Amanda Knox Found Guilty in Italy

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   wavegirl22posted 14 years ago

   American student Amanda Knox was found guilty of murder in Italy and sentenced to 26 years in prison.
   
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8394750.stm

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   cosetteposted 14 years ago

   wow.
   
   will she be in an Italian prison or in America?
   
   i have to wonder what kind of "sex game" involves throat-slitting.
   
   

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      wavegirl22posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I do believe Italy . . freaks me out a little tonight. . my daughter is in Milano as a student this semester. .so happy she is coming home next week!

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         cathinfranceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Speaking from France, people in Europe were kind of freaked out at the idea of a young American killing a flatmate and falsely accusing an innocent bar owner and father of four. I have no more idea than anyone else what happened that night but there's been talk of the Italians being anti-American and that just wasn't a factor here really. They also jailed an African and an Italian, so nationality doesn't come into it.
         
         Your daughter's biggest risk in Milan, frankly, is getting into debt in the clothes shops!

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   Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

   oh no. I just read a book about the guy who prosecuted her and what a terrible man he is. He is under indictment himself.
   
   I honestly don't know if she's guilty or not, but the process that was followed was quite bad.
   
   She will be in an Italian jail.

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      wavegirl22posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      and from what I heard her sentence is quite excessive....I pray for her and her parents...what a nightmare.

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         alexandriaruthkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         nightmare really 26 years

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         rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         it will be appealed~ the prosecution is shoddy with no real dna evidence that proves beyond reasonable doubt. she is sentenced to 25 years, which in Italy is a life sentence and both her and the Italian guy are fined over a million dollars. he was sentenced to 25 years.  at least in america, you're innocent until proven guilty. over there you're guilty until proven innocent.  we're going to be hearing alot about this one.

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            rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            oops, she is sentenced to 26 years.

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            ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry but thats just not true, at least not since 1989. Italy has been following an American model since that year and is similar to most central European court systems, Italy is well known to breed some of the worlds best lawyers these days.... although I do believe that her conviction is weak. The appeal system will win through.....

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               rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               it was a sarcastic statement, Ryan.  I wasn't stating a fact.
               this particular prosecution sounds sloppy, prejudiced. I'm not saying they're innocent, I don't know, but if guilty, there has to be evidence proven beyond any reasonable doubt.

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                  ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  I have to say that the conviction of Knox does sound weak, but she has the right to appeal. It reminds we of the Louise Woodward case, us Brits were slamming the American legal system then, and she spent time in jail as an innocent! It happens in every country.....

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            Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            What an astonishing thing to say.

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               ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               A stupidly ignorant thing to say at very least.... I picked up on that one too.

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         Don Wposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Do you think 26 years in jail for slitting a woman's throat is excessive if she is guilty? I wonder if Meredith Kercher's parents think so.

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            rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I was surprised to hear a life sentence is 26 years. 26 years is a light sentence for committing murder.

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               ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Pretty much the same in the UK. If the criminal is adjudged to remain a significant threat to society at the end of their sentence they can be held indefinitely by the state; I suspect it is the same in Italy.

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                  Amanda Severnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  If a person is capable of slitting someone's throat in a 'sex game' should they ever be re-inflicted on society?

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                     ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     Forgive me if I am wrong, but surely we all know that Knox did not physically slit the throat of Kercher? There are plently of examples of rehabilitated criminals, the killers of Jamie Bulger have been on the loose for years and haven't reoffended. The alternative is the death penalty, so we can see innocent people put to death on national television like America? No thanks.

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                        tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        Excuse me? What are you talking about?

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                           ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Which particular bit would you like me to clarify?

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                              tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              When did you ever see an execution on national television in the US? Leaving aside the 'innocent' bit for now...

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                                 ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                 Two thirds of Americans support television executions, and for every seven people put to death, one is exonerated. With statistics like that, I would be first to volunteer to test the chair if they introduced it to this country.

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                                    tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                    You didn't answer my question.

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         Amanda Severnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         If she took the other girl's life in such a brutal manner, then the sentence is not excessive.

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      Daniel Carterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was in Rome for a few days in March and it was all over the place then. I don't know, but I think karma is working all the way around. If Knox is guilty (likely that she is) and the prosecution is corrupt, they are probably all getting what they brought on to themselves. Don't mean to be heartless, but what happened was pure torture as well as murder.

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         Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         No I get ya Daniel, if she was guilty then the sentence was actually quite light.

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   caravalhophotoposted 14 years ago

   I've been following this and I also do not know if she is guilty of the crime.  26 years is a long time, I'm glad her parents are by her side. What happened to the boyfriend? Did he go on trial yet? I saw that a 2nd guy was also convicted and got 20 something years, but it wasn't Amandas boyfriend.  I truely hope the young lady who was murdered is getting her true justice and some crazed person isn't getting away with murder.  In any case alot of lives have been ruined.

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      pddm67posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I believe the boyfriend got 25 years - at least according to my husband.

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      Uninvited Writerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Especially the person who was murdered...

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         A Texanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Are you nuts? We should all be concerned with the convicted murderer! Why worry about those pesky victims always wanting justice.

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         wavegirl22posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I think it was Amandas roomate was a girl that was murdered. . either way so many lives ruined .. a tragedy all around

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            wavegirl22posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Her name was Meredith Kercher RIP

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               wavegirl22posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito got 25 years in prison.

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      tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Her boyfriend got 25 years . I find it a little odd that they found no DNA evidence of her in her roomates bedroom .

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   SweetiePieposted 14 years ago

   Some of the American reporting in this case is a little biased, such as the sensationalism about how the Italian legal system is just not as fair as that of the US.  I am not Italian, but if I were I might be irritated to hear all those reports.  I am not taking sides in this case, but so much of the reporting is playing upon the poor American stuck in the Italian legal system.  What about the poor girl that was murdered, she will never breath again.  Amanda and her boyfriend received lighter sentences than they would have in a US court, and let us remember Italy does not have the death penalty.

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      A Texanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Where have you been?

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      Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      From what I've read there were lots of questions about her bahavior and it didn't look good. However prosecutorial misconduct regarding the evidence is a big possibility in this case. Other Americans who have dealt with this guy say he's crazy and incredibly unfair. I'm sorry I can't for the life of me remember the title of the book I just read about him. It was a library book so it's not lying around the house. (It was a major US author who ended up being interrogated by him and feared for his life. Maybe he was just trying to sell books though.)
      
      Okday library to the rescue the author was Douglas Preston and the book was the Monster of Florence. Preston was there writing a murder mystery set in Florence when his run in with the prosecutor happened.

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         SweetiePieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yes the prosecutor sounds corrupt, but there is still a slant to the US reporting.  It is plain as day really.

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            rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            sadly, that's the sensationalism of US media, I try to stick with PBS or BBC.

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               SweetiePieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I especially like to read news items off the BBC website!

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   Mighty Momposted 14 years ago

   I saw a news snippet the other day and the reporter (American) was all sympathetic and actually said aloud, "She doesn't look like a killer." Really? What does a killer look like?
   Ted Bundy didn't look like a killer. Scott Peterson didn't look like a killer. Any number of people who are guilty as hell don't "look" like they would be capable of the crime.
   
   I must say it does seem like the American media are playing this up as an "innocents locked up abroad" story. So I guess the moral is don't go to Europe to study so you won't be tempted to kill your roommate. Wasn't sure if adding a smiley to the end of this would make it more obvious I'm being totally sarcastic. Those of you who know me know I am.... MM

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      SweetiePieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I am glad I am not the only one who saw this.  Thanks for confirming what I have been thinking for along time.

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   egivposted 14 years ago

   It's about time.
   
   The fact that the trial went on this long is just a side-effect of the Italian process... everything in Italy is slow. In my opinion, she is clearly guilty and deserved more than what she got. All the American articles I read about it seemed to make her seem not that bad, yet the evidence in her defence was basically non-existent. As is it, if the Italian justice system works as it usually does, 26 years will become 10, for a person who slit the throat of an innocent university student. I was disgusted to see 'Free Amanda Knox' facebook groups...

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   IzzyMposted 14 years ago

   I watched a criminal psychologist who had studied Amanda Knox's diaries (the ones she wrote while in prison on remand)being interviewed on Sky News International this morning.
   He didn't have a lot of good to say about her, describing how self-obsessed she was among other things.
   His best quote has got to be when he described her as a 'gap-year Rose West'.
   If you don't remember Rose West, and what she and her husband Fred weres convicted of, its here:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_West

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   Denno66posted 14 years ago

   She's an American; she was convicted before she ever made it to court.

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      egivposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It has nothing to do with American or Italian. Three were found guilty, an Italian, American and a man from the Ivory Coast. The trial has been going on for over a year, and she's guilty as hell. Her alibi was (originally, before she changed her story about 3 times) she was too high on marijuana to remember exactly what happened...

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      Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Another astonishing thing to say.

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    Denno66posted 14 years ago

    She's guilty because she was found to be guilty; never mind that the evidence was spotty at best.

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       prettydarkhorseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       She is guilty, thats it, but she can appeal it, let us just wait for it, what a waste because she is very young too

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    Denno66posted 14 years ago

    It's one thing to see a case play itseld out, but it's another to know beforehand the verdict. I'm not disputing that she's guilty: the court said as much. I just say that it is difficult to have an unfettered case when it gets so much publicity.

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    IzzyMposted 14 years ago

    The case got huge coverage here in Europe too; that is why I think the court will have come to their decision based on the evidence very carefully. The eyes of the world were on them.
    She will appeal, but she has now been found guilty and that is it.
    There is NO anti-American sentiments being expressed by the Euroean media.
    My sympathies lie with the family of Meredith Kercher.

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       Denno66posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       However the path to her demise, I wholeheartedly agree with you. No parents should ever have to bury their child; and to a senseless tragedy no less.

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       tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Izzt on that one I have to agree . With the focus on Amanda Knox I think people forgot there was a victim here !

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    Denno66posted 14 years ago

    Case closed!

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    fdoleacposted 14 years ago

    It will be interesting to see if the US population creates a backlash against Italy through social media.  It can be very powerful if there are significant numbers that think she was convicted unjustly.  Travel ban, cancel college years abroad, pressure on politicians.

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       Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I'm not clear if you are advocating such action, or just saying it will be 'interesting'?

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       egivposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Over a single murder? If this same story had happened in the US she would've been behind bars for life months ago... now just because it's abroad, Americans think they are being done an unjustice.

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          tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          What Americans? If she's guilty, she's guilty.

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       ryankettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       And why on earth would they do that? I bet that Italy spends more money on American products then Americans spend on Italian products. Any travel ban or unfair tariffs or quotas placed upon trade with Italy for no reason whatsoever would be a disaster for America. Italy are a key member of the EU, could you afford to alienate the entire continent of Europe? France? Germany? UK? You owe money to those countries for a start. Any bans on Italian goods or services for something so petty and insignificant would 1) not happen as Obama isnt a twat like you, 2) would bankrupt your country and alientate your closest alloes if it did. It is the minority like you that make Americans look like the morons of the world.

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          tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I'll start by saying that I'll thank you for not making blanket comments like that about my country. Do you think anything productive will come from that kind of provocation?
          
          Second, any 'trade war' with Italy would be felt very little if at all in the US economy. France, Germany, et. al. would not sacrifice their own economies for Italy if push came to shove.
          
          Finally, calling someone a "twat" will only guarantee that this thread degenerates into nothing but personal bickering. You can do better.

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    B.C. BOUTIQUEposted 14 years ago

    you do the crime, you do the time..simply put and all criminals will eventually do their time by someones hands...you never will get away from the skeletons in your closet forever

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