"48 Hours" reveals Amanda Knox's untold story

The fate of Amanda Knox has always been inextricably linked to Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini.

"His world view is evil walks on this earth ... there are people in his community who are practicing occult rituals ... who maybe worship the devil," said Nina Burleigh, author of "The Fatal Gift of Beauty."

Learn more: The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox

Burleigh said that the closer Mignini looked at Meredith Kercher's murder, the more he began to see not only evidence -- but the spector of the supernatural.

"A body has been found. It's very spooky. It's the night after Halloween," Burleigh explained. "... it happened on a Thursday night ... that's when the witches held their Sabbath."

Witches? The Sabbath? It sounds laughable, but, Burleigh said, Mignini sees the face of evil everywhere.

"I think when he looked in the eyes of Amanda Knox, he thought that she was evil," she said.

Complete coverage: Amanda Knox

To Mignini, a staunch Catholic with a medieval mindset, Amanda Knox was a sinner who took part in a satanic orgy that resulted in the murder of an innocent.

"This is ridiculous. This is absolutely insane and it's unfounded," said Amanda's friend, Meredith Paxton. "The claims that they put against Amanda that she was so sexually powerful that she could manipulate these two men who she didn't even really know ... tells you a lot more about the person making the claims than about the person those claims are made against."

But Mignini did not back down -- not even when he was forced to release Patrick Lumumba, who had a solid alibi... and not even when the DNA evidence came back and seemed to exonerate Amanda and Raffaele Sollecito.

"There's nothing in that room, out of all those 400 samples, that places Amanda or Raffaele in that room," her mother, Edda Mellas said. "You can't go into a room and selectively just clean up your DNA and leave everybody else's DNA there. It's impossible, it can't be done."

A bloody fingerprint found at the scene gave Mignini a new suspect: Rudy Guede, an African immigrant, who was known to have confronted people with a knife.

"He was hanging around with these students and partying with them and pretending to be like them. But he wasn't like them at all," Burleigh explained. "And in order to keep up with them he started, apparently, getting involved in breaking and entering."

Guede was tracked down, arrested and charged with Meredith's murder.

"His bloody fingerprint is there?" Van Sant asked investigative journalist Bob Graham.

"Absolutely," he replied.

"His footprint is there? DNA."

"Yep. Absolutely."

"And he fled to Germany?"

"And he admits he was there," Graham explained. "He admits cradling her body as she -- as she was bleeding to death, feeling bad about it, feeling so bad that he ran out of there, carrying her money. He felt so bad that he went to a disco and partied. He felt so bad that he disappeared to Germany, to let other people take the rap for it. That's how bad he feels."

Even with Guede in custody, Mignini refused to believe that only one person was responsible.

"He believes deeply in conspiracies," Burleigh told Van Sant. "Conspiracy is part of his investigative DNA."

Mignini believed he was in possession of the murder weapon: a kitchen knife, found in the apartment of Raffaele Sollecito, Amanda's boyfriend.

"The Roman scientific police claimed they found an infinitesimal amount of DNA on the handle related to Amanda and an infinitesimal amount of DNA on the blade relating to Meredith," Burleigh explained.

All that was left for Mignini was to establish a link between Rudy Guede, Amanda and Raffaele. The police began pressuring Guede.

"First statement from Rudy Guede, 'Amanda had nothing to do with it.' Those are his own words. Following statements he's moving her more into the story -- moving her more into the case ... he gets up and says, you know, 'She did have something to do with it. She was there,'" Burleigh told Van Sant. "And was the instigator."

In 2008, Guede went on trial first. He was convicted of killing Meredith Kercher and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Mignini told the court that Guede had expressed remorse and later his sentence was reduced to 16 years.

The stage was set. Amanda and Raffaele's trial began in January 2009, and by then, Mignini had another piece of evidence that reportedly had Raffale's DNA on it.

"A piece of Meredith Kercher's bra that had been cut off by the killer," said Burleigh.

Mignini barreled ahead with his prosecution, convinced that Amanda, Raffaele and Rudy Guede all conspired and took part in the murder of Meredith Kercher.

And the press, Graham says, played a key role.

"I don't just blame the prosecutor and the police in this. I also attribute a lot of the blame to the media," he told Van Sant. "...they bought the lies ... they helped create the perception that existed that Amanda Knox was the she-devil and Raffaele Sollecito was her slave."

At nearly every turn, Amanda was losing the publicity war. After "the kiss" came a videotape showing Amanda shopping for "sexy underwear" a day or two after Meredith's murder. Never mind that all her clothes were locked up at the crime scene.

"The public was fed a diet of untruths, myths, rumors, falsehoods, lies about Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito," said Graham.

Mignini spun a fantastic tale for jurors, filled with graphic details about the violent sex orgy on the night Meredith was murdered. An Italian magazine created drawings based on Mignini's theory, showing Amanda plunging a knife into Meredith.

"It was made up," Graham said. "It was fantasy."

On Dec. 4, 2009, after a trial that lasted nearly a year, a smiling Amanda Knox walked into the court at nearly midnight convinced the jury had seen the truth and that she'd soon be going home.

Paxton video diary excerpt:
"She did not think for a single moment think that she was going to be convicted ... it never really fully entered into any of our minds that it could actually happen. She very ideally thought that the truth was enough.

But the jury found a different truth. Amanda was found guilty of killing Meredith Kercher and sentenced to 26 years. Raffaele got 25 years.

"This is a complete miscarriage of justice and is a travesty to the Italian judicial system," said Curt Knox.

Amanda, trapped in an Italian prison, soon had a new, more immediate problem -- a prison official she feared was on the prowl for sex.

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[Small_Worm]

This is the same propaganda that got her and her boyfriend acquitted. You can believe what you like but they are 100% guilty I can put my house on that and are very lucky to be walking free after destroying a family. Their defence team manipulated the unfortunate incompetence of the Italian Police DNA collection methods. More importantly if they were nice normal people they would not be making $4million dollar deals on a situation where a family has been destroyed and they were in the middle of it.

[craigzz]

A case of DNA evidence gone mad, and over zealous prosecutors.
Possibly most disturbing of all, was the sheer 'mob mentality' of media and public alike, glad your free Amanda.

[jwilsonte]

Well she is guilty hopefully they will reinstate !!! she is horrible person same personality as tot mom always smiling wants all attention . she will pay some way

[useraccount101]

"Amanda was presented ... as extremely attractive, having lots of sex, decided one night to act on these completely diabolical urges and bewitched two men into attacking her roommate," said Burleigh.

Sorry, but Amanda Knox is not THAT pretty so as to be persecuted for her beauty. Honestly, she was pretty average looking for a 20 year old and even less attractive now. So that excuse is beginning to look pretty silly. A more believable excuse would be persecution because she's American and sexist persecution because of her attitude.

[Topmember]

useraccount101 - "PRESENTED" is the operative word in the quotation below. It matters not that you find Amanda Knox "pretty average".
A friend recently reminded me that most people are S T U P I D.
I thought she was being a bit harsh but on reading most of the comments relating to this case she's quite correct. Thank GOD for the few intelligent responses here. You only need to become aquainted with THE MONSTER of FLORENCE case to realise that in the country of Italy fact and fiction, fantasy and reality can become blurred. Amanda Know is very fortunate.

[auntiepdp]

In some cases using this type of intimidation works. Amanda was innocent not a trace of being guilty. That's why I hate hearing the comparison.
Casey didnt report her child missing for 1 month. I wont even agknowledge the lame story made up by the defense. This woman got a way with murder. The evidence against her was overwhelming.

Amanda was an innocent who's whole world has been turned upside down. She should be compensated doing interviews, book and movie deals. Her parents and grandparent spent every penny they had for her defense. She has been through a nightmare.
She is absolutely correct if she had been home during Merediths murder she too would be dead. It was fate she met Raffaelle and wasnt home that horrifying night. It's not unusual for people have better things to do in the evening, so they turn off their phones. Often a couple planning a romantic evening turn their phones off together and in the morning turn it back on at the same time. That doesnt mean theyre breaking the law.

[lokibear2]

I followed this very closely and she is not totally innocent. She may not have masterminded it or even weilded the knife but she knows more then she is telling.

[tmrezac]

I followed this very closely too and she is totally innocent.

[dexterdunk]

This poor girl,and the young Italian boy, have been put through hell on earth. It shows the complete stupidity of commenters here who still think they are guilty. Anyone who thinks a girl would slit the throat of another girl,who was her friend, because,according to the inquisitor prosecutor, the other girl didn,t want to participate in an orgy,have to be comlete morons, who seem to be the ones with no humanity. God have mercy on anyone who might,one day in the future, have these heartless people sitting in the jury of their trial. You people have lessened my faith in humanity. You are loathsome,and disgusting!

[bally-k]

The only misscarrige of justice is that these murdering pair went free.
Both these sniggering pair are not to be trusted .

[fleetwood1955]

CBS give it a rest, no one cares.

[fleetwood1955]

Duh, must be they're promoting 48 Hours and their sponsors. Every other major news source has pretty much dropped the Knox subject.

[MariaBeatrice22]

If she was totally innocent why did she accuse the young man and kept on changing her story? Another OJ and Casey Anthony case only this time it took place in another country.

[AnnieDanny]

No, I don't think this compares with Casey Anthony AT ALL. Why do people say that, it's very annoying. No comparison. Knox's problems started with a lengthy interrogation in a foreign language in a foreign police station without benefit of a lawyer, without food, without bathroom breaks, without sleep and with plenty of intimidation.

Casey Anthony's problems started when she didn't report her daughter missing.

These two women are not having the same bad hair day. Not the same at all.

[lyvane]

AK's problems started she she killed Meredith , I guess..