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Knox Opts for Absence as Italian Court Nears Ruling in Murder Trial Ruling Is Expected in Latest Trial of Amanda Knox
(about 7 hours later)
FLORENCE, Italy — For six years, the fate of Amanda Knox has been in the hands of a succession of Italian courts, called on to determine whether on the night of Nov. 1, 2007, she brutally killed her 21-year-old roommate, Meredith Kercher, like Ms. Knox a foreign exchange student in the picturesque hilltop university town of Perugia. On Thursday, a court in Florence is expected to offer its ruling. FLORENCE, Italy — For six years, the fate of Amanda Knox has been in the hands of a succession of Italian courts, called on to determine whether on the night of Nov. 1, 2007, she killed Meredith Kercher, her roommate and fellow foreign exchange student in the university town of Perugia. On Thursday, a court in Florence is expected to present its ruling.
Ms. Knox will not be present in the courtroom. She will await the verdict in her hometown, Seattle, where she has lived ever since an appeals court reversed her murder conviction in October 2011, overturning an earlier decision. Last year, the Court of Cassation, Italy’s highest court, vacated the appellate court ruling and ordered a new trial, which began last fall, putting Ms. Knox — and her former boyfriend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito — back in the limelight. Ms. Knox will not be in the courtroom. She will await the verdict in her hometown, Seattle, where she has been living since an appeals court reversed her murder conviction in October 2011. Last year, the Court of Cassation, Italy’s highest court, vacated the appellate court ruling and ordered a new trial, which began last fall, propelling Ms. Knox — and her former boyfriend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito — back into the news.
“Nothing will ever take away the experience of being wrongfully imprisoned,” Ms. Knox said in an interview last week via Skype, explaining why she chose not to attend, as is her right. “It remains that I would be putting myself in the hands of people who very clearly want me in prison for something that I didn’t do. And I can’t do that. I just can’t. No. No way, no how.”“Nothing will ever take away the experience of being wrongfully imprisoned,” Ms. Knox said in an interview last week via Skype, explaining why she chose not to attend, as is her right. “It remains that I would be putting myself in the hands of people who very clearly want me in prison for something that I didn’t do. And I can’t do that. I just can’t. No. No way, no how.”
The intense media attention that the case has stirred from the day that Ms. Kercher was found dead on the floor of her bedroom, her throat slit, is another reason Ms. Knox decided not to come. (Mr. Sollecito has been present for some of the proceedings.)The intense media attention that the case has stirred from the day that Ms. Kercher was found dead on the floor of her bedroom, her throat slit, is another reason Ms. Knox decided not to come. (Mr. Sollecito has been present for some of the proceedings.)
She claims that her attempts to demonstrate her innocence have been obscured by the media’s obsession with her persona — a false and misleading portrayal in her mind — and one that could distract the jury in the current trial from a fair examination of the prosecution’s case, which she says is fueled by misconstrued facts and an overzealous belief in her guilt. She says that her attempts to demonstrate her innocence have been obscured by the media’s obsession with her persona — a false and misleading portrayal, in her mind — and one that could distract the jury from a fair examination of the case.
Ms. Knox said that while they believed that she was her own best defense, her lawyers had advised her not to attend the trial. Ms. Knox said that while her lawyers believed that she was her own best defense, they had advised her not to attend the trial.
“They said, ‘If you go to the court they’re going to be paying attention to you — they’re going to be looking at your face, they’re going to be trying to read your gestures, they’re not going to be listening, and that is a huge problem,’ ” said Ms. Knox, whose appearance in court became a fixation of the world’s media during the Perugia trials. “They said, ‘If you go to the court they’re going to be paying attention to you — they’re going to be looking at your face, they’re going to be trying to read your gestures, they’re not going to be listening, and that is a huge problem,’ ” said Ms. Knox, whose appearance in court became a fixation of the world’s news media during the Perugia trials.
In his closing arguments last week, one lawyer described Ms. Knox as “deceitful and diabolical” and an “explosive mine of sex, drugs and alcohol,” telling the jurors that they had no other choice other than to convict her. In his closing arguments last week, one lawyer described Ms. Knox as “deceitful and diabolical” and an “explosive mine of sex, drugs and alcohol,” telling the jurors that they had no choice other than to convict her.
“I’m not that person, I am very clearly not that person that’s being described,” said Ms. Knox, who believes that she can better defend herself through interviews given mostly to Italian and American news media, as well as through her 2013 memoir and her blog. “I’m not that person, I am very clearly not that person that’s being described,” said Ms. Knox, who believes that she can better defend herself through interviews given mostly to Italian and American news organizations, as well as through her 2013 memoir and her blog.
In December, Ms. Knox tried to state her case, and explain her absence, in a letter that was read out loud in court, but her effort fell flat. Judge Alessandro Nencini dourly said, “Who wants to speak at a trial, comes to a trial.” In December, Ms. Knox sought to state her case, and explain her absence, in a letter that was read in court. But Judge Alessandro Nencini said, “Who wants to speak at a trial, comes to a trial.”
In terms of media interest, in any case, Ms. Knox may be right. So far, attendance at the Florence trial is hardly comparable to the unruly scrum of reporters that marked hearings when the case was being tried in Perugia. The ages and unfulfilled promise of the protagonists — Ms. Kercher was 21 when she died, Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito were 20 and 23 when they were arrested — amplified the emotional impact of the case and polarized public opinion.
The young age and unfulfilled promise of the protagonists — Ms. Kercher was 21 when she died, Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito, 20 and 23, respectively, when they were arrested — amplified the emotional impact of the case and polarized public opinion. “People who accuse me argue that justice cannot be done for Meredith unless I am convicted,” Ms. Knox said. “It’s a mind-set where there are criminals and there are victims, and if you’re accused of being a criminal, there’s no way you can be a victim.”
One of her “major frustrations,” Ms. Knox said, has been the black-and-white view of the case taken by many supporters and detractors. While Ms. Kercher’s family remains convinced of her guilt, Ms. Knox said the Kerchers “are so emotionally invested in this that they can’t be held accountable for their wrongful ideas about me.”
“People who accuse me argue that justice cannot be done for Meredith unless I am convicted,” she said. “It’s a mind-set where there are criminals and there are victims, and if you’re accused of being a criminal there’s no way you can be a victim.” Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito were first found guilty of murder in 2009 for their role in what prosecutors described as a drug-fueled sex game that spiraled out of control.
Ms. Kercher’s family remains convinced of Ms. Knox’s guilt, Ms. Knox acknowledges. But she said the Kerchers “are so emotionally invested in this that they can’t be held accountable for their wrongful ideas about me.” The prosecution’s case has hinged on DNA evidence and witnesses linking the defendants to the crime. Another man, Rudy Guede, was also convicted, in a separate trial, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Defense lawyers argue that he was the sole perpetrator, but prosecutors counter that the number and type of Ms. Kercher’s wounds could not have been made by only one person.
Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito were first found guilty of the murder in 2009, and sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison, respectively, for their role in what prosecutors described as a drug-fueled sex game that spiraled out of control and ended with Ms. Kercher’s death. The prosecutor in this trial, Alessandro Crini, played down the sex game aspect. Instead, he suggested that the violence was incited by a dispute between the two roommates over the cleanliness of the apartment.
The prosecution’s case has hinged on DNA evidence and witnesses linking the defendants to the crime. Prosecutors also believe that the couple staged a fake break-in to deflect attention from them, and that Ms. Knox falsely accused another man — the owner of the bar where she was working — to throw off the police. In any event, prosecutors believe that from the outset Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito knew too much about the crime not to have been involved. Last week, Mr. Crini urged the court to issue an immediate arrest warrant should Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito be convicted. In Italy, rulings must go through a final appeal, and prison time can be held off until it is concluded.
A third man, Rudy Guede, was also convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a separate trial, and defense lawyers argue that he is the sole perpetrator. Prosecutors counter that the number and type of wounds inflicted on Ms. Kercher could not have been made by only one person, and Mr. Guede’s conviction specifies that he did not act alone. Ms. Knox, who is finishing a degree in creative writing at the University of Washington, says her life has effectively been in a state of suspension. Regardless of the verdict this week, her legal future will remain in limbo too, until a final appeal is heard.
The prosecutor in this trial, Alessandro Crini, played down the sex game scenario. Instead, he suggested that the violence was sparked by exasperation brewing between the two roommates over the cleanliness of the apartment. “No one is safe, no one feels safe,” she said. “I don’t feel safe, and I am here in the United States. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t think that they’re going to convict me. I really don’t because the evidence is not there. But the doubt comes from the fact that I never thought that I would be convicted. And then look what happened.”
Last week, Mr. Crini urged the court to issue an immediate arrest warrant should Ms. Knox and Mr. Sollecito be convicted, to ensure that they serve their sentences. In Italy, rulings must go through a final appeal, and prison time can be held off it is concluded.
Mr. Sollecito’s lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, dismissed supposition that her client was a flight risk. “He’s not a fugitive,” she said. “He has chosen to be present in court and live the trial firsthand. He hasn’t shown any indication that he means to leave.”
In the meantime, though she is finishing her degree in creative writing at the University of Washington, Ms. Knox says her life has effectively been on hold. Regardless of the verdict this week, her legal future will remain in limbo too, until a final appeal is heard, something that could take months.
“No one is safe, no one feels safe,” she said. “I don’t feel safe and I am here in the United States. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t think that they’re going to convict me. I really don’t because the evidence is not there. But the doubt comes from the fact that I never thought that I would be convicted. And then look what happened.”