A Long Way From Home

(CBS)  Produced by Joe Halderman, Douglas Longhini, and Chris Young

Amanda Knox, a 20-year-old honors student from the University of Washington, followed her dream when she moved to Perugia, Italy, to study abroad and learn Italian. But that dream turned into a nightmare when just weeks after Amanda's arrival her roommate was found murdered.

Within days of the November 2007 murder, Amanda and her boyfriend were arrested as suspects in the killing and found themselves at the center of a media frenzy.

Do Italian investigators have a solid case against Amanda, as they claim? Or is she being "railroaded" - as one American private investigator put in - in a blind pursuit of justice?

Growing up in Seattle, Wash., Amanda Knox was an all-American girl. She excelled in athletics and academics, as her father Curt remembers: "Dean's list in high school, dean's list in college, soccer player since she's been five…all the way to the premiere level."

Amanda's parents, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas, divorced when she was three, but family bonds remained tight. "She loves her family. She talks about that in her blogs, and in her MySpace. That what's most important to her is her family, her close friends," Edda tells correspondent Peter Van Sant.

After graduating with honors from an elite Jesuit high school, Amanda went on to the University of Washington where she discovered her passion. "She loved going to other cultures and learning about them. And she's really drawn to languages. She really knew she wanted to study abroad," Edda explains.

Amanda worked three jobs to get to Perugia, a medieval hill town north of Rome. She rented a room in a house and began taking classes.

Amanda's years of dedicated study and hard work were paying off. Just a few weeks after arriving in Perugia, she e-mailed some of her friends back home, writing "I'm actually at one of my happiest places right now."

Amanda's good fortune also included a new romance. She'd met a young, handsome Italian engineering student named Raffaele Sollecito, the 23-year-old son of a doctor from Southern Italy.

Amanda had three roommates: two Italian girls and Meredith Kercher, a 20-year-old student from England.

Amanda even got a job in a local bar. "She told me she must work because she need the money," says bar owner Patrick Lumumba, who hired her. Lumumba is well known around town for his music and generous spirit.

Asked what he thought when he first saw Amanda, Lumumba tells Van Sant, "Good person…and friendly."

But just six weeks into Amanda's Italian adventure, everything changed. It was Nov. 2, 2007.

"I got a phone call early in the morning and it was Amanda. And the first thing she said was, 'I'm at home and I'm all right. But, I think somebody's been in my house," Edda remembers.

Amanda told her mother she had spent the night with Raffaele. That morning, when she came home to take a shower and change clothes, she found the front door was open. No one was home.

"When she got out of the shower she noticed some blood. She thought maybe somebody had gotten injured and left quickly and that's why the door was open," Edda explains.

Amanda started phoning her roommates; she found the Italian girls, but according to Edda couldn't track down Meredith, even after calling her several times.

Asked how she learned that something terrible had happened in that house, Edda says, "She called me back and told me that the police had come. Because one of the things she said was 'We can't find Meredith and her door is locked.'"

Two officers arrived at the house to investigate and found Amanda and Raffaele standing outside.

"Police enter the house, start searching it," explains Paolo Sfriso, an Italian investigator who 48 Hours hired to examine this case. "Meredith's door is locked. They knock on the door, nobody answers. Nobody knows where she is. They decide to break in her door."

Inside, there was blood everywhere. And on the floor, covered by the blanket from her bed, was Meredith's body.

The last time anyone had seen Meredith alive was 9 p.m. the night before, when she walked home alone after leaving friends.

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[carlo_65]

Dear friends,don't belive in many things this "48 Hours" is saying,
It's hide a lot of things,anf lies.
One of the worst pice of journalism,Ihave ever seem.
SHAME TO CBS;"CLOWNS"CIOLINO AND THAT SO CALLED JOURNALISTS....

[dudedudley]

I left this out of my previous post. That evening Meredith borrowed a book from one of her friends. Likely on the way to her room she got a lamp from Amanda's room, because she intended to read a bit before she went to sleep. She was tired because she was up most of the previous night due to the Halloween celebration.

[dudedudley]

From this article "The last time anyone had seen Meredith alive was 9 p.m. the night before, when she walked home alone after leaving friends".

"9 p.m." Is not correct. Meredith called her mother at 8:56 pm from her room so the last time she was seen alive was around 8:50 when she and Sophie Perton parted ways as they walked to their homes.

Guede was caught with items he stole from a law office a few days before he killed Meredith. The police took him to the train station, and told him to get out of town, but he didn't have money. Guede watched the girls secluded apartment several days then he busted the window and entered. Guede had only been in the girls apartment a few minuted before Meredith came home. He was plundering Filomena's room which is close to the apartment entrance door, when he heard Meredith come through the door. He got quiet and Meredith walked to her room, not realizing he was there. After entering her room she placed a call to her mom and that is when Guede surprise attacked her. He interrupted the call to her mom and soon he ended her life.

[dudedudley]

The police said they arrived at the girls apartment at 12:35. Raffaele called the police at 12:51 and 12:54. He says he called before the police arrived. The police say he lied and he hid to called the police after the police was already there. The cell tower info proves who the lier is.
This will be presented as supporting evidence on Bruce's site (Garage Cam Photos) that proves the postal Police arrived after Raffaele called 112. http://www.injusticeinperugia.org/garage.html

PHONES FOUND; Via Sperandio 5b, Perugia, Italy, Home OF, Mrs. Lana Elisabetta. On Nov 2 the Meredith's UK phone received 3 calls while at this address. When Meredith's italian phone was found it was OFF, the UK phone was ringing when it was found at 12:07 or 12:11:

TIME,_______CELL TOWER ID#
1) 00:10:31___Wind 25622nd
2) 12:07______Wind 25622nd
3) 12.43______Wind 25622nd

The postal police claim they arrived at the parking garage entrance at 12:35 and they inquired about TWO phones. The family and log entry said the phones were delivered to the police station at 12:47. Call (3) proves the phones were not at the station at 12:43. The family did not call the police about the second phone they found, so the police did not know about it until 12:47. Witnesses testified the police had with them TWO cell phones, and they showed the phones and ask, who's phones are these. Micheli's report says the police knew about the second phone around noon and he rambles a bit about something that makes no sense at all, to support this fairytale.

On Bruce's site "Parking Garage Cam Photos" Section there will be concrete proof they lied. So this takes care of fairytale number two. http://www.injusticeinperugia.org/garage.html

Fairytale number one is the window was busted from the inside of the building and the crime scene staged. I'll be working on that next.

[dudedudley]

Luca Alteri, testified the postal police officers were showing him two telephones and asking who the phones belonged to. Also it doesn't matter if they had both phones or not, because when the officers arrived they were asking about two phones, one of which they did not know about until 12:46 (12:47 above is an error). Assuming they arrived at the apartment door at 12:46, they would be talking with Amanda and Raffaele at the exact same time they accused Raffaele of calling the police. How stupid do these people think we are?

[troyg1]

grace911 that's false there was no cell phone connection between Guede and Amanda. It sounds to me like you want to take the life of an innocent girl and make it political as well. This case and that idiot who twice now has conjured up some fantasy of satanical sex game murders is a joke. The fact is the murderer Guede, who was on the run, went through a speedy trial because he is so guilty and admitted himself that Amanda and her boyfriend had nothing to do with this. I'll agree Amanda's actions at times were not very smart but that doesn't make her a murderer. She has nothing to do with this crime I am convinced.

[Lanee3]

Hey Troy,you are very correct when you say that Amanda wasn't very smart at times. I do also think,that if she wouldn't of lied that there would be none of this. If she would of stuck to her orginal story she would of been fine. She didn't! The police in Italy, most likely picked that sign up to mean that she was involved.I am not sure if she is truly innocent or not. I do know that her actions make her look guilty.

[Kuanyin9]

You are so right but from what I heard is the Police abused her. But she did not run and stayed. I believe she is innocent too what they judicial system did to her & Raffaele is unconstitution in the US. Guede is the rapist, theif, and murder of poor Meredith. Mignini the Prosecutor is an evil man he has incarcerated others who are innocent if he doesn't like them. He does not like Americans as far as Raffaele goes I feel just as bad for him. This young man is being punished for having a love affair with an American. If you want to help call Amnesty International and check Facebook for "Free Amanda ^ Raffaele". I have an Italian friend who told me that he was never ashamed to be an Italian until this trial ended. Many around the world researched this case and feel that they were railroaded, abused, scapegoats for a very dysfunctional Italian Judicial System.

[poidog88]

Amanda is a sociopath and would kill you baby without blinking an eye. Seriously, she's borderline personality and only thinks of herself. Don't be fooled by her appearance.

[sweetdea]

I think everyone should write to our new president to ask him for help for amanda knox our old president was to worried in fighting his daddy battles he had now time for the people that put him in office. we all need to fight for amanda to get our government involded

[johnsm99]

Its hard to be polite to the nonsensical posters who believe this ridiculous case. I heard about the details too and was skeptical but initially took the mountain of PR at its word. Its clear this is a classic pathetic police frameup. Ive seen case after case where the police seem come to an insanely ridiculous conclusion out of the blue in the first week or so and then try to force a false confession which is shockingly common. Then just out of the fear of looking foolish, do anything to hang on to the ridiculous story even if it means execution or life imprisonment. It happens in every country, even in the US. There are other cases where the public due to their nationality and ethnicity, defend clearly guilty trendy people too and the police get a bad rap---but this is in the former camp.
Its actually frightening how ignorant people can be and how easily they can be manipulated into thinking someone is guilty or innocent. Remember the proof that prosecutors claimed to have and the confession by a recent Jon Benet suspect? There was a blizzard of media coverage and claims of evidence and people screaming he was guilty.
Why doesnt the US intervene? The US or any country generally doesnt unless its a high profile case in which a large group in the US makes a fuss. Maybe with this report there will be fuss though shes not a hip trendy defendant pretending to be a revolutionary.

This is a complete sham, anyone with a brain can see that.

[letters4ak]

If anyone would like to send a letter to Amanda, e-mail it to:

[e-mail]

Her friends will mail it to her if it is not hate-mail.

[letters4ak]

If anyone would like to send a letter to Amanda, e-mail it to:

[e-mail]

Her friends will mail it to her if it is not hate-mail.