Dear Editor,
The cultural power and
majesty of Italy contrasts sharply with the competency of its
judicial procedure. It seems as though the ‘facts’ that were
presented against Amanda Knox were largely organized around the
prosecution’s need for media attention and targeted an emotional
response from the Italian people. It read like a far-fetched and
increasingly ridiculous soap opera. It became clear early on that
Knox and her boyfriend had nothing to do with the brutal slaying of
Meredith Kercher, and their imprisonments served needs other than
that of justice. I believe that the prosecution was using the trial
to bolster its own position in public opinion and that, in doing so,
wasted valuable time that could have been more wisely used in
locating the real murderer. The Kercher family lost their daughter;
Amanda Knox has lost four years of her life. I believe that once the
inadequacies of the Italian judicial system were exposed to the eyes
of the world, they had no choice but to let her go. It had little to
do with the thoroughness of the appeals system. Italy leads the world
in cultural magnificence; it’s time that its forensic science
followed that lead.
T. M. Mitchell,
USA
Dear Editor,
As a woman, I find how the
media has treated Amanda Knox disgusting and offensive. She has been
demonized from day one. We all react differently under stress and
trauma. Just because she found comfort in a cuddle from her boyfriend
she gets accused? Just because she ‘let off steam’ in a peculiar
way (cartwheels), she’s a murderer? Just because she went out and
bought underwear the day following the murder, she’s a sex-driven
pervert? Had anyone cared to mention that her house was seized and
she was not allowed to enter to get her stuff? Of course she needed
to buy underwear! And we expect her to go out and buy a pair of
bloomers instead of her usual ‘sexy’ type? (Have you ever tried
to buy a ‘sensible’ pair of underwear in Italy?! It’s actually
hard to find.)
If this case had been
judged from day one by just looking at the evidence and not at public
opinion based on media spin, she and Raffaele would have never done
any jail time. I’m glad the Italian justice system got it right the
second time around. The Kercher family did not get justice, but not
because of two innocent people going free, but because the real
murderer, Rudy Guede, got such a short sentence due to the PM’s
insistence on twisting evidence and speculating on turning an
innocent young girl into a succubus at all costs.
Sincerely, Nina Peci
Dear Editor,
Italy definitely needs to
take a closer look into its incompetent judicial system, especially
banning incompetent prosecutors like Perugia’s Giuliano Mignini!
This is not to say
that the American judicial system is without flaws either.
Incompetency in Italy runs rampant in its collection of evidence
presented in criminal cases. The evidence in the Knox case should
never have been introduced in the first place. It is also an
embarrassment that Perugia’s prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini, felt
that Knox and Sollecito were guilty of murdering Kerchner because he
had an intuition about them being guilty! Say what? How about basing
guilt on the facts or evidence in the case first, Mr. Mignini? Let us
not forget that Mignini also infamously botched Florence’s famous
serial-killer case in the 1970’s, aka ‘The Monster of Florence,’
who murdered 14 victims up on Florence’s Monte Morello, which has
never been solved. Even the American author and original Florentine
detective on the case who collaborated on The
Monster of Florence book were both
threatened with being locked up because they proved a mass of
incompetence in the case!
Criminal cases should not
be based on sensationalism either. The British tabloids, which
depicted Amanda Knox as depraved, have a solid reputation for being
sensational, if not downright scandalous. It is to Italy’s credit
that its appeals process is one of the most thorough in the world; if
only the rest of their judicial system were just as thorough! I am
glad Knox and Sollecito are free and hope that Knox’s four years in
Perugia’s prison gives her strength to write a thorough book that
will allow her to heal quickly from her ordeal and let her champion
for other innocent victims in Italy’s judicial system.
Sincerely, L. Harris
Editor’s Note: We remind our readers
that these are the opinions of the writers listed below and not those
of TF and its staff. Write to inbox@theflorentine.net
