor threatened litigation.

The online news site Seattlest describes the original trial:

For Amanda Knox, the 23-year-old Seattleite accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher, during a study abroad program in Perugia, Italy, the tide may be turning. Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of the crime in 2009, and are currently appealing their case. Confusion reigned during the investigation and conviction of the pair. The standards of modern law enforcement investigation fell by the wayside, replaced by a tumult of amateurism, half-baked musings, and a media feeding-frenzy. Much of the chaos and confusion seemed to emanate from the chief prosecutor: Giuliano Mignini, a man whose flair for bombast and drama seemed tailor-made for the brutal, bawdy world of modern tabloid journalism.

Seattlest reports that even the frenzied Italian tabloids, so eager to see Knox convicted in the first place, are backing away from both the prosecutor and the conviction, and that this may signal a coming end to the unfair and unjust ordeal of Amanda Knox.  Let's hope so.

See also Injustice In Perugia for more information on the crime, the trial, the conviction, the evidence and the latest developments.