It is surreal watching Curt Knox on television, look away and normalcy resumes on Vashon. Look back and Curt is talking about his daughter’s appeal, cautiously optimistic that an upcoming independent review of the DNA will exonerate Amanda and her friend, Raffaele Sollecito. The two are serving prison sentences, near Perugia, Italy, for the murder of Amanda’s flatmate, Meredith Kercher, in November of 2007.
Although news of Amanda’s arrest stunned many Islanders, the Knox family and their friends believed in Amanda’s innocence. How does a child who has demonstrated a lifetime of compassion become a depraved killer in just a few weeks? No one could believe that Foxy Knoxy was their Amanda; a girl well known for her kindness.
Even when the prosecution and police distorted the truth with drug fueled orgies, cartwheels, a Double DNA knife, suspect substitutions, three destroyed hard-drives, AIDS, robbery, cat fights, psychics, poor hygiene, a Beatles T-shirt, leaked diaries, bloody footprints, magical DNA removal, Luminol, a Superwitness, sexy panties, Manga and bra clasps. As the truth began to filter through the lies, we became angry.
After Amanda and Raffaele’s conviction in December 2009 our anger toward the Perugian police and prosecutor Mignini, in particular, was electric and palpable. The Foxy Knoxy persona should have been called ‘Patsy,’ it was obvious to us that Amanda was targeted and Raffaele was dragged down with her. That Meredith was used to tug the heartstrings of the world was disturbing and disgusting.
Meredith was also a girl well known for her kindness, grew up near London. Described by her family and friends as witty and beautiful with a dazzling smile, she came to a tragic end at the hands of a petty criminal. An appalling misery for her family and her country. It was English anger toward Amanda that spawned the Foxy Knoxy avatar. Their vengeance at once poignant because of their loyalty to Meredith and gut wrenching because of their betrayal of Amanda.
Raffaele’s family lives in the Bari region of southeast Italy. His sister, father and stepmother, Vanessa, Francisco and Mara are fiercely supportive. Raff embodies the Italian gentleman and is a hero to Amanda’s supporters because he has suffered greatly from this injustice, but is kindly toward Amanda. Vanessa says that Amanda and her brother are “friends in misfortune.” We don’t tell the Sollecito’s often enough how much we appreciate their son.
The most likely scenario is that Meredith Kercher was murdered and robbed by Rudy Guede, a young Ivorian man who had lived in Perugia since childhood and is a well-known burglar. From evidentiary DNA in the cottage, shared by Meredith, Amanda and two Italian girls, it appears that Rudy sexually molested Meredith and slashed her throat, then stole her money, phones and credit cards. Then he cleaned up and went dancing, apparently to set up an alibi. His knife and bloody clothing were never found, but police did match his shoes to bloody prints found at the scene. He was caught in Germany two weeks later and admitted to being present, but not to murder. Rudy is also in prison for Meredith’s murder, disregarded in the glaring spotlight on trained Amanda.
Curt says that “the room in which Meredith lost her life is very small (8’ x 12’). In the prosecutor’s theory there were four people in it, one fighting for her life. For Amanda to leave nothing in the room of herself (DNA) is hard to fathom. Common sense will tell you that it is impossible for that to take place.”
Steve Moore, FBI (ret), said, regarding the crime scene forensics, “Amanda left not one trace DNA in Meredith’s room, nothing. A speck of Raffaele’s DNA was found on a bra clasp that was not in its original position under Meredith’s body. It was collected, 47 days after the murder, from under a dirty rug in an unsecured crime scene.”
Professor Michael Krom, of Leeds University (Meredith’s school) in Britain, questioned the validity of the DNA collection and processing. From a recent article in the Italian magazine, Oggi, he says, “What I want most is justice for Meredith Kercher. Condemning two innocent persons to life only creates a third victim: the memory of Meredith Kercher.”
The Massei Motivation, an opinion released by the Italian Court, comprises the reasoning behind the guilty verdict. But the opinion contains a number of inconsistencies, assumptions, innuendoes and statements unsupported by fact. Surprising for such an important document.
We Innocence Supporters see this case as an immense pile of information amassed on top of a simple truth. A rush to judgment and poor police investigation is covered up with cleverly twisted facts and outright lies. Happens every day. Unfortunately it happened to Curt’s daughter.
And this case is a study on the use of media for a Smear Campaign. It is because of the Smear that many Islanders are still confused by what happened to Amanda and so I ask this favor: Please reserve judgment until you have examined the website Injustice in Perugia, a comprehensive review of the case. This website is applauded by the Knox family and many experts in the field of forensics and law. Immensely helpful when sifting through the tangled mess of ‘facts.’
Please allow me to leave you with a thought. Curt’s oldest daughter is the kid that helps out, the scholar with a love of adventure. She is an athlete who, like her father, runs like the wind. She is an artist like her Grandfather. She is an embodiment of her mother’s sunny smile and compassion. She is lucky to have four devoted parents, three loyal sisters and an exceptional extended family. Many Vashon and Seattle friends admire her kindness and sunny disposition. And her international cadre of friends and supporters continues to grow as perfect strangers realize that an injustice occurred in Perugia.
Every one of us wants the world to know that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were not in the house when Meredith Kercher lost her life at the hands of Rudy Guede. This case is nothing but a Hall of Mirrors. And there are two places on God’s Green Earth where the truth should be known for respectability’s sake. Vashon and West Seattle, Amanda’s hometowns.
