Knox murder appeal trial resumes
The appeal trial of Amanda Knox, the American student convicted of killing her British room mate during a study abroad programme in Italy, enters its final stretch when it resumes today.
The 24-year-old from Seattle, who has been behind bars since November 2007, was relieved to be back in court after the summer break but anxious as the trial draws to a close, her family said.
The sister of victim Meredith Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, issued a letter asking the appeals court to assess “every single (piece) of evidence” so that justice can be done.
“My sister, a daughter brutally and selfishly taken from us nearly four years ago – and yet not a single day goes by that we can grasp any peace or closure,” Stephanie Kercher wrote.
The appeals trial picks up where it left off before the summer recess in late July: with questioning of independent experts who have reviewed the collection and analysis of DNA evidence used to convict Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito.
The two were convicted in December 2009 of sexually assaulting and killing Kercher in the apartment Knox and the 21-year-old Briton shared while studying in Perugia. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito to 25.
Both deny wrongdoing, and have appealed.
The hearings continue through the week, with the parties expected to sum up their cases. After rebuttals later in September, an appeals verdict is expected by the end of the month.
Knox’s defence received a boost after the independent experts questioned much of the evidence that was collected in the original investigation, saying procedures to obtain it fell below international standards and may have led to contamination.
They especially focused on some traces of DNA linking the defendants to the crime, and concluded that due to the risk of contamination and the low amounts of DNA used for the testing it was impossible to extract a genetic profile with any certainty.
“There were aspects of the case that needed to be addressed, they were addressed, and now there’s nothing left of the case,” said Knox’s stepfather, Chris Mellas.
Mellas, who will attend today’s session, described Knox as “happy that we’re back in court again, and I think a little bit anxious, not wanting to get her hopes up.
“Every break is difficult – you want this thing to continue on until it’s done,” he added.
Prosecutors have questioned some of the independent experts’ findings, and maintain the evidence should stand. The Kercher family insisted they still had faith in Perugia police, investigators and the court.
“We ask that the Court of Appeal assess every single (piece) of evidence, both scientific and circumstantial, as well as any witnesses who have taken the stand independently of any other information or media,” Stephanie Kercher said in the letter.
The Kercher family has kept a low profile throughout the case. The letter, released through the family’s lawyer Francesco Maresca, represented a rare break in their silence.
Pointing a finger at the “media frenzy” surrounding the case, Stephanie said: “Meredith has been forgotten because she is no longer with us, yet this should be about her and what really happened on that tragic evening.”
A third person, Rudy Hermann Guede of the Ivory Coast, has also been convicted of murder in a separate proceeding.
Italy’s highest criminal court has upheld Guede’s conviction and his 16-year-prison sentence. Guede denies wrongdoing.
