News: Amanda Knox and Rafael Sollecito to be released from prison

Celestial

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Amanda Knox was sensationally released from prison this evening after an appeal court overturned her murder conviction - sparking chaotic scenes as her family erupted with joy.

There were screams in court as Knox, 24, hugged her parents Curt and Edda Mellas - as just feet away the family of Meredith Kercher looked on stunned.

The American has served four years of a 26-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2009 of the brutal sex murder of Meredith, 21, who was found semi naked with her throat cut in her bedroom of the house she shared in Perugia, Italy.

Computer studies graduate Raffaele Sollecito, 27, her ex lover who had also been accused of carrying out the murder with her was also freed and there were emotional scenes as he hugged his delighted father Francesco.

The decision means that Knox will now almost certainly walk into a $1million deal with an American TV network as all the main stations have been frantically trying to secure rights to her first interview.

But although she and her family may well be delighted with the decision of judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman and his jury of five women and one man it means the heartbroken Kercher family still have no clear picture of what happened to their daughter.

Her heartbroken mother Arline, sister Stephanie and brother John, shook their heads in disbelief and hugged each other for comfort, not even raising their eyes to look at the jubilant Knox camp.

At the first trial two years ago Knox and Sollecito had been convicted after the court heard they had carried out the crime with the aid of a third man Ivory Coast drifter Rudy Guede, 24.

The appeal however overturned this and ruled that he carried out on his own but key to the verdict was an independent court ordered report into hotly disputed DNA evidence.

Two forensic professors from Rome’s La Sapienza University Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti had poured scorn on the original police forensic investigation of the crime scene producing a damning conclusion of techniques and methods used.

Key to the case was a 12ins kitchen knife retrieved in Sollecito’s flat and on which the original trial heard was found DNA from Meredith on the blade and that of Knox on the handle.

Prosecutors confusingly said it was 'not incompatible' with the murder weapon – which has never been found – while defence teams argued it was too big to have caused the wounds on Meredith’s throat.

In addition the report also said that no blood was found on it and the DNA of Meredith was so low is should be ruled inadmissible – in fact there was such a small amount it could not even be retested.

They were also critical of results reached from tests on a clasp from Meredith’ s bloodied bra which was not collected from the murder scene and analyzed until 46 days after Meredith was killed.

To highlight the farcical way police carried out the investigation the experts showed footage of the way the forensic officers collected the evidence and there was gasps of amazement as more than 50 errors were pointed out.

The team was seen picking up the clasp with dirty gloves – instead of tweezers – and then placing it in a plastic bag when the recognized international procedure is a paper one.

They were then seen handing it to each other from glove to glove, placing it back on the floor in a different place from where it was found and then picking it up again.

Professors Conti and Vecchiotti said that this also made it highly likely that it had been contaminated and then they also revealed how they had been unable to retest the clasp because it had rotted away after being wrongly kept in the forensic lab in Rome.

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ManDown

I'm so glad! It's about time.

Stepfon

Good, they didn't have enough proof that she did it anyway. Now she needs that Maxim spread.

Navin

Thank god. This poor girl has been through hell

foxaylove

I was just about to post this. The press are going wild right now. Apparently there were thousands of people outside of the courtroom.

IWasHere

I really cant believe this, Im still in shock.

ManDown

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Originally posted by IWasHere

I really cant believe this, Im still in shock.

In a positive or negative way?

Celestial

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Originally posted by Navin

Thank god. This poor girl has been through hell

She really has, but she's going to make millions from this. It won't give her back what was taken from her, but she will be compensated.

foxaylove

I know her and her family won't feel complete joy till they touch base on US soil once again. I think only after then will she finally feel it's reality after these few years.

IWasHere

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Originally posted by ManDown

In a positive or negative way?

I really think she is guilty...

Boop

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Originally posted by IWasHere

I really think she is guilty...

She hasn't an alibi, she accused another man that was COMPLETELY innocent but hey, they are americans: they want to judge but dont want to be judged

I only hope she leaves my country asap, we have enough monsters here

YoYo

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Originally posted by IWasHere

I really think she is guilty...

Same here. It seems like the lack of evidence was based on pure technicalities. and DEATH @ her framing another INNOCENT person to get away from the heat, yea, not criminal-like behaviour whatsoever.

Onen

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Originally posted by IWasHere

I really think she is guilty...

Me too.

IWasHere

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Originally posted by Boop

She hasn't an alibi, she accused another man that was COMPLETELY innocent but hey, they are americans: they want to judge but dont want to be judged

I only hope she leaves my country asap, we have enough monsters here

My point exactly. I just think the cops messed up while collecting evidence and that played a big role in her over turned.

ManDown

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Originally posted by IWasHere

I really think she is guilty...

I don't.

Could she have been involved in the death? Of course. But there wasn't enough evidence to convince me that she was the person who killed her roommate. Yes, she did accuse an innocent man; but she clearly didn't want to go to prison and I don't feel that she should have been convicted in the first place. Her defamation conviction is understandable, though.

IWasHere

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Originally posted by ManDown

I don't.

Could she have been involved in the death? Of course. But there wasn't enough evidence to convince me that she was the person who killed her roommate. Yes, she did accuse an innocent man; but she clearly didn't want to go to prison and I don't feel that she should have been convicted in the first place. Her defamation conviction is understandable, though.

There was evidence, it was just compromised. And just bcuz she 'didnt want to go to prison' that dont give her the right to accuse a innocent man.

ManDown

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Originally posted by IWasHere

There was evidence, it was just compromised. And just bcuz she 'didnt want to go to prison' that dont give her the right to accuse a innocent man.

That's law enforcement's fault. I'd rather see an alleged guilty person walk free than an innocent person put to death. And yes, it was still incredibly stupid of her to accuse him in the first place, but that's human nature. In situations where you're facing life in prison, 9 times out of 10 you are willing to throw somebody else under the bus.

Dany_

So happy for her!

IWasHere

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Originally posted by ManDown

That's law enforcement's fault. I'd rather see an alleged guilty person walk free than an innocent person put to death. And yes, it was still incredibly stupid of her to accuse him in the first place, but that's human nature. In situations where you're facing life in prison, 9 times out of 10 you are willing to throw somebody else under the bus.

I dont understand ur thought process. She was not facing the death penalty or even life in prison. And if ur Innocent why lie and throw someone under the bus?? The only thing that proves, is U are a liar and can not be trusted.

Onen

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Originally posted by ManDown

That's law enforcement's fault. I'd rather see an alleged guilty person walk free than an innocent person put to death. And yes, it was still incredibly stupid of her to accuse him in the first place, but that's human nature. In situations where you're facing life in prison, 9 times out of 10 you are willing to throw somebody else under the bus.

Not really.