Breaking News: Amanda Knox Found Guilty of murder

I feel so bad for her and all of the families involved. The prosecutions case - that Meredith died in a crazy sex game and Amanda got over zealous and slit her throat - just seemed outlandish to me. And the crux of the evidence - Karcher's DNA was on the blade of the knife and Knox's was on the handle did not seem like enough. Knox lived in that apartment. Wouldn't her DNA be all over it?

And then they were also saying that there was DNA of Amanda's on Meredith's bra.. well really? Again, seeing as they were living in the same home - this evidence is just ridiculous. Makes no sense to me!

[DCJenn]

I honestly don't see what's implausible about the scenario. She wasn't the only one convicted, either. and she tried to through the African guy under the bus, first.

So, some American girl gets tossed in the poky for what appears to be like a solid reason and why is this an International incident? Because she's a white American college student. It's like when that blonde chick disappeared on Spring break. There was a black student who went missing and an Indian American prosecutor who disappeared from DC at the exact same time. They certainly didn't get any press.

The assumption that there 'must' be something wrong with the Italian courts strikes me as a wee bit xenophobic. And it also assumes that everyone convicted in the American court system is guilty, which as we all know, it is most definitely not the case.

Jenn

[PrincessFiona]

I agree with .... Jenn!

Kris

[Vishenka69]

So, some American girl gets tossed in the poky for what appears to be like a solid reason and why is this an International incident? Because she's a white American college student. It's like when that blonde chick disappeared on Spring break. There was a black student who went missing and an Indian American prosecutor who disappeared from DC at the exact same time. They certainly didn't get any press.

The assumption that there 'must' be something wrong with the Italian courts strikes me as a wee bit xenophobic. And it also assumes that everyone convicted in the American court system is guilty, which as we all know, it is most definitely not the case.

Jenn

I agree with this part but don't think that either Amanda's or her boyfriend's guilt was proved beyond reasonable doubt. Most of the evidence seemed circumstantial. Not to say they were innocent but I wasn't convinced they were guilty either.

[SoonerTexan]

I think it is a little much to infer that the Italian Justice System is corrupt--if anything, it was media bias that made it's way into the courtroom and probably affected the outcome.

Unfortunately, that happens in every nation, and quite often in the US.

[NYCHoosier]

I don't know if it's corruption... I thought the CNN reporter said something on the live feed about the prosecutor being guilty of corruption of justice in another case, but I can't find that anywhere else. But obviously, corruption can happen anywhere, and it does.

What I find interesting in this case, though, are the differences between the Italian and US justice systems. In the US we have habaes corpus, presumption of innocence, juries of our peers and strict rules of evidence. There were a number of times I overheard my dad on the phone with police explaining that they didn't have just cause to do a search. The system is different there, and this case gives us a peak at how it is. (I'm still not having luck finding out the burden of proof in Italy - different sources say different things; would love to know if any of you know.)

It's not that US courts always get it right or are free from corruption. It's just a matter of different systems, and I just appreciate the protections we have in place. Probably because I've been raised this way.


I agree with Jenn about the media bias, though. NY is not that far from DC but I had no clue about those other crimes. I remember there was a brutal murder of two women holding babies inside one of their homes in Indianapolis a couple years ago that barely made any national headlines... likely because they were lower-middle-class AA. I should do a better job of digging, too...

[NYCHoosier]

I think it is a little much to infer that the Italian Justice System is corrupt--if anything, it was media bias that made it's way into the courtroom and probably affected the outcome.

Unfortunately, that happens in every nation, and quite often in the US.

Assuming this had an impact, which it's impossible to say what was, this is another difference between the two systems. The jurors weren't sequestered.
They also don't have to come to a unanimous decision.

Just a different system...

[OrionGrad]

Thought this was somewhat fitting, from Gawker:

How Not to Get Arrested When You're Abroad: A Foxy Knoxy-Inspired Guide
http://gawker.com/5420357/

(Gawker's piece is obviously done in jest, but the advise really is true--i.e. don't do drugs, call the embassy immediately, etc.)

[alison]

As an American who studied abroad in high school, you would not believe how cocky we behave in foreign countries, and just assume that our embassy is going to come to our rescue no matter what we do. When you're in a foreign country, you still have to follow the rules. I think many think they're going to frolick and have a great time, and there not be any consequences when something goes wrong. I'm not saying AK is guilty,
but it's not all hunky dory when you study abroad. There are definite risks involved, and you have to be respectful of where you opt to spend a year of your life. It's unfortunate for her family, and it has to be terrifying for them.

I'm not sure what my point is, other than to say that there are flaws in every legal system, including ours.

[MrsC]

As an American who studied abroad in high school, you would not believe how cocky we behave in foreign countries, and just assume that our embassy is going to come to our rescue no matter what we do. When you're in a foreign country, you still have to follow the rules. I think many think they're going to frolick and have a great time, and there not be any consequences when something goes wrong. I'm not saying AK is guilty,
but it's not all hunky dory when you study abroad. There are definite risks involved, and you have to be respectful of where you opt to spend a year of your life. It's unfortunate for her family, and it has to be terrifying for them.

I'm not sure what my point is, other than to say that there are flaws in every legal system, including ours.

ITA, and with Jenn too. We have students travelling to Latin America who are warned again and again not to do this and that. Then they get robbed at gunpoint and wonder why. Turns out they were doing exactly what they shouldn't have been doing.

If you're in another country, you're at the mercy of their justice system. I don't think it's right to assume that the Italian justice system is so wrong they were blinded by media coverage. People are forgetting that the boyfriend was Italian and the victim was not so it's very unlikely that their nationality had an effect on the outcome of the trial.

It will be interesting to see how the appeal goes.

i've read that terrible story on a news site. i was shocked with the cruelty ...

[poky]

Hi, Clarus, why don't you hop over to the introductions forum and let us know a little about yourself?

[MDPhDWife]

Sorry, I meant boyfriend, not girlfriend.

LOL, I was thinking there may have been more to the "orgy gone bad" theory than I originally thought!