(Thumbnail image: Sky News)
"Judge speaking Italian… As the judge read out the sentence, Knox burst out into tears, her sister collapsed, the family so certain of a not guilty plea sat stunned. The family of Knox’s former boyfriend yelled abuse at the prosecutor. Knox’s father Curt had few words as he left the courthouse. 'When do you think you want to appeal, what will happen next?' 'The second we get a chance.'” (MSNBC)
On Saturday, American student Amanda Knox was found guilty of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. The Knox family plans to appeal the verdict, but do they have much of a chance? We look at perspectives from MSNBC, CNN, FOX News, and The Seattle Times.
First, a recap from MSNBC.
“The murder made a sensation almost from the moment Italian police discovered the body of Meredith Kercher, an exchange student from England. When the prosecutor in the case suggested a blonde, blue-eyed student from Seattle was a suspect, there was a media storm.”
Knox’s attorneys say evidence was tampered with and mishandled by the Italian police. On FOX News, Judge Jeanine Pirro doesn’t see that argument working.
“Here is the evidence: the knife, that the defense says is not relevant at all, had Amanda Knox’s DNA on the handle, the victim’s DNA on the point of the knife, and it was in Amanda Knox’s boyfriend’s apartment. The victim had never been there so what is that knife doing there? Number two, Sollecito, the boyfriend’s footprint is in the blood in the room, which was locked. Number three, the boyfriend’s DNA is on the back of the bra.”
CNN analyzes the mistakes during the trial. Legal analyst Lisa Bloom says the Italian court’s failure to supply Knox with an adequate defense team may help her during the appeals process.
“The defense is also going to argue that the judge made other adverse rulings, and that was improper and that this tainted the jury. All of that’s going to be brought up to the appeals court. My information is that appellate courts are generally more favorable to accuse people in Italy than the lower level court where she’s just been convicted. So there is some hope for her.”
Back home, Knox faces both support and scrutiny from the people who knew her and followers of the case. The Seattle Times presented views from both.
“The implication was that Italian forensics are inferior to American forensics, and I think that's just not true… The forensic evidence was a lot stronger than her supporters said.”
A Knox supporter and father of one of Knox’s former classmates, says,
“We know this girl. We've known her for years. We know her character, and she's innocent.”
The Seattle Times also reports that Knox cannot appeal her case for 90 days, and may serve two years in prison before the appeal is resolved.
So what do you think? Does Amanda Knox have a shot at reversing her conviction, or does the evidence against her speak for itself?
Writer: Liz Reed
Producer: Jennifer Herseim
