Amanda Knox Appeal: Despite Victory Of DNA Review Needless Doubt Remains

December 20, 2010- Amanda Knox won a victory in her battle to have DNA evidence reviewed- the court granted that request, and then some. Still, of course, the prosecution put on a poker face and claimed it was nothing special and the verdict of guilty would still stand. Then, as if to upset the balance, anti-Knox factions countered that the Guede appeals documents would be available and even Guede himself might testify at the Knox/ Sollecito appeal trial. Is this particularly damaging to the Knox defense? More than a few think this is cause for worry about Amanda's chances- yet they are mistaken.  I should not be surprised at the continuation of lies and misinformation spread about as in the days when this case first caught public attention. I do have to point out that the 'smoke and mirror' days are over, yet some people are not getting the drift that times have changed. That Italy is not corrupt. That though a mistake has been made- justice is not beyond reach. Enter a man of principle- Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann- and justice is at hand.

It should be clear to all that this judge wants the truth, and was clearly not happy with this case as it stood. Thus he wants the DNA matter clarified, as it is clear from his words that at this point reasonable doubt exists. In referring to his decision to have the DNA re-examined he states: "conviction could only be secured against an accused if it was beyond all reasonable doubt.." And then he ordered that the suspect DNA would be re-examined by two DNA experts from Rome. He did this to "take away any reasonable doubt that may exist". In other words this judge believes at this point in time that reasonable doubt does exist. Therefore he is trying to get to the bottom of things that have for too long been allowed to remain in question. It is also clear that this judge believes that the original trial court was in error for not allowing the DNA to be subject to independent testing and he stated his opinion on this at the hearing of December 18th, Also there is to be a re-examination of the 'park bum' who got his facts wrong and stated the disco buses were running when in fact they were not running that night.

Of course this is a victory for Amanda but there is always that anti-Amanda faction who contends that now Amanda has to worry about Rudy Guede's appeal court papers that were allowed into her appeals trial. And that Rudy Guede may testify. To make short work of this one let me just say- How do you think that will hold up with the jury? He will of course say Amanda was there with Raffaele but when asked about his own part he will then say his usual lame story about sitting on the bowl listening to music as Meredith was being killed- a story no one has bought yet- and when he adds this lie to his lie about Amanda it will be clear to all that his words are worthless.

Yet in the meantime- all those pro and anti-Amanda sites are going full swirl. He said, she said, they did, they did not, and who knew? Going over all the evidence back and forth in order to make up their own minds about this case. After this is over 6 months from now there are going to be a lot of people going through 'Amanda Withdrawal' and will have to get their entertainment some place else.

To all those who stuck with Amanda & Raffaele through all of this and supported them in one way or another- each of you are a hero- Please continue to speak out until they are free.

To all those who thought or just wanted them guilty. To all those who just hated for the sake of hating and tried to make sure an innocent woman stayed in prison with a ruined life. May life kiss you back.

                                        
Victims: Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and their families.
Heroes: Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, Massimo Zanetti and the appeals jury.
Hall of Shame: Mignini and others too numerous to mention (you know who you are).
Truth Realized: "There are none so blind as those who 'will' not see".

Amanda Knox Appeal: Knox Gains Victory In Court Granting DNA Review

December 18, 2010  Perugia, Italy. Amanda Knox is one step closer to freedom as the appeals court granted a review of the crucial DNA evidence. The judges retired to deliberate if they would allow a review of the disputed DNA used to convict Knox last year. The prosecution and Kercher lawyer  Maresca argued against a review, stating the court had everything it needed- The judge however did not agree and stated the court would allow a review of the DNA evidence including the knife and bra clasp.

This is a great victory for the defense and for Amanda Knox. Without a review of the DNA evidence, Amanda's chances of winning her appeal was not good. With the judge's decision to allow a review of the DNA things are looking rather sunny at this moment for Amanda Knox. Perhaps this is the best Christmas present she could have received. She has everything to gain by this review- but no doubt the prosecution is rather gloomy at the news- too bad for them. Things Change. Merry Christmas Amanda.

Amanda Knox Appeal: Judges Will Lead This Case To Justice

Bad news for the prosecution. Bad news for lawsuit lawyers. Bad news for Barbie and Nicky and for every media source that took an anti-Amanda stance for the last 3 years. Bad news for anti-Amanda sites.

But good news for Amanda Knox. Good news for her family and supporters. And good news for those who were looking for true justice in this strange case.

Chris Mellas is not a liar. Reading what he said in the news about a judge stating there was only one certain fact in this case is supported by several Italian news sources. I am not referring to any weeping in the court- I have no info on that. What I am referring to is that the judges are obviously not happy with this case. It is probably well known by now that Mr Mellas had said - He was told that the judge said "...the only thing we know for certain is the fact that Meredith was murdered..." If that is not an exact quote it's pretty damn close. Now the anti-Amanda sites were obviously displeased with that and their comments ranged from Mr Mellas is a liar to- oh well the judge only meant that they would keep an open mind. Really? No dice on that.

In support of Mr Mellas- I quote from the Italian news source Libero-news. it: The exact Italian quote of Judge Massimo Zenetti as published from Libero "...di partire dall'unico fatto certo, ovvero l'omicidio stesso." Now this pertained to where the court would start from in the proceedings.  It has been speculated that the court may not choose to re-examine most of the evidence yet this quote in Italian makes it pretty clear that the the judges are not happy with the supposed facts of this case and state the only fact that is certain is the murder itself.
The English tranlation of the above Italian quote is "...to start from the only certain fact and that is the murder itself."

Now this does not mean they will not pay attention to the Massei report but it does strongly suggest that as far as the judges are concerned they are not taking any of the supposed facts at face value. I would therefore assume that they intend to almost pick this case up from scratch or at least hear major portions of it. The key phase here is the quote ...the only certain fact..."  Of course this is nothing but good news for the defense and Amanda Knox. She has nothing to fear from a re-examination of this case.

I am not trying to say 'case closed'- that reminds me too much of what the Italian police said on the arrest of Amanda Knox. What I am saying is Judges Claudio Pratillo Hellmann and Massimo Zanetti will no doubt do their best to find the truth in what has become one of the strangest criminal cases in modern history. May justice prevail for Meredith and Amanda- and that, is true justice.

Amanda Knox Pours Her Heart Out At Appeals Hearing

December 11, 2010- Amanda Knox made a heart rending statement at the start of today's hearing in Perugia. Knox who does not like contention rarely defended herself in the past, no doubt believing that justice was enough. But as she stated today, justice had clearly failed her. So today she poured her heart out to the court in a statement that lasted about 18 minutes. Speaking in Italian, she addressed a variety of issues- from her wrongful conviction to her sorrow for the members of Meredith's family. At times she was clearly overcome with emotion and wept, but forced herself to go on. One rather tasteless incident during Amanda's statement occurred when the Kercher lawyer left the courtroom, stating that he wasn't interested in what she had to say. No doubt a strategic move to try and upstage Knox and put a fly in the soup. It didn't matter. Anyone with any heart at all could see that this young woman was speaking from her gut; laying her soul bare.

This is a new time. Mignini's magic show of illusion is not on the agenda. That was then- this is now. And that goes for anyone who stands to profit from Amanda losing her appeal. All the lawsuits and the lawyer who leads them. To all the journalists who milked this case to sell the news at the expense of a young woman's life. To the corrupt prosecutor who could not contain his own fantasies at the expense of justice. To all those disillusioned souls who would rather believe a lie than the truth. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

As I said in the past I will place my trust in the appeals court to do the right thing based on the evidence. Hopefully the appeals court will examine all the evidence that is called into question. How could this court condemn Amanda with no evidence, with no motive, with flawed forensics. A woman who has never had a history of violence. The vast majority of the people who are aware of this case know that Amanda is innocent. And the world will be watching.

Amanda Knox told the truth this morning- she gave it from her heart. Among all the lies and misconceptions in this case- she told the truth- she was the light. But if that is not enough with all the evidence that proves her innocent of this crime, then I have only this quote from the Bible to offer:
         "And the light shined in the darkness, yet the darkness comprehended it not"

Amanda Knox December 11: Franceso Maresca Tries To Upstage Knox At Hearing

 December 11, 2010- As Amanda Knox started to make her statement to the court, Kercher lawyer Franceso Maresca walked out of the courtroom. According to 'Barbie of the Beast' he "stormed out", yet most other sources say he simply walked out- who to believe huh? When asked after the hearing why he had left the courtroom while Knox was addressing the court he said something along the lines of he didn't want to listen to what she had to say and that her statement was just to impress the court. Really? My opinion is that he was simply trying to upstage her by showing her disrespect, while also trying to send a subtle message to the judge and jury.

Now to those who are not in the know on who Mr Maresca is- he is not part of the prosecution team as such, but rather a lawyer who has more lawsuits pending against Amanda Knox than anyone on the planet. And these are all civil money lawsuits. But he can only win these lawsuits as long as Amanda stays convicted. The Kercher lawsuit is already over but money can not be collected from that if Amanda goes free on appeal. And the lawsuits of seven Perugia police officers  (of which Maresca represents) against Knox for slander will be much weaker if Amanda's conviction is overturned. Seems to me this guy stands to lose more than anyone if Amanda Knox goes free. You might say he has a stake in seeing Amanda kept in prison. So, what do you think- he doesn't want to see his lawsuits go down the drain? Or is he just a drama queen?