Italy has redeemed itself. Logic has overruled speculation, and a 21st century witch-hunt has come to an end with the release of Judge Hellmann's report explaining the reasons for the acquittal of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito.
A 143 page report was released yesterday which clearly defends the verdict of the Italian Appeals Court which overturned the conviction of Amanda Knox. To anyone who has done the research on this case there were really no surprises- simply common sense replacing speculation and outright fiction (as in the case of the lower court's original guilty verdict).
The major points of the report supporting Hellmann's not guilty verdict are:
No logical motive.
DNA evidence condemned by court appointed experts
Lower court did not prove Knox was at the scene of crime.
Faulty time of death used by lower court (Hellmann moves the time of death back an hour).
Amanda Knox behavior dismissed as not a sign of guilt as people behave differently under stress.
Hellmann disputes Knox and Sollecito involvement with Guede as improbable. No evidence of communication with Guede exists (no e-mails, no phone calls or text messages).
Hellmann condemns police questioning as causing great psychological stress leading to falsely accusing Lumumba. Hellmann states that Knox told the police what she thought they wanted to hear out police induced psychological stress. In fact, Hellmann says, that to use the word 'stress' would be understating the event.
Witnesses produced by the prosecution were unreliable.
These are most of the main points of Hellmann's report. There is of course much more to the report than I have stated, but the above address most of the important issues as regards the not guilty verdict.
At this point in time, some may be wondering about the prosecution appealing the verdict. My thinking is- good luck with that. An appeal will not change the facts. The prosecution would still need to find fault with the Hellmann report in a rational manner in order to gain an appeal- in other words they would have to dispute common sense with nothing more than foolish speculation. And even if the prosecution managed to pull off another trial, you can take it to the bank that Amanda Knox will not be present. The United States will never extradite Knox to Italy and the prosecution knows it. It would all be just a foolish waste of time. The 'Foxy Knoxy' circus is worn out; the witch-hunt is over.
Amanda's Book Due Out April 30, 2013
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Heroes And Villains Of the Amanda Knox Case
October 23, 2011 - Despite the fact that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were freed of this nightmare as of October 3, 2011, it really is not over - not if one wants to balance the accounts in this ridiculous case. And that is exactly what people are saying on numerous sites- How can Italy get away with this injustice of sending innocent people to prison for 4 years? And who is to pay for it? All good questions. And there are answers.
Yet just as there are villains in this case there are also heroes. It was a very frustrating ordeal for many people and most could do nothing about it. Personally, I have always secretly delighted in sending in the 82nd Airborne division, just in case Italy failed to redeem itself- but of course that would have been politically incorrect right? Well that was never really a practical consideration, however it does appeal to one's Rambo instincts in the face of injustice. Some people would say that was a typical American mentality, but then again, Americans by nature have always fought against injustice. Like Teddy Roosevelt once said "Speak softly, but carry a big stick". Yet with the Amanda Knox case going on in Italy I think most Americans felt rather helpless and simply 'hoped' it would all work out for the sake of justice. And it did. But who was responsible for that? Who were the heroes that brought, or at least helped this case to justice at last.
One of the first people to raise hell about this case- even before it was widely considered to be the right thing to do- Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell was up in arms the very day of Amanda Knox's conviction in December 2009. Although people were trying to shout her down, she took it all the way to the secretary of state Hillary Clinton's office. What happened after that is all hush, hush. What happened at the state dept level is not common knowledge- but the important thing to remember is that Maria was RIGHT. She took what was once a 'politically incorrect' situation and went for the gusto, because it was the right thing to do. A citizen of her state was found guilty in a trial she paid close attention to and she believed Amanda was being railroaded and she defended the principle. Although I generally despise politicians- Maria Cantwell is a hero in this case. The people of the state of Washington should be thankful to have her. And no she is not my sister. She just plain kicks ass when it's the right thing to do- all politics aside.
There are other heroes of course- too many to mention, but Maria stands out because it was so- not career orientated. So human and so noble. And of course judge H. from Seattle- Well I don't want to say your full name or maybe you'll get in trouble again for defending Amanda. Just kidding- the name of this gentleman is Judge Michael Heavey- God bless you. This is another person who put all thoughts aside as to the reaction and did the right thing. One other person who needs to be mentioned is of course Judge Hellman and with him the Italian jury who freed Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. I knew he would do the right thing and I have said this for the last year. Why? Because he is a good and just man and did not play into the "she is guilty because the prosecution says she is" lie. He is a hero for the Italian justice system, and it is to his credit that he did not submit to the prosecution's fairy-tale with absolutely no evidence to back them up. And the world has seen this man do justice to this case, and he will always be remembered for that.
Ah and now for the villains. We all know who they are. Problem is, what to do with them. Well I think we would know if they were under US law, but unfortunately they are all in Italy- the land of very slow justice. Quick to detain and slow to release- Italy. I think prosecutor Comodi can be forgiven as she was not in charge- although she was way out of line. Rather it is the prosecutor Mignini who should be brought low for his ridiculous case against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. I can not imagine what goes through this man's mind. What did he think he was doing? I find it hard to believe the man is simply clueless in this case- I think he knew very well what he was doing and that was just business as usual. That may be business in Italy, but in the rest of the world it is called malicious prosecution. If you don't mind me saying so sir- You need to go to jail. And when you are there you need to remember what you did to two innocent young people to try and ruin their lives. I think you know better. I don't think for a minute you thought you were doing the right thing. I think you are way past that now, and only think about putting your fantasies into action regardless of the cost to other people's lives. People say you are a good Catholic and go to church- So do a lot of 'Sunday Catholics'. I too am a Catholic, but unlike you I remember the teachings of the Church in regards to sin and one of the first things you learn is this "If you know the right thing to do, and do not do it- you sin". I think you knew these two defendants were innocent and you tried to ruin their lives to save your shady career. Fortunately, your lies did not last and they were released. Pissed you off didn't it? Well get use to it because I think a lot worse is coming. Now Amanda would never say things like this to you- she is too sweet and passive. I on the other hand have no such scruples. You had better pray there is not an investigation coming your way, because if there is, you can count on picking olives in some remote little field where no one will ever hear from you again.
And as far as this case is concerned- that will be justice.
Yet just as there are villains in this case there are also heroes. It was a very frustrating ordeal for many people and most could do nothing about it. Personally, I have always secretly delighted in sending in the 82nd Airborne division, just in case Italy failed to redeem itself- but of course that would have been politically incorrect right? Well that was never really a practical consideration, however it does appeal to one's Rambo instincts in the face of injustice. Some people would say that was a typical American mentality, but then again, Americans by nature have always fought against injustice. Like Teddy Roosevelt once said "Speak softly, but carry a big stick". Yet with the Amanda Knox case going on in Italy I think most Americans felt rather helpless and simply 'hoped' it would all work out for the sake of justice. And it did. But who was responsible for that? Who were the heroes that brought, or at least helped this case to justice at last.
One of the first people to raise hell about this case- even before it was widely considered to be the right thing to do- Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell was up in arms the very day of Amanda Knox's conviction in December 2009. Although people were trying to shout her down, she took it all the way to the secretary of state Hillary Clinton's office. What happened after that is all hush, hush. What happened at the state dept level is not common knowledge- but the important thing to remember is that Maria was RIGHT. She took what was once a 'politically incorrect' situation and went for the gusto, because it was the right thing to do. A citizen of her state was found guilty in a trial she paid close attention to and she believed Amanda was being railroaded and she defended the principle. Although I generally despise politicians- Maria Cantwell is a hero in this case. The people of the state of Washington should be thankful to have her. And no she is not my sister. She just plain kicks ass when it's the right thing to do- all politics aside.
There are other heroes of course- too many to mention, but Maria stands out because it was so- not career orientated. So human and so noble. And of course judge H. from Seattle- Well I don't want to say your full name or maybe you'll get in trouble again for defending Amanda. Just kidding- the name of this gentleman is Judge Michael Heavey- God bless you. This is another person who put all thoughts aside as to the reaction and did the right thing. One other person who needs to be mentioned is of course Judge Hellman and with him the Italian jury who freed Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. I knew he would do the right thing and I have said this for the last year. Why? Because he is a good and just man and did not play into the "she is guilty because the prosecution says she is" lie. He is a hero for the Italian justice system, and it is to his credit that he did not submit to the prosecution's fairy-tale with absolutely no evidence to back them up. And the world has seen this man do justice to this case, and he will always be remembered for that.
Ah and now for the villains. We all know who they are. Problem is, what to do with them. Well I think we would know if they were under US law, but unfortunately they are all in Italy- the land of very slow justice. Quick to detain and slow to release- Italy. I think prosecutor Comodi can be forgiven as she was not in charge- although she was way out of line. Rather it is the prosecutor Mignini who should be brought low for his ridiculous case against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. I can not imagine what goes through this man's mind. What did he think he was doing? I find it hard to believe the man is simply clueless in this case- I think he knew very well what he was doing and that was just business as usual. That may be business in Italy, but in the rest of the world it is called malicious prosecution. If you don't mind me saying so sir- You need to go to jail. And when you are there you need to remember what you did to two innocent young people to try and ruin their lives. I think you know better. I don't think for a minute you thought you were doing the right thing. I think you are way past that now, and only think about putting your fantasies into action regardless of the cost to other people's lives. People say you are a good Catholic and go to church- So do a lot of 'Sunday Catholics'. I too am a Catholic, but unlike you I remember the teachings of the Church in regards to sin and one of the first things you learn is this "If you know the right thing to do, and do not do it- you sin". I think you knew these two defendants were innocent and you tried to ruin their lives to save your shady career. Fortunately, your lies did not last and they were released. Pissed you off didn't it? Well get use to it because I think a lot worse is coming. Now Amanda would never say things like this to you- she is too sweet and passive. I on the other hand have no such scruples. You had better pray there is not an investigation coming your way, because if there is, you can count on picking olives in some remote little field where no one will ever hear from you again.
And as far as this case is concerned- that will be justice.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: It's Over But A Few Loose Ends to Tie Off, Guede, Lumumba, Extradition, & Anti Knox Sites
October 13, 2011 - It's over now of course. The appeal is done and Amanda and Raffaele have won their freedom. But as I suspected, people opposed to Amanda Knox did not go away. Certain people (well we will just call them that for the time being) can not give it up, and continue with their hate war. Since the Italian appeals court has declared them innocent of this crime there has been a major dip in the attention spent on this case- and that is a good thing. It allows Amanda and Raffaele to go back to their lives and with a fresh start. Seems that other people do not want that to happen. But I can tell you (and you must know by now) that the majority of people no longer care about this case. The hits on major sites are way down now since the overturning of the conviction. But what pisses me off is that certain people who can not accept the verdict of innocent in the appeals trial keep trying to paint Amanda guilty. And it is not just certain sites but the news media at certain places in the UK and certain journalists to try and salvage their careers- since it is clear now that they were dead wrong in this case. Such is the price to pay of playing favorites- such as Mignini- in the absence of truth. Bad journalism period.
Yet there are certain loose ends to this case. Things that seem to go on needlessly. Which I think is simply a matter of ignorance of the facts. And that is the real purpose of this post. I will address all of them.
First you have the poor victim of Lumumba- Who calls himself the second victim. I see his face all over the news now. He was the one who did 2 weeks in jail as a result of what the police say is Amanda accusing him of the murder. Amanda didn't want him arrested for a murder he did not commit- it was the Italian police who were insisting on that- she simply complied under extreme pressure and abuse. So for Patrick Diya Lumumba's 2 weeks in prison for falsely being accused, Amanda Knox was sentenced (at the the Oct 3 2011 appeals verdict) to 3 years in prison. Yes that is correct- she got 3 years for his 2 weeks. That would seem more than enough punishment for going along with the Italian police hmm? No. Lumumba wants more money. That is what it is all about now days- Although he has already made money off this case he wants even more - oh yes, and his lawyer also- The one who went up against Knox in court like that prosecution were passive witnesses- The man Pacelli was calling her every name in the book- way out of line- All for the sake of a civil lawsuit for money. You see? When money is involved even justice has to take a back seat. With all the name calling by himself and his lawyer, and trying to keep Amanda in prison for life- he wonders why she did not say to him I'm sorry (again). What a mentality. Enough of Lumumba and his 2 weeks in jail- He has never had this much attention and money in his life at the expense of Amanda Knox. With Lumumba it is greed in it's lowest form. Yet, of course, he still calls himself the second victim- with his hand now constantly in the cookie jar, wringing it for every dollar he can get. Pathetic.
Then there is another loose end to this case and one the hate sites think is a good thing. Rudy Guede- you remember him- Like Mignini had said in court "Oh yes, blame it all on the poor black guy". This particular hate site says, and it may happen- that Rudy Guede may ask for a retrial since Amanda and Raffael were freed. I say by all means give him one. And this time make the sentence equal the crime- and give him life in prison which is what he deserves, not a lowly 16 years. Anyone this off the wall and brutal who murdered Meredith Kercher deserves to get a new sentence- the max. I hope he does get a retrial, I pray that he gets a retrial, and never gets out of prison to harm anyone else ever again. Geez- is Mignini up for this- or would this be considered a conflict of interest? Actually, I think a new prosecutor should try Guede and give him the sentence he deserves. I hate this man and I don't mind saying it. Yes, Please, a retrial. And let's see if he gets out of this one with his fifthy hands in Meredith Kercher's blood and his prints and DNA all over the room. Time for certain people in Italy to redeem themselves.
Then the other loose end is what the UK tabloids are spouting about, and this is that the Kercher family is set to sue Amanda Knox. Really? For what? She was found innocent of this crime as of October 3, 2011. This is not the OJ case. In this case there is nothing. No motive and no DNA and since there is a international base on this where would the trial take place? In Italy? No. Now who would be behind that- Maresca? Is he still the lawyer now that he has lost his gravy-train? Now in reality- the Kercher's could sue anyone. Yet it does not mean they would win. And in all probability they would not win as there is nothing against Amanda Knox and she is no longer an 'easy kill' for those with a strange sense of justice. Things change. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Amanda Knox is no longer the scapegoat in this absurd case.
This was not one of the points intended but it has been on the net. I need to correct the lies that have been floating about this- Judge Hellmann did not say he thought Amanda guilty- That is a false statement by people who are out of cards to play. What he said was: That she could still be guilty though there was no proof/ evidence to support that thus the jury found her innocent of the crime. He was saying he doesn't really know and went with the absence of evidence. He never said he thought she was guilty.
The last loose end to tie up is that - and the Amanda hate sites are really holding out for this- That Amanda will have to go back to Italy if the Supreme court in Italy finds her guilty if Mignini and company wins an appeal to a higher court. Well they did promise to appeal to a higher court. Let me make this clear- This is pissing against the wind. Even as Judge Hellmann said, it is very doubtful if the United States would extradite Amanda to Italy if she was found guilty by the Supreme Court of Italy based on the prosecution's appeal- even if that were to take place. To these hate sites I say- Wake up for Christ sake- the United States is not going to give an American girl up to a bullshit case based on nothing to Italy for a case that in the U S is considered illegal- meaning - in the U S, you can not be tried for the same offense twice- it is called Double Jeopardy. Italy does not of course have this law but it holds in the US. So what I am saying is- there is no chance that the U S would give up Aamanda Knox to extradition to Italy in case her innocent verdict is overturned by the Italian supreme court. It will never happen. She is free now- live with it.
I would say to all those people out there who want to dwell on this case- forget it. That time is past now. Amanda Knox never hurt anyone. Just leave her alone to get on with her life. It is not so much a matter of compassion as it is of common decency. I think for all she has been through, it is a matter of respect- give it to her- I think she has earned that much.
Yet there are certain loose ends to this case. Things that seem to go on needlessly. Which I think is simply a matter of ignorance of the facts. And that is the real purpose of this post. I will address all of them.
First you have the poor victim of Lumumba- Who calls himself the second victim. I see his face all over the news now. He was the one who did 2 weeks in jail as a result of what the police say is Amanda accusing him of the murder. Amanda didn't want him arrested for a murder he did not commit- it was the Italian police who were insisting on that- she simply complied under extreme pressure and abuse. So for Patrick Diya Lumumba's 2 weeks in prison for falsely being accused, Amanda Knox was sentenced (at the the Oct 3 2011 appeals verdict) to 3 years in prison. Yes that is correct- she got 3 years for his 2 weeks. That would seem more than enough punishment for going along with the Italian police hmm? No. Lumumba wants more money. That is what it is all about now days- Although he has already made money off this case he wants even more - oh yes, and his lawyer also- The one who went up against Knox in court like that prosecution were passive witnesses- The man Pacelli was calling her every name in the book- way out of line- All for the sake of a civil lawsuit for money. You see? When money is involved even justice has to take a back seat. With all the name calling by himself and his lawyer, and trying to keep Amanda in prison for life- he wonders why she did not say to him I'm sorry (again). What a mentality. Enough of Lumumba and his 2 weeks in jail- He has never had this much attention and money in his life at the expense of Amanda Knox. With Lumumba it is greed in it's lowest form. Yet, of course, he still calls himself the second victim- with his hand now constantly in the cookie jar, wringing it for every dollar he can get. Pathetic.
Then there is another loose end to this case and one the hate sites think is a good thing. Rudy Guede- you remember him- Like Mignini had said in court "Oh yes, blame it all on the poor black guy". This particular hate site says, and it may happen- that Rudy Guede may ask for a retrial since Amanda and Raffael were freed. I say by all means give him one. And this time make the sentence equal the crime- and give him life in prison which is what he deserves, not a lowly 16 years. Anyone this off the wall and brutal who murdered Meredith Kercher deserves to get a new sentence- the max. I hope he does get a retrial, I pray that he gets a retrial, and never gets out of prison to harm anyone else ever again. Geez- is Mignini up for this- or would this be considered a conflict of interest? Actually, I think a new prosecutor should try Guede and give him the sentence he deserves. I hate this man and I don't mind saying it. Yes, Please, a retrial. And let's see if he gets out of this one with his fifthy hands in Meredith Kercher's blood and his prints and DNA all over the room. Time for certain people in Italy to redeem themselves.
Then the other loose end is what the UK tabloids are spouting about, and this is that the Kercher family is set to sue Amanda Knox. Really? For what? She was found innocent of this crime as of October 3, 2011. This is not the OJ case. In this case there is nothing. No motive and no DNA and since there is a international base on this where would the trial take place? In Italy? No. Now who would be behind that- Maresca? Is he still the lawyer now that he has lost his gravy-train? Now in reality- the Kercher's could sue anyone. Yet it does not mean they would win. And in all probability they would not win as there is nothing against Amanda Knox and she is no longer an 'easy kill' for those with a strange sense of justice. Things change. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Amanda Knox is no longer the scapegoat in this absurd case.
This was not one of the points intended but it has been on the net. I need to correct the lies that have been floating about this- Judge Hellmann did not say he thought Amanda guilty- That is a false statement by people who are out of cards to play. What he said was: That she could still be guilty though there was no proof/ evidence to support that thus the jury found her innocent of the crime. He was saying he doesn't really know and went with the absence of evidence. He never said he thought she was guilty.
The last loose end to tie up is that - and the Amanda hate sites are really holding out for this- That Amanda will have to go back to Italy if the Supreme court in Italy finds her guilty if Mignini and company wins an appeal to a higher court. Well they did promise to appeal to a higher court. Let me make this clear- This is pissing against the wind. Even as Judge Hellmann said, it is very doubtful if the United States would extradite Amanda to Italy if she was found guilty by the Supreme Court of Italy based on the prosecution's appeal- even if that were to take place. To these hate sites I say- Wake up for Christ sake- the United States is not going to give an American girl up to a bullshit case based on nothing to Italy for a case that in the U S is considered illegal- meaning - in the U S, you can not be tried for the same offense twice- it is called Double Jeopardy. Italy does not of course have this law but it holds in the US. So what I am saying is- there is no chance that the U S would give up Aamanda Knox to extradition to Italy in case her innocent verdict is overturned by the Italian supreme court. It will never happen. She is free now- live with it.
I would say to all those people out there who want to dwell on this case- forget it. That time is past now. Amanda Knox never hurt anyone. Just leave her alone to get on with her life. It is not so much a matter of compassion as it is of common decency. I think for all she has been through, it is a matter of respect- give it to her- I think she has earned that much.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Not Guilty, Convictions Overturned - Amanda and Raffaele Are Free
October 3, 2011- Oh My God, what a day. When Amanda was brought into the courtroom to hear the verdict she looked like she was going to topple over, and then there was nothing but silence waiting for the judge to announce the verdict. Everyone was tense and on edge, particularly Amanda. When the judge gave the verdict Amanda burst into tears and almost collapsed. The guards rushed her out of the room. Amanda's father hugged the lawyer nearest him. The courtroom was cheering (with some boos). And when the prosecutor came out of the courthouse the crowd jeered. And I am all wore out.
Amanda and Raffaele were immediately freed. They were brought back to prison only to sign documents and collect their belongings. Then they will leave the 'house of many doors' forever. It was a dramatic fairy-tale ending to a horrific story. Amanda's sister Deanna gave a short statement outside the courthouse thanking everyone for their support and asked that now the family would like some privacy to wind down. A lot of people were very happy in Perugia tonight but of course not everyone. Hopefully in time, some people will realize that it was not the guilty who were freed, but the innocent.
I am so happy and relieved that everything worked out ok for Amanda and Raffaele, as are a great many people. They got their lives back. I think Amanda's reaction to the innocent verdict was a product of relief. She looked extremely pale and tense just before the judge read the verdict. Right now I bet she is all smiles. She will be leaving Capanne shortly where the prison priest will see her for the last time. As he had said earlier today, he hoped that today would be the last he would see of her and that she would be free to go home. He said he knew she was innocent. His prayers were answered.
Amanda and Raffaele were immediately freed. They were brought back to prison only to sign documents and collect their belongings. Then they will leave the 'house of many doors' forever. It was a dramatic fairy-tale ending to a horrific story. Amanda's sister Deanna gave a short statement outside the courthouse thanking everyone for their support and asked that now the family would like some privacy to wind down. A lot of people were very happy in Perugia tonight but of course not everyone. Hopefully in time, some people will realize that it was not the guilty who were freed, but the innocent.
I am so happy and relieved that everything worked out ok for Amanda and Raffaele, as are a great many people. They got their lives back. I think Amanda's reaction to the innocent verdict was a product of relief. She looked extremely pale and tense just before the judge read the verdict. Right now I bet she is all smiles. She will be leaving Capanne shortly where the prison priest will see her for the last time. As he had said earlier today, he hoped that today would be the last he would see of her and that she would be free to go home. He said he knew she was innocent. His prayers were answered.
Amanda Knox Appeal: Amanda Says To Court: Do Justice. Jury Retires to Decide Verdict
October 3, 2011 - Amanda Knox addressed the court in Perugia this morning, ending her statement in almost a whisper with "Do Justice". She didn't break down but was clearly emotional, fighting back tears several times she told the court in fluent Italian: "I didn't kill. I didn't rape. I didn't steal." During her address Amanda's sister Deanna wept, as did one of Knox's lawyers Maria del Grosso. Referring to the police questioning of November 4-5 almost almost 4 years ago Knox said: "I wasn't just stressed and pressured, I was manipulated. I trusted the police blindly, and I was betrayed". She had to pause several times and take a deep breath, and appeared to be trembling sightly. Her statement lasted about ten minutes but she clearly said what was in her heart- at one point saying "I just want to go home...". Her fellow defendant Raffaele Sollecito spoke just before Knox, addressing the court for about 15 minutes. At the end of his statement Raffaele took off a bracelet that had the words Free Amanda and Raffaele. He said he wanted to honor the court because he had never taken it off since it was given to him, but now hoped he wouldn't need it anymore. It was to show his trust in the court.
The jury retired to come to a verdict on this case. The judge has said that there would not be a verdict before 8pm local time (Italy) corresponding to 7pm in the UK, 2pm eastern time U S and 11am in Seattle. What that verdict will be no one knows yet, but I can not imagine anything except Amanda and Raffaele being freed today- No other verdict makes sense. The only other possible verdict- in case of some sort of deadlock in the jury room, would be convicting them of a lesser charge and freeing them with time served. A guilty verdict in my opinion is incomprehensible. That would be a tragedy.
Personally, I am wreck as I wait for the verdict wired on coffee. I have put on the forum videos of the Beatles in honor of Amanda's love for the song Let It Be. Strangely, the song seems to fit this occasion where the world is divided as to her guilt or innocence, and waiting for this jury to give an answer as to the verdict. If you do not know the song:
"And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.
Or just listen to the video by clicking on the first box with Paul McCartney. It will give you something to do as you bite your nails and wait for the verdict.
I don't think my opinion of an innocent verdict is off the mark. Even the priest at Capanne prison thinks Amanda is innocent. He had said today that he will see Amanda when she comes back to the prison today to wait for the jury's verdict. He said he hopes that is the last time he will see her, and she gets to go home. I bet you he is praying for her right now.
The jury retired to come to a verdict on this case. The judge has said that there would not be a verdict before 8pm local time (Italy) corresponding to 7pm in the UK, 2pm eastern time U S and 11am in Seattle. What that verdict will be no one knows yet, but I can not imagine anything except Amanda and Raffaele being freed today- No other verdict makes sense. The only other possible verdict- in case of some sort of deadlock in the jury room, would be convicting them of a lesser charge and freeing them with time served. A guilty verdict in my opinion is incomprehensible. That would be a tragedy.
Personally, I am wreck as I wait for the verdict wired on coffee. I have put on the forum videos of the Beatles in honor of Amanda's love for the song Let It Be. Strangely, the song seems to fit this occasion where the world is divided as to her guilt or innocence, and waiting for this jury to give an answer as to the verdict. If you do not know the song:
"And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.
Or just listen to the video by clicking on the first box with Paul McCartney. It will give you something to do as you bite your nails and wait for the verdict.
I don't think my opinion of an innocent verdict is off the mark. Even the priest at Capanne prison thinks Amanda is innocent. He had said today that he will see Amanda when she comes back to the prison today to wait for the jury's verdict. He said he hopes that is the last time he will see her, and she gets to go home. I bet you he is praying for her right now.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Overwhelming Support For Knox Is Not The Result Of So-Called P R Machine
October 1, 2011- There has been a lot of talk lately about the so-called Knox P R Machine. Just the name anti-Knox factions give it is kind of ridiculous because it is not a 'machine' of any kind, and has not had much of an impact on public opinion. The misleading term P R Machine gives one the false impression that this 'machine' runs the media, and therefore controls public opinion in favor of Amanda Knox- this is of course complete foolishness. In reality, no one controls the media and the media is not run by any one 'machine'. This term was coined by anti-Knox factions to make it appear that the recent overwhelming support of Amanda's innocence is the product of some kind of 'brainwashing' of the public by the media and pro-Knox sites. Even prosecutor Mignini (a well known fibber) was using this line to try and get the jury to think that favorable news about Amanda was not real, but the product of some 'p r machine' backed by millions of dollars. This is complete............ horse-feathers.
The major news networks are not controlled by outside forces. And the major so-called pro-Knox sites are not part of any machine and is not being paid by the Knox family. All of the major pro-Knox sites are simply private ventures of people who believe in Amanda's innocence and wanted to do something about the injustice of her conviction. Frank's site Perugia Shock, Injustice in Perugia run by Bruce Fisher, Candace Dempsey's blog on Knox, and this site Amanda Knox Appeal Forum, are not part of any 'machine, and no one is getting paid to post in favor of Amanda Knox. In part the above sites were created to counter the misinformation and outright lies that had been spread by certain groups hostile toward Knox and her family. And each one is independent of one another- the only thing we have in common is the belief that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent and have been unjustly convicted. That's it, no cash, no machine- just the desire to tell the truth about this case.
Now just recently Barbie Latza Nadeau has written a piece talking about this 'p r machine' and mentioned a 'blacklist' of reporters by the Knox family. She says in referring to the Knox family that they "...won't talk to anyone who does not tow the party line." What she does not say is that this so-called 'party line' is that certain journalists are hostile to Knox and are unbalanced in their reporting of this case. First off, they are entitled to talk to whom they please and why would they want to talk to reporters who have written some pretty nasty and misleading things about their daughter. Barbie did not mention if she herself was on this 'blacklist', but considering some of the things she has written about Knox, I've got a pretty good idea- as do many others.
The simple truth is, that people's reality of this case has changed since Amanda and Raffaele's convictions two years ago. Over time, the truth has come out. People are now aware that some of the things that were taken as the truth in fact have turned out to be lies and speculation. That the prosecution's case - once thought by some to be solid- is in fact a house of cards with no evidence that proves guilt. Thus a great many people have come to realize that this case is one of injustice. It was not the result of some 'p r machine', it was the result of people finally learning the facts, and coming to realize that the prosecution had hoodwinked them. That in fact there is no hard evidence against the accused, yet they have spent the last four years in prison. Now that the truth has emerged, there are a lot of ticked-off people out there, and they want this injustice corrected. Hopefully, a few days from now- it will be.
The major news networks are not controlled by outside forces. And the major so-called pro-Knox sites are not part of any machine and is not being paid by the Knox family. All of the major pro-Knox sites are simply private ventures of people who believe in Amanda's innocence and wanted to do something about the injustice of her conviction. Frank's site Perugia Shock, Injustice in Perugia run by Bruce Fisher, Candace Dempsey's blog on Knox, and this site Amanda Knox Appeal Forum, are not part of any 'machine, and no one is getting paid to post in favor of Amanda Knox. In part the above sites were created to counter the misinformation and outright lies that had been spread by certain groups hostile toward Knox and her family. And each one is independent of one another- the only thing we have in common is the belief that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent and have been unjustly convicted. That's it, no cash, no machine- just the desire to tell the truth about this case.
Now just recently Barbie Latza Nadeau has written a piece talking about this 'p r machine' and mentioned a 'blacklist' of reporters by the Knox family. She says in referring to the Knox family that they "...won't talk to anyone who does not tow the party line." What she does not say is that this so-called 'party line' is that certain journalists are hostile to Knox and are unbalanced in their reporting of this case. First off, they are entitled to talk to whom they please and why would they want to talk to reporters who have written some pretty nasty and misleading things about their daughter. Barbie did not mention if she herself was on this 'blacklist', but considering some of the things she has written about Knox, I've got a pretty good idea- as do many others.
The simple truth is, that people's reality of this case has changed since Amanda and Raffaele's convictions two years ago. Over time, the truth has come out. People are now aware that some of the things that were taken as the truth in fact have turned out to be lies and speculation. That the prosecution's case - once thought by some to be solid- is in fact a house of cards with no evidence that proves guilt. Thus a great many people have come to realize that this case is one of injustice. It was not the result of some 'p r machine', it was the result of people finally learning the facts, and coming to realize that the prosecution had hoodwinked them. That in fact there is no hard evidence against the accused, yet they have spent the last four years in prison. Now that the truth has emerged, there are a lot of ticked-off people out there, and they want this injustice corrected. Hopefully, a few days from now- it will be.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: September 30, 2011 Prosecutor Mignini Makes His Final Attack In Desperation
September 30, 2011 - It was the last stand for the prosecution today and it was a desperate one. Mignini is clearly afraid of losing this appeal and as is usual he was hitting below the belt. Yet whether he knows it or not he was saying the most ridiculous things- and that shows desperation-"Oh yes, blame it all on the poor black guy", he says to the jury. What a thing to say- It was the 'black guy' who killed Meredith Kercher. Yet Mignini is so afraid that Amanda and Raffaele will go free that he uses the 'race card' to try and distort reality. It just goes to show this liar with a vivid, and certainly morbid imagination, will use anything at his disposal to try and save face, now that he is clearly losing this appeal.
Michelle Moore has approached Mignini at the court a couple days ago and shouted at him "You are evil". And that clearly put a scare into Mignini as witnesses said, so he had the police question her and she was led out of the courthouse. She was not arrested however according to police. Michelle- bravo girl- but take it easy- both you and Steve are out of your element over there. So try to keep a low profile, and as they say- Hey, be careful out there. Michelle and her husband Steve are pro-Amanda from the States so..... yes, be careful there.
Getting back to Mignini and his rants today- He said to the jury "Do you know what will happen if you absolve? She will run away abroad and we won't be able to do anything about it." Well why the hell not Mig, you are clearly not a tourist attraction over there, and you have busted all kinds of people on no evidence and have clearly abused your power and position. Now it is time for justice to roll. Thank God that you and your side-kick Comodi are done with your side of things. Now you will just have to wait for the verdict like the rest of us. But I think you know how that will turn out. What really pisses me off about Mignini is that he knows that Rudy Guede is the real killer yet he let him off lightly to get to his fantasy of the Knox and Sollecito involvement. This is really below contempt.
Amanda and Raffaele are due to give statements and then that will be the end of the appeals. The judges and jury will then retire and render their verdict. This is suppose to occur on Monday, but things could change. I have a good feeling about the verdict because I think that judges Hellman and Zanetti are intelligent and fair men, and will do the right thing in the interest of justice. Yet there is still the jury, so we will just have to wait and see, but I do not believe this appeals court will convict with no evidence. I think justice is at hand- finally.
Michelle Moore has approached Mignini at the court a couple days ago and shouted at him "You are evil". And that clearly put a scare into Mignini as witnesses said, so he had the police question her and she was led out of the courthouse. She was not arrested however according to police. Michelle- bravo girl- but take it easy- both you and Steve are out of your element over there. So try to keep a low profile, and as they say- Hey, be careful out there. Michelle and her husband Steve are pro-Amanda from the States so..... yes, be careful there.
Getting back to Mignini and his rants today- He said to the jury "Do you know what will happen if you absolve? She will run away abroad and we won't be able to do anything about it." Well why the hell not Mig, you are clearly not a tourist attraction over there, and you have busted all kinds of people on no evidence and have clearly abused your power and position. Now it is time for justice to roll. Thank God that you and your side-kick Comodi are done with your side of things. Now you will just have to wait for the verdict like the rest of us. But I think you know how that will turn out. What really pisses me off about Mignini is that he knows that Rudy Guede is the real killer yet he let him off lightly to get to his fantasy of the Knox and Sollecito involvement. This is really below contempt.
Amanda and Raffaele are due to give statements and then that will be the end of the appeals. The judges and jury will then retire and render their verdict. This is suppose to occur on Monday, but things could change. I have a good feeling about the verdict because I think that judges Hellman and Zanetti are intelligent and fair men, and will do the right thing in the interest of justice. Yet there is still the jury, so we will just have to wait and see, but I do not believe this appeals court will convict with no evidence. I think justice is at hand- finally.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Defense Puts Up A Good Fight In Perugia- It Should Be Enough
September 29, 2011- Information is slow at this time in Perugia at the Amanda Knox hearing- why? I have no idea. There are probably more first rate reporters in Perugia right now than anywhere. Yet only a trickle of information is coming through.
It is reported that Knox lawyer Dalla Vedova has spoken passionately at this hearing going over certain issues such as the false confession - a product of hostile police. And also that Knox's rights were violated. And the image of Knox blown way out of proportion by the prosecution.
We will have to wait later in the day to get all the details. In a way there is something disturbing about this appeals trial. It is like a contest of who you believe- almost like who puts on the best show. That should not be what this is about - but it is.
Somewhere the truth has taken a back seat for those of you watching. The truth is- Knox is just a girl from Seattle who got caught up in all of this. And who is to blame? It is the prosecution who has pushed this into farce this far. Four years is a long time- but in prison, four years is much longer. All can argue that oh Amanda is this or that- a she-devil or Jessica Rabbit. Yet the fact remains that there is no evidence against Amanda and Raffaele that proves them guilty of this crime.
And that is the whole point. As this judge- Judge Hellmann has stated you can not convict unless it is beyond a reasonable doubt- that is the law in Italy now. And I think most of the world who knows about this case has a very reasonable doubt. Although both sides are competing against each other- it should be the truth that holds. There is no evidence that proves guilt- it should not be a debate- but such is the way it is done.
We will not know the outcome to this until it is over- all else is speculation as to how the jury sees it. That is the hard part to all of this- how the jury sees it. Let's hope that they can see what has happened here. The injustice that has happened, and give these two young people back their lives.
This is not a plea. Not even a call to justice. At this point in time with all that has been revealed- it is common sense. The prosecution has lied in this case- it is deplorable. The defendants in this case are not monsters but victims of injustice. While everyone would like to place people into a mold for easier classification, Knox is not an angel and nor is she a she-devil or witch- and nor is she Jessica Rabbit- she is just a girl from Seattle who was caught up in the fantasies of a corrupt prosecutor and nailed to the wall. Now- if there is any justice in this Italian nightmare- let's see it. The innocent have suffered enough.
It is reported that Knox lawyer Dalla Vedova has spoken passionately at this hearing going over certain issues such as the false confession - a product of hostile police. And also that Knox's rights were violated. And the image of Knox blown way out of proportion by the prosecution.
We will have to wait later in the day to get all the details. In a way there is something disturbing about this appeals trial. It is like a contest of who you believe- almost like who puts on the best show. That should not be what this is about - but it is.
Somewhere the truth has taken a back seat for those of you watching. The truth is- Knox is just a girl from Seattle who got caught up in all of this. And who is to blame? It is the prosecution who has pushed this into farce this far. Four years is a long time- but in prison, four years is much longer. All can argue that oh Amanda is this or that- a she-devil or Jessica Rabbit. Yet the fact remains that there is no evidence against Amanda and Raffaele that proves them guilty of this crime.
And that is the whole point. As this judge- Judge Hellmann has stated you can not convict unless it is beyond a reasonable doubt- that is the law in Italy now. And I think most of the world who knows about this case has a very reasonable doubt. Although both sides are competing against each other- it should be the truth that holds. There is no evidence that proves guilt- it should not be a debate- but such is the way it is done.
We will not know the outcome to this until it is over- all else is speculation as to how the jury sees it. That is the hard part to all of this- how the jury sees it. Let's hope that they can see what has happened here. The injustice that has happened, and give these two young people back their lives.
This is not a plea. Not even a call to justice. At this point in time with all that has been revealed- it is common sense. The prosecution has lied in this case- it is deplorable. The defendants in this case are not monsters but victims of injustice. While everyone would like to place people into a mold for easier classification, Knox is not an angel and nor is she a she-devil or witch- and nor is she Jessica Rabbit- she is just a girl from Seattle who was caught up in the fantasies of a corrupt prosecutor and nailed to the wall. Now- if there is any justice in this Italian nightmare- let's see it. The innocent have suffered enough.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Francesco Maresca Uses Shock Tactics To Counter Reality- No Evidence
September 27, 2011- I was not going to post on Maresca's fiasco in court yesterday but some people have asked why I did not. Simply put, after reading Steve Moore's post on his blog I figured that was enough to suffice- he stated the case well enough. After all Maresca is not the prosecution- he is only a civil lawyer looking to collect money from the Knox family for the Kercher family suit against the murderers of Meredith Kercher. As has been said before- If Amanda and Raffaele walk after this appeals, Maresca stands to lose money- he certainly can not get anything from Rudy Guede- who has not had the chance to sell any dope lately.
The only thing I really want to bring up now is that I agree with a great many people- including Steve Moore and some important journalists- in Italy, US and UK, who were appalled at the display in court yesterday of graphic and disturbing images of Meredith Kercher - photographed as she was found. What was the point of this? It is not Maresca's job to try and prove guilt but yes he does stand to lose a lot of money if Amanda and Raffaele go free- so I guess that was the only motive to do this.
Maresca had said to the jury that it was not his intention to shock but only to show how Meredith had suffered. Does anyone actually believe that? Of course it was to shock and to show how she was brutally murdered and to suggest that Knox and Sollecito are to be hated as this was obviously their doing- But of course there is no evidence to prove any such thing- Yet it does stoke the emotions as he well knows.
This was nothing more than a trial tactic to disgust the jury- in the absence of evidence. It came without warning- suddenly there on a big screen one gory photo after another popped up and no one had a chance to leave as it was not revealed in advance that it was going to take place. Not only Amanda but several people on the jury turned their heads from the images. There was no real point in showing those photos - they were shown before - but it was revealed in advance and the room cleared- This time no one had a choice.
Nothing surprises me anymore about this case- I am sure it has given a great many people insight though. My personal observation is that I think, despite being just a civil lawyer, Maresca should try and find a place with the prosecution- they seem to be cut from the same cloth. Ask yourselves this- how does this display by Maresca honor the memory of Meredith Kercher? To show her like that- only for the sake of a civil lawsuit for money- Pathetic!
The only thing I really want to bring up now is that I agree with a great many people- including Steve Moore and some important journalists- in Italy, US and UK, who were appalled at the display in court yesterday of graphic and disturbing images of Meredith Kercher - photographed as she was found. What was the point of this? It is not Maresca's job to try and prove guilt but yes he does stand to lose a lot of money if Amanda and Raffaele go free- so I guess that was the only motive to do this.
Maresca had said to the jury that it was not his intention to shock but only to show how Meredith had suffered. Does anyone actually believe that? Of course it was to shock and to show how she was brutally murdered and to suggest that Knox and Sollecito are to be hated as this was obviously their doing- But of course there is no evidence to prove any such thing- Yet it does stoke the emotions as he well knows.
This was nothing more than a trial tactic to disgust the jury- in the absence of evidence. It came without warning- suddenly there on a big screen one gory photo after another popped up and no one had a chance to leave as it was not revealed in advance that it was going to take place. Not only Amanda but several people on the jury turned their heads from the images. There was no real point in showing those photos - they were shown before - but it was revealed in advance and the room cleared- This time no one had a choice.
Nothing surprises me anymore about this case- I am sure it has given a great many people insight though. My personal observation is that I think, despite being just a civil lawyer, Maresca should try and find a place with the prosecution- they seem to be cut from the same cloth. Ask yourselves this- how does this display by Maresca honor the memory of Meredith Kercher? To show her like that- only for the sake of a civil lawsuit for money- Pathetic!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: September 26, 2011 Amanda Knox Is Abused By Cowardly Lawyers At Appeal
September 26, 2011- Well I finally reached my limit on this appeal. It was absolutely contemptible what occurred today at the appeals trial. Such a cowardly show of force against a young American woman who was not able to defend herself- where even her family was forced to suck up this injustice- staring down and shaking their heads in disbelief. Is this justice?
Knox, surrounded by prison guards at the defendant's table, listening to the garbage fired at her - calling her every name in the book- split personality, satanic, demonic, she devil, liar, deceiver- and on an on like that. And who was that coming from- 'Patrick' Lumumba's lawyer who's name is Carlo Pacelli.
Well now- I am not in Italy- I am an American, born and bred and therefore I am within my rights and within my country to give it back to you. I am not under the law in Italy therefore I can speak the truth. And in this country you have to lie in order to be convicted of slander and, hey, I will not lie.
'Patrick Lumumba has dollar signs in his eyes and so does his lawyer. He has slandered Amanda Knox but is allowed to get away with it because she is in prison and is the accused. Lumumba says he has been so hurt from what Knox accused him of- Bullshit- you have never had this much attention in your life and you are looking for money in a civil suit with your lawyer Pacelli- Who does this guy think he is- to call this defendant all the names that he has, like he knows anything for a fact. The truth is- Amanda is on her own and no one can help her there except these judges and jury. The lawsuit lawyers have never been in the international spotlight before so I guess it looks like a good calling card. You lowlifes.
Understand this people- Lumumba spent 2 weeks in jail, but Amanda was sentenced to a year in prison for that- but still he wants money and fame as does his lawyer. So they get to abuse her even though she has already done that year in prison. And if anyone should pay it should be the Perugia police who forced that out of Amanda. They were looking for a black man due to a hair they found and the message on Amanda's cell phone had a call from Lumumba- a black man. They were really looking for Rudy Guede but they didn't know that yet so Lumumba being black they set their sites on him. So they grilled her over and over illegally and abused her and terrorized her until she gave them what they wanted to hear. I think, under the circumstances that is understandable. The Perugia police terrorized her into it and now she looks like the bad person.
Of course, you can not go against the police in Italy because it's against the law- But in the United States Of America- it is not. In this country if the police abuse you- you have the right to say so. You have the right to defend yourself at your own trial, and if the police are at fault and you say so- you are not held for slander. Now I have said what has been on my mind- brought about through witnessing the abuse of Amanda Knox today. It was a shameful display, and it is killing her I think. I still have faith in the judges and jury of this appeals. Hopefully they can see through all the lies and drama and do the right thing.
I am sorry for the pain Amanda and her parents have suffered; They have to take it all in silence. I on the other hand am not in Italy- otherwise some people might be banging on the door as I type this. But as a great many people know who are watching this case closely- they know that when all of this is over, whatever the outcome- there will be a reckoning.
Knox, surrounded by prison guards at the defendant's table, listening to the garbage fired at her - calling her every name in the book- split personality, satanic, demonic, she devil, liar, deceiver- and on an on like that. And who was that coming from- 'Patrick' Lumumba's lawyer who's name is Carlo Pacelli.
Well now- I am not in Italy- I am an American, born and bred and therefore I am within my rights and within my country to give it back to you. I am not under the law in Italy therefore I can speak the truth. And in this country you have to lie in order to be convicted of slander and, hey, I will not lie.
'Patrick Lumumba has dollar signs in his eyes and so does his lawyer. He has slandered Amanda Knox but is allowed to get away with it because she is in prison and is the accused. Lumumba says he has been so hurt from what Knox accused him of- Bullshit- you have never had this much attention in your life and you are looking for money in a civil suit with your lawyer Pacelli- Who does this guy think he is- to call this defendant all the names that he has, like he knows anything for a fact. The truth is- Amanda is on her own and no one can help her there except these judges and jury. The lawsuit lawyers have never been in the international spotlight before so I guess it looks like a good calling card. You lowlifes.
Understand this people- Lumumba spent 2 weeks in jail, but Amanda was sentenced to a year in prison for that- but still he wants money and fame as does his lawyer. So they get to abuse her even though she has already done that year in prison. And if anyone should pay it should be the Perugia police who forced that out of Amanda. They were looking for a black man due to a hair they found and the message on Amanda's cell phone had a call from Lumumba- a black man. They were really looking for Rudy Guede but they didn't know that yet so Lumumba being black they set their sites on him. So they grilled her over and over illegally and abused her and terrorized her until she gave them what they wanted to hear. I think, under the circumstances that is understandable. The Perugia police terrorized her into it and now she looks like the bad person.
Of course, you can not go against the police in Italy because it's against the law- But in the United States Of America- it is not. In this country if the police abuse you- you have the right to say so. You have the right to defend yourself at your own trial, and if the police are at fault and you say so- you are not held for slander. Now I have said what has been on my mind- brought about through witnessing the abuse of Amanda Knox today. It was a shameful display, and it is killing her I think. I still have faith in the judges and jury of this appeals. Hopefully they can see through all the lies and drama and do the right thing.
I am sorry for the pain Amanda and her parents have suffered; They have to take it all in silence. I on the other hand am not in Italy- otherwise some people might be banging on the door as I type this. But as a great many people know who are watching this case closely- they know that when all of this is over, whatever the outcome- there will be a reckoning.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Prosecutor Comodi Tries To Confuse Jury- It's Talc Not Starch On Knife Blade- Wrong
September 25, 2011 - As I have said before- the prosecution is desperate, and it's starting to show to anyone paying attention. Although the prosecution is good at dramatics, they are short on facts- way short. And it is clear that when they are 'up against the wall', they will resort to just about anything. I hope the jury in this case is paying attention- I do know that both judges are up on the facts and no one is going to confuse them- although the prosecution is giving it a good shot.
At Saturday's hearing Manuela Comodi (one of the prosecutors against Knox & Sollecito) tried to brush away the sound thrashing the prosecution took on the DNA 'evidence' as pointed out by the two DNA court appointed experts. In fact she tried to brush away everything, but some of it was just plain ridiculous. Such as pulling out a bra and giving a 'performance' on how Sollecito cut the bra off the victim Meredith Kercher and thus, 'depositing his DNA- BUT- was the jury aware that it was only one possible way among dozens of others- AND, what proof is there that it was Sollecito that did any such thing- there is none, but like I said it was good dramatics.
I think the really pathetic part came when Ms. Comodi attempted to hold to the DNA and trash the court appointed experts. She made a major error when she suggested that they were not qualified and to really 'blow-it' she actually tried to make the jury believe that it was not starch on the knife as court appointed experts testified on the blade but rather, it was the talc from the gloves used by the police. No shame. I actually went up to the State University Of New York to back up what I thought on the starch bit- and sure enough there can be no confusion between talc (which is a soft rock with numerous minerals- usually ground to a white powder) and RYE BREAD STARCH which is a plant (flour and Calcium Propanoate). But- it was a good try- or should I say- bluff. The court appointed experts had said that there was no blood on the blade- no Kercher DNA, but there was the presence of starch- specifically- starch from RYE BREAD- not corn starch- not talc, and there is no confusing one with the other. Hopefully this did not get by anyone at the time. Comodi's performance today was not one based on fact but no doubt performed to confuse the jury. A desperate act- put forth in the absence of facts.
It has become very clear that this prosecution team is more concerned with winning or losing- rather than innocence or guilt. As to the moral fiber of people who would convict innocents for the sake of their careers- I think we all know the answer to that.
A lot of people long ago believed Knox and Sollecito were guilty because they did not understand the magnitude of the lies and misinformation that has gone on in this case. I know that in Italy they have their own way of doing things that we in the U S and U K do not necessarily go along with- Not that one is better than the other- just different. This case has given a great many people an education as to why things happen the way they do- yet that does not make it right or true, particularly with all the lies that have been told concerning this case. So from all over the world, we ask of Italy and particularly from Judge Pratillo Hellmann and Judge Zanetti- For the love of God, do the right thing- and we all know what that is.
At Saturday's hearing Manuela Comodi (one of the prosecutors against Knox & Sollecito) tried to brush away the sound thrashing the prosecution took on the DNA 'evidence' as pointed out by the two DNA court appointed experts. In fact she tried to brush away everything, but some of it was just plain ridiculous. Such as pulling out a bra and giving a 'performance' on how Sollecito cut the bra off the victim Meredith Kercher and thus, 'depositing his DNA- BUT- was the jury aware that it was only one possible way among dozens of others- AND, what proof is there that it was Sollecito that did any such thing- there is none, but like I said it was good dramatics.
I think the really pathetic part came when Ms. Comodi attempted to hold to the DNA and trash the court appointed experts. She made a major error when she suggested that they were not qualified and to really 'blow-it' she actually tried to make the jury believe that it was not starch on the knife as court appointed experts testified on the blade but rather, it was the talc from the gloves used by the police. No shame. I actually went up to the State University Of New York to back up what I thought on the starch bit- and sure enough there can be no confusion between talc (which is a soft rock with numerous minerals- usually ground to a white powder) and RYE BREAD STARCH which is a plant (flour and Calcium Propanoate). But- it was a good try- or should I say- bluff. The court appointed experts had said that there was no blood on the blade- no Kercher DNA, but there was the presence of starch- specifically- starch from RYE BREAD- not corn starch- not talc, and there is no confusing one with the other. Hopefully this did not get by anyone at the time. Comodi's performance today was not one based on fact but no doubt performed to confuse the jury. A desperate act- put forth in the absence of facts.
It has become very clear that this prosecution team is more concerned with winning or losing- rather than innocence or guilt. As to the moral fiber of people who would convict innocents for the sake of their careers- I think we all know the answer to that.
A lot of people long ago believed Knox and Sollecito were guilty because they did not understand the magnitude of the lies and misinformation that has gone on in this case. I know that in Italy they have their own way of doing things that we in the U S and U K do not necessarily go along with- Not that one is better than the other- just different. This case has given a great many people an education as to why things happen the way they do- yet that does not make it right or true, particularly with all the lies that have been told concerning this case. So from all over the world, we ask of Italy and particularly from Judge Pratillo Hellmann and Judge Zanetti- For the love of God, do the right thing- and we all know what that is.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Prosecution Still Winging-It With No Case
September 24, 2011 - Friday's hearing in Perugia went about as I expected with no hard facts proving guilt, but instead making a good show out of it- relying on drama rather than evidence. It was the prosecution's day to try and convince judges and jury that Knox and Sollecito are guilty of murder and that the convictions should hold, and given even greater sentences. Personally I thought the tactics used on Friday by the prosecution was contemptible- Mignini and company played every card in the deck yet presented no evidence of guilt- just name-calling, and speculation which they called "clues".
They said they still supported the DNA which was trashed by the judge's appointed experts, yet, just in case no one believed, they said that "..there was a lot of other things..." that pointed to guilt. Most of what Mignini was saying was speculation and they even brought up the supposed break-in, which is a fantasy without proof. The prosecution also said they still believed that the heroin dealing park bum- was a reliable witness- you remember him- he was the guy who couldn't remember the correct day and admitted he was on heroin at the time. That was the star witness for the prosecution.
Interestingly, Mignini started to trash the media who supports Knox's innocence, with Mignini telling the jury to forget all about what the media says and not be pressured by it. That is almost laughable, as it was Mignini who used the media like pawns on a chessboard and filling them with misinformation in an attempt to ruin Knox's reputation before the first trial. The man has no scruples.
And of course they played the sympathy card in order to distract the jury saying- that when you review this case think about the victim and her family. What does that mean? That the jury should think more about the victim of the crime than the facts of the case, and convict two innocent people of murder as though it will somehow make everything alright? There will be more of this type of thing when the Kercher lawyer Maresca gets the spotlight.
The prosecution even accused the defense of being like the Nazi propaganda minister when referring to all the media attention. Actually that seems much more like Mignini than the defense lawyers- Like I said the man has no scruples. Mignini actually referred in court to Rudy Guede as "the poor black guy'. I must say the prosecution has exceeded my expectations on how low they could go in order to try and win this appeal. Yet considering they have no case in which to establish guilt, I guess they feel they are entitled to wing-it as they see fit.
Both Amanda and Raffaele looked a little stressed, particularly Amanda as for a moment she looked like she had clearly had enough of this fiasco and put her hand to her face and then started rubbing her forehead like she was in pain. Who could blame her- she understands every word of Italian these prosecutors were spitting out like nails in her direction.
Will the jury buy all this smoke and mirrors act- hopefully not- most intelligent people know when they are given a tap dance rather than factual evidence and I don't think the judges are buying any of this- They found out what they wanted to know with the DNA and park bum witness- the rest is just drama.
They said they still supported the DNA which was trashed by the judge's appointed experts, yet, just in case no one believed, they said that "..there was a lot of other things..." that pointed to guilt. Most of what Mignini was saying was speculation and they even brought up the supposed break-in, which is a fantasy without proof. The prosecution also said they still believed that the heroin dealing park bum- was a reliable witness- you remember him- he was the guy who couldn't remember the correct day and admitted he was on heroin at the time. That was the star witness for the prosecution.
Interestingly, Mignini started to trash the media who supports Knox's innocence, with Mignini telling the jury to forget all about what the media says and not be pressured by it. That is almost laughable, as it was Mignini who used the media like pawns on a chessboard and filling them with misinformation in an attempt to ruin Knox's reputation before the first trial. The man has no scruples.
And of course they played the sympathy card in order to distract the jury saying- that when you review this case think about the victim and her family. What does that mean? That the jury should think more about the victim of the crime than the facts of the case, and convict two innocent people of murder as though it will somehow make everything alright? There will be more of this type of thing when the Kercher lawyer Maresca gets the spotlight.
The prosecution even accused the defense of being like the Nazi propaganda minister when referring to all the media attention. Actually that seems much more like Mignini than the defense lawyers- Like I said the man has no scruples. Mignini actually referred in court to Rudy Guede as "the poor black guy'. I must say the prosecution has exceeded my expectations on how low they could go in order to try and win this appeal. Yet considering they have no case in which to establish guilt, I guess they feel they are entitled to wing-it as they see fit.
Both Amanda and Raffaele looked a little stressed, particularly Amanda as for a moment she looked like she had clearly had enough of this fiasco and put her hand to her face and then started rubbing her forehead like she was in pain. Who could blame her- she understands every word of Italian these prosecutors were spitting out like nails in her direction.
Will the jury buy all this smoke and mirrors act- hopefully not- most intelligent people know when they are given a tap dance rather than factual evidence and I don't think the judges are buying any of this- They found out what they wanted to know with the DNA and park bum witness- the rest is just drama.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Closing Arguments Of This Case Tomorrow September 23rd
September 22, 2011- It is almost over now. Many people wonder how it will go- what will be the final outcome this time? In a way it is needless to wonder- this is not the first trial- and justice is at hand with a new judge and jury. Many things have been brought to light since the first trial and it is clear this time around that Amanda Knox and Raffael Sollecito are innocent.
Still you can expect the prosecution to present the lies they have told throughout, in the hope that people would believe that Amanda Knox is guilty. The prosecution/ Maresca can call forth Meredith's family- which brings about sympathy but that means nothing as far as guilt is concerned. Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito did not kill Meredith Kercher- period.
This case was based on lies from the very beginning and I do not expect the lies to stop now. A great many people have followed this case and they know what has gone on- and it is not flattering to the Perugia officials who have been in charge of this case.
Much of Amanda's family have just flown out to go to Perugia to give her support, Yes they do expect her to go home but of course they are not positive of that. Can they be wrong? Hopefully, this will not turn out another Italian nightmare, and justice will prevail this time.
Judge Prattillo Hellmann is the man in power on this case- I am not worried about this- Everything says he is a good man and this case will end with justice for the innocent.
It is all going to end very shortly with a verdict due by the end of next week. As many people have said- this case will end when the innocent are freed. Now all eyes should be on Rudy Guede and what can be done with the likes of him- unfortunately the evil he has done is forgotten, as all eyes are on the innocent. This is a very strange case indeed.
Still you can expect the prosecution to present the lies they have told throughout, in the hope that people would believe that Amanda Knox is guilty. The prosecution/ Maresca can call forth Meredith's family- which brings about sympathy but that means nothing as far as guilt is concerned. Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito did not kill Meredith Kercher- period.
This case was based on lies from the very beginning and I do not expect the lies to stop now. A great many people have followed this case and they know what has gone on- and it is not flattering to the Perugia officials who have been in charge of this case.
Much of Amanda's family have just flown out to go to Perugia to give her support, Yes they do expect her to go home but of course they are not positive of that. Can they be wrong? Hopefully, this will not turn out another Italian nightmare, and justice will prevail this time.
Judge Prattillo Hellmann is the man in power on this case- I am not worried about this- Everything says he is a good man and this case will end with justice for the innocent.
It is all going to end very shortly with a verdict due by the end of next week. As many people have said- this case will end when the innocent are freed. Now all eyes should be on Rudy Guede and what can be done with the likes of him- unfortunately the evil he has done is forgotten, as all eyes are on the innocent. This is a very strange case indeed.
Amanda Knox Appeal: For Tomorrow Sept 23rd What Does the Prosecution Have Up It's Sleeve?
September 22, 2011- In all slight of hand- in cards- in life- and in jury trials, particularly this one involving Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in Perugia Italy, one wonders what is the last card to be played by the prosecution. The world has heard that prosecutor Comodi said "they will go free". Do not buy that the prosecution will lie down on this. The prosecution built their case on smoke and mirrors during the first trial and I don't think it will be any different now- after all, it worked the first time. Hopefully they would redeem themselves and just call it quits- but I don't think that is what is going to happen- unfortunately. People like this do not throw in the towel- they just get out more mirrors and smoke machines. I know- it's pathetic, but that is usually how it goes. So what does the prosecution have up it's sleeve- now that they have just about lost this case?
I think their biggest card to play is someone from the Kercher family to lend the 'sympathy' card. Which always happens when someone in question may walk free- and try to influence the jury to feel sorry for their loss- but what? To convict people who are innocent just to say oh now we have 'closure'. The Kercher lawyer Franceso Maresca delivered a letter to the press- as obscure as it was it still seemed to want justice but what justice is that and from whose perspective?
As much as my heart goes out to the Kercher family I think it is time to ask yourselves- are we wrong- could it be that the prosecutor and police in this case have screwed this up and are tying to convict innocents along with the guilty (Rudy Guede)? And by lending their voice to the prosecution- and as Maresca says, maybe Stephanie Kercher may come to give a statement. is this the right thing to do or is it a very wrong action to take?
In all honesty, I do not think anything can stop Amanda Knox from going free- because that is what this case has produced- innocence from the facts that have come to light. Why some people persist in the face of reason - I will never know. All I can say is what others do not say outright.
The prosecution had loaded motives I think. They had their own agenda. Mignini is known for criminal activities and it is not beyond him to do this trial with cards up his sleeve.
Maresca has something to win or lose. The prosecution's case is something that would not hold in the UK of the US- and they know it. The only good thing about this Italian trial is that Judge Pratillo Hellmann who has been a fair judge and tried to do his duty and this is a good thing to see.
I ask all- to stop and think and evaluate the evidence, and do not play into a corrupt system where the prosecutor thinks he/ she can manipulate people to bring about a false judgement.
As most people know- Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent. This case will not go away until Amanda and Raffaele are found innocent of this crime. Everyone feels sorrow for the victim of this crime Meredith Kercher, yet realize that the murderer has been caught and imprisoned- Rudy Guede.
Other people have suffered in this case. The prosecutor and police in Perugia did an injustice to arrest Amanda Knox and Raffael Sollecito. Yes they made a mistake. They took away four years of these young people's lives. All they ask is for justice to set them free. There are no more smoke and mirror acts that will fool people- that time is over. People are well aware now what has gone on- for shame.
A great many people around the world hope this judge and jury does the right thing, and release Amanda and Raffaele. Nothing else will suffice. Free the innocent.
I think their biggest card to play is someone from the Kercher family to lend the 'sympathy' card. Which always happens when someone in question may walk free- and try to influence the jury to feel sorry for their loss- but what? To convict people who are innocent just to say oh now we have 'closure'. The Kercher lawyer Franceso Maresca delivered a letter to the press- as obscure as it was it still seemed to want justice but what justice is that and from whose perspective?
As much as my heart goes out to the Kercher family I think it is time to ask yourselves- are we wrong- could it be that the prosecutor and police in this case have screwed this up and are tying to convict innocents along with the guilty (Rudy Guede)? And by lending their voice to the prosecution- and as Maresca says, maybe Stephanie Kercher may come to give a statement. is this the right thing to do or is it a very wrong action to take?
In all honesty, I do not think anything can stop Amanda Knox from going free- because that is what this case has produced- innocence from the facts that have come to light. Why some people persist in the face of reason - I will never know. All I can say is what others do not say outright.
The prosecution had loaded motives I think. They had their own agenda. Mignini is known for criminal activities and it is not beyond him to do this trial with cards up his sleeve.
Maresca has something to win or lose. The prosecution's case is something that would not hold in the UK of the US- and they know it. The only good thing about this Italian trial is that Judge Pratillo Hellmann who has been a fair judge and tried to do his duty and this is a good thing to see.
I ask all- to stop and think and evaluate the evidence, and do not play into a corrupt system where the prosecutor thinks he/ she can manipulate people to bring about a false judgement.
As most people know- Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are innocent. This case will not go away until Amanda and Raffaele are found innocent of this crime. Everyone feels sorrow for the victim of this crime Meredith Kercher, yet realize that the murderer has been caught and imprisoned- Rudy Guede.
Other people have suffered in this case. The prosecutor and police in Perugia did an injustice to arrest Amanda Knox and Raffael Sollecito. Yes they made a mistake. They took away four years of these young people's lives. All they ask is for justice to set them free. There are no more smoke and mirror acts that will fool people- that time is over. People are well aware now what has gone on- for shame.
A great many people around the world hope this judge and jury does the right thing, and release Amanda and Raffaele. Nothing else will suffice. Free the innocent.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Countdown To Freedom
September 19, 2011- It's all winding down now- not in intensity, but in time. After nearly four years of being locked away in Italian prisons, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are on the last stretch of their appeal, and two weeks from now or sooner- it will all be over. Few criminal cases in the last 100 years have provoked such intense international interest and debate.
Yet this case is not a mystery, only an injustice waiting to be corrected. There is a murderer, and his name is Rudy Guede. That part is certainly no mystery as all the evidence points to him, and him alone. If there is a mystery in this case, it is why prosecutor Mignini and his police chose to involve Knox and Sollecito in this crime when none of the evidence found in the murder room pointed to them. Do not forget that they were arrested before evidence was collected and properly tested. Although I have my own opinions- and I am sure others do also- I can not say with any certainty that I understand Mignini's motives- only what it appears to be. And there is no sense in trying to understand this prosecutor's mentality anymore than there is debating why some mental patients try to pick flowers off the wallpaper. Although I do think there is a common denominator- and it's called illusion, or perhaps 'wishful thinking' is a better way to put it, at least on Mignini's part, because..........I think he knows better. And that is why this needless witch hunt was beneath contempt. You can expect more 'smoke and mirror' acts at the end of the week when the prosecution has it's final moments in this case, starting Friday the 23rd. I can not imagine how they are going to try and convince an intelligent and informed judge, that despite the fact- there is no motive, and despite the fact- there is no reliable DNA evidence, no witnesses, and in fact nothing at all that places Knox or Sollectito in the murder room- yet...... they did it. I have to see this.
Lately, I have seen a few, of what some call- the guilters- well, I don't see them exactly- only what they write for comments on various sites : ) Of course that's not a real word- but it may find a place soon in the American Slang Dictionary. It simply refers to those people who think Amanda and Raffaele are guilty. It's in common use now, but I don't know who actually coined that word. You don't hear too much out of them these days, but I did note that one of the comments (quite a few in fact) came from someone using the logo from one of the infamous Anti-Amanda sites. Whether this was a valid use of that site's logo or not I don't know- all I know is that what this person was saying was completely off the wall. They were stating as fact one lie right after another. Things that have long ago been disproved were being rambled off as if it was some last-ditch effort to lead the naive astray. It was almost surreal, considering all that has been revealed in the last few months about the prosecution's case- which has been basically shot to hell, and beyond redemption. Beyond the misinformation that was being fired-off, the statement that Amanda would lose her appeal and that the conviction would hold on the evidence, left me wondering, what exactly afflicts this person. It was really pathetic because they were not backing what they were saying with facts, but with simple speculation and lies.
Now- to anyone suffering from the same affliction, I will leave you with some FACTS that may remedy what ails you. At the beginning of this appeal, the judge stated before the court that you can not convict a person unless it is beyond a reasonable doubt. Then he stated that the only thing known for a fact about this case was that Meredith was murdered. Get it? He wasn't satisfied at all with the original trial, and rightly so. Then he allowed the heroin addicted park bum to testify again (he blew-it), and the re-examination of the DNA by court appointed experts (who basically gave the prosecution's DNA fantasies a decent burial). The prosecution has completely bombed out at this appeals, and what do you think the man who said, you can not convict unless it's beyond a reasonable doubt, thinks now? It is my opinion that anyone who thinks Knox and Sollecito will lose their appeal are either greatly misinformed of this case- or, they need shock treatments, and should stay away from floral wallpaper.
Yet this case is not a mystery, only an injustice waiting to be corrected. There is a murderer, and his name is Rudy Guede. That part is certainly no mystery as all the evidence points to him, and him alone. If there is a mystery in this case, it is why prosecutor Mignini and his police chose to involve Knox and Sollecito in this crime when none of the evidence found in the murder room pointed to them. Do not forget that they were arrested before evidence was collected and properly tested. Although I have my own opinions- and I am sure others do also- I can not say with any certainty that I understand Mignini's motives- only what it appears to be. And there is no sense in trying to understand this prosecutor's mentality anymore than there is debating why some mental patients try to pick flowers off the wallpaper. Although I do think there is a common denominator- and it's called illusion, or perhaps 'wishful thinking' is a better way to put it, at least on Mignini's part, because..........I think he knows better. And that is why this needless witch hunt was beneath contempt. You can expect more 'smoke and mirror' acts at the end of the week when the prosecution has it's final moments in this case, starting Friday the 23rd. I can not imagine how they are going to try and convince an intelligent and informed judge, that despite the fact- there is no motive, and despite the fact- there is no reliable DNA evidence, no witnesses, and in fact nothing at all that places Knox or Sollectito in the murder room- yet...... they did it. I have to see this.
Lately, I have seen a few, of what some call- the guilters- well, I don't see them exactly- only what they write for comments on various sites : ) Of course that's not a real word- but it may find a place soon in the American Slang Dictionary. It simply refers to those people who think Amanda and Raffaele are guilty. It's in common use now, but I don't know who actually coined that word. You don't hear too much out of them these days, but I did note that one of the comments (quite a few in fact) came from someone using the logo from one of the infamous Anti-Amanda sites. Whether this was a valid use of that site's logo or not I don't know- all I know is that what this person was saying was completely off the wall. They were stating as fact one lie right after another. Things that have long ago been disproved were being rambled off as if it was some last-ditch effort to lead the naive astray. It was almost surreal, considering all that has been revealed in the last few months about the prosecution's case- which has been basically shot to hell, and beyond redemption. Beyond the misinformation that was being fired-off, the statement that Amanda would lose her appeal and that the conviction would hold on the evidence, left me wondering, what exactly afflicts this person. It was really pathetic because they were not backing what they were saying with facts, but with simple speculation and lies.
Now- to anyone suffering from the same affliction, I will leave you with some FACTS that may remedy what ails you. At the beginning of this appeal, the judge stated before the court that you can not convict a person unless it is beyond a reasonable doubt. Then he stated that the only thing known for a fact about this case was that Meredith was murdered. Get it? He wasn't satisfied at all with the original trial, and rightly so. Then he allowed the heroin addicted park bum to testify again (he blew-it), and the re-examination of the DNA by court appointed experts (who basically gave the prosecution's DNA fantasies a decent burial). The prosecution has completely bombed out at this appeals, and what do you think the man who said, you can not convict unless it's beyond a reasonable doubt, thinks now? It is my opinion that anyone who thinks Knox and Sollecito will lose their appeal are either greatly misinformed of this case- or, they need shock treatments, and should stay away from floral wallpaper.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Is Ann Coulter's Take On the Amanda Knox Case A Stunt Or Is She Simply Wrong Again
September 14, 2011- Ann Coulter is a lawyer, an author, and a political commentator, so you would figure that this woman would be well informed or at least cautious about what she spouts. Anyone who has read Coulter's books and read her commentaries should know that it seems like she could really give a rat's ass about offending anyone- but this time she was way off the map.
Her article of September 7th on the Amanda Knox case was simply unreal- even for her. Not only did she ramble off sheer speculation (because that is what she was quoting), the so-called Motivation report of the first trial which even this current appeals judge does not accept. Calling up things that simply stirred-the-pot, yet has no basis in recent reality. It makes one wonder what does this woman thinks she is doing besides trying to get her name involved in a big international murder case. I really don't know. I do know that she does not play it safe and is known for just speaking her mind- hey, that's fine, but don't you think you should know what you are talking about first- You know, kind of have a grip on the facts before you just start spouting off.
Listen honey- most of the things you have said about Amanda Knox are either speculation from the original trial (which intelligent people do not buy into) or misinformation spread by the prosecutor's office in Perugia. What are you going to do when Amanda is released later this month? Actually, I don't think you really care- one way or another. Political commentaries are one thing- fooling with people's lives is another.
Listen if you haven't got the time to do your own research into this case than I am sure you could hire someone to do it for you. That way you would not look like you do at this point. Was it simply for the publicity, or was it that you just bought into bad information? I really don't know. One thing is for sure- I am sure you remember from law school the definitions of the words: wrongful conviction, malicious prosecution, and most importantly- libel and slander.
Just my opinions of course- how would I know? Just like you.
Her article of September 7th on the Amanda Knox case was simply unreal- even for her. Not only did she ramble off sheer speculation (because that is what she was quoting), the so-called Motivation report of the first trial which even this current appeals judge does not accept. Calling up things that simply stirred-the-pot, yet has no basis in recent reality. It makes one wonder what does this woman thinks she is doing besides trying to get her name involved in a big international murder case. I really don't know. I do know that she does not play it safe and is known for just speaking her mind- hey, that's fine, but don't you think you should know what you are talking about first- You know, kind of have a grip on the facts before you just start spouting off.
Listen honey- most of the things you have said about Amanda Knox are either speculation from the original trial (which intelligent people do not buy into) or misinformation spread by the prosecutor's office in Perugia. What are you going to do when Amanda is released later this month? Actually, I don't think you really care- one way or another. Political commentaries are one thing- fooling with people's lives is another.
Listen if you haven't got the time to do your own research into this case than I am sure you could hire someone to do it for you. That way you would not look like you do at this point. Was it simply for the publicity, or was it that you just bought into bad information? I really don't know. One thing is for sure- I am sure you remember from law school the definitions of the words: wrongful conviction, malicious prosecution, and most importantly- libel and slander.
Just my opinions of course- how would I know? Just like you.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Should Amanda Be Freed And Go Back To Seattle? Yes!
September 12, 2011-
I see that there is a new angle on the Amanda Knox case- a poll which asks if she should be allowed to go back to Seattle- this no doubt is a reflection on the lack of news while people wait for the verdict. The internet now is very slow on the Knox case. The simple answer to why is because most people now expect her to be released- that's right- no more war, no more debating, no more lies to fool people. This case and public opinion has completely come about- a 180 degree turn. Her detractors have all but disappeared.
Yes I checked- On the most notorious site against Amanda Knox, instead of drumming up fictions and applauding her conviction- now (as I checked) they argue about whether Amanda was wearing a bra or not in court. I was amazed- commenting on her wardrobe and if she was wearing a bra was the recent news on this pathetic site- yes you know who you are. These sites now are all but abandoned with nothing to talk about except foolishness.
Now recently a poll asks if Amanda Knox should be allowed to go free and back to Seattle. Well I think that is going to happen anyway regardless of the outcome of polls. Yet the fact is, no one can tell a free person where she can go and when this is all over-which it will be very soon- no one can libel a person who has been freed. So those who want to continue their rants on guilt should watch their tongues so as not to be sued. Yes I know that is what the Italian prosecutors like to do but when she is free- watch your tongue in the U S. Trash the police if you like here but do not libel the innocent. Laws are still laws.
The sad part of all of this and I mean beyond the false conviction, is that Amanda being the person she is, was so badly hurt by all of this. It was not the 4 years in prison as much as the public opinion against her in the beginning that hurt her. She could not bear to think that people thought her guilty of this crime. That is what bothered her more than anything. She was not perfect of course- who is- but could you or I have done better under the circumstances? I do not think so. She is unusual yes, but that is what makes her appealing to the press and a target for the prosecution. She is photogenic and seemed an ideal target for the press, but now in a good way because there is nothing against her anymore.
When people look back on this case- what will they see? I do not think Amanda Knox will ever be in question- More like, Why did Mignini get to have his way in this case. Why did Rudy Guede (the real killer) get off with only 16 years, and can they do anything to increase that? Why do the Kerchers feel the way they do in spite of all the evidence- (Maresca?). And is it not possible for the prosecution to just lay down arms in the face of all the facts- yes it is .
Understand this- Prosecutor Comodi did not say that Amanda might go free from any sense of compassion- she said it out of the menality that there was nothing left to win. All that was necessary was that there be a fair judge and jury, and that is what Amanda is getting this time- no mystery- just justice.
I see that there is a new angle on the Amanda Knox case- a poll which asks if she should be allowed to go back to Seattle- this no doubt is a reflection on the lack of news while people wait for the verdict. The internet now is very slow on the Knox case. The simple answer to why is because most people now expect her to be released- that's right- no more war, no more debating, no more lies to fool people. This case and public opinion has completely come about- a 180 degree turn. Her detractors have all but disappeared.
Yes I checked- On the most notorious site against Amanda Knox, instead of drumming up fictions and applauding her conviction- now (as I checked) they argue about whether Amanda was wearing a bra or not in court. I was amazed- commenting on her wardrobe and if she was wearing a bra was the recent news on this pathetic site- yes you know who you are. These sites now are all but abandoned with nothing to talk about except foolishness.
Now recently a poll asks if Amanda Knox should be allowed to go free and back to Seattle. Well I think that is going to happen anyway regardless of the outcome of polls. Yet the fact is, no one can tell a free person where she can go and when this is all over-which it will be very soon- no one can libel a person who has been freed. So those who want to continue their rants on guilt should watch their tongues so as not to be sued. Yes I know that is what the Italian prosecutors like to do but when she is free- watch your tongue in the U S. Trash the police if you like here but do not libel the innocent. Laws are still laws.
The sad part of all of this and I mean beyond the false conviction, is that Amanda being the person she is, was so badly hurt by all of this. It was not the 4 years in prison as much as the public opinion against her in the beginning that hurt her. She could not bear to think that people thought her guilty of this crime. That is what bothered her more than anything. She was not perfect of course- who is- but could you or I have done better under the circumstances? I do not think so. She is unusual yes, but that is what makes her appealing to the press and a target for the prosecution. She is photogenic and seemed an ideal target for the press, but now in a good way because there is nothing against her anymore.
When people look back on this case- what will they see? I do not think Amanda Knox will ever be in question- More like, Why did Mignini get to have his way in this case. Why did Rudy Guede (the real killer) get off with only 16 years, and can they do anything to increase that? Why do the Kerchers feel the way they do in spite of all the evidence- (Maresca?). And is it not possible for the prosecution to just lay down arms in the face of all the facts- yes it is .
Understand this- Prosecutor Comodi did not say that Amanda might go free from any sense of compassion- she said it out of the menality that there was nothing left to win. All that was necessary was that there be a fair judge and jury, and that is what Amanda is getting this time- no mystery- just justice.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Even If Amanda Wins Her Appeal Will She Be Allowed To Leave Italy
September 9, 2011
As I was thinking that Amanda Knox would win her appeal and gain her freedom- it did cross my mind that maybe it would not be that simple- not in Italy- not concerning Amanda Knox. I really do hope this is a needless post, but considering what has happened to Amanda in Perugia Italy and considering who runs the show in that town- I get a really creepy feeling that something may go wrong even if she wins.
Consider for a moment that Amanda Knox wins her appeal. One would think people would be happy and she would take her time leaving and then fly home to Seattle and get on with her life. Right? Maybe. What if- and I hope I am just paranoid about this- the prosecution decides to get a little 'payback' for losing the appeal. Understand this- that once Amanda is outside that appeals court free- what is to stop Mignini and the police from preventing her from leaving Italy. Outside that courtroom Mignini runs the show. He walks around like he is the Duke of Lasagna and no one seems to be able to stop him or is afraid to even try. It's pathetic. Yet it is possible in reality that something else could happen.
You know I would like to blame this all on Candace Dempsey because she is the one who got me thinking. She stated in a blog of her's a couple days ago that the prosecution in Italy can also appeal her not guilty verdict in the appeals and that she should get out of Italy as fast as she can. Damn you Candace- it's all your fault : ) Seriously this was a good heads up on Candace's part and it should not be taken lightly. That is very true. There is also a slander charge pending against Amanda and they could use that as an excuse to keep her in jail, even though she wins her appeal. And please people- don't tell me I am giving the prosecution ideas- If they are going to do something they already have it planned out.
So- what are the options to protect Amanda when she gets out? Yes, I am assuming that she will win her appeal. One would think of the U S State Dept but they have been pretty worthless so far as this case has gone and all they say is- You are subject to the laws of the country you are in- But they will mail letters to your family- that's nice.
In all honesty I really would be amazed if Mignini and company would actually dual with Amanda again but I know it is possible- Hey, these people do not like to lose and this is the most important case on an international scale they will ever deal with- and they lost? I do not trust these people.
The only person I trust in this case is Judge Pratillo Hellmann, but what can he do outside his courtroom. Hopefully he can protect Amanda after she is acquitted. This I do not know. I am not up on the separation of powers in Italy. If he can protect her- I hope that he does and sees that she leaves Italy safely.
To Amanda's family I say- get her the hell out of there as quickly as possible- It's no joke. Who can trust these prosecutors and the Perugia police- Sorry but considering what has happened- who would? Make plans ahead of time and get out of there- just in case.
Well, I would rather be called paranoid then have Amanda back in jail on some coup by the prosecution. Better safe than sorry. Who can dispute that considering all that has happened. This nightmare will be over when Amanda wins her appeal and is back home in Seattle safe. It's not my fault that I had to bring this up- Candace did it- but she was right.
As I was thinking that Amanda Knox would win her appeal and gain her freedom- it did cross my mind that maybe it would not be that simple- not in Italy- not concerning Amanda Knox. I really do hope this is a needless post, but considering what has happened to Amanda in Perugia Italy and considering who runs the show in that town- I get a really creepy feeling that something may go wrong even if she wins.
Consider for a moment that Amanda Knox wins her appeal. One would think people would be happy and she would take her time leaving and then fly home to Seattle and get on with her life. Right? Maybe. What if- and I hope I am just paranoid about this- the prosecution decides to get a little 'payback' for losing the appeal. Understand this- that once Amanda is outside that appeals court free- what is to stop Mignini and the police from preventing her from leaving Italy. Outside that courtroom Mignini runs the show. He walks around like he is the Duke of Lasagna and no one seems to be able to stop him or is afraid to even try. It's pathetic. Yet it is possible in reality that something else could happen.
You know I would like to blame this all on Candace Dempsey because she is the one who got me thinking. She stated in a blog of her's a couple days ago that the prosecution in Italy can also appeal her not guilty verdict in the appeals and that she should get out of Italy as fast as she can. Damn you Candace- it's all your fault : ) Seriously this was a good heads up on Candace's part and it should not be taken lightly. That is very true. There is also a slander charge pending against Amanda and they could use that as an excuse to keep her in jail, even though she wins her appeal. And please people- don't tell me I am giving the prosecution ideas- If they are going to do something they already have it planned out.
So- what are the options to protect Amanda when she gets out? Yes, I am assuming that she will win her appeal. One would think of the U S State Dept but they have been pretty worthless so far as this case has gone and all they say is- You are subject to the laws of the country you are in- But they will mail letters to your family- that's nice.
In all honesty I really would be amazed if Mignini and company would actually dual with Amanda again but I know it is possible- Hey, these people do not like to lose and this is the most important case on an international scale they will ever deal with- and they lost? I do not trust these people.
The only person I trust in this case is Judge Pratillo Hellmann, but what can he do outside his courtroom. Hopefully he can protect Amanda after she is acquitted. This I do not know. I am not up on the separation of powers in Italy. If he can protect her- I hope that he does and sees that she leaves Italy safely.
To Amanda's family I say- get her the hell out of there as quickly as possible- It's no joke. Who can trust these prosecutors and the Perugia police- Sorry but considering what has happened- who would? Make plans ahead of time and get out of there- just in case.
Well, I would rather be called paranoid then have Amanda back in jail on some coup by the prosecution. Better safe than sorry. Who can dispute that considering all that has happened. This nightmare will be over when Amanda wins her appeal and is back home in Seattle safe. It's not my fault that I had to bring this up- Candace did it- but she was right.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Myths and Lies Of the Amanda Knox Case
September 9, 2011
There is an old saying that goes: "It's not what you believe, it's why you believe it". Somethings are opinions while others are hard facts. As concerns the Amanda Knox case- there is still a large amount of misinformation (incorrect information) floating around even after most of it has been proved to be nonsense, it's still believed by some as fact. The reason for this post is simply because I want to point out to people new to this that you have to separate fact from fiction in order to understand the Amanda Knox case.
I am not going to give opinions here- just the facts. And I am going to point out some misinformation in this case that has been proven false. Most of this misinformation is circulated by those who believe Knox is guilty. Whether they actually believe the nonsense they spread is another question, but my purpose here is only to point out the lies and why they are lies. It seems that there are quite a few people out there who are confused by conflicting information, and are becoming quite frustrated.
Q. A lot of people say Knox is innocent now, if so, why was she convicted at her original trial?
A. Knox was set up to take a fall before her trial even started. Leaked misinformation from the prosecutor's office was obtained by the media. Here are some examples of this- Knox was falsely told that she was HIV positive while in jail and was told to make a list of all her lovers. Once given that information it 'somehow' became public knowledge. After this was spread about, Knox was then told that a mistake had been made and no she was not HIV positive (pretty low tactic huh?). Her private diaries were leaked to the press. Also 'leaked' to the press were false stories about bleach receipts- giving the false impression that the crime scene had been cleaned by Amanda with bleach. NO BLEACH RECEIPTS EXIST. These type of things were fuel for the media at the time which the jury at the original trial was reading on a daily basis- Girl Gone Wild, Satanic Orgies, Sex Crazed Girl Charged With Murder, Crime Scene Cleaned With Bleach, and on and on. Much of the news at that time was not based on fact, but it didn't matter- the whole idea was to make Amanda Knox look as bad as possible and sway public opinion against her- and it worked.
By the time the original trial started she had already been raked over the coals with the minds of the jury full of those ridiculous headlines. At the trial itself the prosecution presented a witness Antonio Curatolo (a park bum) who testified that he saw Knox and Raffaele near the scene of the crime at about the time of the murder. Since Knox's alibi was that she and Raffaele were at his house on the night of the murder and did not leave- this made Knox look like a liar and went against her alibi. The prosecution also put forth their DNA evidence - presenting a kitchen knife that was taken by police from Raffaele's house. It stated in court that this knife had Knox's DNA on the handle and the victim's DNA on the blade. The prosecution also stated that Raffaele's DNA was found on the victim's bra-clasp. Also the prosecution put forth in court that Amanda and Raffaele had 'staged' a break-in to make it look like someone had broken into the house through a window.
These were the major points that led to Knox and Raffaele being convicted. The judge at the time would not allow a retest of the DNA and simply believed the DNA to be solid evidence based on the word of the prosecution. The 'staged break-in' was sheer speculation without proof but the judge bought it anyway. So it was the DNA, no alibi, trying to fool the police with a staged break-in, and of course she was made to look like she was lying about everything. Again these were the major points along with some circumstantial and some other speculative 'evidence'. The jury found Amanda and Raffaele guilty of murder and sentenced Amanda to 26 years and Raffaele to 25 years.
That was then- this is now- and at the recent appeals of their conviction the DNA evidence has been judged unreliable- no blood found on the knife- the knife was not cleaned with bleach, and that the bra-clasp was most probably contaminated. These were the conclusions of the independent DNA experts appointed by the judge of the appeals court. In short they found that the collection and testing of the DNA was unacceptable and should not have been used in court. The appeals court also heard the testimony of the park bum Curatolo (the one who made Knox look like a liar with a phony alibi) who had recently been jailed for dealing heroin- this time around he made a complete fool of himself and couldn't even get the correct day of the murder right in addition to admitting he was under the influence of heroin at the time.
So the appeal has so far been the flip-side to the original trial with no hard evidence remaining against Amanda or Raffaele.
Now, as some people would point out, there were also other reasons she was convicted, but most of these 'other reasons' are not facts and some are outright lies, and yet others are of no consequence. Consider the following which some people still think are facts.
Crime scene cleaned with bleach bought by Amanda the next morning with bleach receipt to prove it.
False- There is no evidence that proves the scene was cleaned and there are no bleach receipts. The bleach myth is one example of the 'leaked' false information that circulated at the time of the original trial.
It was proved during the original trial that Amanda and Raffaele staged a break-in to throw police off their trail.
False- There is no evidence that there was a 'staged break-in'. This is simply speculation without proof.
Here is one of my favorites- There was found at the crime scene mixed blood belonging to the victim and Amanda.
False- An outright lie, there was NO mixed blood found.
Bloody footprint on bath mat that belonged to Raffaele.
False- While there was a bloody footprint it did not belong to Raffaele.
There was found in the house mixed DNA of the victim and Amanda.
While this is true, it doesn't mean anything incriminating. Mixed DNA is a common occurrence of two or more people living in the same space and Amanda and Meredith (victim) lived in the same house and shared the same bathroom. Prosecutor Mignini presented this at the original trial like it was damning evidence when in fact it means nothing at all. Anyone who lives with someone else is going to have their DNA mixed with whoever they live with- This is a scientific/ forensic fact.
Amanda stole Meredith's money.
False- There never was any evidence pointing to that- and she was not convicted of that even at the original trial. Even the trial judge who convicted her of murder didn't think Amanda took the money.
Then there is Amanda's behavior after the murder- The cell phone fiasco- cartwheels- false confession, etc....All of which proves nothing. In short, the major issues as concerns the new appeals judge were the eye-witness Curatolo and the DNA evidence. That is all the judge wanted to go over because he knows the rest of it is foolishness, lies and speculation. So at this point- there is no eye witness and there is no credible DNA evidence either. There is nothing left to this case to prove guilt- Nothing. So when people try to tell you that even though there is no eye-witness or DNA anymore, but there is a lot of 'other stuff' that proves Amanda guilty- just say to them- Prove it!
There is an old saying that goes: "It's not what you believe, it's why you believe it". Somethings are opinions while others are hard facts. As concerns the Amanda Knox case- there is still a large amount of misinformation (incorrect information) floating around even after most of it has been proved to be nonsense, it's still believed by some as fact. The reason for this post is simply because I want to point out to people new to this that you have to separate fact from fiction in order to understand the Amanda Knox case.
I am not going to give opinions here- just the facts. And I am going to point out some misinformation in this case that has been proven false. Most of this misinformation is circulated by those who believe Knox is guilty. Whether they actually believe the nonsense they spread is another question, but my purpose here is only to point out the lies and why they are lies. It seems that there are quite a few people out there who are confused by conflicting information, and are becoming quite frustrated.
Q. A lot of people say Knox is innocent now, if so, why was she convicted at her original trial?
A. Knox was set up to take a fall before her trial even started. Leaked misinformation from the prosecutor's office was obtained by the media. Here are some examples of this- Knox was falsely told that she was HIV positive while in jail and was told to make a list of all her lovers. Once given that information it 'somehow' became public knowledge. After this was spread about, Knox was then told that a mistake had been made and no she was not HIV positive (pretty low tactic huh?). Her private diaries were leaked to the press. Also 'leaked' to the press were false stories about bleach receipts- giving the false impression that the crime scene had been cleaned by Amanda with bleach. NO BLEACH RECEIPTS EXIST. These type of things were fuel for the media at the time which the jury at the original trial was reading on a daily basis- Girl Gone Wild, Satanic Orgies, Sex Crazed Girl Charged With Murder, Crime Scene Cleaned With Bleach, and on and on. Much of the news at that time was not based on fact, but it didn't matter- the whole idea was to make Amanda Knox look as bad as possible and sway public opinion against her- and it worked.
By the time the original trial started she had already been raked over the coals with the minds of the jury full of those ridiculous headlines. At the trial itself the prosecution presented a witness Antonio Curatolo (a park bum) who testified that he saw Knox and Raffaele near the scene of the crime at about the time of the murder. Since Knox's alibi was that she and Raffaele were at his house on the night of the murder and did not leave- this made Knox look like a liar and went against her alibi. The prosecution also put forth their DNA evidence - presenting a kitchen knife that was taken by police from Raffaele's house. It stated in court that this knife had Knox's DNA on the handle and the victim's DNA on the blade. The prosecution also stated that Raffaele's DNA was found on the victim's bra-clasp. Also the prosecution put forth in court that Amanda and Raffaele had 'staged' a break-in to make it look like someone had broken into the house through a window.
These were the major points that led to Knox and Raffaele being convicted. The judge at the time would not allow a retest of the DNA and simply believed the DNA to be solid evidence based on the word of the prosecution. The 'staged break-in' was sheer speculation without proof but the judge bought it anyway. So it was the DNA, no alibi, trying to fool the police with a staged break-in, and of course she was made to look like she was lying about everything. Again these were the major points along with some circumstantial and some other speculative 'evidence'. The jury found Amanda and Raffaele guilty of murder and sentenced Amanda to 26 years and Raffaele to 25 years.
That was then- this is now- and at the recent appeals of their conviction the DNA evidence has been judged unreliable- no blood found on the knife- the knife was not cleaned with bleach, and that the bra-clasp was most probably contaminated. These were the conclusions of the independent DNA experts appointed by the judge of the appeals court. In short they found that the collection and testing of the DNA was unacceptable and should not have been used in court. The appeals court also heard the testimony of the park bum Curatolo (the one who made Knox look like a liar with a phony alibi) who had recently been jailed for dealing heroin- this time around he made a complete fool of himself and couldn't even get the correct day of the murder right in addition to admitting he was under the influence of heroin at the time.
So the appeal has so far been the flip-side to the original trial with no hard evidence remaining against Amanda or Raffaele.
Now, as some people would point out, there were also other reasons she was convicted, but most of these 'other reasons' are not facts and some are outright lies, and yet others are of no consequence. Consider the following which some people still think are facts.
Crime scene cleaned with bleach bought by Amanda the next morning with bleach receipt to prove it.
False- There is no evidence that proves the scene was cleaned and there are no bleach receipts. The bleach myth is one example of the 'leaked' false information that circulated at the time of the original trial.
It was proved during the original trial that Amanda and Raffaele staged a break-in to throw police off their trail.
False- There is no evidence that there was a 'staged break-in'. This is simply speculation without proof.
Here is one of my favorites- There was found at the crime scene mixed blood belonging to the victim and Amanda.
False- An outright lie, there was NO mixed blood found.
Bloody footprint on bath mat that belonged to Raffaele.
False- While there was a bloody footprint it did not belong to Raffaele.
There was found in the house mixed DNA of the victim and Amanda.
While this is true, it doesn't mean anything incriminating. Mixed DNA is a common occurrence of two or more people living in the same space and Amanda and Meredith (victim) lived in the same house and shared the same bathroom. Prosecutor Mignini presented this at the original trial like it was damning evidence when in fact it means nothing at all. Anyone who lives with someone else is going to have their DNA mixed with whoever they live with- This is a scientific/ forensic fact.
Amanda stole Meredith's money.
False- There never was any evidence pointing to that- and she was not convicted of that even at the original trial. Even the trial judge who convicted her of murder didn't think Amanda took the money.
Then there is Amanda's behavior after the murder- The cell phone fiasco- cartwheels- false confession, etc....All of which proves nothing. In short, the major issues as concerns the new appeals judge were the eye-witness Curatolo and the DNA evidence. That is all the judge wanted to go over because he knows the rest of it is foolishness, lies and speculation. So at this point- there is no eye witness and there is no credible DNA evidence either. There is nothing left to this case to prove guilt- Nothing. So when people try to tell you that even though there is no eye-witness or DNA anymore, but there is a lot of 'other stuff' that proves Amanda guilty- just say to them- Prove it!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Judge Hellmann Denies Prosecution's Request For Retest- All Looks Good For Knox
September 7, 2011- Judge Hellmann has just denied the prosecution's request for a second test of the DNA. This is great news for Knox supporters. The judge has set the next hearing for Sept 23rd for the closing of the appeal before the final verdict. It is a wonderful thing to see the flip-side of the original trial- which to me was a mockery of justice.
The original trial had turned my stomach and reminded me of the trial of Jeanne de Arc (Joan of Arc). No I am not comparing Saint Joan to Amanda, but that it was of similar circumstances- the verdict in advance of the evidence. A trial tainted and a rush to judgement. Thank God for a fair judge in this case. Hopefully the jury will see the truth and set Amanda and Raffaele free. I do believe that is what is going to happen. But unlike Comodi who thinks they will win and it is a shame- I think it is justice at last. And like I said before- the prosecution should get on their knees in church and beg God to forgive them for they have created evil rather than good by keeping innocents in prison for years.
I do believe that Amanda will go free now. No it is not official and I am getting ahead of things. But even prosecutor Comodi knows it is over- finally over. All that remains is it to be official and for Amanda and Raffaele to go free.
To Stephanie Kercher I say- the world feels your sorrow and knows that your sister's life was taken, but do not be mislead by what lawyers say- Amanda Knox did not kill your sister. The murderer is in jail and his name is Rudy Guede- You have your murderer but the shame of that is that he has only 16 years to do for the rape and murder of your sister. No longer hold your anger against Knox and Raffaele they are innocent of this. Hurting two innocent people for a crime they had nothing to do with will not bring closure to this sadness. It troubles me that you think that justice will be done if Amanda stays in jail but do you not see that innocents can not pay the price for your sister's death? It was not that she was guilty one day but innocent the next- She was innocent to begin with. Your family has suffered a great loss and for that I am sorry as so many others feel as well. If you really want closure- open your heart and see that these two people who have been in prison for almost 4 years have also had their lives taken from them. Justice is at hand if Amanda and Raffaele go free. I hope you could accept this, if not, that only tells me that you do not know that facts of this case and should look beyond what your lawyer tells you. The truth is the truth- it is not always in the eye of the beholder- as if it were a matter of opinion. This appeals court was based on facts and in my way of thinking the innocent went down with the guilty. I mean no disrespect by saying these things to you- May you find peace, which is outside the scope of this trial. I hope your family finds insight into this, and does not hold the freedom of the defendants as murderers gone free but rather innocents released. Peace to you and your family.
The original trial had turned my stomach and reminded me of the trial of Jeanne de Arc (Joan of Arc). No I am not comparing Saint Joan to Amanda, but that it was of similar circumstances- the verdict in advance of the evidence. A trial tainted and a rush to judgement. Thank God for a fair judge in this case. Hopefully the jury will see the truth and set Amanda and Raffaele free. I do believe that is what is going to happen. But unlike Comodi who thinks they will win and it is a shame- I think it is justice at last. And like I said before- the prosecution should get on their knees in church and beg God to forgive them for they have created evil rather than good by keeping innocents in prison for years.
I do believe that Amanda will go free now. No it is not official and I am getting ahead of things. But even prosecutor Comodi knows it is over- finally over. All that remains is it to be official and for Amanda and Raffaele to go free.
To Stephanie Kercher I say- the world feels your sorrow and knows that your sister's life was taken, but do not be mislead by what lawyers say- Amanda Knox did not kill your sister. The murderer is in jail and his name is Rudy Guede- You have your murderer but the shame of that is that he has only 16 years to do for the rape and murder of your sister. No longer hold your anger against Knox and Raffaele they are innocent of this. Hurting two innocent people for a crime they had nothing to do with will not bring closure to this sadness. It troubles me that you think that justice will be done if Amanda stays in jail but do you not see that innocents can not pay the price for your sister's death? It was not that she was guilty one day but innocent the next- She was innocent to begin with. Your family has suffered a great loss and for that I am sorry as so many others feel as well. If you really want closure- open your heart and see that these two people who have been in prison for almost 4 years have also had their lives taken from them. Justice is at hand if Amanda and Raffaele go free. I hope you could accept this, if not, that only tells me that you do not know that facts of this case and should look beyond what your lawyer tells you. The truth is the truth- it is not always in the eye of the beholder- as if it were a matter of opinion. This appeals court was based on facts and in my way of thinking the innocent went down with the guilty. I mean no disrespect by saying these things to you- May you find peace, which is outside the scope of this trial. I hope your family finds insight into this, and does not hold the freedom of the defendants as murderers gone free but rather innocents released. Peace to you and your family.
Amanda Knox Appeal: Prosecutor Comodi Admits Knox & Sollecito Will Win Appeal
September 7, 2011- This morning the prosecution asked for a second review of the DNA and at this precise moment Judge Hellmann has not ruled on this but it is expected later today. The request is ridiculous of course but then again the prosecution is just about out of cards to play.
Earlier prosecutor Comodi seemed to think that Knox will win her appeal. I think reality finally caught up with her. She stated "There is an ill wind blowing in this case. The judge and his assistant are clearly against us. I can see Knox and Sollecito being freed which will be a shame as they are both involved." She then said that the prosecution will seek a second examination of the DNA. She then stated "I do not know if the judge will grant this or not, they are obviously against us." At this moment- the prosecution has indeed request the second test of the DNA but the court is still in session I believe at this moment.
The request seems to be a disparate attempt- a last ditch effort to keep Knox locked up. Personally, I think the innocent have suffered enough. A second test of the DNA would only mean another 3 months or more of Knox being in prison. And that is what "would be a shame". Whether Comodi really thinks Knox will win her appeal or if she is just trying to sway the court by saying the "court is against us"- I don't even want to guess. I do know one thing and that is that the prosecution has had more than enough time after 4 years to collect their imaginary evidence, and Knox and Sollecito should not remain in prison a day longer than is necessary to clear up this............. wrongful conviction.
Comodi can put it anyway she likes but the judge is not against her- he is simply no fool and realizes that the conviction of Amanda Knox was a huge mistake and is going with the evidence. In my opinion judge Hellmann has redeemed the world's faith in justice and a plus for the Italian justice system. The prosecution should get on their knees and ask God to forgive them- for keeping innocent people in prison this long.
The court is not done today so I will write another post when more is known.
Earlier prosecutor Comodi seemed to think that Knox will win her appeal. I think reality finally caught up with her. She stated "There is an ill wind blowing in this case. The judge and his assistant are clearly against us. I can see Knox and Sollecito being freed which will be a shame as they are both involved." She then said that the prosecution will seek a second examination of the DNA. She then stated "I do not know if the judge will grant this or not, they are obviously against us." At this moment- the prosecution has indeed request the second test of the DNA but the court is still in session I believe at this moment.
The request seems to be a disparate attempt- a last ditch effort to keep Knox locked up. Personally, I think the innocent have suffered enough. A second test of the DNA would only mean another 3 months or more of Knox being in prison. And that is what "would be a shame". Whether Comodi really thinks Knox will win her appeal or if she is just trying to sway the court by saying the "court is against us"- I don't even want to guess. I do know one thing and that is that the prosecution has had more than enough time after 4 years to collect their imaginary evidence, and Knox and Sollecito should not remain in prison a day longer than is necessary to clear up this............. wrongful conviction.
Comodi can put it anyway she likes but the judge is not against her- he is simply no fool and realizes that the conviction of Amanda Knox was a huge mistake and is going with the evidence. In my opinion judge Hellmann has redeemed the world's faith in justice and a plus for the Italian justice system. The prosecution should get on their knees and ask God to forgive them- for keeping innocent people in prison this long.
The court is not done today so I will write another post when more is known.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: September 5th, 2011 Court Appointed Expert Says, Anyone's DNA Could Be On There
September 5, 2011- The appeal for Amanda Knox kicked up again today in Perugia, picking up where it left off last July with the court appointed experts taking the stand. The big issue was still the DNA which the experts shot full of holes earlier this summer and continued to stand by. Despite the prosecution blowing a lot of smoke, Dr. Carla Vecchiotti came through the cross examination convincingly. As regards to the knife, Vecchiotti stated that the investigators/ Stefanoni, "evaluated a quantity of DNA that no one in the world would try to analyze". In regards to the bra-clasp she stated that small traces of at least 18 people including herself were on the clasp. "Anyone's DNA could be on there" she said, obviously referring to widespread contamination of the clasp.
Dr Stefanoni, who did the original testing for the prosecution, also testified today and defended the original investigation and collection and testing of DNA in direct opposition to the court appointed experts. Well now- who to believe. Actually, most people who know about DNA and what is called Low Copy Number DNA, already know the prosecution is on very thin ice. Personally I think the thing to remember about this clash over DNA is that the court appointed DNA experts have nothing to gain or loose by stating their case- they have nothing to do with the defense or prosecution and therefore their findings can be taken as being unbiased. Can the same be said for Stefanoni who works on the side of the prosecution?
The appeal hearings will continue through the week with the verdict expected by the end of the month.
Dr Stefanoni, who did the original testing for the prosecution, also testified today and defended the original investigation and collection and testing of DNA in direct opposition to the court appointed experts. Well now- who to believe. Actually, most people who know about DNA and what is called Low Copy Number DNA, already know the prosecution is on very thin ice. Personally I think the thing to remember about this clash over DNA is that the court appointed DNA experts have nothing to gain or loose by stating their case- they have nothing to do with the defense or prosecution and therefore their findings can be taken as being unbiased. Can the same be said for Stefanoni who works on the side of the prosecution?
The appeal hearings will continue through the week with the verdict expected by the end of the month.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Patrizia Stefanoni, Franceso Maresca, and Other Drama Coming September 5th
September 2, 2011- It's like the calm before the storm. Expect a lot of fireworks from the prosecution to try and side-track the the real issue coming Monday September 5th. The issue is still the DNA that the court appointed experts have basically blasted out of the water. And the prosecution and company is now hard pressed to get around this- And for good reason. The DNA has been called into question from the very beginning. For those of you not up on this- simply put- the original trial court refused to have an independent review of the DNA as requested by the defense. The appeals court DID allow it and it put the prosecution in a very tight corner. Why? Well at the original trial it was put forth that Amanda's DNA was on the handle of the knife and the victim's DNA was on the blade- Now that is very damning 'evidence'. Yet it turns out that after the court appointed independent experts tested that knife- there was no DNA of the victim to be found on the blade. They did find starch though- which kind of kills the idea that the knife was throughly cleaned.
Now Low Copy Number DNA- which is what was supposedly on the blade- is a very tiny amount. And we only have the prosecution's expert Patrizia Stefanoni's word that it was ever there to begin with. The court appointed experts found no DNA of the victim on the blade. What is really strange to me is that there was no blood on the blade but they did find starch- you know- as in pasta or potatoes.
Now in the United States DNA has to be enough to be retested- not so the case here in Italy. So we are on strange ground here- Personally I wouldn't take a prosecution's expert's word for anything in this case- but that's me. It can not be proven that it was ever there to begin with. And the court appointed experts say if it ever was there it was quite possibly the result of contamination and the same goes for the bra-clasp. And to compound the issue, the lab that tested the knife and bra-clasp was not even certified at that time to do that kind of testing.
One would think that in a case like this, with all the damning evidence against this 'disappeared' DNA, discredited prosecution witnesses, and no believable motive- that the prosecution would simply back off- say 'whoops' and go away. But that's not going to happen- unfortunately. This is an Italian drama- not an American one. Yet no one is going to be fooled at this point and like I have said- the world is watching. Stefanoni, Maresca, Mignini........bring it on. No one is buying this smoke and mirrors act anymore. It's a sad thing when people can not admit they made a mistake and are still playing with people's lives for the sake of their egos and their reputations.
Now Low Copy Number DNA- which is what was supposedly on the blade- is a very tiny amount. And we only have the prosecution's expert Patrizia Stefanoni's word that it was ever there to begin with. The court appointed experts found no DNA of the victim on the blade. What is really strange to me is that there was no blood on the blade but they did find starch- you know- as in pasta or potatoes.
Now in the United States DNA has to be enough to be retested- not so the case here in Italy. So we are on strange ground here- Personally I wouldn't take a prosecution's expert's word for anything in this case- but that's me. It can not be proven that it was ever there to begin with. And the court appointed experts say if it ever was there it was quite possibly the result of contamination and the same goes for the bra-clasp. And to compound the issue, the lab that tested the knife and bra-clasp was not even certified at that time to do that kind of testing.
One would think that in a case like this, with all the damning evidence against this 'disappeared' DNA, discredited prosecution witnesses, and no believable motive- that the prosecution would simply back off- say 'whoops' and go away. But that's not going to happen- unfortunately. This is an Italian drama- not an American one. Yet no one is going to be fooled at this point and like I have said- the world is watching. Stefanoni, Maresca, Mignini........bring it on. No one is buying this smoke and mirrors act anymore. It's a sad thing when people can not admit they made a mistake and are still playing with people's lives for the sake of their egos and their reputations.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Knox Appeal Starts Up Again September 5th
September 1, 2011- It's been a quiet summer for the Amanda Knox case, with the court starting back up this Monday, September 5th. I urge everyone to rally to the cause because this is the end of it. One way or another this case will close during the month of September with the anti-Knox factions still blowing smoke. Expect to see someone the with initials F. M. to give it everything he's got to try and lessen the impact of the recent Knox victories which blew away the so called 'eye-witness' and DNA fairy-tale. Do not expect the prosecution to throw in the towel on this. These people do not do this- they should but they don't. They will remain defiant and poker-faced until the very end.
This is not an American cause, just because she happens to be American. This is a cause for everyone who hates injustice. And injustice is what this girl has had to swallow for almost four years. It's all going to end soon- I would say sometime this month (September) it's going to be over. And yes I really do believe that it is going to end in her favor. The most important reason I think so is because the head judge in this case is Judge Hellmann who has been directing this appeal in a very fair and balanced manner.
During the first and original trial it was a nightmare with the appearance of justice but who the hell wrote the script for that one. The newspapers were having a field-day with the most ridiculous stories- well, that's what sells the newspapers. And the jury was buying it up and looking at Knox with contempt before the trial even got off the ground. And then of course there was the so-called 'motivation report', which explained the reasons the judge and jury came to their conclusions- The most ridiculous and speculating legal document I have ever read. Even though it was over 400 pages I had to read it twice to make sure I got it right. But that was then- and a lot has changed since then.
Some people lately have left comments that they asked not to have published and I have respected their wishes. Most have stated that they fear that Italy will not release Amanda and Raffaele regardless of the new evidence in their favor. To these and others who may wonder, I say, do not worry about this. I personally feel that this whole mistake will be corrected. The prosecution has no case- and the world is watching. My feeling is that the error in the conviction has been revealed and that all will go well. Other people think a 'middle of the road' type thing will happen where Amanda will just get a reduced sentence and will remain in prison for years. I do not think that will happen. She is clearly innocent at this point and nothing but her release will right the wrong that has been done. A middle-road verdict will not put an end to this. All of Amanda's supporters- Please follow this to the end and show your support. And please Judge Hellmann- as we say in America, and elsewhere- Do the right thing.
This is not an American cause, just because she happens to be American. This is a cause for everyone who hates injustice. And injustice is what this girl has had to swallow for almost four years. It's all going to end soon- I would say sometime this month (September) it's going to be over. And yes I really do believe that it is going to end in her favor. The most important reason I think so is because the head judge in this case is Judge Hellmann who has been directing this appeal in a very fair and balanced manner.
During the first and original trial it was a nightmare with the appearance of justice but who the hell wrote the script for that one. The newspapers were having a field-day with the most ridiculous stories- well, that's what sells the newspapers. And the jury was buying it up and looking at Knox with contempt before the trial even got off the ground. And then of course there was the so-called 'motivation report', which explained the reasons the judge and jury came to their conclusions- The most ridiculous and speculating legal document I have ever read. Even though it was over 400 pages I had to read it twice to make sure I got it right. But that was then- and a lot has changed since then.
Some people lately have left comments that they asked not to have published and I have respected their wishes. Most have stated that they fear that Italy will not release Amanda and Raffaele regardless of the new evidence in their favor. To these and others who may wonder, I say, do not worry about this. I personally feel that this whole mistake will be corrected. The prosecution has no case- and the world is watching. My feeling is that the error in the conviction has been revealed and that all will go well. Other people think a 'middle of the road' type thing will happen where Amanda will just get a reduced sentence and will remain in prison for years. I do not think that will happen. She is clearly innocent at this point and nothing but her release will right the wrong that has been done. A middle-road verdict will not put an end to this. All of Amanda's supporters- Please follow this to the end and show your support. And please Judge Hellmann- as we say in America, and elsewhere- Do the right thing.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Knox Will Win Appeal Despite Hate Sites Misinformation
I thought they had gone away- those sites which seemed to thrive off misleading people- those Amanda Knox haters who seem to wallow in her supposed guilt. At one time they were hard to avoid. They were trying hard to control public opinion, and would spout more misinformation on the Knox case then you were able to digest in one sitting- particularly if you did not know much about the case. And it is/was a complex case, but mainly because there were so many lies served-up to poison people's minds against Amanda Knox. It has always been a battle to separate the truth from the lies; Pressing one to study the case in depth in order to come to a clear conclusion as to her guilt or innocence.
Yet lately there has been a new offensive led by these old (and some new) sites which excel at bending the truth to fit their views. With the recent victories of Knox in court on the 'park bum eye-witness' and the DNA review by independent experts you would figure that they would simply shut up, and slip between the cracks- but like resistant roaches, when you spray them- they just get bigger. And just today I have read online three ridiculous articles of misinformation (that was long ago proved false) about bloody footprints and stolen money and cell phones, and staged break-ins, bleach receipts, etc.... Most just can not accept the fact they were wrong, and some are just plain stupid and can't figure out the case anyway.....with a 'she looks guilty to me' mentality. See my post on these people "Why Some People Hate Amanda Knox and Her Supporters".
So, with the appeals case going so well for Amanda and Raffaele, why are these people still at it. One reason- and the most important reason- is that they are simply trying to confuse people who are new to the case by spouting misinformation and outright lies. In the end however, it won't matter. The judge in this case is after the truth and Judge Hellmann is just the man to overturn a wrongful conviction. He has shown from the start that he was after the truth by going after the two main reasons why Amanda Knox was convicted in the first place- the so-called eye witness and the DNA 'evidence', and both have taking a beating. The prosecution's case has completely fallen apart during this appeal and it just goes to show that Amanda Knox should never have been found guilty in the first place.
Amanda Knox will win her appeal Why? Because there is nothing to convict her. There is not, and never was a motive. There is nothing that ties her to the scene of the murder- no eye-witness, no DNA, no murder weapon- nothing. There is not even the despicable tabloids against her which had helped to convict her through 'character assassination' before the original trial. I can not help but admire this woman. She is not perfect- who is, but she has shown she can take a punch and has never lost her temper in all of this- despite all the injustice and humiliation she was forced to swallow. In a couple months it will all be over and she will at last be allowed to go free. After almost 4 years in prison- it's sad of course, but better late than never.
Yet lately there has been a new offensive led by these old (and some new) sites which excel at bending the truth to fit their views. With the recent victories of Knox in court on the 'park bum eye-witness' and the DNA review by independent experts you would figure that they would simply shut up, and slip between the cracks- but like resistant roaches, when you spray them- they just get bigger. And just today I have read online three ridiculous articles of misinformation (that was long ago proved false) about bloody footprints and stolen money and cell phones, and staged break-ins, bleach receipts, etc.... Most just can not accept the fact they were wrong, and some are just plain stupid and can't figure out the case anyway.....with a 'she looks guilty to me' mentality. See my post on these people "Why Some People Hate Amanda Knox and Her Supporters".
So, with the appeals case going so well for Amanda and Raffaele, why are these people still at it. One reason- and the most important reason- is that they are simply trying to confuse people who are new to the case by spouting misinformation and outright lies. In the end however, it won't matter. The judge in this case is after the truth and Judge Hellmann is just the man to overturn a wrongful conviction. He has shown from the start that he was after the truth by going after the two main reasons why Amanda Knox was convicted in the first place- the so-called eye witness and the DNA 'evidence', and both have taking a beating. The prosecution's case has completely fallen apart during this appeal and it just goes to show that Amanda Knox should never have been found guilty in the first place.
Amanda Knox will win her appeal Why? Because there is nothing to convict her. There is not, and never was a motive. There is nothing that ties her to the scene of the murder- no eye-witness, no DNA, no murder weapon- nothing. There is not even the despicable tabloids against her which had helped to convict her through 'character assassination' before the original trial. I can not help but admire this woman. She is not perfect- who is, but she has shown she can take a punch and has never lost her temper in all of this- despite all the injustice and humiliation she was forced to swallow. In a couple months it will all be over and she will at last be allowed to go free. After almost 4 years in prison- it's sad of course, but better late than never.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Should Knox Be Given House Arrest Rather Than Another Hot Summer In Prison?
July 1, 2011- Perugia gets hot in the summer. So hot in fact the court usually shuts down for the season. In Capanne prison where Amanda Knox is being held the temp. can soar above 100 degrees F., something most people will never experience and would never want to. Since it has become clear that Knox is not guilty, would it not be more humane to place her under a 'house arrest' type situation until the end of her appeal rather than for her to spend another broiling summer in Capanne?
Is this possible? Yes, it is. It is not unusual for people convicted of crimes, including murder, to wait out their appeals outside prison walls in Italy. The Knox prosecutor Mignini himself is walking around completely free as he awaits his own appeal for abuse of his office and wire-tapping, for which he was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison. In actuality, this would be a humanitarian move on the part of the appeals court. After more than 3 years in prison and clearly innocent, I think Amanda Knox deserves an act of compassion. In Italy you are not considered guilty until you have lost all your appeals, and I think at this point in time, with no valid evidence against her, she deserves to wait for the outcome of her appeal in a more humane environment.
This would not be unreasonable. Nor would it be complex or a risky venture. She has no passport to leave the country, and since she is 'high profile' I don't think she can blend in with the crowd and find her way back to Seattle. Why would she even try- she is winning her appeal and will most likely be set free in October in any case. So why add insult to injury and prolong her time in prison for something she did not do.
It isn't difficult to place someone under house arrest- particularly if her people were paying the rent on a house- a house that would be monitored, and expenses paid for food and clothing by her own people. They could even put a monitor on her ankle so that she would not be able to leave the grounds without an alarm going off. She could even be put under the protection of the U S State Dept. with a few U S Marines for her protection- yes, I think it is time for the State Dept employees in Italy to take some long overdue responsibility as concerns Amanda- particularly now that it is very clear she is not guilty.
Can this happen? Yes. Will it happen? I have no idea. Perhaps if Amanda did not face another grueling summer in Capanne prison, and perhaps if she had not already done over 3 years for something she didn't do- than perhaps I wouldn't even be bringing up this idea of house arrest. But as it stands, I think this girl and her family have suffered more than enough, and the same goes for Raffaele and his family. Regardless of how much the idea would ruffle the feathers of the prosecution, I keep thinking, with everything Amanda and Raffaele have been through, when will it stop- how much is enough?
Is this possible? Yes, it is. It is not unusual for people convicted of crimes, including murder, to wait out their appeals outside prison walls in Italy. The Knox prosecutor Mignini himself is walking around completely free as he awaits his own appeal for abuse of his office and wire-tapping, for which he was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison. In actuality, this would be a humanitarian move on the part of the appeals court. After more than 3 years in prison and clearly innocent, I think Amanda Knox deserves an act of compassion. In Italy you are not considered guilty until you have lost all your appeals, and I think at this point in time, with no valid evidence against her, she deserves to wait for the outcome of her appeal in a more humane environment.
This would not be unreasonable. Nor would it be complex or a risky venture. She has no passport to leave the country, and since she is 'high profile' I don't think she can blend in with the crowd and find her way back to Seattle. Why would she even try- she is winning her appeal and will most likely be set free in October in any case. So why add insult to injury and prolong her time in prison for something she did not do.
It isn't difficult to place someone under house arrest- particularly if her people were paying the rent on a house- a house that would be monitored, and expenses paid for food and clothing by her own people. They could even put a monitor on her ankle so that she would not be able to leave the grounds without an alarm going off. She could even be put under the protection of the U S State Dept. with a few U S Marines for her protection- yes, I think it is time for the State Dept employees in Italy to take some long overdue responsibility as concerns Amanda- particularly now that it is very clear she is not guilty.
Can this happen? Yes. Will it happen? I have no idea. Perhaps if Amanda did not face another grueling summer in Capanne prison, and perhaps if she had not already done over 3 years for something she didn't do- than perhaps I wouldn't even be bringing up this idea of house arrest. But as it stands, I think this girl and her family have suffered more than enough, and the same goes for Raffaele and his family. Regardless of how much the idea would ruffle the feathers of the prosecution, I keep thinking, with everything Amanda and Raffaele have been through, when will it stop- how much is enough?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Big Victory For Knox On DNA Finishes Off Prosecution's Case
It's over, not officially of course, but it's over none the less. The prosecution's case against Amanda Knox has crashed as the court appointed DNA experts have turned in a 144 page report which completely destroys the the so-called 'evidence' against Knox. The DNA was the last foothold for the prosecution and they lost big-time on that one. The experts Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti have stated that the DNA testing of the knife and bra clasp was "unreliable" and possibly the result of contamination. They further stated that the investigators/police handling of the evidence was not acceptable, and that the testing of the low copy number DNA did not meet minimum international standards. The DNA could not be retested because there was nothing to test so, as ordered by the court, the experts turned their attention to the collection of evidence and the DNA testing procedures.
For anyone wanting more information on the expert's report just google it- it's all over the news.
Amanda Knox has unofficially won her appeal with the long awaited DNA report. There is now zero evidence against her, and all that is left is some expected fussing from the prosecution. People everywhere should now ask themselves how the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox could have happened in the first place, and what should be done about it. Yet all of that is best left till after Amanda and Raffaele' are free. I think at this point in time, with Amanda being clearly innocent, the court should have her placed under 'house arrest' in Perugia, rather than continuing in prison, until the appeal is over. The same should go for Raffaele. And why not? They are at this point clearly innocent with nothing to merit a continued stay in prison. They have been locked up for over 3 and a half years and are clearly innocent- enough is enough. What I am suggesting is nothing special. Prosecutor Mignini himself is out walking around a free man while waiting for his own appeal after he was convicted of abusing his office and bugging the phones of journalists. I think it is time to show some compassion to these two victims of a crass rush to judgement from the original trial. Of course the prosecution could object to their release from prison but they could not do so for any rational reasons. Like I said, Mignini himself is out walking around, and I find him a much more dangerous person than Amanda Knox. Just an idea. In any case (unofficially of course) it's over- and the good guys win.
For anyone wanting more information on the expert's report just google it- it's all over the news.
Amanda Knox has unofficially won her appeal with the long awaited DNA report. There is now zero evidence against her, and all that is left is some expected fussing from the prosecution. People everywhere should now ask themselves how the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox could have happened in the first place, and what should be done about it. Yet all of that is best left till after Amanda and Raffaele' are free. I think at this point in time, with Amanda being clearly innocent, the court should have her placed under 'house arrest' in Perugia, rather than continuing in prison, until the appeal is over. The same should go for Raffaele. And why not? They are at this point clearly innocent with nothing to merit a continued stay in prison. They have been locked up for over 3 and a half years and are clearly innocent- enough is enough. What I am suggesting is nothing special. Prosecutor Mignini himself is out walking around a free man while waiting for his own appeal after he was convicted of abusing his office and bugging the phones of journalists. I think it is time to show some compassion to these two victims of a crass rush to judgement from the original trial. Of course the prosecution could object to their release from prison but they could not do so for any rational reasons. Like I said, Mignini himself is out walking around, and I find him a much more dangerous person than Amanda Knox. Just an idea. In any case (unofficially of course) it's over- and the good guys win.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Knox Shocked and Saddened By Guede's Cowardice
June 27, 2011- It was a strange day in the Perugia court this morning- tense, emotional, but ultimately disappointing. For those who thought Rudy Guede would come clean about the murder...well....he didn't. For those who thought that Amanda's and Raffaele's defense teams would give Guede the business...well... they didn't. For those who thought Guede would be compelled one way or another to tell the truth... he wasn't.
Guede said he would not answer questions related to the murder and would only make a statement and read a letter regarding Mario Alessi's claim that he told him Amanda and Raffaele were innocent. He was not compelled to answer questions from the defense. While this may have been legally correct, it was also morally reprehensible. Particularly since he (actually prosecutor Mignini) slipped in that Amanda and Raffaele were responsible for the murder (without using those exact words). What did appear like a legal ploy was that Guede said he had trouble reading his own handwriting and Mignini read the letter for him. The letter basically stated that he (Guede) had never told Alessi anything about the murder and that in his opinion it was Amanda and Raffaele who were the murderers. Although Guede has changed his story several times about who was involved in the murder, he seems quite comfortable lately about Amanda and Raffaele getting the rap for it.
Perhaps the strangest and most surprising event of the day was that witnesses were called saying that Raffaele's lawyer Bongiomo offered a witness a large sum of money to cook up a story of someone else commiting the murder. While I am sure no one including the prosecution believes this foolishness, it certainly did get Bongiomo's blood up, and who could blame her. It seems that the prosecution is ready to play dirty now that they no longer have a case against Amanda and Raffaele. The witnesses saying this against Bongiomo were of course inmates who said they heard this from the 'witness' himself. Was this some kind of message from the prosecution saying "See we can get inmates to say things too". Well this is really just too stupid to believe- Bongiomo is a highly respected lawyer and is a member of the Italian PM.
As far as Guede's comments and letter- well, what do you expect from a thief and murderer. He doesn't have a moral bone in his body. However Amanda and Raffaele were more than a little upset with his getting away with it. Amanda was on her feet to defend herself, but the judge told her she had to wait until Guede was finished. She did get to make a statement after Guede had left the courtroom and was just about shaking with emotion. Amanda told the court that Guede knew the truth and was lying, and that the only time Guede, Raffaele and herself had been together was in the courtroom. Apparently she had thought that Guede might come clean and tell the truth. Unfortunately, he didn't.
So after today- what has changed? Nothing. Amanda's innocence does not hinge on anything Guede says. It still comes down to evidence, and there isn't any. There is no evidence against Amanda or Raffaele. There is no motive. No witnesses. No prior violent histories. No trace of Amanda in the murder room. And the DNA put forth by the prosecution is a joke- and we'll see this on the 30th as the DNA experts turn in their reports. So now we look forward to the DNA experts and what they have to say on the 30th but some claim there will be leaks on the 29th. In any case this will be a major factor in this appeal- the DNA or lack of it. Today was just a lot of drama.
Guede said he would not answer questions related to the murder and would only make a statement and read a letter regarding Mario Alessi's claim that he told him Amanda and Raffaele were innocent. He was not compelled to answer questions from the defense. While this may have been legally correct, it was also morally reprehensible. Particularly since he (actually prosecutor Mignini) slipped in that Amanda and Raffaele were responsible for the murder (without using those exact words). What did appear like a legal ploy was that Guede said he had trouble reading his own handwriting and Mignini read the letter for him. The letter basically stated that he (Guede) had never told Alessi anything about the murder and that in his opinion it was Amanda and Raffaele who were the murderers. Although Guede has changed his story several times about who was involved in the murder, he seems quite comfortable lately about Amanda and Raffaele getting the rap for it.
Perhaps the strangest and most surprising event of the day was that witnesses were called saying that Raffaele's lawyer Bongiomo offered a witness a large sum of money to cook up a story of someone else commiting the murder. While I am sure no one including the prosecution believes this foolishness, it certainly did get Bongiomo's blood up, and who could blame her. It seems that the prosecution is ready to play dirty now that they no longer have a case against Amanda and Raffaele. The witnesses saying this against Bongiomo were of course inmates who said they heard this from the 'witness' himself. Was this some kind of message from the prosecution saying "See we can get inmates to say things too". Well this is really just too stupid to believe- Bongiomo is a highly respected lawyer and is a member of the Italian PM.
As far as Guede's comments and letter- well, what do you expect from a thief and murderer. He doesn't have a moral bone in his body. However Amanda and Raffaele were more than a little upset with his getting away with it. Amanda was on her feet to defend herself, but the judge told her she had to wait until Guede was finished. She did get to make a statement after Guede had left the courtroom and was just about shaking with emotion. Amanda told the court that Guede knew the truth and was lying, and that the only time Guede, Raffaele and herself had been together was in the courtroom. Apparently she had thought that Guede might come clean and tell the truth. Unfortunately, he didn't.
So after today- what has changed? Nothing. Amanda's innocence does not hinge on anything Guede says. It still comes down to evidence, and there isn't any. There is no evidence against Amanda or Raffaele. There is no motive. No witnesses. No prior violent histories. No trace of Amanda in the murder room. And the DNA put forth by the prosecution is a joke- and we'll see this on the 30th as the DNA experts turn in their reports. So now we look forward to the DNA experts and what they have to say on the 30th but some claim there will be leaks on the 29th. In any case this will be a major factor in this appeal- the DNA or lack of it. Today was just a lot of drama.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Another Day In Court With Testimony From Inmates
June 18, 2011- Amanda Knox appeared in the Perugia court this morning and heard testimony from several prison inmates, including Mario Alessi. For those of you not up on this- Alessi testified that Rudy Guede told him in prison that Amanda and her former boyfriend were not involved in the murder of Amanda's British room-mate, for which she was convicted and sentenced to 26 years. In short, Alessi stated that Guede admitted to him that he (Guede) and another man were present but not Amanda or Raffaele. This testimony was backed up by several other inmate witnesses. The prosecution of course objected saying that the testimony of Alessi was not reliable and so on, but it really doesn't matter.
Amanda does not need this testimony in order to win her appeal. It doesn't matter if Alessi is lying or not- Yet I, personally believe he is telling the truth; The prosecution's case is finished- regardless of today's testimony pro or con (pun intended). There is nothing that will prevent Amanda Knox from winning her appeal. Why do I say this? Simply put- It's the head judge handling this appeal. Hellmann is not falling for any foolishness. He is calling everything that was so stupidly swallowed by a former court into question. He is re-examining everything that the prosecution had put forth as fact and the end result has been- the prosecution's case is pathetic. They have no motive and no evidence- Nothing.
Today I noticed a few blogs/ forums trying to downside the inmates testimony- that's fine. The point is, the testimony of these inmates was not needed, but they wanted to be heard, and if it made the prosecution pucker up just a little more than they have been lately- so much the better. The bottom line on all of this is- Amanda Knox is going to win this time around. All the lies and smoke and mirror acts are over. The prosecution's case is being exposed for what it is- pathetic. The only logical conclusion to this appeal trial is the release of Amanda Knox- and the sooner the better.
Amanda does not need this testimony in order to win her appeal. It doesn't matter if Alessi is lying or not- Yet I, personally believe he is telling the truth; The prosecution's case is finished- regardless of today's testimony pro or con (pun intended). There is nothing that will prevent Amanda Knox from winning her appeal. Why do I say this? Simply put- It's the head judge handling this appeal. Hellmann is not falling for any foolishness. He is calling everything that was so stupidly swallowed by a former court into question. He is re-examining everything that the prosecution had put forth as fact and the end result has been- the prosecution's case is pathetic. They have no motive and no evidence- Nothing.
Today I noticed a few blogs/ forums trying to downside the inmates testimony- that's fine. The point is, the testimony of these inmates was not needed, but they wanted to be heard, and if it made the prosecution pucker up just a little more than they have been lately- so much the better. The bottom line on all of this is- Amanda Knox is going to win this time around. All the lies and smoke and mirror acts are over. The prosecution's case is being exposed for what it is- pathetic. The only logical conclusion to this appeal trial is the release of Amanda Knox- and the sooner the better.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Release Is Just A Matter Of Time
The appeal of Amanda Knox is moving forward- slowly. There have been delays due to a slow release of documents held by the police/prosecution. The DNA experts appointed by the appeals court had to get the court to help them by asking for a 40 day extension on the deadline as certain information was never provided to them. On May 21, the court granted the extension and ordered the prosecution to hand over the missing documents to the DNA experts. It's just 'one more thing' in a slowly moving appeal which most people assumed would be over by the summer, but now looks like it will continue into the Fall. Hopefully, it will not take that long.
It is not the fault of the court or judges but rather the prosecution seems to be dragging it's feet by not turning over certain information in a timely manner- I wonder why. Also it must be remembered that the appeals court has chosen to go over a great deal of information and re-examine witnesses. This is of course all in Amanda's favor and is actually necessary in order to prove that there is no reliable evidence that supports a guilty verdict.
All of this is time consuming but necessary in order to prove to all that the conviction of Amanda Knox for the murder of her British room-mate was a mistake- a crass and costly mistake. What flimsy 'evidence' the prosecution had put forth at the original trial is quickly being exposed at the appeal for what it is- ridiculous. The 'eye-witness' pegging Amanda near the murder site and who was believed by the judge and jury at the original trial has now been properly exposed as a confused, heroin addicted, criminal, who could not even get his facts straight and was just about laughed out of court. The so-called DNA evidence against Knox will likewise take a fall when the court appointed experts turn in their report by the end of June. Simply put, the prosecution's case against Amanda Knox is crumbling fast, and it really is just a matter of time before she wins her appeal and is released.
Hopefully, Amanda will not have to spend another sweltering summer in Capanne prison waiting for her appeal to end. But even if she does spend this summer waiting, you can be sure it will be her last, before leaving Italy a free person.
It is not the fault of the court or judges but rather the prosecution seems to be dragging it's feet by not turning over certain information in a timely manner- I wonder why. Also it must be remembered that the appeals court has chosen to go over a great deal of information and re-examine witnesses. This is of course all in Amanda's favor and is actually necessary in order to prove that there is no reliable evidence that supports a guilty verdict.
All of this is time consuming but necessary in order to prove to all that the conviction of Amanda Knox for the murder of her British room-mate was a mistake- a crass and costly mistake. What flimsy 'evidence' the prosecution had put forth at the original trial is quickly being exposed at the appeal for what it is- ridiculous. The 'eye-witness' pegging Amanda near the murder site and who was believed by the judge and jury at the original trial has now been properly exposed as a confused, heroin addicted, criminal, who could not even get his facts straight and was just about laughed out of court. The so-called DNA evidence against Knox will likewise take a fall when the court appointed experts turn in their report by the end of June. Simply put, the prosecution's case against Amanda Knox is crumbling fast, and it really is just a matter of time before she wins her appeal and is released.
Hopefully, Amanda will not have to spend another sweltering summer in Capanne prison waiting for her appeal to end. But even if she does spend this summer waiting, you can be sure it will be her last, before leaving Italy a free person.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Knox Addresses the Court In Perugia
May 21, 2011 - Amanda Knox addressed the Italian court earlier today at her appeal hearing saying "I have been in prison for three years now and I am innocent... It is very frustrating and it is mentally exhausting and I want the truth to be found." Becoming emotional Knox continued "I remember how I was young and how I did not understand anything and the most important thing is that I do not want to stay in prison unjustly for all my life."
The big news for the day seems to be that the judge will allow the testimony of 5 serving inmates who have written letters to the court stating that Knox is innocent. This testimony will be heard next month over a two day period.
As far as I am concerned Amanda should win her appeal easily, and the only question in my mind is not 'if' she is to be released but 'when'. The sooner Knox is released from prison the better. The injustice of this thing is just overwhelming. I think the appeal judges have done a wonderful job, leaving no stone unturned to get at the truth. And like that old saying goes "The truth will set you free".
The big news for the day seems to be that the judge will allow the testimony of 5 serving inmates who have written letters to the court stating that Knox is innocent. This testimony will be heard next month over a two day period.
As far as I am concerned Amanda should win her appeal easily, and the only question in my mind is not 'if' she is to be released but 'when'. The sooner Knox is released from prison the better. The injustice of this thing is just overwhelming. I think the appeal judges have done a wonderful job, leaving no stone unturned to get at the truth. And like that old saying goes "The truth will set you free".
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Amanda Knox Appeal: Defending Amanda Can Be Dangerous
Fortunately, journalists and bloggers in the U S who defend Amanda Knox get little more than insulted with maybe a little name calling on the side by those disillusioned enough to think she's guilty. We in the U S are protected and empowered with 'freedom of speech' ....yet not everyone has it so good as we Americans. It seems that in Italy defending Amanda Knox can be a rather dangerous thing to do, well, at least in Perugia anyway. Seems the police and prosecutor in Perugia get more than a little cranky with people who disagree with them- particularly if it concerns Amanda Knox. Blogger Frank Sfarzo has had more than his share of trouble defending Amanda, but then, he actually lives in Perugia so he is therefore a highly visible target and easy prey for those cranky cops- a la Mignini. I have often wondered how he actually pulls off defending Amanda without serious harassment, considering his geographical location in Italy.
Well, as CBS has reported, Frank has been harassed big-time, including being beaten and arrested for his involvement with the Amanda Knox case. Kind of reminds me of prosecutor Mignini trying to put the screws to American author Douglas Preston for having an opinion not to Mignini's liking. Fortunately, Preston left Italy before it could get ugly, yet people like Sfarzo don't really have that option. Hopefully with all the recent news going round about how the Squadra Mobile police set up Frank Sfarzo, someone with power in Italy will do something about the harassment of journalists in Italy who defend Amanda Knox. Over here in the U S we have it easy compared with those in Perugia who live their lives looking over their shoulder.
The really sad part of all this is that many Italian journalists have simply stopped reporting about the Amanda Knox case for fear of Mignini and company. Actually, there is really very little to report at present other than the prosecution's case against Knox is crumbling fast. Soon it will be over and Knox will at last go free. But will the abuse of journalists in Italy stop once the Amanda Knox case is over? Unfortunately I think the abuse will go on. Pressuring journalists in Italy did not start with the Amanda Knox case, and will probably continue as long as people like Mignini hold power. I do believe however, that it was the Amanda Knox case that put the light on the evil and corruption that exists in some areas of the Italian legal system- in Perugia in particular. In all fairness though, it is not the system itself but rather a few corrupt individuals in powerful positions who are at fault. Everyone knows who they are yet is anyone going to do anything about it? This is more than just an Italian problem when an innocent American girl has been sitting in prison for over three years. Yet it is because of this injustice that the world is now watching, and I think that makes some people in Italy damn uncomfortable.
Well, as CBS has reported, Frank has been harassed big-time, including being beaten and arrested for his involvement with the Amanda Knox case. Kind of reminds me of prosecutor Mignini trying to put the screws to American author Douglas Preston for having an opinion not to Mignini's liking. Fortunately, Preston left Italy before it could get ugly, yet people like Sfarzo don't really have that option. Hopefully with all the recent news going round about how the Squadra Mobile police set up Frank Sfarzo, someone with power in Italy will do something about the harassment of journalists in Italy who defend Amanda Knox. Over here in the U S we have it easy compared with those in Perugia who live their lives looking over their shoulder.
The really sad part of all this is that many Italian journalists have simply stopped reporting about the Amanda Knox case for fear of Mignini and company. Actually, there is really very little to report at present other than the prosecution's case against Knox is crumbling fast. Soon it will be over and Knox will at last go free. But will the abuse of journalists in Italy stop once the Amanda Knox case is over? Unfortunately I think the abuse will go on. Pressuring journalists in Italy did not start with the Amanda Knox case, and will probably continue as long as people like Mignini hold power. I do believe however, that it was the Amanda Knox case that put the light on the evil and corruption that exists in some areas of the Italian legal system- in Perugia in particular. In all fairness though, it is not the system itself but rather a few corrupt individuals in powerful positions who are at fault. Everyone knows who they are yet is anyone going to do anything about it? This is more than just an Italian problem when an innocent American girl has been sitting in prison for over three years. Yet it is because of this injustice that the world is now watching, and I think that makes some people in Italy damn uncomfortable.
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