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| Amanda Knox |
The ongoing nightmare
for Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, in Perugia Italy, will continue
to linger on as the prosecution has successfully extended the appeal
trial with what seems to be for no other reason than to muddy the water.
Knox and Sollecito
currently stand convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher in late 2007.
Both have vehemently denied any involvement in the murder and now after
nearly 4 years, the court has finally heard from independent experts
regarding crucial DNA evidence. The defense request for independent
testing was refused by Judge Giancarlo Massei in
the first trial. If Massei would have allowed an independent review,
Knox and Sollecito would have never been convicted in the first place.
The presiding appeals
court judge, Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, appointed forensic experts
Stefano Conti and Carla Vecchiotti, from Rome's Sapienza University to
review the DNA. Conti and Vecchiotti, appeared in court July 25,
unleashing a scathing attack on the prosecution, detailing gross
negligence on the part of lead forensic scientist, Patricia Stefanoni,
regarding the key DNA evidence used to secure convictions in the first
trial. The alleged murder weapon and a DNA laced bra clasp have been
fully discredited by Hellmann’s experts leaving absolutely no credible
evidence to confirm the convictions of Knox and Sollecito.
The knife said to be
the murder weapon was retrieved from Sollecito’s kitchen by police
because it looked shiny and well cleaned. Stefanoni claimed to find
Kercher’s DNA on the blade (using LCN DNA testing in a non certified
lab) and Knox’s DNA on the handle. When Conti and Vecchiotti tested the
knife, they found Knox’s DNA on the handle, which was no surprise
because Knox used the knife to prepare meals at Sollecito’s, but all
they found on the blade was starch. When asked if the knife could have
possibly been cleaned to remove all traces of Kercher, but still test
positive for starch, Conti and Vecchiotti said no. The knife was not the
murder weapon.
The bra clasp was
retrieved from the crime scene 46 days after the murder. The police went
searching for evidence against Sollecito when they realized that a
footprint attributed to him actually belonged to Rudy Guede, the man
responsible for the murder of Meredith Kercher. Clinging to the baseless
multiple attacker scenario, investigators needed evidence fast, and
like magic they found Sollecito’s DNA on a bra clasp that was torn off
Kercher’s body. Questions remain unanswered as to why the clasp along
with several pieces of clothing worn by Kercher during the attack were
not collected in the early days of the investigation.
Crime scene video
shows that the clasp originated under Kercher’s body (as seen in video
the day the murder was discovered) and over 6 weeks time, during
multiple visits from investigators visibly trashing the cottage, it made
its way under a dirty rug across the room. When the clasp was finally
collected, it was handled by multiple investigators wearing visibly
dirty gloves as they handed it back and forth as if they had found a
grand prize. The clasp was stored in improper containers by Stefanoni
causing the fabric to disintegrate and the hooks to rust to the point
that further examination is impossible.
Conti and Vecchiotti
not only proved improper collection procedures they also proved that
Stefanoni was biased in her analysis of the DNA. The method she used
centers in on a specific suspect, a practice that is forbidden by all
international standards due to the fact that it leads to biased
analysis. Samples are to be analyzed individually and then the final
results are compared to see if any produce a positive match. If one
begins knowing what they are looking for already, they are likely to
interpret the electropherogram to match the result they are trying to
achieve. When the data was properly analyzed by Conti and Vecchiotti
they discovered that Sollecito’s DNA could not be confirmed leaving them
to conclude that the bra clasp is unreliable evidence.
After hearing the
testimony given by Conti and Vecchiotti, Judge Hellmann moved to bring
the trial to a swift close. He would allow the prosecution to question
Conti and Vecchiotti on July 30, with no additional witnesses to be
heard from either side. He also planned on cutting the summer break
short so that closing arguments could begin on August 27.
The July 30 hearing
was a long day for all involved as Prosecutor Comodi riffled questions
at Conti and Vecchiotti doing everything she could to discredit their
analysis. At the end of the day, the independent report stood strong, as
the actions of Stefanoni are indefensible. There was nothing Comodi
could say to hide the fact that Sefanoni’s work did not meet the
standards of any civilized nation on earth.
Comodi gained no
ground with her questioning but had one more trick up her sleeve. One of
Stefanoni’s many egregious errors was her failure to conduct negative
control tests to rule out contamination. Comodi would shock the court by
boldly presenting documentation showing that Stefanoni did run those
tests after all! Conti and Vecchiotti were wrong! Only one problem,
Comodi presented the court with what appeared to be fraudulent
documents. The pages were poor quality photo copies with codes that did
not match the machine used to conduct the tests. When confronted, Comodi
claimed that the defense must have mis-located the files during the
first trial. The court took a 30 minute recess to try and locate any
original documents which turned out to be nonexistent. Comodi’s ploy
backfired on the prosecution, irritating the judge, and once again
highlighted the fact that they will stop at nothing to keep two innocent
people in prison.
Before the July 25
hearing began, it appeared that everything was set for closing arguments
to begin August 27. That would change at the beginning of the hearing
when the prosecution addressed the court asking for further witness
testimony. Civil attorney Francesco Maresca stood up in court shouting
out numerous law codes that sent the discussion into the judge's
chambers. When the issues were resolved, the prosecution’s request was
granted and the next court hearing had been moved to September 5. I am
told that Hellmann was not happy with the extended time frame but was
bound by law to allow the additional questioning.
Any and all additional
hearings before closing arguments begin will be a complete waste of
time. Judge Hellmann’s own experts have discredited the evidence.
Putting additional prosecution or defense experts on the stand is
pointless and the only benefit for the prosecution is to attempt to
cloud reality.
Knox and Sollecito
have endured almost 4 years in prison for a crime they did not commit
and now they will have to wait a little bit longer due to posturing by
those hell bent on destroying their lives. When the prosecution is
finished with their theatrics Judge Hellmann will be obligated by
Italian law to fully exonerate Amanda Knox and Raffaelle Sollecito as he
cannot confirm convictions without evidence. The nightmare will finally
end.
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