Italy’s Highest Court Overturns Acquittal of Amanda Knox

[jettakd]

By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO
Published: March 26, 2013

ROME - Italy’s highest court on Tuesday ordered a new trial in the sensational case of Amanda Knox, an American student accused of murdering her 21-year-old roommate, Meredith Kercher of Britain, in 2007.The judges’ announcement that an earlier acquittal had been overturned was greeted by a shocked

Comments

[atomic_joe2]

There is some talk that the US government might block her extradition for the retrial because of the double-jeopardy rule. Err... that doesn't apply in Italy where the crime took place!

If she is convicted in absence she could find herself a prisoner in her own country. There are EU-wide arrest warrants which rules out any trip to Europe (probably with the exception of Switzerland, where Roman Polanski is still shamelessly hiding from justice).

Add to that almost all the English-speaking countries apart from the US (like Australia, New Zealand, Canada) are in the Commonwealth who presumably have an extradition treaty with the EU, what with the UK being a member of both.

[jettakd]

However, as a US citizen extradition during a double jeopardy case would be a violation of her constitutional rights and a violation of the Universal Bill of Human Rights...which Italy helped write and signed. So there genuinely is a chance the US won't extradite her for that reason. Of course, as you say, she could likely never leave the US again.

That's assuming the courts will be able to prove anything, and what with the situation of the evidence is doubtful.

[atomic_joe2]

There's something about her that puts me right on edge though, you know? In every TV report or photograph I have seen of her her eyes look exactly the same, blank like a shark. While that isn't evidence of guilt or anything, it's still spooky to me.

[jettakd]

Yeah but let's be honest, a lot of people have that. Jeremy Renner from Avengers has that. As creepy a look as it can be, when associated with a suspect, the actual evidence points at her not really being involved.

[moonshaz]

This.

[coyotesuspect]

Mmhmm.

[anolinde]

So I guess if someone looks ~blank~ in their eyes...

[pachakuti]

I think my eyes would look like that, too, if I went through all the hassling, harassment, prison time, and ridiculously fucked up trials she did.

[idemandjustice]

I think that's hard to judge. A lot of perfectly nice people can seem that way.

[paksenarrion2]

Considering all she had been through though? I don't blame her. A lot of that was probably shock.

[bestdaywelived]

Uh, plenty of murderers flee the US for Mexico or Canada because they don't have the death penalty and won't extradite killers who might face death. It's the same principle - we don't allow charges to be brought twice, so the US isn't going to hand her over for another series of hell.

[maladaptive]

If she is convicted in absence she could find herself a prisoner in her own country.

I think I'd rather be a prisoner in a country as large as the US than risking sitting in jail again, so I'd take the conviction in absence rather than going back to Italy... I imagine a lot of people would.

[kittenmommy]

This. I'd take that too!

[cinnamontoast]

Exactly. Plenty of people get by just dandy without ever stepping foot outside of the US. I don't understand why this makes people pearl clutchy.

[moonshaz]

Absolutely.

[idemandjustice]

So she is in the US right now? If the article mentioned that I may have skimmed it due to my two year old screaming.

I remember watching some news pieces about her, and they were VERY sympathetic to her, so with that bias, I can't really say whether or not I think she did it, but at this point, they've fucked up everything and I think it just needs to stop.