Comments on: American Girl, Italian Nightmare

A 48 Hours Investigation Raises Questions About The Case Against A U.S. College Student On Trial For Murder In Italy

[CRIMSON_H]

Kurt Knox & Edda Mellas are fast becoming Seattle's answer to George & Cindy Anthony.

Their daughter's DNA is on the handle of a knife that has the victim's blood on its tip, yet they continue to offer incoherent denials.

Truly sad.

[cizinka31000]

the fact that this case brings out PATRIOTISM in some of the commentators here is disturbing.

If the victim had been American, i don't know if we would be having this debate right now.

The total silence of the family Kercher puts the loudmouthed denials of Amanda's family to shame, whether or not she will be found guilty. Their insistence on her innocence is distasteful as much as it is utterly irrelevant. Much more irrelevant than many of the witnesses in the trial who claim to have seen Knox on the crime scene at the appointed hour.

If Knox is released, her family and friends have nothing to be proud of. Their comportment during this whole affair has been disgraceful, callous and disrespectful.

I would say that liberated Amanda better watch her step in the US. This is a first world country with a death penalty, in contrast to Italy, and I'm not sure the Knox clan will have the finances to go through all this rigamarole one more time.

[desip]

Thats the first I heard about her cut. Thank you for that information. I think that is important to the case. Thank you for responding cizinkia31000 I intend to follow the trial more closely.

[cizinka31000]

yes, amanda had a cut under her chin, noticed by 2 witnesses earlier in the trial.

only one victim, who probably couldn't inflict a lot of damage against 3 other people. The evidence put forward by the prosecution last week suggests that there were more than 1 attacker, due to the blows found on Meredith's body.

[desip]

There is no mention of the physical appearance of either Amanda or Rafaello. The article states that Meredith fought for her life--surely if Amanda and/or Rafaello were attacking and murdering Meredith, they would have cuts, bruises, scratches etc. I see no mention of any wounds they may have had had they been invovled. Pictures the next day in the media don't seem to show any marks at least on their faces and hands. I wonder if they were photographed by the Italian police or if the Italian police found any defensive injuries on them. Does anyone know?

[sunspro]

I had a religious vision that the prosecutor in Italy is a freakin' scumbag.

[InMyOp]

We should all sit back and take a minute to think of ALL the evidence. Even if it is all circumstantial, eveidence is evedence. My biggest question is - Why Lie about the bar owner?? She comes across as one of those people who are so confused about themselves, that they have no idea if it is fact or fiction. She needs serious therapy and a good counselor. Her mental state should also be taken in consideration.

To all those people who bash Italian laws - Italy is a civilisation much older than ours - most of the principles in the US is from Europe, have a little faith!!

[bob2diane]

The American government is not going to help Ms. Knox, nor is the Italian legal system. The American people could help her through the power of the dollar. Americans could stop buying any Italian products and traveling to Italy (why would anyone want to travel to Italy knowing what could happen to them) until Ms. Knox is back home. The products would include foods, clothes, cars and anything made in Italy. The problem within Italy is to find an effective means of communicating that what they are doing is not civilized. Reason is not one of those means.

RJS

[Seattlereader27]

It's true that there are many injustices in the world. Instead of writing a comment about this one murder I could be writing a letter to an editor somewhere about state-sponsored murder in Darfur, or abuse of political prisoners in China.

But I think sometimes a case attracts attention and even large amounts of people's energy because of what it symbolizes for them. I think it has to do, for me at least, with eight years of life under the Bush administration, in which a likeable former frat boy, a "what, me worry?" President, got away with murder, literally--and torture, and dismantling of the Constitution, and of the economy and the health and safety networks we all depend on--because it took us all about seven-plus years to realize that such a nice, affable, well-meaning guy could be capable of such destructiveness.

So here we have Amanda Knox. I have nothing against her, don't wish her ill. In fact when I first heard about Meredith Kercher's murder I read about it *because* I was worried that Amanda might have been pressured into a false confession. But the case is obviously more complicated than that. More than any other alleged evidence, what undermined my initial bias in favor of Knox's innocence has been her own behavior and her own words. I don't want to see her publically vilified, and in fact I think stories like this one of CBS's don't serve her at all. They just whip up outrage that brings her name into more negative public attention.

And maybe I am taking the time to comment on this story because I'm just tired of the idea that Americans are entitled to a free ride in the world, that we never have to face our own responsibilities to other people, that we can indulge our own fits of craziness at others' expense yet maintain a childlike insistence on our own innocence.

My own belief is that we're all capable of murder under the wrong circumstances, and that we're lucky if we get through adolescence without making any truly irreparable mistakes or getting caught up in violence. So I feel a lot of compassion for Amanda Knox and for anyone who's in a painful or frightening situation like hers. But until her defenders come up with a story that meets basic standards of fairness and accuracy in reporting, it'd be better not to say anything at all.

[cizinka31000]

Lora03 -English journalist -- I totally agree! The majority of people who comment here are SO SCARY... I almost feel like they were planted by CBS. Congradulations CBS! By pulling the pro-America lever, which makes all these people foam at the mouth and proclaim grandiose religious visions, i hope you were able to sell lots of beer and laundry detergent during the commercial break.

but Lora, what really bothers me about this Amanda Knox thing is that PEOPLE DON'T THINK AK SHOULD BE ON TRIAL???! I m not going to join in this juvenile "innocent or guilty" thing, but ITALY HAS A RESPONSABILITY TO PUT HER ON TRIAL. this is basic. there's both forensic and circumstantial evidence that puts her on the scene.

there is indeed circumstantial evidence against her. she hasn't given a viable explanation of where she was (indeed Raphaelle refuted her alibi that she was with him!) if she wasn't at the crime. And all the business with his computer and the fact that she was at a grocery store at 7.30 am the next morning and the receipt for cleaning products...

And then there's her DNA on the knife, the clean-up job, M's blood on the knife tip...

Hey patriots who don't see any real evidence.... bet Y'ALL clean your knives and other eating utensils with BLEACH right? i sure do. it helps me put up with sharing the same country with a bunch of psychopaths like yourselves.

anyone else think it's INTERESTING that this CBS thing comes out JUST before they present the forensic evidence? Are you all aware that innocent Amanda's parents have hired a PR firm? Does this all begin to fit together.

[lawbster]

did your reporter even bother to read any of the testimony or look at any of the actual evidence that has been put forward? this was a shocking and horrific murder, but i am almost as shocked by the slanted coverage of this case by 48 hours mystery and even more so that CBS would allow this to air. this is the kind of slipshod slap dash reporting one expects of Fox....shame on you CBS.

[seenetreviewer]

Why such a biased report?

The report mentioned several times "an intense, 14-hour interrogation". The actual interrogation only lasted 3 hours. They are including time in the reception area, where Amanda was waiting as her boyfriend was questioned, as well as alone time sleeping in her cell as a part of this 'intense interrogation'. The written statement came several hours AFTER her interrogation ended. This is well documented, so it seems that they could have at least gotten that part correct.

This report would have been more aptly named "Amanda's parents, and those that they hired, tell their version of the story."

To get an unbiased view, shouldn't both sides of the case be heard, and not just the parents' perspective?

Somehow, the portrait of an honors student is somewhat shattered by the girl who smoked so much marijuana the night of her roomate's murder that she can't remember the events of that night.

[astinar]

This is some of the most slanted reporting I have yet to read on this trial. The author left out many key facts that help establish why the Italian prosecutors even have a case against the two.

To begin, Amanda and Raffaele were waiting outside the house with mop and bucket when the communications police arrived to investigate the cell phones. They told them that they suspected a break in and had called the police. However records show that, while Raffaele DID call the police, he didn't make the first call until 15 minutes after this conversation happened.

Neither has an alibi; as a matter of fact Raffaele claimed he was on his computer all night, however the inspection by a computer expert revealed that his computer was inactive from 8:30 pm to 5 am the next morning.

Strangely enough, both Amanda and Raffaele's phones were turned off at the EXACT same times that night.

Also strange... Amanda claimed to have been in bed at Raffaele's until 10 am the morning Meredith was found. A shop keeper near Raffaele's house has testified that Amanda was waiting for him to open his store at 7:45 that morning.

If all this, PLUS the strange confession from Amanda Knox that she HAD in fact been at her house the night the murder happened (although technically this isn't supposed to be used as evidence), PLUS the DNA evidence isn't enough to at least stir up some strong suspicion, then I don't know what would. Instead this piece of **** production show's clips of Amanda's parents talking about her innocence.

Is the trial being held differently than it would be in the US? Definitely. It is naive and stupid to think that all legal systems around the world operate with the same presumption of innocence that ours is (supposed) to have. If an American doesn't want to be subjected to that legal system she shouldn't be living in that country.

The best site (that I've found to be) up to date reviews of media and updates pertaining to the trial is http;//truejustice.org. On it there is a very nice post made on April 11th trashing this **** show.

[CRIMSON_H]

Amanda's DNA is on the handle of a knife that has the victim's DNA on its tip.

This knife was NOT part of the cutlery at the cottage the girls shared.

It had been washed down in bleach & hidden way in her boyfriend's bedroom (in an apartment the victim had never visited).

This evidence has not yet been submitted at the trial, which is presently only 1/3 of the way through (it is expected to run well into October, 2009).

Sit tight & don't bet on acquittal.

(Italy is not some 3rd World Banana Republic!)

[Miss_Manero]

Just reading over page 1 again -

Amanda's troubles began innocently enough on the morning of Nov. 2, 2007

Unbiased reporting!

[CRIMSON_H]

Amanda Knox's DNA is alleged to be on the handle of a knife that has the victim's DNA on its tip.

Worse still, this knife is alleged to have been washed down in bleach and hidden away back at her boyfriend's apartment.

Additionally, Amanda has admitted to: (1) abusing illicit narcotics to the point of convenient memory loss on the night in question; & (2) accusing an innocent man (Lumumba) in order to exculpate herself.

In short, the physical/ forensic & circumstantial evidence implicating Knox is, if proven in court over the coming months, nothing short of DAMNING.

When the likes of CBS News succumbs to the "Friends of Amanda" PR campaign, can the end of professional journalism in America be far behind?

I expect more from the network that gave us "60 Minutes"!

[Yogge-Sothothe]

@movedeast

You said that "the evidence is disturbing and frankly pretty damning." To which evidence are you referring? The material evidence is looking shaky. The confession gotten out of Knox after 14 hours of interrogation that contains a lot of the supposedly damning and contradictory statements appeared to be forced.

I've looked around the internet for other details on the murder but haven't been able to find anything other than speculation about Knox's mental states (which are indicative of mental illness, but not necessarily of involvement) or Sollecito buying cleaning supplies before the murder. So if you have any heard of any other evidence in the case besides what was put forth in the article or what I just mentioned, then I'd like to see it.

[Miss_Manero]

Posted by alexaUK at 6.42pm-
I would suggest however, that the families of both the victim and the accused most likely don't welcome the additional interest and the hysteria and anger from strangers with no direct involvement in the case.

If this is your opinion alexaUK then why are you on here posting comments!

[relentlesslove08]

Ok. I get what's happened here, and i am not taking sides or anything, but I don't get WHY would Amanda just purposely want to KILL her roommate? I mean is there a background or history that links to the purpose of the murder? I don't believe they know each other...well the investigators hadn't find any proofs that they do - again, i am not taking sides.

Ah...it's a mysterious place out there~

[alexaUK]

I don't want to get too heavy and I'm not in any way suggesting the murder of Meredith Kercher wasn't tragic and horrific, but for those so passionate about making the world a more just place, there are so many other places your energies could be directed. Justice won't ever be achieved by people arguing on the internet and whipping up mass hysteria. As I mentioned earlier, I doubt very much the input is welcome from the families of both the victim and accused.

Here are the Google Earth coordinates for a concentration camp in North Korea holding around 10,000 men, women and children - 41.315689, 129.342739 - Some reports suggest that up to a million people are being held in similar camps around the country. Their 'crimes' include criticising the brutal regime or even for practising christianity. Around a quarter of them will be executed or die of torture or starvation. So next time anyone sits down at their computer intending to tap out some more hateful speculation about a girl they've never met, have a think and consider that there's probably already too much hate and anger in the world and adding more to it won't ever, collectively, get us anywhere.