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October 10, 2011 in City
Kershner: Knox book author relied on ‘rules of journalism’
Amanda Knox collapsed in tears of relief when an Italian court overturned her conviction last week.
Yet there was someone else in the courtroom, Spokane native and author Candace Dempsey, who experienced her own degree of vindication.
“It was really spectacular,” said Dempsey, a West Valley High School grad and former intern at The Spokesman-Review. “I feel at peace about the whole thing.”
For months, Dempsey had been certain that (1) Knox didn’t do it, and, although this does not necessarily follow, (2) Knox would be acquitted.
Dempsey is the author of the 2010 book “Murder in Italy: The Shocking Slaying of a British Student, the Accused American Girl and an International Scandal” (Penguin/Berkley). She’s a freelance writer who first began writing about the murder on her Seattle true-crime blog. Dempsey soon turned it into a book project because, for one thing, she found it hard to think about anything else.
What she discovered shocked her.
“I just followed the rules of journalism,” Dempsey said. “If the police and prosecutors said something, I checked the facts. And there was just never any hard evidence against her.”
Oh, there was plenty of circumstantial evidence.
“Circumstantial being, ‘Amanda’s eccentric.’ ‘She didn’t cry hard enough.’ ”
There was only one piece of hard evidence that actually tied Knox to the murder, or to the murder room. That was the DNA evidence. Yet the DNA evidence was tiny, unreliable and not handled by accepted procedures.
Still, when Dempsey published the book in spring 2010, she did not come right out and say that Knox was innocent. She meticulously noted the implausibilities in the prosecution’s case and the extremely skimpy nature of the evidence. But she never said that Amanda Knox didn’t do it.
“People were saying, ‘If only Italy had the electric chair, she deserves it,’ ” said Dempsey. “And I was saying, ‘How do we even know she did it?’ ”
Dempsey said that, for her, the turning point came several months ago when the Italian courts finally ordered a rigorous, independent review of the DNA evidence – and then rejected it.
“When the DNA was knocked out, I have finally been able to say, ‘Yes. I know she is innocent,’ ” she said.
Still, there was plenty of suspense in the courtroom last Monday, partly because of the language barrier. London’s Daily Mail got confused and briefly reported that Knox was found guilty.
“The courtroom was afraid to react,” said Dempsey, who had one of the coveted press seats. “And then we heard the word ‘assolvo’ (acquitted).”
Dempsey won’t have much time to recover from jet lag. Her publisher has asked her for a new closing chapter for a second printing of the book.
“It’s due Monday night (tonight),” said Dempsey. “That’s OK. It won’t be hard at all.”
The verdict stills leave one question: If Knox didn’t do it, who did?
Dempsey believes she knows the answer to that, as well. One man, a petty thief named Rudy Guede, is in jail for the murder. His conviction was based on strong DNA evidence and was not overturned.
“Yes, I think he did it,” said Dempsey.
It has always, she said, “looked like a burglary gone wrong.”
Reach Jim Kershner at jimk@spokesman.com or (509) 459-5493.
Jim Kershner’s this day in history 
2000manfred on October 10 at 7:06 a.m.
So where was Knox that night? Why hasn’t that ever been answered? Why did she say she was there? Why did her boyfriend say he was on the internet all night, when his computer hadn’t been used? Why did they both say they slept in late the next morning when their cellphones were turned on at the exact same time early in the morning?
yourkiddingme on October 10 at 7:51 a.m.
Who CARES!!!!!!!!!!
dataxman on October 10 at 8:34 a.m.
2000 - and based on this they are guilty of murder? Wow…
2000manfred on October 10 at 8:49 a.m.
dataxman —
Didn’t say that. But if my roommate was murdered, I would likely be able to account for myself. I most certainly would not lie multiple times about my whereabouts. My point is basically that just as some of the evidence against her might be shaky, it is not as clear as many people would make it that she was not involved. There are unanswered questions. Let’s not forget — there is still a family in England that wants to know what happened to Meredith Kershner. Simply shrugging off unanswered questions about Amanda Knox’s involvement is too dismissive of their hopes.
yourkiddingme on October 10 at 9:49 a.m.
and again, WHO CARES!!!!
MrNatural on October 10 at 10:11 a.m.
The pieces of the prosecutors puzzle just didn’t fit but it made for good Italian theatre…I think justice has lost itself in the recesses of the human psyche when so much subjective theory is permitted.
In the game of innocent vs. guilty…I’ll call your Amanda Knox and raise you a Troy Davis…
And another good read Mr. Kershner..thanks
Shadedmuse on October 10 at 10:35 a.m.
Where was knox that night? I will tell you slitting her roomates kneck. if the glove doesnt fit you must a quit and since their are no Gloves then that mean she is GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY> and shame on the Seattle media for giving a international murderer a heros welcome home. SHAME SHAME SHAME, I say the feds should retry amanda then that poor Innocent Karl Thompson, what a misscarrage of Justice. SHAME SHAME SHAME<
HEAR OUR VOICE ITS LOUDER THEN TEA-BAGGERS!!!
ScottMa on October 11 at 6:30 a.m.
your answers are;
1. sleeping at her bf’s
2, she did not say she was “there” she was asked to imagine a scenario where she was there after 12 hours non stop coercisive interrogation. she was “told” she was there… where is the police interview audio and video? it does not exist..
3. police “fried” both hard drives of Amanda and Raffaele.. they make that claim u make.. defense asked for the hard drives back, police said ” we dont know what happened to them” what are the odds of both hard drives being destroyed?
4. more disinformation..
it appears you have bought into the obvious lies the police leaked to the press.. yellow journalists went with the false info,, Candace did not..
let me ask you people who think she is guilty these
1.can you name me one case in modern history where a person is murdered in a sex game, satanic ritual where the female is the ring leader, and shares in this game with a basic stranger, Rudy Guede?
2. did Amanda have prior knowledge how rudy was known to break into other places, throwing a rock thru an upper window? she must have, since prosecution claims she staged the robbery.. Occam’s Razor, learn it..
3. how can rudy leave bloody shoe prints in the murder room, but not amanda and raff?
go ahead, answer those.. if u cant offer a reasonable answer, then they are innocent.
sflicker on November 26 at 8:30 a.m.
There was ample evidence presented by the Defense during the first trial to give them an alibi during the time of the murder.
1. TOD was between 9-9:30 based on digestive evidence from autopsy.
2. Raffaele’s computer was in use watching a movie. Prosecution claims human interaction until 9:10. Defense show evidence showing a later time until 9:45.
3. Meredith’s cell was in possession of the murder at 10:00. Text received by her phone at 10:13 from a tower near the site phones where recovered the next day. Roughly a 10 to 15 min walk from the cottage. Even a longer one to avoid the camera in the parking garage.
4. A broken car near the cottage that would have seen anyone enter or leave the house.
The murder must have left the house by at least 10. This give an impossibly small window for Amanda and Raffaele to have committed the crime. Plus there was no evidence of either in the murder room but ample evidence of Rudy’s presence.