Patrizia Stefanoni, a forensic scientist who conducted the original investigation in the Amanda Knox case, told an appellate court early today in Perugia that there was no cross-contamination of critical evidence linking the American student and her co-defendant in the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher. Conversely, court-appointed experts criticized Stefanoni's methodology which often pits the interpretive skills of one expert over another, which can also confuse judges.
COMMENT: Knox and her co-defendant and one-time boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of sexually assaulting and killing Meredith Kercher in the apartment that Knox and the 21-year-old Briton shared while studying in Perugia. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito to 25. Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict. A third defendant, Rudy Hermann Guede of the Ivory Coast, also has been convicted of Kercher's murder in a separate proceeding. Italy's highest criminal court has upheld Guede's conviction and his 16-year-prison sentence. Guede denies wrongdoing.
Apart from the forensic evidence, Knox's numerous conflicting statements, testimony and her accounts of co-defendants' roles in the murder of the young Briton contributed to the persuasive closing arguments of the prosecution. When experts disagree over interpretation, conflicting statements, testimony and transcripts of the accused, often help juries acquit or convict.
The parents of Amanda Knox have not helped their daughter's case either. Italian police officers have accused Edda Mellas and Curt Knox of libel, accusing them of defamation for their description of how Knox was treated after her arrest in the murder of Meredith Kercher. The case is scheduled to be heard on January 24, 2012. Moreover, their public statements to the media have not helped the public perception of Knox and her parents.
Apart from the forensic evidence, Knox's numerous conflicting statements, testimony and her accounts of co-defendants' roles in the murder of the young Briton contributed to the persuasive closing arguments of the prosecution. When experts disagree over interpretation, conflicting statements, testimony and transcripts of the accused, often help juries acquit or convict.
The parents of Amanda Knox have not helped their daughter's case either. Italian police officers have accused Edda Mellas and Curt Knox of libel, accusing them of defamation for their description of how Knox was treated after her arrest in the murder of Meredith Kercher. The case is scheduled to be heard on January 24, 2012. Moreover, their public statements to the media have not helped the public perception of Knox and her parents.
