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Italian prosecutors vow appeal of Knox verdict
Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini attends an appeal hearing at Perugia's court of appeal Sept. 26, 2011 in Perugia, Italy. / Getty Images
PERUGIA, Italy - While Amanda Knox headed home to the United States a free woman Tuesday after an Italian appeals court dramatically overturned the American student's murder conviction, prosecutors expressed disbelief in the verdict and vowed an appeal to Italy's highest criminal court.
Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini said Tuesday that he would appeal after reading the court's reasoning due out within 90 days.
"Let's wait and we will see who was right. The first court or the appeal court," Mignini told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Amanda Knox not guilty of murder
"This trial was done under unacceptable media pressure. The decision was almost already announced; this is not normal," he said.
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If the highest court overturns the acquittal, prosecutors would be free to request Knox's extradition to Italy to finish whatever remained of a sentence. It is up to the government to decide whether they make such a request.
Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher, a 21-year-old British student who shared an apartment with Knox in Perugia. Knox was convicted to 26 years, Sollecito to 25. Both had been in prison since Nov. 6, 2007, four days after Kercher's body had been found at the apartment.
But, the prosecution's case was blown apart by a court-ordered DNA review that discredited crucial genetic evidence.
Monday's verdict reverberated through the streets of this medieval hilltop town, where both Knox and Kercher had arrived for overseas studies programs four years ago.(At left, watch a "CBS Evening News" report on the verdict)
Hundreds of mostly university-age youths gathered in the piazza outside the courtroom jeered as news of the acquittals spread. "Shame, shame," they yelled, adding that a black man had been made to shoulder all of the guilt for the murder.
The jury upheld Knox's conviction on a charge of slander for accusing bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba of carrying out the killing. The judge set the sentence at three years, less than the time Knox had spent in prison.
Just before deliberations began Monday, Knox tearfully told the court she did not kill her roommate.
"I've lost a friend in the worst, most brutal, most inexplicable way possible," she said of the 2007 murder of Kercher, who shared an apartment with Knox when they were both students in Perugia. "I'm paying with my life for things that I didn't do."
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Two mobile phones, two credit cards and 300 euros in cash had been stolen at the time of the murder. Guede, who shortly thereafter fled the country, to be arrested later in Germany, had a lame story about how he had a "date" with Ms. Kercher in her apartment and how a "shadowy figure" came in and committed the murder, while he was in the bathroom. He even supposedly "struggled" with this shadowy figure and the shadowy figure escaped after hurling a racial remark.
You see, Rudy Guede is a black man from Africa. So in the mind of racist Italian liberals, he could not possibly be guilty of such a horrendous crime without somehow being "framed" by an EVIL WHITE MAN. In this case, the evil white man morphed somehow into an evil white American woman. What a complete load of bull-crap. This was an open-and-shut case if ever there was one. The real murderer is behind bars. Justice has been served.
Search for this letter, she wrote it on Nov. 6, 2007, there is a wonderful 'Statement Analysis' done on it too -- within this letter she names the owner of the pub where she worked, Patrick Lumumba, as the murderer -- she said she saw him in the house with Meredith and covered her ears when she heard Meredith screaming. Patrick had an iron-clad alibi, but Amanda didn't admit to falsely accusing him until after the police investigation exonerated him two weeks later.
There is a 427+ page report from Amanda's first trial detailing all the evidence of Amanda's guilt -- called the Massei report after the lead judge in the trial -- the guilty verdict was unanimous. I have read this report -- there is no possible way on earth Amanda Knox was not involved in this murder -- she definitely participated -- there is a mountain of evidence!
American media are being spoon-fed propaganda by the million-dollar+ propaganda machine paid for by Amanda's parents and supporter, Friends of Amanda -- this is a fund-raising group that exists to pay for the professional liars, media relations specialists, and legal defense. The bill is into the millions of dollars, so big that Amanda will be doing talk show interviews, news specials, and books and movie deals for years to pay it all off. This is why her parents have to convince Americans that Amanda is innocent -- so they can all cash in!
The American public and media have been played for fools by this propaganda machine. Look for the mountain of evidence against Amanda Knox that is published in other countries -- some of the British media, The Daily Beast, Andrea Vogt (Seattle free lance writer), for the truth about this case. You are NOT getting the truth from ABC News, CNN, NBC, CBS -- they are all being paid to lie.
Look to these web sites for the 'other side of the story:' 1) True Justice for Meredith Kercher; 2) Perugia Murder File. This will open your eyes to how much real evidence there is against Amanda!