American Student Faces Murder Charges in Italy

Amanda Knox, a 22-year-old American college student, was charged with the murder of her British housemate in Perugia, Italy. According to The New York Times, Knox, a linguistics major from Seattle, has maintained her innocence in the murder case which has drawn relentless media attention, particularly in Italian and British tabloids. Knox has been held in jail since Nov. 2007, soon after Meredith Kercher, 21, was found with her throat slit, semi-naked and wrapped in a duvet, in the house the two students shared. Knox is accused of murdering Kercher with her boyfriend at the time, Rafaelle Sollecito, and a second man. In Oct. 2008, the second man, Rudy Guede, 21, received a 30-year sentence for the crime.    Â
According to CNN, Knox's photo hangs in the police plaza alongside Italy's most infamous mobsters and criminals. Prosecutors declared the case closed within weeks. However, all three of the accused say that they are innocent. Forensic experts say a knife found at Sollecito's house had Kercher's DNA on the tip, and Knox's on the handle. According to the prosecution, Kercher had never been to Sollecito's apartment, and thus would not have come in contact with the knife, showing the knife played a role in the murder. According to The New York Times, the prosecution also says they found DNA evidence of Knox's footprint in Kercher's blood, and several other traces of the two women's intermingled DNA. According to CNN, defense lawyers accuse investigators of "shoddy police work and tampering with the crime scene." Experts testifying for the defense say there is no way the knife could be the murder weapon. Dr. Carlo Torre, a leading forensics expert in Italy, testified that the knife "doesn't match the size or shape of the wounds[…] Sollecito's knife also doesn't match a bloody outline of a knife left on the bedding."According to CNN, Knox's murder trial is entering its final stages, with closing arguments beginning Nov. 20. The jury will begin deliberation on Dec. 4. Currently, there is still no agreement on the key pieces of evidence that prosecutors say convicts her and the defense says clears her.
Curt Knox, Amanda's father said his daughter has cooperated with police and never expected to be implicated. He and Amanda's mother, a Seattle schoolteacher, have taken turns living in Italy. According to Newsweek, Knox told an Italian television audience that his family is in "six-figure debt" in legal and travel bills. He lost his job when Macy's department store in Seattle downsized, and is currently looking for work. The Knox family says they have exercised every available financial resource and now rely on donations to stay afloat.
Furthermore, in the two years since losing their daughter, the Kercher family still has no closure. According to CNN, Kercher's father, John, a journalist who has written about the case for his British newspaper, is writing a book in order to help defray legal costs. The Kerchers have filed a civil suit for $33 million against anyone found guilty of their daughter's murder.


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