Amanda Knox, the young American woman whose Italian murder trial has caught the imagination of the international media, faces twenty six years in prison for her alleged participation in the murder of her roommate if her appeals are not successful. Now her parents are facing charges of defamation against the Italian courts for statements made in an interview with the Sunday Times of London, according to the Italian wire service ANSA. The indictment claims that Knox’s parents falsely claimed in the interview that their daughter “had not been given an interpreter, had not received food and water and had been physically and verbally abused.” It also maintains that the Knox’s claims that Knox was ”hit by a cuff behind the head” and “threatened (that) if you ask for a lawyer things will get worse for you” are untrue.
Italian libel laws are notoriously tough, and the courts there try about 1,000 cases of libel a year, apparently. Knox herself is also facing defamation charges because of her testimony, apparently. Knox’s appeal will begin in the Spring, and various experts, including retired FBI Agent Steve Moore, who once believed her guilty, are finding a lot of holes in the case.
“When Amanda Knox gets out, if she needs a roommate, I’ll send my daughter over,” retired FBI Special Agent Steve Moore told Good Morning America. “The evidence is completely conclusive.”
Moore started investigating to settle a bet with his wife. The more he looks, the more he feels that the girl is innocent. ”There is no DNA evidence. What they’re saying is that whoever killed Meredith cleaned up in Amanda’s bathroom. That’s all they say,” Moore said. “They found Amanda’s DNA in her own bathroom? Astounding.”
“They were doing unsound forensic techniques that lead to cross contamination. Their techniques were horrible,” he said, commenting on a tape of the crime scene being investigated. “If you showed that video tape in American court you would have lost more of your evidence.”
Amanda’s appeal will go forward this spring, and her parent’s defamation trial will be held in Perugia on July 6, according to ANSA.
