BREAKING: Italy's Highest Court Overturns Amanda Knox Murder Conviction
Source: Associated Press
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-27/italian-court-annuls-amanda-knox-murder-conviction
Amanda Knox murder conviction overturned by Italy high court
BY COLLEEN BARRY AND FRANCES D'EMILIO
MAR. 27, 2015 5:43 PM EDT
ROME (AP) Italy's highest court has overturned the murder conviction against Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend, bringing to a definitive end the high-profile case.
The decision by the supreme Court of Cassation is the final ruling in the case, ending the long legal battle waged by Knox and co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito. Both Knox, who was awaiting the verdict in her hometown of Seattle, and Sollecito have long maintained their innocence.
The supreme Court of Cassation overturned last year's convictions by a Florence appeals court, and declined to order another trial. The decision means the judges, after thoroughly examining the case, concluded that a conviction could not be supported by the evidence. Their reasoning will be released within 90 days.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/018d6a0ba12845aba0dfa91adbef968e/lawyer-knoxs-ex-boyfriend-makes-final-court-appeal
hedgehog
(36,286 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)It was a witch hunt, and it's over.
liberalhistorian
(20,822 posts)prosecutor, who'd been cited for prosecutorial misconduct on previous cases, will finally get what's coming to him. But, knowing the Italian "justice" system the way it's shown itself in this case, I'm not holding my breath at all. He and his team are probably busy now trying to figure out how to continue their legal torturing of her.
MADem
(135,425 posts)The court--finally--drew a line under this hot mess. She and her former boyfriend are free and will never again be harassed by the government for this crime. If I were her, I'd consider Italy a "Been There, Done That" item on the bucket list, though--all that Italian she learned is pretty useless, unless she decides to be an interpreter over here or joins the State Department and gets a job over there that INCLUDES diplomatic immunity. I'd never visit if I were her with either that or SOFA protections--I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them!!
Shrike47
(6,913 posts)MADem
(135,425 posts)are people who bet on the outcome who aren't happy at losing a packet, either.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)Not guilty!
Finally, the voice of reason!
rtracey
(2,062 posts)and we are sure they didnt do it because?
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)No motive.
And lots of other reasons.
Oh, by the way, the Supreme Court not only overturned the conviction, it stated that they did not commit the crime. Normally, courts use words like "not enough evidence to convict."
In about 90 days, the court's written decision will be available if you want to read it. I'm sure it will be translated in English if you don't read Italian. (I don't. )
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)...autopsy reports (creatively ignored by the judges at the first and third trials), establishing that Kercher was killed several hours before the time claimed by the prosecution -- and a time when Knox and Sollecito had a clear alibi.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)There is loads of evidence for the actual killer.
Meredith Kercher probably walked in on Rudy Guede, who had broken into her cottage. It was Rudy Guede's MO to throw rocks into windows, and if no one responds, Rudy Guede would enter through the broken window. At least one time shortly before he murdered Meredith Kercher, Rudy Guede had stayed in the building. That indicates he could potentially be very dangerous:
Rudy Guede had broken Meredith Kercher's cottage window, obviously to break into the cottage. He then raped and murdered Meredith Kercher. He left his DNA at the scene.
There is no evidence that Amanda Knox was present. None of her clothes had any blood stains, despite the bloody mess. There is no plausible reason for Amanda Knox to help Rudy Guede murder her roommate.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)Thankfully, it is finally over.
There are still many wrongfully convicted people right here in the U.S.
www.innocenceproject.org
www.injustice-anywhere.org
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)elleng
(131,293 posts)TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)Instead, they gave her a clear acquittal!
pnwmom
(109,021 posts)TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)So happy for everyone involved.
Now, may the Kerchers find peace. May they someday realize that the only murderer is in prison. Of course, since he's getting out for school/work release I don't see how they can be happy about that.
pnwmom
(109,021 posts)I don't know her personally, but a number of my friends do. And my son was in a small class with her at U.W.
She and Raffaele are genuinely nice people who have been put through hell. But it's finally over.
I am in tears.
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)I'd been convinced of the pair's innocence since I first took a serious look at the evidence around the time of the first appeal, but I had only the interest of someone outraged at injustice in general. However, in the past couple of months, Knox has become engaged to the son of a friend (in fact, one who was a groomsman at my own wedding), whose family knew her since she was a middle-schooler (needless to say, they knew her character well enough to be able to say with assurance that there's no way she could have ever killed anyone). When today's verdict came down, needless to say, there was much jubilation being expressed by all of us on my friend's Facebook page!
StevieM
(10,500 posts)start a new phase where Italy sought extradition.
This whole process has been so shameful, from the corrupt police investigation, to the out-of-control prosecutor, to the kangaroo court. And let's not let the broader Italian society off the hook either.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I read her book and have to say it was quite informative. She has a blog and I have read that as well.
Suich
(10,642 posts)or is it all over?
Never mind...just got my answer.
Terrific news, at last!!!
MADem
(135,425 posts)conviction. DNA on a brassiere clasp? Please.
Your link goes to a different story with a banner about the overturning. Here's one that goes to the story itself:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-27/italian-court-annuls-amanda-knox-murder-conviction
Though they haven't written anything there, yet.
Here's one with a wee bit o'verbiage:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/mar/27/amanda-knox-murder-trial-italy-court-decision-live-updates
After 10 hours of deliberations the ruling closes the case, and Knox and Sollecito are free without fear of charges or, in Knoxs case, extradition to Italy.
Near Knoxs home in Seattle, Nicky Woolf hears what he believes are fireworks.
pnwmom
(109,021 posts)I don't know what the status is of the various civil claims.
MADem
(135,425 posts)The "evidence" has all been discredited. It was prosecutorial misconduct of the worst sort, and the appeals court saw that.
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)...that can cut both ways. There are unconfirmed reports that Sollecito and/or Knox will sue certain parties for their roles in this charade. (I hope someone cleans out the Satanic-sex-crimes-obsessed prosecutor, without whom this case would have been solved as a simple break-in relatively quickly.)
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)mainer
(12,037 posts)And the Kercher family is going to have to come to grips with reality.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)They speak no Italian and have been relying on their attorney who hoped to make a lot of money, I'm sure, in a civil trial. You know, all the millions "foxy knoxy" made on her book? (Spent on attorneys, expert witnesses, living expenses for her family for 4 four years in Italy. Someone was always there with her, and family members took turns staying in Italy. Her family took out mortgages on their homes.)
It's over. I wish the Kercher family well, but after this many years, they will need to face the fact that demonizing Amanda does not make their deceased daughter any more angelic than she already was. She was apparently a sweet, hard working, fun loving girl who also had sex and was going out with the guy who lived in the basement and grew weed. Continuing the vendetta will never bring her back.
I can't imagine what they have gone through, but after this many years...yeah, they are going to have to come to grips with reality or their hatred will destroy their lives what is left of their lives.
mainer
(12,037 posts)They weren't interested in justice. They were invested only in vengeance, and they didn't care if their target was innocent or not.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)Most people manage to do it without victimizing innocent people.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)liberalhistorian
(20,822 posts)And just like a lot of prosecutors in this country, too. To hell with true justice, which means properly convicting the RIGHT people, they just want the conviction under their belt. And, for the more sinister among them, they want the fame and career boost from doing so.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)Gothmog
(145,805 posts)I am glad that this ordeal is over for Ms. Knox
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Renew Deal
(81,895 posts)alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)She got long-term immersion in Italian language and culture, and got to learn the ins-and-outs of the Italian legal system as well. This wasn't just a semester spent getting drunk on vino and slurping down Umbrian food, and roadtrips to Florence and Rimini! She really got a top-notch education.
Archae
(46,369 posts)I hope he ends up disbarred as the result of his misconduct.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)hope they can get on with their lives.
Wash. state Desk Jet
(3,426 posts)But it ain't all over. On the civil end there are those remaining issues of forced confession/confessions. For example ,the pub owner
who was implicated or said to have had some type of connection to the crime committed as it will appear committed to paper
and introduced as evidence at trial. That means the matters of police corruption/forced confession statements and prosecution's tampering with evidence,fabricating
evidence, misrepresenting facts and statements all of which connect into civil suits.And the cops were servants to the prosecutor.-Not all of them but some of them. The pub owner filed civil suit in Italy years ago.Actually during the first trial.
Those two extra years added on to Amanda Knox's 26 year sentence. Actually at that point in the proceedings it became clear that the prosecutor over there was on a self proclaimed mission which lead to suspicion of police methods of interrogation were most likely terroristic -more-so a likeness to water boarding.Grant it terroristic is a hard choice of words given the political climate regarding
global terrorism ,however fact is she was terrorized.
My suspicion at the time of the charge placed against her for falsifying a statement implicating the pub owner of having involvement
in the crime is that ,that was additional punishment to the charges for not having cooperated with the police forced confession.
That meant the prosecutor had long since decided to make her guilty by every and any means available to him.
The truth is they decided they could not afford the truth be known ,in Italy or elsewhere,so they decided to throw the american under the bus, make her the sacrificial lamb.
Think about it, a known thieving ,drug dealing drifter in a little old Italian collage town with a number of foreign exchange students
coming and going- why who would sent their children to such a place that will allow that sort of thing to go on.
And the Italian people would be at high alarm.
To the prosecutor it seemed a practical political choice. And he must have figured the political winds were with him given the
political/diplomatic standing between the U.S. and Italy. Aside from that Italy is much closer to England or the UK through the EU. Practical it
just must have seemed to them.
She is free now, and it came at a high price.
tblue37
(65,526 posts)will decide to go elsewhere now instead of spending their time and money in Italy.
JustAnotherGen
(32,002 posts)I think top 20 most traveled to abroad. Would have to check my travel stats though.
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)JustAnotherGen
(32,002 posts)Are spending their money!
The only country I've visited with strongly anti American sentiments was Ireland near the end of the Bush Adminstration.
Wash. state Desk Jet
(3,426 posts)One thing Amanda Knox seemed to maintain in her personal belief system is faith in the judicial process . Her faith took a severe blow
after the the case flip flopped and the guilty veridic was reinstated though she did hold her own throughout the process.
And percentage wise regarding tourism I do not think the American market will be affected much if any at all. We don't believe they are out to get us because they don't like us. And we have our fair share of corrupt judges and prosecutors ,bad apples if you will.
On the students abroad /forign exchange students down those avenues, yes I agree damage has been done and they will no doubt
be working on restoring the integrity .
On a side note, I really don't know how much of a percentage the american tourism market is to Italy's econmy verses the eurpoean
market ,asian and mid eastern market or in relation to over all market. Again,we really don't believe they are out to get us.
However with Italy's issues with organized crime which the pope has been out spoken about and this crazy psychopathic prosecutor
who is of international concern- indeed there are red flags flying about-certainly cause for concern.
We do know the Italian people on the by and large were played by that nazi style monster.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)As much as I would have liked to see the country, the fact that their justice system was used to abuse an American is fucking bullshit. There are plenty of other countries in Europe I'd like to see (actually too many) and skipping Italy makes it easier to see the others.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)the worst in anybody, and the not-too-bright.
A great day for everybody else! Whoo Hoo!
Renew Deal
(81,895 posts)She is a free woman for the first time in 8 years. Same with Sollecito.
I hope they pay her for her legal fees and wrongful imprisonment.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)Really I'm so happy to hear this verdict.
tblue37
(65,526 posts)this verdict as a miscarriage of justice. They decided long ago that she must be guilty, and nothing is going to shake their faith in that.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)They won't come on this thread I bet. Somehow I'm sure they're now "too busy".
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)'Money talks, bullsh*t walks' could have a judicial meaning.
Don't get over-excited. One of the first things a student lawyer learns is that legal justice is not necessarily true justice, or your courts would be tied up from morning to night with homicidal, rogue police and their corrupt, judicial sponsors. It seems very suspicious to me that you all came on here so early. If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well, eh? Credit where it's due.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)and Sollecito especially a had star powered lawyer however the judge didn't just rule that there wasn't enough evidence, she ruled that they were completely innocent. She went way beyond a shadow of a doubt which anyone who'd actually took some time to study the case would know was factually correct.
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)hearings, were imbeciles. I see. And God will be impressed by this judge's certitude for sure.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)thats why Amanda Knox is back in Seattle and Rafael Sollecito was not in jail. This was another attempt to re-try them again. They've been found guilty, innocent and now completely exonerated.
I respectfully suggest you actually read the case. There's no way they did this and once the Entire case was laid out, instead of the partial truths heard in other trials, it became obvious.
This thread tackles a lot of the misperceptions and errors many people have had about Knox, Sollecito, Guede and Kercher...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026411594
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)I think, in prison.
Moreover, she tried to shift the blame for the poor girl's murder onto an innocent man. How wicked is that! That, in itself, is tantamount to a sort of attempted murder, a long drawn-out one - considering she herself had initially been sentenced to 26 years.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)I guess I was wrong.
Please carry on with your lies about the case, and feel free to have the last word.
The rest of us will continue to celebrate that justice was finally served.
regnaD kciN
(26,045 posts)You might want to read this and educate yourself about what's known as the Reid Technique, loved by law enforcement for getting suspects to believe what the police want them to admit -- whether it's true or not.
One of the more notable uses of that interrogation (really, "brainwashing" would be a more accurate term) technique was in the case of Peter Reilly (covered in the book A Death in Caanan) who, after an all-night questioning session eerily similar to what Knox was subjected to, confessed fully to having stabbed his mother to death. It was only later when ironclad alibi evidence emerged establishing beyond a doubt that he was ten miles away at the time she was murdered.
Studies have shown that the Reid Technique is actually somewhat more effective at getting innocent people to confess than guilty ones.
Of course, if you're a diehard "guilter" (as so many are in this case), you long ago established a position of "I know what happened -- don't confuse me with facts."
liberalhistorian
(20,822 posts)insisted she was guilty because the Kerchners were convinced she was guilty, therefore that was good enough for them. Facts and tainted/no evidence be damned. It was all about the Kerchners and what they believed. But the Kerchners only knew what the corrupt prosecutors and police told them, frankly, and of course they're going to want to believe them. No amount of reasoning was getting through to them. They were like prosecutors who must have a conviction no matter what, even if it was the wrong person. Disgusting.
pnwmom
(109,021 posts)millions they were awarded since the criminal case failed to end in a conviction.
He's the one I don't feel a bit sorry for.
PersonNumber503602
(1,134 posts)I don't really know anything about this case, but whenever I see it discussed, I notice it's almost always divided by nationalities.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)There was quite a bit of negative press against "foxy knoxy" here, but thanks to a lot of people who worked to get the real facts out, the tide turned here in the U.S.
However, the tabloid press coverage of Amanda Knox has been unrelenting in the U.K. If you view the tabloid websites, there are still people who are convinced Knox and Sollecito murdered Meredith Kercher, but don't know that Rudy Guede has already been convicted of the crime.
Not to mention the misogynism. Yikes. Doncha' know that Knox had a sex life and was a very naughty girl?
Chakab
(1,727 posts)reading this story on the Guardian's website, and a good percentage of the commenters seemed incensed about the fact that Kercher's murder was going "unpunished."
These people don't even know who Rudy Guede is, yet they're convinced that they know details of the case well enough to be certain of Knox and Sollecito's guilt.
The press coverage of this story in the UK and continental Europe has been shockingly bad even from reputable media outlets.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)The majority of British commenter's think she's guilty and most Americans think she's innocent. I guess the British take their infamous tabloids seriously:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3014378/Amanda-Knox-Raffaele-Sollecito-CLEARED-murdering-Meredith-Kercher.html#reader-comments
Read the opinions of body language experts. She's so fake. From her emotions to the way she positions her hands. She's acting, her emotions are fake and staged. I see right through it. Just your standard textbook sociopath
Lancashire, United Kingdom, 16 minutes ago
I've read the facts on this case and she is, in my opinion, obviously and completely guilty. Why keep changing your story otherwise??? Why can't they remember where they were the night of the murder? And to scream and shout in joy when she heard the verdict is an absolute disgrace. A young woman was murdered for gods sake. She's a vulgar disgrace and has got away with murder.
-reply: DC Clark, USA, moments ago
I guess you missed the fact her DNA was not found but the guy who is in jail left behind a bloody palm print and DNA. But dont let that little pesky fact get in your way
Essex, United Kingdom, 17 minutes ago
Evil little actress. Guilty of many things. A Stain on Italian justice!!!!
Cork, Ireland, 18 minutes ago
I don't think she did it but I do think she has a fair idea who did
Chakab
(1,727 posts)pond.
If you notice, almost all of the posters who are convinced of Knox's guilt are saying that she is so solely on the basis of the notions that she "looks guilty" to them, that she was allegedly jealous of Meredith, that she behaved "oddly" after the crime scene and that her school nickname was "Foxy," which is supposed to be offensive for some reason that escapes me. In other words, they're just regurgitating all of the tabloid headlines that have been printed for the past seven years.
I hope that somebody uses this ordeal to do a case study about how effective the media is at shaping people's perceptions.
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)Say it ain't so...
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)Remember Beverly Allit?
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Not Kerchner.
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)It's surprising that it took this long.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)dragging on for 7 long years.
It seemed to be a travesty and bungled mess from the start.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,398 posts)A most bizarre case to say the least.
JustAnotherGen
(32,002 posts)I was afraid some diplomacy bullshit would keep me from my citizenship on the 15th next month! That's what our immigration attorney in Firenze was worried about.
Daemonaquila
(1,712 posts)Finally. Questionable evidence from the get-go. Good for them.
pscot
(21,024 posts)realFedUp
(25,053 posts)Good news for Amanda.
liberalhistorian
(20,822 posts)I am so very relieved to see that common sense has finally prevailed in that nutball country's so-called "justice" system! This was nothing more than a professional witchhunt begun by a corrupt prosecutor who'd been cited for misconduct on previous cases and continued by a system that simply could not accept being wrong and losing their convenient scapegoat. Now, can they PLEASE FINALLY LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE! If I were her, I'd sue them for every cent I could get. She will never be able to get her life back the way it should have been.
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)do any more cartwheels to relieve the stress, isn't it?
Yep. A real nutball country! Imagine asking her why she was doing cartwheels in the police station where she was interrogated concerning the death of her flat-mate a little earlier! Some countries!
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)50 hours of interrogation of 4 days is stressful, is it not? She did some yoga stretches while waiting to relieve stress. Her female companion was offended by the weird American girl.
Neither did she buy a mop and bleach and clean up the crime scene. That's not in the court record, because that was tabloid gossip.
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 30, 2015, 04:54 PM - Edit history (1)
It's must have been so easy for those rotten, lying Italian police to confuse the most well-known practice for keeping the mind, heart and body in a state of tranquility and peace, with the ultimate expression of exuberance.
angrychair
(8,750 posts)The the Knox family!
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)Response to Hissyspit (Original post)
avebury This message was self-deleted by its author.
bluestateguy
(44,173 posts)Larry Engels
(387 posts)It's high time for this to be over.
Wabbajack_
(1,300 posts)like Italy has a ridiculous judicial system.
Prosecutors can appeal? I thought that was a third world thing,
Hekate
(90,978 posts)Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)The stress is finally over.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)Or second-hand sources that relied on the tabloid sensationalism.
Knox never did cartwheels. She did yoga while waiting for officials to relieve stress.
Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)Joe Chi Minh
(15,229 posts)yoga, an extremely guarded and deliberate exercise, with the ultimate extravaganza of joy - cartwheels!
Oh, but of course. The Italian police are notoriously all a bunch of unconscionable liars, in this case, highly motivated, albeit mysteriously, to 'get her', by any means, fair or foul.
Wash. state Desk Jet
(3,426 posts)but my guess is yer stuck on peculiarities ,of that came much junk news about the case and junk news served the greed mongers
down the avenues of sustaining public interest and profits.
Sollecito's defense in a ditch effort went with that in attempt to separate Sollectio 's case from Knox's.
Clearly the defense teams and the prosecution had no clue what the supreme court would hand down.
And if you were fallowing those newspapers or watching media coverage what was put out there seemed to indicate
the guilty verdict would be upheld and by your posts,that seems to be the judgment call you were looking for.
What is fair is what the supreme court saw as foul ,so that to fact ,you know the truth ,however it seems you choose not to except
what the truth is for what it is.
In the Rolling Stones song lyrics form sympathy for the devil quote "and all the cops are criminals and all the sinners saints.
If lyrics are poetry imagine getting a mind wrap around what all that means,
Certainly all the cops are not criminals and all the sinners are not saints ,but what in the world does that mean ?
Well, I dono joe -all that is complicated ,kind of like a philosophical rift-like a bottomless pit.
Con's lie and cops do too ,that we know. The law is the pursuit of truth and the cops are in pursuit
of solving cases ,so indeed yes sometimes cops do lie. And lawyers, it's all about the win ,they want to win cases not loose
cases.Do lawyers lie? Hell yes they do. Complicated stuff when you try to get a mind wrap around it.
The Kercher's lost a family member a mother lost her child- she doesn't understand how what was viewed as evidence
can not be real evidence. Philosophical rift-likeness to bottomless pit,it's dark and speaks not. It is all very very complicated.
liberalhistorian
(20,822 posts)one of those "don't give me the facts, my mind is made up" types. Kinda like the corrupt prosecutor who made up all kinds of shit about Satanic sex games and the like and then got obsessed with it. It's no wonder he'd been cited for prosecutorial misconduct on other cases he'd conducted prior to this one.
Wash. state Desk Jet
(3,426 posts)If not just another one who has assigned guilt based on ill formed publicity.Trial by media you might say.
Tabloid justice or injustice, Murdoc and all that.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)I have believed from the beginning she was innocent. I hope she is able to get on with her life now.