Avitexe
14-02-2009, 03:07
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/amanda-knox-pleads-innocent/trials/
Amanda Knox, the American co-ed accused of the sexual assault and murder of a fellow exchange student in Italy, took the stand today in Perugia and said she was innocent. Foxy Knoxy, as the tabloid press calls her, claimed a dispute with victim Meredith Kercher over a sex toy was a "joke," and that the prosecutors' sordid version of events—a violent sexual game at the hands of Knox, her boyfriend, and another male friend—were untrue. But a mutual friend testified that, after Kercher's death, Knox told her "I know everything" and explained details of the victim's death that prosecutors say only the murderer could have known. "She died slowly and in a lot of pain," the witness alleges Knox said. Knox took the stand and, in fluent Italian, denied witnesses' accounts of her flip and sexually charged responses to learning of Kercher's death. Knox's father says his daughter's language skills improved significantly in prison.
I've been following the Knox trial for quite some time now, and while it looks bad, there's still some holes in the case that's made me second-guess my initial conclusions.
For one, there's a substantial lack of DNA evidence. The lawyer prosecuting Knox is trying to come back from a humiliating failure in the "Monster of Florence" case, and is being accused of blowing things out of proportion with this "ritualistic sex game" theory. He indeed seems to enjoy conspiracy theories, arguing that a satanic cult and not a single killer committed the "Monster of Florence" killings. The judge actually asked Mignini (the lead prosecutor) to set aside his sex game theory and to focus on facts and logic. Mignini was also accused of abusing his power during the former investigation, where he jailed a journalist and threatened to jail a novelist. However, some people in the legal community, while admitting Mignini can be overzealous and that his most recent theory may be implausible, it doesn't discredit the other aspects of his case.
At the same time, Knox was quick to blame the bar/nightclub owner, Diya Patrick Lumumba, for the murder after she was arrested. This was quickly disproven through several eyewitnesses' testimonies that stated Lumumba was in a different place (presumably working) at the time the murder was committed. This has raised the question as to why Knox would be so quick to try and pin the murder on an innocent man. Witnesses also say that Knox was oddly relaxed at her recent trial, and that she was not crying like everyone else after the murder was committed. This, however, has been deemed irrelevant by some, saying that everyone reacts differently and had several hours to work out her feelings before anyone saw her after the murder.
There are, of course, always those who knew her that say there's no way she'd ever kill anyone. However, an unnamed newspaper in England unearthed a violent, sexual story that Knox posted online, implying that there may be more to Knox than her family and friends know.
I don't have an opinion quite yet. Thoughts?
Amanda Knox, the American co-ed accused of the sexual assault and murder of a fellow exchange student in Italy, took the stand today in Perugia and said she was innocent. Foxy Knoxy, as the tabloid press calls her, claimed a dispute with victim Meredith Kercher over a sex toy was a "joke," and that the prosecutors' sordid version of events—a violent sexual game at the hands of Knox, her boyfriend, and another male friend—were untrue. But a mutual friend testified that, after Kercher's death, Knox told her "I know everything" and explained details of the victim's death that prosecutors say only the murderer could have known. "She died slowly and in a lot of pain," the witness alleges Knox said. Knox took the stand and, in fluent Italian, denied witnesses' accounts of her flip and sexually charged responses to learning of Kercher's death. Knox's father says his daughter's language skills improved significantly in prison.
I've been following the Knox trial for quite some time now, and while it looks bad, there's still some holes in the case that's made me second-guess my initial conclusions.
For one, there's a substantial lack of DNA evidence. The lawyer prosecuting Knox is trying to come back from a humiliating failure in the "Monster of Florence" case, and is being accused of blowing things out of proportion with this "ritualistic sex game" theory. He indeed seems to enjoy conspiracy theories, arguing that a satanic cult and not a single killer committed the "Monster of Florence" killings. The judge actually asked Mignini (the lead prosecutor) to set aside his sex game theory and to focus on facts and logic. Mignini was also accused of abusing his power during the former investigation, where he jailed a journalist and threatened to jail a novelist. However, some people in the legal community, while admitting Mignini can be overzealous and that his most recent theory may be implausible, it doesn't discredit the other aspects of his case.
At the same time, Knox was quick to blame the bar/nightclub owner, Diya Patrick Lumumba, for the murder after she was arrested. This was quickly disproven through several eyewitnesses' testimonies that stated Lumumba was in a different place (presumably working) at the time the murder was committed. This has raised the question as to why Knox would be so quick to try and pin the murder on an innocent man. Witnesses also say that Knox was oddly relaxed at her recent trial, and that she was not crying like everyone else after the murder was committed. This, however, has been deemed irrelevant by some, saying that everyone reacts differently and had several hours to work out her feelings before anyone saw her after the murder.
There are, of course, always those who knew her that say there's no way she'd ever kill anyone. However, an unnamed newspaper in England unearthed a violent, sexual story that Knox posted online, implying that there may be more to Knox than her family and friends know.
I don't have an opinion quite yet. Thoughts?