Inmate testifies Amanda Knox "innocent"
(CBS/AP) PERUGIA, Italy - A convicted child murderer testified Saturday at the appeals trial of Amanda Knox, saying that a fellow inmate had told him the American student had nothing to do with the killing of her roommate in Italy.
Mario Alessi, who is serving a life sentence for one of Italy's most shocking crimes, the kidnap-murder of an Italian toddler snatched from his home, was called by defense lawyers as a witness.
He was one of five witnesses heard Saturday, also including a police informant who testified from behind a cover and a Neapolitan mobster with a flamboyant attitude.
Knox was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering British student Meredith Kercher in the house the two shared in Perugia, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Her co-defendant and ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito of Italy, was also convicted and sentenced to 25 years. Knox and Sollecito, who both attended Saturday's session, deny wrongdoing and are appealing their convictions.
Rudy Hermann Guede, an Ivorian, was convicted in a separate proceeding. His conviction has been confirmed by Italy's highest criminal court. Guede also denies wrongdoing, but admitted being in Knox's and Kercher's apartment the night of the murder on Nov. 1, 2007.
Alessi is being held in the same prison as Guede. He testified that the Ivorian told him that Knox and Sollecito are innocent, speaking in prison conversations in November 2009. That was about a month before Knox and Sollecito were convicted in the first trial and while Guede had already been convicted and was appealing.
Guede has denied speaking to Alessi about the case, and he will be heard at the next hearing on June 27 as a witness for the prosecution to counter Alessi's claim. Guede is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence.
According to Alessi, Guede said he and a friend went over to the house with the intent of having three-way sex with Kercher, who was 21. When she refused, the scene turned violent. Alessi said Guede told him he had gone to the bathroom and upon coming back he had seen his friend holding Kercher to the ground.
Eventually, "a knife appeared, almost out of nowhere," Alessi said, quoting Guede as saying that it was pointed at Kercher's throat. As she was fighting, she got her throat slit, Alessi claimed. Guede tried to rescue her, Alessi said, but his friend stopped him, saying "We've got to finish her, otherwise we'll rot in jail."
Guede did not reveal the identity of his alleged accomplice, according to the witness. Alessi said he and Guede had developed a friendship in prison but eventually Alessi broke it off as he realized that Guede "said two innocent people were in jail" but did nothing about it. Alessi then contacted the lawyers representing Sollecito.
Alessi, a bricklayer, was convicted of the murder of the murder of 18-month-old Tommaso Onofri several years ago.
Francesco Maresca, a lawyer for the Kercher family, tried to cast doubt on Alessi's credibility, recounting his criminal record, then showing a picture of Onofri and asking Alessi if he knew him. "We do," Maresca said, when Alessi muttered "No."
Three more witnesses were called to back up Alessi's testimony, including police informant Marco Castelluccio, who took the stand behind a blue cover, guards around him. They mostly said they had heard the story in prison chatter from Alessi and for the most part confirmed his version.
The fifth witness, Luciano Aviello, told a completely different story, saying that his brother and an accomplice had killed Kercher.
Much of the appeals trial hinges on a review of DNA evidence. The court-ordered review is being carried out by two independent experts and will be concluded by the end of the month.
Complete coverage of Amanda Knox on Crimesider
