The Amanda Knox Media Circus

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• I am about 70/30 on this case. There are some really screwy things that have happened. Things that look bad for Amanda and RS include: 1-That RS called the regular police after the Postal police had already arrived. 2-How RS's DNA got on the bra clasp (I am not a big believer in the 47 days late = taint theory.) >> On the other hand, a lot of things work in their favor, including: 1-How in hell did the police manage to burn up the hard drives on three important computers that could have very important information? 2-Why was the interrogation not recorded as required by Italian law. Is there something that the police were hiding (like a beating)? 3-Why would the police allow an interpreter to coach the suspect in giving an answer? 4-The pressure on the Pegugia police force was huge to find a murder suspect. After all, 40,000 students came to Perugia each year to study and this would damage this industry, 5-The DNA on the kitchen knife blade was not from blood. 6-Why would a police or Magnini ask a witness to "IMAGINE" alternative situations. They should deal in facts, not fantasy, 7-The ever changing motive is very troubling. First Magnini proposed a Satanic ritual, then he changed to a Drug Fueled Sex Game, and then to an argument over Amanda's lax hygiene. (The last time I used hash or pot, I did not get sex crazed; I went looking for cookies). 8-Three people attacked another person IN THE BEDROOM, but there is no evidence but one person left not a scintilla of DNA in that room? (However, if Amanda is in the living room at the time of the attack, she would be guilty or some level of murder...but this theory was NOT advanced by Magnini. 9-The "bleach theory" was not included in the Micheli report. The mop that was returned was to clean a sink drain problem. The police found the store keeper did not see what was purchased and his cashier's contradicted him. At the end of the day, I have to step back and do a quick sanity check. 1-Did Amanda have a long history of using knives (No, but Rudy did), 2-Did Amanda show any indication of heterosexuality (hardly), 3-Is there a reasonable doubt? Yes. The reaction of the jury upon delivering the verdict/sentence speaks volumes to me. Reports indicate that they were remorseful and deeply distressed. They lost sleep and cried. To me, this is a living exempt of Reasonable Doubt. Bottom line, not enough evidence for Murder, innocent of sexual assault, innocent of carrying an illegal knife, and GUILTY of slander, but released based on time already served and payment of restitution to Patrick. However, Amanda would be able to sue Magnini and all others who slandered her, and a fine imposed on the Police department for battery.

• Guilty or not (I think not, anyway,it's not because one changes ones story that one is automatically guilty), I've fallen in love with beautiful Amanda. How can I reach her ?

• Steve, I just saw your comment above. I stand corrected. I know you're a fan of Preston's fiction; but as I recall, when Preston burst onto the old haloscan board to post a mass prepared comment about Knox (the one you refer to) that sought to shame the posters, you did step in and state that his own experience with Mignini had probably clouded his judgement, preventing him from being neutral. I would take your view one step further, since I believe that Preston's recollection of his own experience with Mignini has been amplified over time -- partly attributable to artistic license -- and that he has instrumentalized this case to further his own interests. That's just my opinion, of course. I feel that as Preston's portrait of Mignini has morphed over time, he has become a less reliable narrator, so to speak. For the sake of transparency, his role in FOA (Friends of Amanda) should be clarified. In fact, as I gather data about this group I'm beginning to see that it looks like a collection of institutional interests and not just ordinary citizens supporting the hometown girl. Just sayin'. I hope that someone with your talent and capacity to detect bullshit ultimately tells the full story of this case, including the various interests that have latched onto it. Why, I'd be so happy I might start doing cartwheels!:)

• I am pretty convinced Amanda Knox has something to hide, and what could it be besides involvement in Kercher's murder? I think she she ebullient after Meredith's death because 1) she wanted Meredith to be gone and 2) she believed she was innocent of the crime of murder. What she doesn't seem to understand is the concept of accessory to murder and obstruction of justice.

• How can it possibly be perceived by anyone as normal for Knox to be taking such visible delight at being in court - the non stop grinning must make her facial muscles ache for days. She must have been told by her defense team, surely, that it is not a good move to look as though you are having the time of your life when you are accused of a horrific murder. She obviously cannot control herself. And this is the whole point - she cannot control herself to behave like a normal person simply because she is not normal. All the signs are there and anyone choosing to ignore them is severely deluded. The full evidence will out and young Knox can grin to her hearts content in the well deserved confines of her cell.

• Skep, I'm not sure when I said I thought Doug was disinterested. I may have felt that way initially, but I was wrong and don't see it that way, anymore. Doug strikes me as a brilliant guy, but I don't actually think his view of this case is anything resembling neutral or objective. He kind of proved that with a comment he made one time, in which he betrayed an incredibly benign view of Amanda, one I have never shared. I'm not on one side of this case or the other, and by that I mean that no outcome would surprise me, at this point. Guilty wouldn't surprise me, neither would not guilty. But I do think Amanda may have had troubles that weren't all that apparent stateside that became very apparent in Europe, and one way or another they put her in this pickle, even if mental issues simply meant she couldn't answer the cops straight when she was interrogated.

• If you want to get a feel for the all-out effort to deny all of the facts in this complex case, just read Foolsgold's posts. Or go to the FOA website. Several different judges ruled at various stages during the investigation that it was proper and that the evidence warranted holding the suspects and moving ahead. Judge Micheli, who presided over the preliminary hearing last fall, convicted Rudy Guede (who had opted for a fast-track trial) and indicted Knox and Sollecito. He wrote a 106-page report giving his reasons. Parts of it have been translated and analyzed at truejustice.org, a non-profit website that probably would not exist had the PR firm hired by the Knox/Mellas family not waged such an aggressive campaign to discredit the police, the prosecutors and, on several occasions, the victim of this terrible crime herself, Meredith Kercher by name. Both the presumption of innocence and due process are respected in Italy, which is not a third world country. Knox is getting a fair trial and will be exonerated if she is innocent. I beg to differ with Steve on one issue, however, and that is the involvement of Doug Preston. I don't think his views on the prosecutor are disinterested or necessarily germaine to this case. I'm not sure his motives in all of this are pure. He is first and foremost a writer of fiction and I think his portrait of Mignini may be more fanciful than factual. Mignini has not given his side of the story and only recently gave an interview (to BBC journalist Julian Joyce) to counter FOA-driven rumors about his mental stability and judicial record. One thing is clear: the attacks on Mignini have backfired. In addition, even if he were to be removed from the process for whatever reason, it would go forward. There are checks and balances in Italy, and they have been respected so far.

• Before you criticise our press the uk) Just look at your own. Your press in the Caylee Anthony case and Anna Nicole Smith was just below contempt. It was disgusting. If anyone had read the facts..Foolsgold was totally wrong. Meredith and Amanda were NOT on amicable terms at the time of the murder. Friends of both Meredith and Amanda have testified to this in court that were not friends for some weeks before the murder. Amanda is a liar. Shes psychotic its that simple. How do you know what was coerced out of her when she lies every time she opens her mouth? She lied about not being there and ctv showed she WAS..and friends have testified that when they found out about Merediths dead and they was all crying Amanda and her boyfriend was LAUGHING! And you claim they was friends. Jeez why worry about the facts if it means getting a murderer off. Yes guys the simple fact is that Amanda Knox a young American girl went to Italy and helped to slit another girls neck open. And you guys stick up for her. Why? I truly dont get it and hopefully she will be in the prison for many many years where she belongs.

• Amanda seems like a weirdo, and all the testimony evokes someone without a great sense of social propriety. But this actually makes her behavior after the murder seem MORE understandable, not less. Moreover, Meredith's friends seemed to be ganging up on her a bit during their testimony - I mean, detailing toilet habits and a vibrator? The fact that she played one chord on the guitar? That seems a bit catty, and not remotely relevant. Also, anyone with a Facebook or MySpace page can identify with this character assassination - you can cull enough pictures or nicknames or whatever to make anyone look like a freak. Amanda had a totally unremarkable MySpace page. Likewise, you could find video of almost anyone inebriated, if they went to college after the advent of the cell phone camera. I don't know if she's guilty in fact, but they definitely don't have enough evidence to convict her. In criminal cases you usually need at least one of the following to get a conviction: eyewitness, murder weapon, forensics, motive. They have none. Forensically, traces of Amanda and Raffaele should be all over the murder scene, especially if the prosecutor's theory of a sex game gone wrong is correct. Who wears gloves and stocking feet to a group sex affair? Why was there no trace of either one on Meredith's body? If there was mingled DNA in the bathroom, you would expect even more mingled DNA at the scene of the crime.

• <<First of all, 7 experiences is low for an attractive modern, girl who is exploring the powers of her sensuality.>> Wow, how times have changed! In my day (the '80s) they'd have called such a girl a slut. At least at my school, in Amanda's hometown of Seattle (of course a boy could have twice as many "experiences" and they wouldn't say anything about him...and that's still true). I too was 20 when I went abroad (again, the '80s). It was a great experience in that I was really able to see for the first time what amused contempt the world holds us in. I wouldn't say that we don't deserve it. But I was there to study. I wasn't out at clubs until the early hours like I've read all of the roommates were. And I was actually a virgin! I bet Amanda and her buds (and the readers of this board) would get a huge chuckle out of that one. I have thought she was guilty from the moment I began reading about this case. Her story just changed too many times and I've never heard a convincing explanation as to where she was. Guilty or not, I don't think she does herself any favor by showing up for courts in a casual t-shirt. It's as if she doesn't take it all seriously. I mean, a murder trial is a very serious matter. I'd be doing my best to look like an old maid schoolteacher. And her family's "support" just comes across as creepy. How everyone else in the world, esp non-US folks, is wrong except for them. You can still support a family member if they're guilty you know. In fact, they need your support even more. Well, she's prob waiting to get off so she can write a book/get a TV show/etc. The sad thing is if she and the victim were fat and unattractive there wouldn't be any coverage at all. She'd prob be doing time by now.

• Amanda strikes me as a Class One Drama Queen. I've known several in my life (too many for my taste) and I would never suspect any of them as being even remotely capable of staging a bizarre sex-murder. ('Course, that's a world-class crime.) But I can think of two off the top of my head who would trade ANYthing to have all the eyes of the world watching them no matter HOW egregiously negative their predicament. Posing a smile at every camera and "acting quirky" are just trademark assets that come with the personality type. [Dated a Class One Drama Queen? Me? What are you talking about? I never... would never... date... one. Why would you think that?] I believe Amanda Knox is totally innocent, but what do I know? All I have is the weight of internet blogs and copy-cut media reports to garner the facts -- like most everyone else in the world with an opinion.

• Here's what massively annoys me about the barrage of insults from the morality police -- and I'm not speaking about the actual cops! If a young girl goes to Italy and doesn't explore her sexuality -- that's where I'm asking what's wrong? It is despicable that Amanda was coerced to list all her sexual partners -- and then have that private info used to stain her character. First of all, 7 experiences is low for an attractive modern, girl who is exploring the powers of her sensuality. Secondly, were she psychotic enuf to plan a sex party/murder -- don't you think there would have been earlier signs of disturbing behaviour? As every young woman knows, those early moments of a new crush/affair is completely mesmerizing and all one wants to do is be alone and do delirious things to the object of her affections -- not to a roommate you'll have to see the next day and certainly not to a street scum like Rudy. Italians are known for their operatic ability to invent high drama and leave common sense out of every equation; but c'mon everybody -- two young lives are being destroyed by a completely illogical imagination of sexual horrors. Personally, I can tell you -- were I to plan a freaky sex party -- you'd find more props than an old knife. Finally, I ask everybody to turn the laser light on themselves: how squeaky clean would any of us be if all triumphs and tragedies of our youth were divulged. And whoever amongst us can honestly say they'd come out unblemished after a public outing -- I'll show you one gargantuun bore.

• Forensics wrong? Easy. The video shows egregious forensic errors. Amanda's computer which would show amicable relations with the victim was mysteriously blanked by the forensics team. Not ONE reliable witness has appeared to show that Amanda had met the already-convicted defendant. Do you think she embarked on a group murder with a stranger? And as to the 'sex obsessed'... seven boyfriends for a girl her age and in her circumstances is a fairly low number. And if those Italian cops had simply obtained someone who spoke good English and didn't yell at Amanda, they would have obtained the truth far more easily.

• Betsy - I'm not sure what to think. I think Amanda is unbalanced and seems narcissistic enough to have justified the death of another person in her head. But Doug Preston has made a fairly compelling case for Mignini being, if not corrupt, then not that in touch with reality himself. So that kind of casts doubt for me on the prosecutor's theory of the crime. And stories of corruption in Italian law enforcement are a dime a dozen. I tend to ignore any spin coming from Amanda's family and friends, though. This is a situation - like the Casey Anthony case - where Amanda could probably look them in the eye, say 'I did it,' and her friends and family would still be protesting in every available outlet about her innocence, and how she's being railroaded. But still - something is just off here, and I can understand why there are people who are convinced Amanda played a primary role in this crime. I'm just not 100% convinced of it yet, myself. I have no idea what the verdict will be when all is said and done.

• I agree with Nadeau's assessment of this case - it is bizarre and people have become obsessed. I think it is because one must wonder how an entire forensic team, police force and three judges can all be completely wrong. All of the other roommates and friends were dismissed after providing alibis and accounts. Only Amanda and Raffaele seemed at a loss for their whereabouts that night. This doesn't make them guilty, but it leaves a LOT of unanswered questions. Ms Knox showing up in court like a celebrity meeting her fans is not going to help her case with the press as this trial drags on. One would think she'd be a bit more sober about facing 30 years in prison.

• Steve: Do you think she's guilty of the murder, of any piece of it? Just curious what you are thinking about it. I can't get a grip on this one. Too much of the coverage is tabloid or at the very least slanted one way or the other for me to see any of it clearly.

• Neither the Italian press nor the UK press are particularly known for journalism restraint or focus on the facts. The American press pretty much jumped on the tabloid bandwagon and only rarely seemed to focus on the absurdity of the stories emerging from the "investigation".

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