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Amanda Knox lawyer breaks down in tears
‘Give Amanda back her life’ he pleads as jury prepares to decide its verdict
With only one or two days to go before a verdict is expected in the marathon trial of Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of the British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Knox's lawyer broke down in tears as he made his closing arguments yesterday.
Luciano Ghirga was wrapping up his four-hour address to the eight-person jury, appealing to them to find the young American not guilty, when his voice began to shake and his eye filled with tears. "Amanda is asking to have her life back. Give Amanda her life back by clearing her of all charges," he said. "Amanda was a victim of a mechanism that crushed her."
This was a reference to what he claims is the prosecution's concocted case that Kercher was murdered in November 2007 as the result of a group sex game that went wrong, involving 22-year-old Knox, Sollecito and Rudy Guede, the Ivorian who has already been tried separately and convicted.
However, Chirga pointed out yesterday that the prosecution appeared to have changed its mind about the motive during its summing up. Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini said Knox killed Kercher in a moment of blind hate because she was sick of being criticised by her British housemate for bringing home male friends.
"Initially, it was a sexual motive, now it's hate," said Ghirga said. "But that too is another non-existent motive."
Chirga's case remains that Knox and Sollecito weren't even in the house when Kercher was murdered on the night of November 1, 2007, and that there was no animosity between the two girls. "Meredith was my friend and I did not hate her," Knox told the court. "What has been said is pure fantasy."
The jury are expected to begin deliberating on Friday morning and although the testimony has taken ten months, they are expected to return later the same day, or possibly Saturday, with a verdict.
Knox's family, who have travelled from Seattle to Perugia, say they are confident she will be acquitted. But if she isn't, she faces 30 years in jail. Prosecutor Mignini has even asked that she spends the first nine months of her sentence in solitary confinement during daylight hours. ·
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"It's obvious she's a psychopath, everything about her shouts it. Her demeanour in court is just like that of the Manson crowd of 'killer chicks' at their trial."
Nothing like a fair and objective assessment of the evidence. right! Goodness me, I'm glad you're not on the jury...
If the case for the defence is so weak the attorney has to use emotional blackmail, there is no case. It's obvious she's a psychopath, everything about her shouts it. Her demeanour in court is just like that of the Manson crowd of 'killer chicks' at their trial.
Lock her up.