Hillary Clinton Drawn Into Amanda Knox Case...U.S. Backlash

U.S. backlash grows as Hillary Clinton is called in over the jailing of "Foxy Knoxy"


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been drawn into the battle to overturn Amanda Knox's conviction.

Amid a growing U.S. backlash against the verdict, the American Secretary of State has agreed to meet a senator from 22-year-old Knox's home state of Washington.

On Friday night, Knox was found guilty of the drug-fuelled sex murder of British student Meredith Kercher and jailed for 26 years.

Her conviction, alongside her Italian former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, came in tense late-night scenes in the Italian town of Perugia at the end of a year-long trial. Sollecito, 25, was jailed for 25 years.

Last night, Miss Kercher's family told of their anguish for the first time since her killer was jailed.

Her mother Arline, 64, said the entire family had been given a 'life sentence' and were 'living in a nightmare' for the two years since she was slain.

She also revealed how they keep the 21-year-old's bedroom exactly as it was when she left in the vain hope she will one day come home.

Miss Kercher's semi-naked body was found in November 2007 in a pool of blood in the bedroom of the home she and Knox shared in Perugia.

The court heard that Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was subjected to a terrifying ordeal when she returned to her Italian home after an evening with friends.

Knox, Sollecito and another man, drifter Rudy Guede, attempted to involve the Leeds University student in a sex game, cutting her throat when she refused and leaving her to die in 'slow agony'. Guede, 22, was convicted of murder and sexual assault last year and jailed for 30 years.

After the verdicts, Knox's furious father Curt Knox vowed to fight to clear his daughter's name and spoke of his 'anger and disbelief' at the Italian justice system.

His campaign seems to be gaining support on Capitol Hill. Senator Maria Cantwell, from Washington state, declared there were 'serious questions about the Italian justice system'.

She said she was concerned there had been an 'anti-American' feeling at the trial and said she would be raising her concerns with Mrs Clinton.

'The prosecution did not present enough evidence for an impartial jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Miss Knox was guilty,' she said. 'Italian jurors were allowed to view highly negative news coverage about Miss Knox.'

She said Knox, who called herself Foxy Knoxy on a web page, had been a victim of 'harsh treatment' and branded handling of evidence 'negligent'.

Mrs Clinton was asked about the trial in an appearance on a U.S. news programme.

She said: 'Of course I'll meet with Senator Cantwell or anyone who has a concern but I can't offer any opinion about that at this time.'

She said she had not expressed any concerns to the Italian government. Last night, Knox's Italian lawyer distanced himself from the senator's claims. Luciano Ghirga said: 'That's all we need, Hillary Clinton involved. I have the same political sympathies as Hillary but this sort of thing does not help us in any way.'

Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini said: 'This senator should not interfere in something she has no idea about. I am happy with how the trial went.'

Knox plans to appeal against her conviction, but if it is unsuccessful she is likely to have to serve the bulk of her 26-year sentence inside an Italian jail. As in Britain, prisoners can be released on licence, but Knox is unlikely to be eligible for even day release for at least 20 years.

She could make an application to serve her sentence in the U.S.

On Saturday, Knox's father, mother Edda Mellas, her sister and half-sisters visited her at Capanne prison, just outside Perugia.



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What's Next For Amanda Knox?

Parents visit Knox. She sought comfort from visiting family members on her first day in prison since being convicted of murdering her British roommate. NBC’s Keith Miller reports.

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Amanda Knox's father calls her guilty verdict "a travesty of justice".

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Amanda Knox's Next Move



After a grueling, 11-month trial, the young American co-ed was found guilty of murder by an Italian court. Barbie Latza Nadeau on how she'll try to shorten her sentence.

Amanda Knox put her face in her hands when she was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Meredith Kercher. Then she turned to her lawyer and wept in his arms. “Condannato” said the judge after deliberations that had begun around 10:30 that morning finally ended just after 9 p.m. “Amanda Marie Knox is condemned to 26 years in prison.”

The reaction in the courtroom was nothing short of explosive. As the judge read out the sentences for sexual assault, murder, staging a crime scene, and criminal defamation, Knox’s younger sister Deanna’s cries filled the room. At one point the stepmother of Raffaele Sollecito, Knox’s former boyfriend who was sentenced to 25 years for his part in the murder, yelled out “Fuck you,” then cried loudly in a fit of hysteria. Knox’s family cried and hugged. The family of Meredith Kercher sat stoically, at one point staring in awe at the parents of the woman who was just convicted of killing their daughter.

It wasn’t the life sentence with nine months of isolation that the prosecutor had asked for, but it was a harsh penalty for the 22-year-old American whose trial in the small city of Perugia, Italy, had captivated the world for 11 months. The prosecutor presented forensic evidence and painted a circumstantial caricature of Knox as a beautiful young woman capable of murder. The defense tried its best to sow seeds of uncertainty with words like “contamination” and “reasonable doubt.” But in the end, the two judges and six lay jurors trusted the sanctity of the DNA evidence, and doubted the words of Knox and Sollecito.

The case has been a media sensation ever since Kercher’s bloodied corpse was found in the apartment she shared with Knox in November 2007. For those who believed that Knox was guilty, the most damning evidence was the presence of her DNA mixed with Kercher’s blood in the house, and her statement that she was in the house at the time of the murder. Those who believed she was innocent have maintained throughout that the evidence was fabricated or contaminated. But for the family of Meredith Kercher, tonight's sentence offered a modicum of closure. “This is the justice we were looking for,” said Francesco Maresca, lawyer for the Kercher family, after the hearing. “The family is satisfied.”

The Knox family is not. They have vowed to continue to fight for her innocence. When asked if they would fight this in appeal, her father Curt Knox responded, “Hell, yes.”

Italian cases are automatically appealed and Knox may be able to shave a few years off her lengthy sentence during the process, which will take place within a year and a half. Until then, she will spend her days in prison a convicted murderess. “We were expecting this, but that does not make it easier,” said Knox’s lawyer Luciano Ghirga.

Despite the verdict, many still believe it does nothing to clarify exactly what happened the night Kercher was killed.




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Amanda Knox - Meredith Kercher Virtual Murder Scene

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Amanda Knox's Family Immediately Plans To Appeal Her Conviction

(Video from Europe) Amanda Knox found guilty. An Italian court convicted American student Amanda Knox, 22, of murdering her British roommate in a drunken sex game two years ago. NBC's Keith Miller reports from Perugia.

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An American Defense Attorney explains the Italian Criminal Justice System.

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Victim’s family satisfied with Knox conviction


The family of a slain British woman said Saturday they were pleased with the murder conviction of American student Amanda Knox but said there was no sense of celebration.

Meredith Kercher's relatives made their first comments since a jury in Perugia, Italy, announced early Saturday that they had convicted Knox and sentenced her to 26 years in prison for the 2007 murder.

The court also convicted Knox's co-defendant and former boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito, and gave him a 25-year jail term.

"Ultimately we are pleased with the decision, pleased that we've got a decision, but it's not a time for celebration," Lyle Kercher, the victim's brother, said.

Kercher's sister, Stephanie, said the verdict "does bring a a little bit of justice, for us and for her."

"Life will never be the same without Mez," she said.

Kercher, 21, was Knox's roommate while they studied in Perugia.

Her body was found in a pool of blood with her throat slit on Nov. 2, 2007 at the apartment they shared. Prosecutors said the Leeds University student was murdered the previous night.

Knox, family react to verdict

As soon as the judge read the verdict just after midnight following some 13 hours of deliberations, Knox began weeping and murmured, “No, no,” then hugged one of her lawyers.

Minutes later, the 22-year-old Knox, who is from Seattle and the 25-year-old Sollecito, were put in police vans with sirens blaring and driven back to jail.

Prosecutors had sought life imprisonment, Italy’s stiffest sentence. Courts often give less severe punishment than what prosecutors demand.

The American’s father, Curt Knox, asked if he would fight on for his daughter, replied, with tears in his eyes: “Hell, yes.”

“This is just wrong,” her stepmother, Cassandra Knox, said, turning around immediately after hearing the verdict. Her family had insisted she was innocent and a victim of character assassination.

One of Knox’s lawyers, Luciano Ghirga, was asked if she was desperate.

“Yes, I challenge anyone not to be,” he replied.

A group of local youths who gathered outside the courthouse shouted insults and “assassin” at the Knox entourage as they walked in to hear the verdict.

The family said Knox will appeal the verdict.

In a statement, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., blasted the Italian legal system.

"I am saddened by the verdict and I have serious questions about the Italian justice system and whether anti-Americanism tainted this trial," Cantwell said. "The prosecution did not present enough evidence for an impartial jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Knox was guilty."

"Italian jurors were not sequestered and were allowed to view highly negative news coverage about Ms. Knox," Cantwell said. The senator also cited the "harsh" treatment of Knox after her arrest and "the negligent handling of evidence by investigators."

Seattle friends, relatives react

Relatives and friends in Seattle clasped hands as they watched TV and waited for the verdict. Her uncle, Mick Huff, cried, "Oh God, no" when it was announced.

Other friends buried their faces in their hands and shook their heads.

"They didn't listen to the facts of the case," said Elisabeth Huff, Knox's grandmother. "All they did was listen to the media's lies."

Madison Paxton, a friend of Knox's, said: "They're convicting a made-up person. They they're convicting 'foxy Knoxy.' That's not Amanda."

In a statement, the family said: "We are extremely disappointed in the verdict rendered today against our daughter. ... It appears clear to us that the attacks on Amanda's character in much of the media and by the prosecution had a significant impact on the judges and jurors and apparently overshadowed the lack of evidence in the prosecution's case against her."

Fumes of drugs

The prosecutors contend on the night of the murder, Knox and Sollecito met at the apartment where Kercher and Knox lived. They say a fourth person was there, Rudy Hermann Guede, an Ivory Coast citizen who has been convicted in the murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Guede, who is appealing his conviction, says he was in the house the night of the murder but did not kill Kercher.

The prosecution says Knox and Kercher started arguing, and that Knox joined the two men in brutally attacking and sexually assaulting the Briton under "the fumes of drugs and possibly alcohol."

Throughout the trial, prosecutors depicted Knox as a promiscuous and manipulative she-devil whose personality clashed with her roommate's. They say Knox had grown to hate Kercher.

During the trial, the most intimate details of Knox's life were examined, from her lax hygiene — allegedly a point of contention with Kercher — to her sex life, even including a sex toy.

Knox said Kercher was a friend whose slaying shocked and saddened her.

Defense lawyers have described the American, who made the dean's list at the University of Washington, as a smart and cheerful woman, at one point even comparing her to film character Amelie, the innocent and dreamy girl in the 2001 French movie of the same title.

That is the film Knox and Sollecito say they were watching at his home on the night of the murder, where they say they smoked marijuana and had sex. Knox said she went home the next morning to find the door to the house open and Kercher dead.

The prosecution maintains that a 6 1/2-inch knife authorities found at Sollecito's house could be the murder weapon; they say Kercher's DNA was found on the blade and Knox's on the handle. However, defense lawyers argue the knife was too big to match Kercher's wounds and the amount of DNA collected was too small to determine with certainty whose it was.

Violence is purposeless

The defense maintained there was not enough evidence for a conviction and no clear motive.

However, prosecutor Manuela Comodi said violent crimes can lack a motive. "We live at a time where violence is purposeless," she told the jury.

Knox gave contradictory versions of the night of the slaying, saying at one point she was home and had to cover her ears to block out Kercher's screams and accusing a Congolese man of the killing. The man, Patrick Diya Lumumba, owns a pub in Perugia where Knox worked. He was jailed briefly but was later cleared and is seeking defamation damages from Knox.

Knox later contended that police pressure led her to initially accuse an innocent man.



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Amanda Knox Trial: Prosecution Rests...Life Sentence Sought

Prosecution makes final push in Knox trial. Closing arguments are underway in the Italian murder trial of American college student Amanda Knox. NBC’s Michelle Kosinski reports from Perugia with the latest.

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Life sentences sought in Amanda Knox case


Prosecutors on Saturday requested life in prison for Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend, who are accused in the fatal stabbing of her British roommate during a drug-fueled sex game — charges the U.S. woman dismissed as "pure fantasy."

In their closing arguments, the prosecutors said Amanda Knox and Italian Raffaele Sollecito should be convicted on charges of murder and sexual violence for the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher.

They deny wrongdoing.

Knox, who is from Seattle, took a deep breath when Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini requested life imprisonment — Italy's stiffest punishment. She then addressed the court, saying that the accusations against her were "pure fantasy."

"Meredith was my friend, I didn't hate her," she said in Italian, fighting back tears.

The Briton's body, her throat slit, was found in a pool of blood on Nov. 2, 2007, in the apartment she shared with Knox in the central Italian town of Perugia.

Prosecutors argued that Knox resented her British roommate and killed her, together with Sollecito and Rudy Hermann Guede, of Ivory Coast, under "the fumes of drugs and possibly alcohol."

They said Knox hit Kercher's head against a wall, then tried to strangle her, as Sollecito held her and Guede sexually assaulted her.

Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison last year for the killing after a fast-track trial he had requested. He also denies wrongdoing and is appealing his conviction.

"The murder and the sexual violence were carried out for futile reasons," Mignini said. "Meredith will never come back."


Verdict expected in early December

He requested nine months of daytime solitary confinement for Knox and two months for Sollecito. A verdict by the eight-member jury is expected in early December.

Knox, 22, and Sollecito, 25, have been jailed for more than two years since being arrested shortly after the slaying.

According to prosecutors, a knife with a 6 1/2-inch blade, with Kercher's DNA on the blade and Knox's on the handle, was found at Sollecito's house.

Defense lawyers argue that the knife is too big to match Kercher's wounds and that the amount of what prosecutors say is Kercher's DNA is too low to be attributed with certainty.

Prosecutors also maintain Sollecito's DNA was found on the clasp of Kercher's bra, although his defense team contends that the evidence might have been inadvertently contaminated during the investigation.

During Saturday's hearing, prosecutors showed an animated video reconstructing what they say were the different phases of the murder, with cartoon characters representing the defendants and the victim.

Photos showing Kercher's wounds and bruises also were shown in the video. Knox kept her head down during the presentation, while Sollecito watched it intently.

In their closing arguments, prosecutors also reviewed technical data on the use of Sollecito's computer the night Kercher was slain.

According to Knox, who took the stand last June, she spent the night of Nov. 1 with Sollecito at his home, watching a movie on his computer and smoking pot. Witnesses for the prosecution have argued that there was no sign of the defendant using his computer during the hours 21-year-old Kercher was stabbed to death.

Mignini also asked the court to convict the defendants on lesser charges, including staging a break-in and the theft of cash and Kercher's cell phones. He said Knox and Sollecito staged a burglary in the apartment by breaking a window in a bedroom in an attempt to sidetrack the investigation.

Knox also is being tried on charges of defamation for allegedly accusing Diya "Patrick" Lumumba — a Congolese man who owns a pub in Perugia where she worked — of being the killer. Because of her accusation, Lumumba was briefly jailed. He was later cleared and is seeking damages from Knox.

Defense lawyers will make their own closing arguments beginning late next week.



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Amanda Knox Testifies: Sex-Crazed, Framed Victim Or Cold-Blooded Murderess?....She Claims Police Brutality

(Amanda Knox testifies in an Italian court. She claims to have been a victim of Police Brutality.)



Newsweek-----

Murder suspect Amanda Knox has a lot of explaining to do. But what she says may not be as important as how she says it.

For five months, the 21-year-old Seattle honor student has spent Fridays and Saturdays in a Perugia, Italy, courtroom under harsh lights and watchful eyes, standing trial for the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher. She has heard witnesses describe her hygiene, sexual habits and inappropriate gymnastic displays. She has watched bloody crime-scene footage of the house she shared with Kercher, who was violently tortured and killed in November 2007. She has also seen explicit video of Kercher's battered body in a pool of blood on her bedroom floor, eyes open, with multiple knife wounds to her neck. Knox has listened while the jury has heard from forensic experts who identified her and Kercher's mixed DNA and blood in five areas in the house, including a footprint outside the crime scene.

On Friday, Knox will finally get her day in court, taking the stand as a "communal" witness for the prosecution, civil plaintiffs and her own defense. Her testimony is expected to last at least one day. "She's ready," says her Roman lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova. "She wants to talk."

Witness-jury interaction is one of the most critical aspects of a criminal trial, especially for the prime suspects. Not talking often implies the suspect has something to hide. But taking the stand can be far riskier. "The biggest risk is that she doesn't follow the advice of her lawyers," says Alessandra Batassa, a criminal-defense lawyer in Rome who has served on defense teams in similar crimes. "The court will be absolutely influenced by nonjudicial factors like her demeanor. Her image has been painted in a very bad light in the trial so far, so she has to portray that she has normal sexual relationships and that she is just a normal girl. She has to be very convincing."

In the past, Knox has not always proved herself a competent speaker—especially under pressure. As heard in audiotapes obtained by NEWSWEEK from a January 2008 prosecutorial interrogation, she speaks in a steady, low voice that is calm and confident, but she makes basic mistakes. When asked about specifics of the morning after the murder, she clearly stammers and stutters, undoubtedly damaging her case in the eyes of the prosecutor. At times she is indignant, answering questions with her own questions. On the tape she is either serious or arrogant, even laughing at the prosecutor's line of questioning. When she has addressed the court in spontaneous declarations, she has waffled between confidence and calamity. She has spoken about her vibrator and about being interrogated by police and about being disappointed by what Kercher's friends have said about her. She will almost surely be less cavalier this time, as her lawyers prepare her for what will be a grueling day. The jury will be listening attentively, but more important, they will be watching her every move.

Knox's actions already overshadow anything she has said in court. On Valentine's Day, she wore a T shirt with the Beatles’ mantra “All You Need Is Love," and she and her codefendant, Rafaelle Sollecito, frequently exchange flirtations in full view of the jury. This is a young woman who was accused of performing cartwheels in the police station while waiting to be questioned for the murder of her roommate. And who, on her first chance to speak, chose the delicate topic of her sex toy rather than focusing on her involvement in the murder. "It exists," she told the court last February after proclaiming her innocence. "It was a joke. It's a little pink rabbit and it was given to me by a friend."

This time Knox will have to address much more than circumstantial evidence. She will be questioned by the prosecutor about specific elements of the case, including why her DNA and Kercher's blood were found around the house, especially in a back bedroom where police believe she and Sollecito staged a break-in. Other questions will include why her DNA was discovered on the handle of a knife that had Kercher's DNA on the blade. She will likely have to provide a believable alibi for the night of the murder, something that she and Sollecito have yet to do. And she has to be careful not to accidentally blame Sollecito, who is waiving his right to testify. "The biggest mistake she can make is to accuse or unload the responsibility on the other suspect," says Batassa. "And she should not accuse or blame the court or those deciding this case."

She will also be questioned by civil attorneys for Patrick Lumumba, her former boss at a nightclub where she worked as a barmaid. In the days after the crime, Knox accused Lumumba of murdering Kercher, which led to his arrest and incarceration. He was released when another man, Rudy Guede, confessed to being at the crime scene. Guede was convicted of his part in Kercher's murder last October and is serving a 30-year sentence. His appeal will begin Nov. 18. "Accusing an innocent person is always a big defensive error and one that has put her in a bad light," says Batassa. "But explaining and apologizing, even this late, will be seen as a favorable element for her."

How Knox physically interacts with the jury could play an even bigger role in how they perceive her. Body-language experts agree that nonverbal communication affects a listener even more than words. Very erect and even stiff posture or the sudden crossing of the arms or legs often indicates that a person is uncomfortable with what he is saying. When people lie, gesticulation will also slow down—those covering something up tend to overcompensate by trying not to draw attention to themselves. Some go to the extreme, even putting their hands in their pockets, sitting on them or trying to keep them from moving. Experts agree that touching the mouth or face—especially scratching the nose, touching the ear or the chin—is the most obvious body-language lie detector.

Finally, none of what Knox says may really matter. In Italy, defendants in criminal trials do not have to take an oath before testifying. "The suspect is the only one in a criminal trial who can tell 'their truth' without being accused of false testimony," says Batassa. Those judging the case will have to decide if hers is the real truth.


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