Amanda Knox cleared over murder of Meredith Kercher

[Anthony Williams]

From the Telegraph website:

The 24-year old collapsed sobbing in court last night as she was cleared of murdering the British student Meredith Kercher.

A jury decided that Knox, who has spent almost four years in jail, was the victim of a miscarriage of justice following a chaotic Italian police investigation.

Her acquittal sparked jubilant scenes among her family in the courtroom in Perugia, who said her “nightmare” was finally over.

But the verdict was greeted with anger by crowds in the street who branded her a “murderer” and denounced the decision as an “embarrassment”.

It was also a bitter blow to the family of 21-year-old Miss Kercher, who just hours earlier had urged the jury to ignore the “hype” surrounding Knox and uphold her conviction for the 2007 murder.

Meredith’s mother Arline and sister Stephanie were comforted by her brother Lyle as they sat quietly in court absorbing the news.

The Kercher family said they respected the judges’ decision last night.

“We respect the decision of the judges but we do not understand how the decision of the first trial could be so radically overturned,” the Kerchers said in a statement. “We still trust the Italian justice system and hope that the truth will eventually emerge.”

The victim’s sister, Stephanie Kercher, who was in Perugia with her mother and brother for the verdict, lamented that her sister “has been nearly forgotten.”

“We want to keep her memory alive,” she said after the verdict.

For the first time since the appeal began 11 months ago, Knox’s composure deserted her as the judge announced that she and her co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito had been “acquitted because they have not committed the crime”.

Her legs gave way as the verdict was read and she crumbled into her seat and burst into tears. After a hearing lasting barely two minutes, she was bundled out of court by a phalanx of police officers and taken back to Capanne prison to collect her belongings, before finally being allowed to walk free.

Knox was said to have been besides herself with happiness on her brief return to the prison.

Speaking outside the jail after Knox had left, Italian MP Rocco Girlanda, who befriended Knox during her time behind bars, said: “When the other prisoners said well done to her, she started jumping for joy.”

Mr Girlanda said she and her family will leave Italy on Tuesday aboard a commercial flight from Rome.

Unlike in 2009 her family had not bought a plane ticket in advance for Miss Knox, friends said.

It is thought her passport expired while she was in prison. Family friend Joe Star said he expected the State Department would provide an emergency one. He said: “Once she gets to customs, I don’t think anyone will argue who she is.”

Corrado Maria Daclon, the secretary general of a foundation that has championed Knox’s cause, drove with Knox in a black Mercedes as she left the prison last night. He said she told him that she “wanted to go home, reconnect with her family, take possession of her life and win back her happiness.”

She is expected to fly home to the US today, where television networks are in a bidding war for the first interview with her. Miss Knox is expected to make millions of dollars from TV appearances, book and film deals. The acquittal may not, however, be the end of the story for Knox, as Italian prosecutors have indicated that they might appeal the case to Italy's highest court, which could mean a future attempt to extradite her back from the US.

A crowd of around 1,000 people waiting outside the courthouse erupted with anger when news of the verdicts reached them, shouting "Shame on you" and "They condemned the black man", referring to Rudy Guede, who is serving 16 years in prison after being separately convicted of Miss Kercher's murder.

Deanna Knox, Amanda's sister, said: "We are thankful that Amanda's nightmare is over. She has suffered for four years for a crime she did not commit.

"We are thankful for her lawyers and their assistants … They defended her brilliantly and also they loved her.

"We are thankful for the support we have received from all over the world from people who researched the case and decided that Amanda was innocent.

"We are thankful to the court for having the courage to look for the truth and overturn this conviction. Now we respectfully ask you to give Amanda and our family the privacy we need to recover from this horrible ordeal."

Margaret Ralph, whose daughter used to play in a football team with Miss Knox, shouted: “Thankyou, thankyou” when the verdict was read out.

She said: “Imagine being behind cement walls and bars for four years, and knowing you’re innocent.

“I’m sure she’s wounded, but she has all this support from her family, her friends, her community. And she’s going to have to find a way to deal with the people who still think she’s guilty.”

Knox and her former boyfriend Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of murdering the Leeds University student on Nov 2, 2007, but had always maintained their innocence.

The case against them fell apart when DNA evidence which had been crucial to the original case was found to be unreliable by an independent review.

Miss Knox, who had spent the afternoon playing the guitar and singing in a prison chapel as she waited for the verdicts, appeared distressed when she was brought into court last night.

She looked pale and was breathing heavily, and after collapsing into her chair when she learned her fate she appeared barely able to support herself as she was escorted out of court with a policeman holding each of her arms.

Despite being acquitted of murder, sexual assault and theft, the court upheld a conviction for defamation against Patrick Lumumba, the owner of a bar where she worked, who she had accused of killing Meredith in a statement she said was made under duress.

She was ordered to pay Mr Lumumba €22,000 (£18,800) plus his legal costs.

The Kercher family had earlier said they hoped the jury could ignore the "hype" surrounding Miss Knox and stick to the evidence, saying their legal team had struggled against a "PR machine" assembled by the Knox family.

Despite her acquittal, Knox will still be dogged by a string of unanswered questions about her movements on the night of the murder.

After initially making a false accusation against Mr Lumumba, and saying she was in the flat when Miss Kercher was killed, she changed her story and said she spent the whole night with Mr Sollecito, smoking marijuana, watching a film and making love.

But Sollecito told police he could not remember if Knox was with him that evening. Computer experts also disproved his claim that he had downloaded films on his laptop, which was not used that night.

The court heard that Knox and Sollecito turned off their mobile phones on the night of the murder, from around 8.40pm, and turned them back on at around 6am, which was "unprecedented" for Knox.

The US State Department reacted to the verdict saying it appreciated the “careful consideration” of the case in the Italian courts.

Knox's lawyer, Carlo Della Vedova, said: "In this case there is no winner. They have rectified a mistake.

"It was a terrible tragedy in the beginning. Meredith was a friend of Amanda's, we have to remember that, we have to remember the family."

Asked about Knox's reaction to the verdicts, he said: "She didn't say anything but she was so happy, she started crying." She had been "scared" earlier, and "This was a very tense day for her. She didn't say much."

He added: "Amanda is a very intelligent girl. She was very young and very inexperienced at the beginning – she has matured."

Thoughts? Opinions? Was Foxy Knoxy guilty? Or was this all a result of a miscarriage of justice in the Italian legal system (not an unusual occurence!)?

[SiHart]

She was guilty according to the story the Daily Mail put on their website last night, just after the announcement was made...

[Anthony Williams]

She was guilty according to the story the Daily Mail put on their website last night, just after the announcement was made...

It's always amusing to see the Daily Mail screw up in such a way!

[SiHart]

They even made up statements from witnesses in court.

[Rob McCow]

Her feminine good looks and the hints of sexual deviancy have sold a lot of papers. Is she guilty? I have no idea!

The world's press were hypnotised by a pretty face and ignored all of the other issues, including the murder of Meredith. It's all quite distorted really.

[Anthony Williams]

My instincts tell me that she is probably not guilty. I have spent a significant time in Italy over the course of my life so far (probably equivalent to about 2 years, in total), and the corruption and incompetance of their legal system - from the Caribineri through to the courts - is well known amongst Italians. Based on the lack of conclusive evidence, and my own insights into the Italian justice system, I really think that both her and her ex-boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollectio, were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, I do believe that the conviction for defamation over Patrick Lumumba (who clearly didn't have anything to do with the murder) was absolutely fair enough.

[Jon Masters]

However, I do believe that the conviction for defamation over Patrick Lumumba (who clearly didn't have anything to do with the murder) was absolutely fair enough.

Which means that 3 of the four years spent in jail were justified for a crime she did commit.

I have an unease about this case, and while its fairly easy to cast aspersions at justice systems in foreign lands, there seems very little motive for the Italians to drum up a completely baseless case, particularly when they already had a prime suspect who ended up being convicted for the murder.

The Kercher family said they respected the judges’ decision last night.

“We respect the decision of the judges but we do not understand how the decision of the first trial could be so radically overturned,” the Kerchers said in a statement. “We still trust the Italian justice system and hope that the truth will eventually emerge.”

This is where my thoughts lie ATM.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

In other news, some Italian bloke who doesn't keep a vibrator in his handbag was also cleared. But who cares about that right.

[Si Hunt]

Why isn't the Daily Mail exposure all over the papers today? I haven't read a word about it apart from on-line.

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I am a bit uneasy about this. There seems a lot that doesn't add up - and I'm not really convinced about this pair's innocence.

I can't help but feel the heart of this case was Americans don't like being prosecuted by foreign justice systems, and feel they should have some kind of international immunity to any form of prosecution.

So there's a doubt that someone here got away with murder. And she'll be flown home to the US, lavished with interviews, a book deal, a film of the week ... and in amongst this all, we'll just forget about what happened to Meredith.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I keep hearing this claim that Meredith is being forgotten. Which seems a bit silly because if this appeal hadn't happened then this case wouldn't have been in the news at all, so I'm certainly remembering her more than I would have done otherwise.

[Andrew Curnow]

Somebody is still in prison for her murder though, isn't he, or did I mis-hear the news the other night?

[Rob McCow]

Why the f*** is she still on the covers of all the papers today? There's been no more news!

[Zbigniev Hamson]

This is going to run and run, I'd get used to her face if I were you

[Rob McCow]

I'm already used to it! She's never out of the papers!

[Jason Thompson]

Of course she's not. The whole thing is a newspaper editor's dream. Firstly, a young woman was murdered (which always generates a stronger reaction than any bloke being killed). Secondly, it seems her murderer was herself a young woman. Thirdly, Amanda Knox is physically an attractive girl (apparently: she doesn't do much for me I have to say). Fourthly, in the course of her original trial a lot of details about her sexual proclivities came to light.

So, we have a young, sexy, sexually 'deviant' (whatever that may mean) maybe murderess. She's the sort of thing tabloids were made for!

[Darren]

I'm a Celebrity producers are probably already on the phone.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I'm a Celebrity producers are probably already on the phone.

I realise you're joking but if she was allowed on British TV ever, even on a rubbish show like that one that I never watch, I would complain to the broadcaster.

On a more serious note, having done jury service a few years back I do believe it's important that, in cases where there is insufficient evidence to support a conviction, the defendant has to be found not guilty.
Of course in cases like this where there's no other prime suspect it's quite hard not to wonder about whether the defendant is actually innocent.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm really confused - granted, I've not been following the story all that closely, but somebody called Rudy Guede was, and remains, convicted of the murder. So I'm not quite sure how it's back to square one?

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I'm really confused - granted, I've not been following the story all that closely, but somebody called Rudy Guede was, and remains, convicted of the murder. So I'm not quite sure how it's back to square one?

I stand corrected. I'm saddened to see this third individual has hardly rated any mention in the recent coverage because unlike "Foxy Knoxy" he doesn't have a face that can sell papers. I hope he gets his retrial as his conviction must surely be just as unsafe as Knox and Sollecito's.

[Jason Thompson]

I realise you're joking but if she was allowed on British TV ever, even on a rubbish show like that one that I never watch, I would complain to the broadcaster.

Why?

In what has been accepted by the family of the victim (whose opinions are surely the only ones who really matter) tas a fair retrial, Knox and Sollecito's convictions were overturned, which means that legally they are as innocent as anyone else, and therefore just as entitled to appear on TV as you or I. You may not like them, but I can't see a reasonable basis for complaint.

We have far too much 'trial by media' here. It stirs up public feeling to the point where it actually undermines the entire legal process, because people who are later found not guilty or not even involved have had their names and faces splashed all over the papers.

[Jason Thompson]

I stand corrected. I'm saddened to see this third individual has hardly rated any mention in the recent coverage because unlike "Foxy Knoxy" he doesn't have a face that can sell papers. I hope he gets his retrial as his conviction must surely be just as unsafe as Knox and Sollecito's.

His retrial has already taken place, and his conviction was upheld. He also voluntarily went for a fast-track retrial, which essentially means he forfeits his right to challenge the evidence in return for a reduction of sentence if found guilty. In other words, he voluntarily waived his opportunity to prove himself innocent.

The case against him has a lot more foundation than the one against Knox and Sollecito, frankly. For one thing there was incontrovertible evidence of his presence in Kercher's flat at the time of the murder (his handprint, in blood, was found on the pillow under Kercher's body), whereas there was no such evidence for Knox.

[Anthony Williams]

Bryony Gordon makes an excellent point over on the Telegraph website:

Television reached a new nadir at 9.15 on Tuesday morning, when – just 12 hours after Amanda Knox had been cleared of the murder of Meredith Kercher – a Channel 5 presenter took to the air to pose the question “Foxy Knoxy: would ya?”

Matthew Wright, the host of The Wright Stuff (a programme that claims to provide “topical debate”), put this to the audience shortly after a discussion about Botox, and how it can prevent perspiration when injected into the armpits. “She’s entirely innocent of the murder of Meredith Kercher and foxy as hell,” Wright gurned into the camera, as he stood in front of a panel that consisted of Victoria Beckham’s interior designer (Kelly Hoppen), a pantomime star (Christopher Biggins), and a former contestant on Celebrity Love Island (Liz McClarnon). “So what I want to know this morning is: if you met Amanda Knox in a bar and she invited you back to her room – would ya?”

As Wright cut to an ad break, we learnt that a survey had found that 71 per cent of people thought Amanda Knox was “hot”. The preview blurb on the programme’s website went even further, summing her up as a girl who was “undeniably fit and loves wild sex”. Wright described the 24‑year-old as “beautiful”, a “smouldering brunette”. “We should do a game show on this, shouldn’t we?” he grinned.

Sadly, that isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound. In America, the celebrity gossip website TMZ, which has an audience of 18.5 million people, ran a poll asking users if they’d “rather” Knox or Casey Anthony, a not unattractive 25-year-old from Florida, who was recently cleared of murdering her daughter. At the time of writing, 175,781 people had voted.

Matthew Wright has refused to apologise: he admitted on air that his debate was not “tasteful… but neither, I might add, is the morbid fascination with the case”. On this point, and this point only, he is right. It was with something approaching glee that the media – and the Italian prosecutors – cast Amanda Knox as an evil seductress, a real-life version of Sharon Stone’s character in Basic Instinct (she liked sex, so she must be a killer). And what a gift it was to discover on a social networking site that her high school nickname was “Foxy Knoxy” – not because she had worked her way through the school football team, but because of her wily cunning on the soccer pitch.

Who knows the nickname of Knox’s former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito? Who knows, and who cares – despite the fact that he, too, was convicted and cleared of Kercher’s murder? In all the acres of coverage that this tragic case has received, Sollecito has barely featured. He has played the part of a mere extra. While his former girlfriend was described by the prosecution as a “she-devil” and by the defence as the cartoon character Jessica Rabbit (the buxom redhead who claimed: “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way”), nobody seems to have dedicated much time to Sollecito’s appearance, or gushed over the fact that he entered jail looking like Harry Potter but emerged looking like the lead character in Prison Break. They haven’t done it, because it is – like Knox’s looks – completely irrelevant.

The inherent sexism involved here is nothing new. When it comes to criminal cases, members of the fairer sex are expected to behave in a certain way – to weep and wail as they do in the movies. If they don’t, it’s seen as a clear admission of guilt. That Knox could kiss her boyfriend in public so soon after the murder of her flatmate was deemed cold, just like Kate McCann’s composure after the disappearance of her daughter Madeleine. Joanne Lees had the finger of blame pointed at her when her boyfriend, Peter Falconio, vanished in the Outback, only for her to seem remote and unmoved at the ensuing press conference. But casting aspersions like this is not just dunderheaded: it is dangerous. Can anybody really say how they might react in a similar situation?

If there had been social networking and 24-hour news channels at Salem, it would probably have looked a lot like this. There seems to be a sense of disappointment that Knox’s conviction was overturned – not because the Italian police handled the case so shabbily, but because, in the words of several people I had previously thought vaguely intelligent, “I just don’t like the look of her.”

Some, on the other hand, like the look of her a little too much. Donald Trump has predicted that Knox will become a “big star”. It is said that she has been offered up to £6.5 million for her first television interview, and there has been talk of a book and film deal. Infamy, these days, can be a nice little earner.

How insulting it must be for the Kerchers to see the memory of their daughter eclipsed by our eagerness to turn people into celebrities. Tragically, Meredith Kercher has become a footnote in the life of Amanda Knox, when it should be the other way round.

[Paul Monk]

Is it wrong that I really don't care about any of this?

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I realise you're joking but if she was allowed on British TV ever, even on a rubbish show like that one that I never watch, I would complain to the broadcaster.

On what grounds?