AMANDA KNOX, RAEFFAELE SOLLECITO FREE FROM PERUGIA PRISON BY ACQUITTAL VERDICT
Amanda Knox was aquitted today in the murder of room mate and friend Meredith Kercher.
Check back to www.blinkoncrime.com for updates
Jacqueline Beaufort, contributing editor
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B ~ were you able to see Amanda walk into court & then hear the verdict live ??
Amanda did not look as if she would make it on her own walking in & was totally supported as they hustled her out after the verdict.
The courtroom seems to be in an uproar as well as all the crowd outside.
Not clear if Amanda’s ex-boyfriend was ‘aquitted’ ??
By being sentenced to 3yrs for ‘implicating’ her former boss — though she has been in prison for 4yrs — did the Judge say ‘time served’??
Language/translation w/stream I am watching was ‘spotty’ so NOT clear WHAT happens NOW to Amanda. Can she leave Italy ASAP -or- is this to be a process of days/weeks??
plus fees, yes. She is being processed to leave, and I hope getting a medical evaluation.
B
Thanks
I am slightly surprised. Not sure if she is guilty or not.
My bad Blink, just saw/read ‘full header’ re:ex-boyfriend ‘aquitted,too’.
Is there a medical evaluation for “immaturity” ?
Is 4 years a cure for that ?
I never believed they had any evidence to convict her.
Well I was referring to the fact that she appeared to almost pass out, and a wail of sorts was coming from someone, I am concerned for her physical and mental well being before she makes that trip, but if I were dad, I would arrange that myself and get her the hell out of there.
She would never have even been arrested for this crime in the US, let alone convicted.
B
As my kids lovingly joke about their amateur “at home detective Mom”, I believe with all my heart Amanda Knox is innocent. Thank God and Greyhound she is free! I have prayed for this family so much and of course Meredith’s family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Thank heaven and Amandas grandmother SHES FREE!
A question: Was she convicted of slander against LE, or in the civil case of defamation against Lumumba? The reporting/translating was confused in this regard.
I hope that she finds full recovery from this and is able to build the life she wants. But I also hope that she shows the world (and Meredith’s family) her strength of character by herself doing something in Meredith’s honor. They were friends and roommates for such a short time, but it would be a thing of beauty, imho.
Defamation, no other charges.
B
I gotta admit, I watched the events unfold with teary eyes. I really thought she was going to lose her composure before the verdict was read…a breakdown of sorts.
What a horrible uncertainty to endure.
@ Riverpearl says:
October 3, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Her boyfriend was cleared, too.
-snipped-
Her co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito, was also cleared of involvement in Kercher’s death.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/03/world/europe/italy-knox-appeal/index.html?hpt=ju_c1
So happy to see Amanda freed. It must just kill Casey Anthony to know that Amanda will be the media darling that she thought she would be.
I thought for years that she was railroaded by dirty politicians (Giuliano Mignini) especially after reading Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston.
Then I was confused by the opinions on Seamus O’Reilly and Eyes for Lies. I feel pretty confident that they should have both been freed. As a juror, I would not have convicted them.
guilty or not,i didnt think she was quilty of murdering the girl, ,there is something mentally wrong with her.
Amanda Knox looked exhausted, the relief she must have felt when the verdict was read… Although there will be some who will still suspect her in some way, the worst part of the nightmare is over for her. America will embrace her when she returns and rightly so…
susanm, I always thought she is immature. Kind of like “she has no idea how much trouble she is in” so that gives me the impression she is immature. But maybe there is something wrong with her mind overall. This experience should make her grow up. If she is sociopathic we may see her again some day.
I hope the C word was watching the verdict to see what a person who is truly innocent looks like when they walk in to face their fate and the reaction of being set free. It wasn’t the ‘I got away with it’ smiles and ‘I can’t wait to get my hair cut and go to Old Navy’ smirks we saw this past summer.
ITALY: Amanda Knox released from prison
REPORTING FROM LONDON — Amanda Knox was released from an Italian prison Monday, just two hours after an appeals court overturned her murder conviction in the 2007 slaying of her British roommate.
A pair of dark vehicles pulled out of the gates of Capanne Prison, outside Perugia, and swept past a large crowd of photographers, according to news footage.
Corrado Maria Daclon, the secretary-general of a foundation that has championed Knox’s cause, drove with the 24-year-old Seattle native. He told the Associated Press that Knox just “wanted to go home, reconnect with her family, take possession of her life and win back her happiness.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/italy-amanda-knox-released.html
Blink ~ can you confirm, IS Amanda released ??
Seeing conflicting reports … Thanks
Amanda Knox free? Not according to some early reports
http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/10/03/amanda-knox-free-not-according-to-some-early-reports/
More on release ~
Daclon quoted Knox as telling him as she left prison that she just “wanted to go home, reconnect with her family, take possession of her life and win back her happiness.”
Italian lawmaker Rocco Girlanda, who is close to the American, says she and her family will leave Italy on Tuesday aboard a commercial flight from Rome.
Friend: Knox just wants to go home, restart life
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Knox-leaves-prison-due-to-leave-Italy-on-Tuesday-2199678.php
I don’t know if Amanda or her boyfriend were on the premises or not when the crime was committed.
The fact that she was in jail with a conviction was all about politics in an effort to make the origional judge look good. The evidence appeared to be mostly worthless in proving a crime.
Thank GOD the Italians have an appeal process.
So thankful that Amanda was found not guilty!
Once again a jury speaks,”per non aver commesso il fatto.”
http://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/10/03/news/sentenza-22642156/?ref=HREA-1
Hopefully someone will recognize how much treatment/therapy this woman needs from this point forward. The Ex-bf…I dunno–non capice.
Frankly,sono scioccato, but I can’t say it’s verogogna, because of the unreputable evidence. Buon viaggio, signorina Knox.
Another viewpoint, from the loquacious Daily Mail (tabloid):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2044899/Amanda-Knox-verdict-What-Foxy-Knoxy.html
I haven’t had time to research this case in depthly…but of course I had to read my fair share of pieces in order to feel comfortable with feeling that she is likely innocent.
Just about every talking head legal analyst on tv gave their opinions and said they thought she’d never be convicted in US, virtually no evidence etc
But I happened to have Bill O’Reilly on tonight and he was discussing the case with Judge Andrew Nepalitano. He agreed their wasn’t sufficient evidence etc but when asked to sum it all up he said (not quoted verbatim but)
There wasn’t sufficient or any evidence to convict her of murder. However, her actions etc lead him to believe she was there that night and knows what happened.
?
What did I miss? I know they have a footprint I’m confused
Some articles are saying that the court didn’t just acquit due to lack of evidence, but actually declared Knox and Sollecito innocent of committing the crime.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-10-03/amanda-knox-italy-court-overturns-murder-conviction-town-mixed-emotions/50648478/1
Also, the 3-year conviction for defamation of Lumumba that resulted in him going to jail for 2 weeks seems harsh. After all, wasn’t she also “defamed” and then spent 4 years in jail partially as a result? Seems out of balance, even though I know it is time already served.
Yep CA the second! Unbelievable…but true
Blink, why do you suppose she implicated someone?
She was scared, wanted out of there, and spoke and understood poor Italian at the time, as well as in no way understanding the gravity of the situation.
B
I am so very happy for this girl. This injustice of this trial made me think of the Salem witch trials, southern lynchings and the trial of Jesus of Nazareth…all situations where guilt was a foregone conclusion and facts were just an inconvenience to be dispensed with. The tragedy here, beyond the fact that Amanda and Raffaelle lost four years of their lives, is that the prosecutor cannot be tried, punished and removed from the “justice” system…a word which he does not comprehend or respect.
She implicated a very gentle and popular bar owner who was always willing to help everyone. It is said that He has thus lost almost everything after being in jail for those accusations. He had fired AK who was working at le Chic before the murder and he wanted to give the Job to Meredith Kercher.
I’m curious if anyone knows what evidence was shown during the trial of Rudy Guede that makes the Kercher family and many Italians, including the jury at Guede’s trial so sure he didn’t act alone? From the evidence I’m aware of it had something to do with the lack of bruises and defensive wounds on Meredith’s body or something so they think others had to help hold her down? That seems awfully flimsy if that’s all they have.
I personally do not believe there was any evidence that showed he did not act alone, what I THINK they are basing that on, is that Meredith had what I would characterize as “hesitation cuts” on her neck, prior to the unskilled fatal wound, which would have taken about 10 minutes for her to bleed to death. It is my assumption that the family feels Meredith would have fought violently against this intruder so therefore she must have been held down to allow those wounds.
Again, MO, but there were bruises around her mouth which I believe may have been caused by Guede suffocating her to the point where she passed out, and then he stabbed her. It is beyond flimsy, it is non-existent. That said, my heart aches for the Kercher family.
B
B
The Rolling Stone did a pretty good job in writing a piece on Amanda in June 2011.
It’s a little long (7 pages) – but very well written. MOO
The article goes into great detail – more so than any of the MSM write-ups I’e seen.
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-neverending-nightmare-of-amanda-knox-20110627
“The Neverending Nightmare of Amanda Knox”
“How a naive kid from Seattle was coerced into confessing to a brutal murder and wound up sentenced to 26 years in an Italian jail”
Sammy is correct, best article I have read to date, thanks for posting.
B
I am happy Amanda Knox is able to resume her life. Such a young girl, started out on a positive educational adventure only to suffer 4 years in jail. I hope once she’s settled and back to good health she can thrive and be successful in her endeavors. To Meredith’s family I pray for them the comfort of their memories of her.
I have read the Rolling Stone article, and to me the take-home point is that innocent people need a lawyer as much, if not more than guilty people.
I see posts frequently about how POI’s have “lawyered up” and must therefore be guilty. Here is a case where an innocent person did not hire a lawyer and spent four years in jail.
“29. babyfacemagee says:
October 4, 2011 at 3:47 am
I’m curious if anyone knows what evidence was shown during the trial of Rudy Guede that makes the Kercher family and many Italians, including the jury at Guede’s trial so sure he didn’t act alone?”
The other pieces of information that I’ve read as cited in this regard are (not supporting these, just providing info):
*That the break-in was staged. Too hard to open the shutters, break the glass and climb in that window. Glass on top of the piles of clothes that supposedly came from ransacking as from the room being a mess. I think this was one of the key assertions.
*That Rudy was “interested” in Amanda, not Meredith who was involved with one of the young men living downstairs that he was visiting.
To: Blink,
I know this is coming from left field, but I have a lot of respect for NJ Gov. Christie.
He is the too-late solution for this state, but I am very fond of him to say the least.
B
Amanda lied about her boss Patrick being involved I M O she did this as an escape route.She knew he had an alibi an thought that this would prove her entire admissions were false.She was being pressurised both mentaly an physicaly abused by the police.The police in Europe can be very heavy handed .The prosecuter has previous for outlandish theories an false prosecutions,Now that Amanda is free of Italian soil a lot of people will be gobsmacked at her treatment.Remembet Italian doctors told her she was H I V positive shortly after her arrival in jail.Later they told her it was a mistake in the test an she didnt have H I V.
Well they also told her that he was there, which imo, made her think she was supposed to tell them something so they could exclude her, and implicate him. At the time, she HAD been called off from work by him the night before. That said, without a taped interview, I really feel that 3 years for defamation and the fines are harsh. That issue was not specifically argued by the defense really, either.
I am sure she is simply glad to be out of there, I would be.
B
Don’t fee like the “lone ranger”, Ragdoll….I, too, was in tears as
I watched the verdict being read yesterday.
I’m so happy that Amanda will be home soon. However, I did read this morning that Mignini is planning to appeal.
Blink~ is there any chance of Amanda being extradited back to Italy?
I sure hope not.
Also, thank you Sammy for posting that link!
Nope, she is clear. I m not even sure they could come after her for the fine.
B
I was relieved when I heard the verdict, and that she was getting to go home. I did not, in my heart, believe she was guilty. My opinion would have been different if the Italians had shown us one bit of proof/evidence that she was involved. The whole investigation was sketchy to say the least, and I agree that she would not have been convicted had this taken place in the US.
Didnt she receive an extra year for saying an Italian policewoman slapped her?The 22 thousand euro fine isnt to harsh realy.The way the euro is going down the tubes fifty bucks should cover it.
LOl
B
Amanda Knox leaves Italy, heads for U.S.
LONDON (AP) — Amanda Knox’s family and friends prepared for her return to American soil Tuesday, a day after the dramatic reversal of her murder conviction in Italy ended her four-year prison ordeal.Knox flew from Rome to London, where she took a direct flight to Seattle, surrounded by family members. A British Airways attendant on the flight blocked media from the plane’s secluded upper deck “to preserve the privacy” of passengers. The attendant, quoting a Knox family member, said media were not allowed to contact Knox or her family on the flight but were welcome to attend a press conference later in Seattle.Neither person was named, but it was the first concrete confirmation that Knox was on the flight.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-10-04/amanda-knox-return-to-us/50651434/1?csp=34news
Amanda Knox flying home to Seattle; prosecutor to appeal
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO and MARTIN BENEDYK, Associated Press Published: Oct 4, 2011 at 6:44 AM PDT Last Updated: Oct 4, 2011 at 11:56 AM PDT
It was unclear whether Knox herself would speak at the airport. She is expected to arrive at Sea-Tac Airport at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday.
“During the trip from Perugia to Rome, Amanda was serene,” said Daclon, who was with Knox in the car.
Knox flew from Rome to London, where she took a direct flight to Seattle, flying business class with full-length seat and menu options including champagne, smoked salmon and prawn salad.
At least nine members of media organizations were on board, but a British Airways attendant on the flight blocked them from the plane’s secluded upper deck “to preserve the privacy” of passengers.
Prosecutors announced they are appealing the innocent verdicts of Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, to Italy’s highest court.
Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini expressed disbelief at the verdict and said he will appeal to Italy’s highest criminal court after receiving the reasoning behind the acquittals, due within 90 days.
“Let’s wait and we will see who was right. The first court or the appeal court,” Mignini told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “This trial was done under unacceptable media pressure.”
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/131046333.html
I am thinking about brushing up on my Italia to tell this gavone ( oh yeah, I know all the insults) off. He is a blow-hard who knows there is no chance in hell the US would ever agree to extraditing her back there. Unacceptable media pressure? Who were the people outright referring to her as a she devil and witch?
That man needs to call Scott Ellington to find out how to learn to bend over a barrell and yell thank you sir can I have another.
B
Posted: 12:51 am PDT October 4, 2011
Updated: 12:23 pm PDT October 4, 2011
Giulia Alagna is an acquaintance of Knox who had talked to Knox on the phone.
“She just said it was amazing to be out, a little overwhelming,” said Alagna. “She sounded great, actually, a very different voice from what we heard in court because that situation was very stressful for her. She was afraid and nervous. This voice was a happy voice.”
Knox and her family arrived at Heathrow Airport in London at about 5:30 a.m. and are on a British Airlines flight to Seattle. A reporter working with @KIRO7Seattle said staff on the flight had cordoned off the area where the Knox family are sitting.
A spokesman for the Knox family said they will hold a news conference at about 5:45 p.m. at the airport. Knox’s parents and their legal adviser will speak to reporters, and Amanda Knox may speak. The family arrives in Seattle at 5:15 p.m.
Knox’s grandmother told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News she was elated and is awaiting her family’s return home.
http://www.kirotv.com/news/29380683/detail.html
New video shows Knox at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport. The Italy-US Foundation said she left Rome’s airport for London, where she and her family had a brief layover before catching a connecting flight to the United States.
Knox family spokesperson Dave Marriott said Amanda and her parents are on a British Airways flight from London due to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at about 5:15 p.m. (View flight tracker for British Airways Flight 49)
Marriott confirmed Tuesday morning that a news conference will be held at the airport about a half-hour after the plane lands. He said Knox’s parents, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas, and legal adviser Ted Simon are expected to speak to reporters. Marriott said whether Amanda Knox will talk is up in the air.
About 90 minutes after the verdict was handed down, a black Mercedes carrying Knox was seen leaving the prison.
The Kerchers had pressed for the court to uphold the guilty verdicts, and resisted theories that a third man convicted in the case, Rudy Hermann Guede, had acted alone. Guede, convicted in a separate trial, is serving a 16-year sentence.
There were two options to acquit: that there wasn’t enough evidence to uphold the conviction or that the pair simply didn’t commit the crime. The eight-member jury determined the latter, clearing Knox and Sollecito completely.
“Tonight’s sentence is wrong and confounding,” prosecutor Giuliano Mignini told the ANSA news agency. “There is a heavy conviction for slander. Why did she accuse him? We don’t know.”
“The Court of Cassation will establish who is right” between the lower court and the appeals court, he added. Mignini said there was “unprecedented media pressure,” revisiting a theme he touched on during his closing arguments.
Lawyers for Knox and Sollecito charged that Guede was the sole killer, but the prosecution and a lawyer for the Kercher family said bruises and a lack of defensive wounds on Kercher’s body prove there was more than one aggressor holding her down.
After the verdict, the U.S. State Department said it appreciated the “careful consideration” the Italian justice system gave to the case. “Our embassy in Rome will continue to provide appropriate consular assistance to Ms. Knox and her family,” spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Watch-Amanda-Knox-a-free-woman-at-Rome-airport-131043393.html
By the ‘flight tracker’ site appears flight arrival ‘scheduled’ 4:28pm PDT; 7-day average 4:45pm PDT; actual estimated time 5:00pm PDT
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BAW49
That photo of Amanda is not one I’ve seen before – I’m curious – what is the context?
It is from earlier in the appeal, we broke the news prior to new footage and it was the closest that came to what I saw live.
B
I hope people can leave her and her family in peace so that they can find their balance again and resume their lives. I could easily see one of my daughters making similar mistakes in such a situation. Very scary – What a nightmare.
I never followed the Knox case other than by the headlines. I took the time before the reading of the verdict yesterday to read some of the facts presented at the trial. Wow, was I amazed at how little of definitive facts were used to convict her. The facts in the courtroom gave a completely different picture than the headlines over the last 4 years.
It would almost be worth it fighting I-5 traffic to make the trek to Seattle
I am sooo glad she’s coming home. I was tearing up as well Ragdoll, I’m sure there were many who were. That Rolling Stone article was interesting, thanks for posting that.
Amanda Knox and her family will be arriving in Seattle in the next few hours … and TMZ has learned multiple security agencies, including U.S. Customs and the TSA are working together to execute a safety plan.
TMZ spoke with Port of Seattle Police spokesman Perry Cooper — who tells us the Knox family contacted authorities to ask for the extra help … and also to request a media area be set up so they can make a statement once the family touches down.
Cooper tells us the TSA, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Airport Police and the Port of Seattle Police will all take part in the security effort.
Cooper notes that while the safety of the Knox family is important, officials believe the main concern is keeping the entire airport secure.
http://www.tmz.com/
The problem is that the prosecutor Mignini sees satanic cults EVERYWHERE! He has NO credibility and is a very dangerous man because of his power. I lived in Italy for many years annd have no doubt that he wanted the “evidence” to prove his theory.
Added to that is the fact that the “wrong” police arrived first at the crime scene and hopelessly contaminated the crime scene. It makes me think back to how mistkes made in the first moments of an investigation can doom any sense of justice right from the get go.
And for anyone who hasn’t followed this story closely – that Rolling Stone article that Sammy recommended this morning is EXCELLENT!
That said, there are several important questions as well as “lessons learned” here:
Amanda was woefully naive to be traveling on her own in a foreign county especially when her knowledge of the language was “beginner” at best. And having an aunt who lives in Germany was not close enough support for someone who was still very immature.
Who goes into their home when they come home and find the door ajar?? That’s the first sign to call the police.
What “support” did the school provide to Amanda?
When I first went over to Italy, our school orientation included a talk from the American Consulate on the fact that while we were visiting students in Italy, we were also de facto American ambassadors…and that if we ran afoul of the Italian law all that the Consulate could do was to provide us a list of Italian attorneys who spoke English and that all costs were on us and/or our parents.
Our school administrators kept a watchful eye and mediated several problems for some of the students before they became major issues.
There will always be questions here about what happened and who all was involved. This was a toxic mix of over-zealous prosecution and police interrogation that was fueled – I think – to a certain extent by questionable behavior by both Amanda and Raffaele. Even if coerced to confess or to name someone, Amanda should have recanted the slander againt Lumumba the next day ….It hurt her credibility.
But whatever msitakes were made here and regardless of by whom, at the end of the day, the Kercher Family has still lost a beautiful, cherished child …and they will never know the truth of what happened. And the ONLY one who even mentioned this in the comments after the verdict was Raffaele’s father’s. Now THAT’s class…..
Hi, everyone! I’m work swamped!!! But I wanted to say hi and YAY!!! Amanda’s free!
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and a God too, by the way; and every once in a while justice does prevail – even in Italy. xoxo’s
I miss you all but will be back soon.