208 days ago
208 days ago
Knox's life turned around dramatically Monday when an Italian appeals court threw out her murder conviction in the death of her British roommate. The decision, fueled by doubts over DNA evidence, stunned the victim's family and angered the prosecution, which insists that she and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were among three people who killed 21-year-old Meredith Kercher.
Prosecutors maintain that Knox's DNA was found on the handle of a kitchen knife believed to be the murder weapon, and that Kercher's DNA was found on the blade. They said Sollecito's DNA was on the clasp of Kercher's bra as part of a mix of evidence that also included the victim's genetic profile.
But an independent review — ordered at the request of the defense, which had always disputed those findings — found that police conducting the investigation had made glaring errors in evidence-collecting. The two experts said below-standard testing and possible contamination raised doubts over the attribution of DNA traces, both on the blade and on the bra clasp, which was collected from the crime scene 46 days after the murder.
Knox left the Italian prison on Tuesday to a raucous ovation from inmates that sources said rivaled a soccer match. There are many who believe Knox and Sollecito were scapegoats for an inept Italian investigative squad.
To say this case is controversial would be quite the understatement, regardless of your opinion on the matter one truth remains- Amanda Knox is on her way home and the Italian police are being heavily scrutinized.
