Knox and Sollicito guilty again

Yesterday a court in Perugia, Italy upheld the first conviction that Amanda Knox and her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito murdered British student Meredith Kercher in 2007. The detail of how the Italian judges came to their decision has not yet been made public, but a spoke’s person for the court said that the DNA evidence linking Knoxs , Sollecito, and the already convicted Rudy Guido was irrefutable.

The Kercher family who were in court to hear the verdict were pleased rather than jubilant. Speaking at the court Meredith’s brother Kyle Kercher said that although the ruling was never going to be "a case of celebrating", it was "the best we could have hoped for".

The American Amanda Knox , who has reportedly made millions from a book deal, was not in court to hear the verdict. Her family stated that she would remain the US and would only return ‘kicking and screaming’.

Since returning to the USA Knox has been on an American charm offensive pleading her innocence with the American people.

One person was never convinced of her innocence was African Italian Patrick Lumumba, the bar-owner from Perugia, who employed Knox during her studies in Italy. Knox lied to the police claiming that Lumumba was involved in murder of Kercher. In her absence she was convicted last year of slandering Lumumba and sentenced to three years.

This has been a truly awful case with race writ large at so many junctures. First the victim Meredith Kercher, darker skin mixed heritage  girl did not illicit the sympathy or compassion that the convicted killer Amanda Knox did. On statements by Knox to the police, the Italian African Patrick Lumumba would feel the full force of the police as a murder suspect. He is still picking up the pieces of his life because of her wicked lies. The trail and procedure of the third guilty party, Rudy Guido from the Ivory Coast was rushed through the courts without the level of scrutiny and defence that both Knox and Sollicito were afforded.

This case shockingly highlights a number of areas that are of grave concern: What does a suspect look like? Who can illicit compassion? Who will be afforded greater justice? In all of the above the darker your skin the greater the disadvantage. That I’m afraid is irrefutable.

Both Knox and Sollecito will appeal again, but according to legal commentators even if the appeal is rejected the likely hood of Knox ever being returned to Italy to serve her crime is most unlikely.

For Meredith Kercher’s family the ‘irrefutable’ evidence has given them this victory, but they are well aware that the journey for both the full truth and justice is still some way off.

Simon Woolley