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February 14, 2012
Prosecutors seek to reinstate Knox conviction
Amanda Knox, right, is offered water by her father Curt Knox as her mother, Edda Mellas, looks on as they wait to talk to reporters, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011, in Seattle. Knox was freed after an Italian appeals court threw out her murder conviction for the death of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.
(Full-size photo)
MILAN — Italian prosecutors appealed today to Italy’s highest criminal court to reinstate the murder convictions of American Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend in the brutal slaying of a British student.
Perugia prosecutors filed the 112-page appeal more than four months after an appeals court threw out the convictions against Knox, 24, and Raffaele Sollecito, 27.
Prosecutors Giovanni Galati said he is “very convinced” that Sollecito and Knox are responsible for the Nov. 1, 2007 stabbing death of Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old British student who shared an apartment with Knox in the university town of Perugia.
Galati told reporters in Pergugia that the appeals sentence must be thrown out, saying it was full of “ommissions and many errors,” the news agency ANSA reported.
The prosecutors appeal, which was expected, marks the third and final stage in the criminal case against Knox and Sollecito.
The two were found guilty in a lower court of slaying Kercher in what prosecutors described as a sex-fueled attack, and sentenced to 26 years and 25 years respectively. An appeals court then said the evidence did not hold up, freeing Knox to return home to the United States after serving four years in prison.
Luca Maori, Sollecito’s lawyer, said the high court is expected to issue its decision toward the end of the year.
The prosecutors move was expected, and Maori said he would file his counter-arguments after going over the prosecutors’ appeal.
“We will write our brief to say it’s a mistake,” Maori said.
The high court cannot hear new evidence, and will make its decision based on what has been submitted in earlier trials.
The fatal blow to the prosecution’s case was a court-ordered DNA review in the appellate trial that discredited crucial genetic evidence used to convict Knox and Sollecito in 2009.
Kercher was found slain in a pool of blood in the house she shared with Knox in Perugia. The appeals court in October said the guilty verdicts against the pair were not corroborated by any evidence, and that the court hadn’t proven they were in the house when Kercher was killed.
Still, the appellate panel stopped short of saying what might have happened the night of the murder.
A third defendant, Ivory Coast-born drifter Rudy Guede, was convicted in a separate trial of sexually assaulting and stabbing Kercher. His 16-year sentence, reduced in appeal from an initial 30 years, was upheld by Italy’s highest court in 2010.
© Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Knox leaves Italy to head home to U.S. 
Shadedmuse on February 14 at 11:21 a.m.
The Italians biggest mistake was not having Foxy Knoxy tried for Murder in texas, and have a date with the Needle by now.
But wait the Pope runs italy and they dont believe in the needle, to bad. this is what is wrong with mixing church and state, the best gouvernment is a secular gouvernment where religoun is kept away from the power of politics.
princessdd on February 14 at 11:39 a.m.
Sorry, but the Italians biggest mistake was not using evidence to reach their original guilty verdict. Religion, or “mixing church and state,” has virtually nothing to do with this case. Hate God that much, Shademuse? Try posting comments on the gay marriage page instead - you’ll be in plenty of like company there.
rosehips on February 14 at 12:22 p.m.
the italian police’s biggest mistake? Guiding their investigation based on their “gut instinct” and not by a total lack of evidence.
There is no way Amanda committed that murder, but the press and inept prosecutors convicted her before the trail even began. What a sham.
Mr_Injustice on February 14 at 12:43 p.m.
Shademuse,
I read your attempt at humor, and all you accomplished was making yourself sound less intelligent than normal. Bravo!
Religion has nothing to do with any part of this. But why stay on point? If you don’t like religion then don’t practice it or believe in it. If you want a secular government then go to a communist country. This country was founded in religious beliefs.
Loudin on February 14 at 1:48 p.m.
Update: “Herpes Wants To Reinstate Knox’ Mega-Cold Sore.”
Seriously, couldn’t someone have gotten her a tube of Abreva while she was on trial? We all fully understand that cold sores are not related to STP’s, but it sure didn’t help w/the salacious nature of her trial when she showed up for court everyday w/a piece of pepperoni on her lip.
Loudin
Loudin on February 14 at 2:14 p.m.
Er, STD’s.
(I’m clean as a whistle, so it’s no wonder I got a crappy band/oil treatment mixed up w/mysterious rashes).
Loudin
Al_Loysius on February 14 at 3:38 p.m.
They should pursue this. She is guilty as hell on evidence that would have been sufficient in any American courtroom (the actual evidence, not the stuff the media made up).
This is as bad a travesty as OJ getting away with murder.
westerly on February 14 at 5:25 p.m.
And…..the U.S. can refuse extradition to back to Italy.
Pigrobin on February 14 at 5:30 p.m.
CSI watcher Alloysius has spoken. But I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night.
JBlim on February 14 at 5:50 p.m.
The Italians are even nuttier than Americans.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on February 14 at 6:07 p.m.
Seems very few people, other than these prosecutors (and apparently Al_Loysius also), that still think Knox or her boyfriend did this murder. And the evidence, what little hasn’t been tainted by sloppy police work, points very, very clearly to Rudy Guede.
Honestly, at this point it seems the prosecutors just wanted to get the pretty American girl even though no evidence or anything else shows she did it.
Shadedmuse on February 14 at 6:39 p.m.
the founding fathers didnt want religoun any where near gouvernment in this country because imigrants were fleeing state sponsored religioun in earopean countries
the U.S is a secular nation it was founded that way. if you want religioun in ngouvernment then move to britain france ireland germany italy IRAN Saudi Arabia Iraq afganistan indonesia and get the hell out of the U.S a Secular state.
Mr_Injustice on February 14 at 8:03 p.m.
Oh Shadedmuse, your spelling is atrocious and you are so wrong. The Founding Fathers didn’t want government to interfere with the free practice of religion. But most of the Founding Father’s were very religious men. Not all of them were, there were some who were not at all.
Its hard to say that this is a secular government. Every inauguration after a national election has been started with a prayer.
In God we Trust is on our money.
Many Government Buildings have depictions of religious events. Or stone depictions of religious symbols.
So I think I’ll stay here. I can spell in the commonly used language in an articulate and intelligent manner.
As I stated earlier, this is not a Secular State. We do not have a state sponsored religion like some of the Countries you mentioned. We are a country that values religion albeit less now than we have at times,
Religion plays an important role in American Culture and values.
I do not know you or your background. I would very surprised if you have much of any background in a religion. You probably know what little you do by word of mouth and rumor. Your sources of knowledge are likely others who have a disdain for religion, namely Christianity.
Shadedmuse on February 14 at 10:43 p.m.
the founding fathers were NOT religous they wanted a secular nation and that is what the U.S is a Secular nation why else eveything having to do with religioun is deemed unconstitional by the courts because the U.S is a secular nation. so happy Holidays and happy New year.