I am disappointed that a mainstream newspaper would print something like this. The evidence is overwhelming that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito had nothing to do with the murder of Meredith Kercher. The murder was tragic, but the crime was a simple one committed by a local thief named Rudy Guede.

There was no cleanup of the crime scene. Crime scene experts are unanimous that it is impossible to remove only one person's DNA while leaving that of others. Rudy Guede's DNA is all over the murder room. His palm print is there in the victim's blood; he had no business being there; his DNA is inside the victim's vagina; he flees to Germany the next day; he has defensive wounds, and he admits being there in police monitored phone calls while on the run. His story of consensual sexual contact and another killer entering the house while he sits on the toilet is believed by no one. Friends and family of Meredith are clear that Guede had no relationship with Meredith.

Amanda Knox was never in Marco Qunitavalle's shop. Another employee flatly contradicts him on this. He only came forward a year after the crime and he had previously told police that she wasn't there. There was no receipt for bleach from his shop.

Ms. Brankin thinks there was a cloth underneath the sink that police believe was used to clean a knife. There was no such cloth and if there was it would have important DNA on it. That knife was not the murder weapon. It was too large to have made the fatal wounds to Meredith; it did not fit the bloody outline of a knife at the crime scene. It tested negative for blood, and international experts, including those appointed by the court, have said that the identification of the victim's DNA on the blade was not valid. The equipment used for the test was not designed to be used with samples that small.

In all but the rarest of cirsumstances this type of crime is committed by a troubled male just like Guede. Female participation is sexually motivated homicides is not unheard of but is generally associated with male manipulation and a long term dysfunctional relationship when it is found. Always there is a deeply troubled past which is simply not present in the backgrounds of Amanda and Raffaele.

Important also is Guede's history of similar bad acts. In the weeks leading up to the crime he had been involved in as serious of burglaries including one in which he threatened a person with a knife inside his own home. In another incident he had entered a law office through a window broken with a rock -- exactly what was observed at the crime scene.

There is nothing complicated about the murder of Meredith Kercher. Rudy Guede did it; Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito weren't there.

The real problem here is that a corrupt and dysfunctional Italian judicial system does not permit full public access to the trial record. Some people quote Massei's Speculation Document, but the public needs access to the real testimony and evidence, not just Massei's biased, second hand interpretation of it.

The knife blade was tested for blood and it came up negative. This proves that the knife was not used in a stabbing. It turns out also that the luminol prints in the house were tested for blood and the tests were negative. The prosecution scientifc expert, Patrizia Stefanoni, lied about this during her testimony when she tried to claim that the luminol prints were not tested for blood. Normal police procedure is to test for blood and many people had questioned why she hadn't. The answer was that she did and she lied about it.

Outside experts have disputed the validity of the determination that the victim's DNA was on the blade fo that knife.

Marchofthesod:

It's not all that uncommon for an American college kid to be promiscuous. Her number of sexual contacts at age 20 was not out of the ordinary. As I'm sure you're aware the European tabloid press has reported falsely on this very issue.

At one point, Italian police sent in a fake doctor to tell Amanda she was HIV positive even though they knew she wasn't. In tears as any person would be after such news she listed all of the sexual partners in her life in her prison diary. Corrupt prison officials confiscated these pages and sold them to the European tabloid press where it was reported falsely that she had had 7 sexual partners during her short time in Italy. Perhaps your information on her promiscuity has been influenced by this lie put out there by a despicable European tabloid press.

They also reported falsely that she had written in her diary that Raf might have done it. She hadn't. Just because a college kid writes a short story about a rape doesn't mean she's more likely to commit one.

Marchofthesod:

The large number of bruises on the victim was not an indication of multiple attackers. It's called "overkill" and is not uncommon in homicides. Italian authorities in an effort to influence public opinion prior to the trial released actual autopsy photos of the victim that should never have been in the public domain. They were trying to show that the many injuries could not have been inflicted by only one attacker.

There was no staged break-in. Italian police initially thought -- not without reason -- that no one would climb in through Filomena's window. The problem is that when they found out about Guede it turns out that this was exactly his modus operandi. Only a couple of weeks before the crime, he had robbed a Perugian law office by climbing in through a second story window broken with a rock. Police also make a big deal out of the fact that they didn't find Guede's DNA in Filomena's room. Well guess what? They didn't find Filomena's DNA in Filomena's room. They didn't look hard enough..

The Wikipedia article on the case is deeply flawed. Long story. Knox's DNA was not found mixed with blood in any footprints. The footprints all tested negative for blood. Amanda lived there. It doesn't prove anything to find her DNA in her bathroom or in the hallway.

A former FBI agent named Steve Moore has looked at the forensic evidence and concluded that it exonerates Amanda and Raffaele.

The administrators at Wikipedia, in blatant violation of Wikipedia policy, have been permitted to block the accounts or threaten away over a dozen editors with different views than their own. The trial was in fact one of the most controversial and heavily criticized in modern European history. None of this is reflected in the article.

Wikipedia is an excellent institution but it has failed in this case. Those with an agenda of hate have been allowed to hijack an important article.

And why not? The people of Seattle should be marching in the streets with torches. An innocent daughter of their community has been taken hostage by a lynch mob on the other side of the world.

Injustices happen and when they do there is a place for the people to rise up and do something about it.

I'm here because I see hate and hysteria and I think it's the right time and place to do something about it. The European tabloid press has been despicable in all this. Amanda did not receive a fair trial and a growing grass-roots movement is here to see that this injustice is corrected.

Skulls:

They only knew each other for a week so they couldn't be a "serial killer couple." Female participation in sexually motivated homicides is rare but not unheard of. Usually the man is a master manipulator and the woman an empty shell. Why is it so hard to just follow the evidence and conclude that Rudy Guede did it alone? It's painfully obvious for anyone who takes a second to look at the evidence.

It's simply not true that the Knox family hasn't expressed their condolences to the Kerchers. They haven't communicated directly because it is thought not to be welcome or appropriate at this time. Their public statements have conveyed their sorrow for the Kercher's loss.

Finally Amanda has started to speak out forcefully in her own defense. She did not receive a fair trial and she did not commit this crime. For educated people, the debate over this case ended long ago.

This crime was committed by Rudy Guede. His DNA was all over the crime scene; he flees; his prints are there; he had motive and a history of knife violence. In one incident only a month before the crime he threatened a person with a knife inside their own home. What more does anyone need to see?

No physical trace of Amanda Knox was found in the room where the murder occurred, none. She had no motive and she did not flee.

The British tabloid press has been despicable. The American press has done a much better job. US commentators have used unprecedented language to condemn the tribunal. This was a show trial and a kangaroo court that has shamed all of Italy. The Italian people need to rise up an fix the problem. It's taking too long.