Seattle puts 'Perugia Park' on hold after Knox conviction

ronulus said on January 2, 2010 at 1:01 PM

Looks like David Mariott and Anne Bremner(Knox's PR tweedle dee and tweedle dum) have Tim Gallagher, Senator Cantwell and others by the short hairs. Anyone who cares to learn all of the evidence, lies, myths, PR etc regarding this case can visit www.truejustice.org. Some of the best reporting was by Andrea Vogt for the PI. Just visit the PI and in their site search bar enter Andrea Vogt, Knox case. Knox received a fair trial according to her own well connected and influential attorneys. She could have been convicted on a fraction of the evidence in the US.

cvn65 said on January 2, 2010 at 9:07 AM

Sure punish the Italian city for seattle's petty tantrum. Let the Italian courts as corrupt and inept as they are do their thing. We have no right to impose our leagal standards on a foreign government. I don't see americans demanding that the gov't do what it can to release those three hikers who were arrested in Iran. I'm more worried about them than Amanda Knox.

harryrag said on January 2, 2010 at 5:16 AM

Amanda Knox's lies and her false and malicious accusation against Diya Lumumba are explored on this excellent YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyUh5y_8efE

somehope said on January 2, 2010 at 4:23 AM

The accusations of anti-American bias are designed to inflame opinion. There's one slight problem with them; the court convicted the Italian son of a prominent Italian urologist on exactly the same evidence. To quote Stefano Maffei, lecturer in criminal procedure at the University of Parma, who has has also lectured at Harvard Law School, has Ph.D in law from Oxford and currently a guest lecturer at University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law: "This is the simplest and fairest criminal trial one could possibly think of in terms of evidence. There were 19 judges who looked at the facts and evidence over the course of two years, faced with decisions on pre-trial detention, review of such detention, committal to trial, Judgement on criminal responsibility." No one could find it hard to imagine why friends and family of Amanda Knox find it impossible to face up to what she participated in that night, probably while under the influence of drugs. But she did it. Time to move on.

moveon7777 said on January 1, 2010 at 9:45 PM

spc1922, there was media from around the world including from the US in the courtroom. To say "Italian law does not permit public access to the record of this case." is utter none sense. The judge has 90 days to release the report on the case. I wish that 90 days would hurry up and come, to put an end to the none sense once and for all.

tomrochelle said on January 1, 2010 at 4:29 PM

It's very simple. Give the FOA one piece of irrefutable evidence that Amanda and Raffaele were in the room when the murder took place. That's ONE piece of IRREFUTABLE evidence that they were there. You can't because they weren't there. Every piece of evidence that was offered by the prosecution was demolished by the defense. Let me give you an example of what would be an IRREFUTABLE piece of evidence: Amanda's bloody thumb print on the body or on the wall or on something. Evidence like this was all over the room for Rudy. So why not for Amanda or Raffaele? Explanation: they simply weren't there.

colonelhall said on January 1, 2010 at 4:15 PM

Thank you for the clarification, remonstranon

colonelhall said on January 1, 2010 at 4:13 PM

Thank you for the clarification remonstranon.

factoid said on January 1, 2010 at 4:04 PM

2010 has clearly not changed anything in Seattle, once they are done with this nonsense maybe they can concentrate on the important stuff. How much time and money was spent to come up with this decision, then they are going at it again in Spring?

remonstranon said on January 1, 2010 at 2:31 PM

The small sample was admissible in the Perugian court due to the fact that the Prosecution and Defense teams are invited to attend the testing so they cannot cry foul. The Defense teams declined to attend the testing and because of the overwhelming results on this small sample (virtually zero noise), Judge Micheli admitted this DNA evidence. Abundant samples (not one or two cells as you FOA are so fond of mis-stating) of Sollecito's DNA were found on Kercher's bra strap. Mixed DNA of Knox and Kercher in Filomena's room, etc, etc. How does one leave virtually no DNA where one lives? So, the lack of DNA and the many samples of mixed DNA implicate involvement. They were fairly tried and convicted with the jurors unanimous. The U.S. will never step in where there is such blatant guilt indicated. The State Department and your own Senator Cantwell have seriously back pedaled. By the way Colonel Hall, there were no empty bleach bottles or receipts found. Just a strong smell in Raf's apt..

spc1922 said on January 1, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Two empty bleach bottles? I have no idea and nobody else does either because there is no public access to the record of the trial. Can't find any physical evidence? Must be because they cleaned it up. Caught in the process of mopping up the crime scene? Not true, the door was locked. Meredith's DNA found on the tip of a knife? Not that would stand up in a US Court. The sample was too small and it also tested negative for blood which means it wasn't used to stab anybody. Sollecito admits knowing it? Just second hand information leaked by a corrupt prosecution team. Let's see the recordings or videos of the interrogations. Now for the facts. There was massive evidence against Rudy and claims that AK and RS were helping him sexually assault the victim were in the words of Tim Egan "preposterous and made-up." Italy's trial of the century was a show trial and a kangaroo court.

colonelhall said on January 1, 2010 at 12:56 PM

tomrochelle: come off it. Try to think up a different defence, buddy! Is it true that there were two empty bleach bottles at the pair's flat? Is it true that they were caught in the process of mopping up the scene of crime? Is it true that, in spite of heavy bleaching a knife was found with Meredith's DNA on the tip? Is it true that Sollecito admitted knowing this, but had an unlikely explanation for it? Is it true that the defence team declined the invitation to inspect the DNA testing process? And so on and so on.....

skizex said on January 1, 2010 at 10:24 AM

They should still build the park, but call it something different. How about something llike One World Government Park of Fascism. Yeah, that good, 'Fascist Park' for short.

spc1922 said on January 1, 2010 at 8:20 AM

Quote of the day: Moveon7777:"The US media needs to stop reporting dumb stories like this one, and start translating the court transcripts of the trial so they can get the story straight." What?? Italian law does not permit public access to the record of this case. According the the anti-Amanda website PerugiaMurder File digitization or publication in full of court records is not permitted under Italian law. I have repeatedly challenged the online anti-Amanda crowd to make public even one document from the case in its original unaltered form. We'll start with the complaint, the judges charge to the jury, and police records of Amanda's interrogation.

rh5636 said on January 1, 2010 at 7:28 AM

When I heard this my reaction was "oh, come on." Amanda Knox is guilty and now she will be held responsible for her crime.

postacomment said on January 1, 2010 at 12:55 AM

"I am happy if the name Knox gets left in 2009, more important things." So you clicked on this story why then??

separac said on January 1, 2010 at 12:11 AM

Yikes... so many angry, bitter Knox supporters here. Look, she probably did it. She got convicted. What is the problem? As for calling the Italian justice system a joke, I need only refer you to the large number of DEATH FREAKING ROW cases in the US that have been called into doubt or outright overturned. Let this one go. She did it. Get over it. She'll be back in the states in 2039 anyway.

thesnowqueen said on January 1, 2010 at 12:03 AM

Well, now she knows not to kill someone in Italy. They mean business whether you believe she did it or not. It is their system, not ours.

tomrochelle said on December 31, 2009 at 11:14 PM

It was a physical impossibility to participate in this horrible crime without leaving substantial DNA evidence in the room where the crime took place. Rudy Guede's DNA evidence was all over the crime scene. There was none for Amanda. There was none for Raffaele. They are both innocent and an unbiased panel of judges and jury would have made that finding. Their trial and conviction was an injustice by definition. No reasonable court could have found them guilty given the lack of evidence. It is great that Amanda's hometown is sticking up for her and her family. Every opportunity should be taken to let the Italians know that all is not well between us, given their unjust conduct toward one of our citizens. It was not just the behavior of one errant prosecutor, but rather the behavior of many in that community who supported him and wanted to believe all the awful things he said about Amanda without any evidence to support his assertions. Amanda is innocent.

matunos said on December 31, 2009 at 10:40 PM

We shouldn't react against a whole city because of the unfortunate antics of some of its officials. Having seen the farce of a justice system they have over there, though, I think it's perfectly reasonable to withhold this naming. Any city where it's considered acceptable for a prosecutor to establish the moral status (or lack thereof) of a defendant because they have condoms in their apartment is not a city worth honoring. On the other hand, given the location of this future park, perhaps the deeper insult would be to go forward with the naming as planned.

moveon7777 said on December 31, 2009 at 8:12 PM

mark234, there is plenty of evidence against Knox and Sollecito. What is ignorant is the fact that Seattle is changing the decision to name the park Perugia. The US media needs to stop reporting dumb stories like this one, and start translating the court transcripts of the trial so they can get the story straight.

sylviab said on December 31, 2009 at 6:37 PM

Ignorant is... ...pointing at others and say they are wrong, while wrong could be lurking in front of the own door. ...to think to be above the law, while the laws are for everybody the same, no exceptions. What is this, postponing the naming of a Park. Amazing! Does the Knox family have that kind of influence and are they that priviledged! That is rediculous. Both cities have nothing to do with what one liar did. Those are 2 different things. What's next, she gets a plaque in that park? So the "worshipping" can continue? I don't think the city should support that. If, everytime someone from this area gets convicted somewhere, things get postponed, nothing ever would get done. Her family needs to care for their daughter on their own time and stop bothering everybody else. I am happy if the name Knox gets left in 2009, more important things.

crashdown1979 said on December 31, 2009 at 6:37 PM

So bigdaddy0f4, your suggestion is to educate our young not to travel outside of the United States of America for fear of being wrongfully imprisoned? As I am sure you are aware, the prosecution had absolutely no solid evidence to convict Ms. Knox of murder. I suppose that if you were wrongfully jailed for 30 years while traveling abroad, you would be understanding of the respective country's laws and simply lay down to accept your fate.

skippythedog said on December 31, 2009 at 6:12 PM

If we feel that Perugians do not qualify as citizens of the the world due to the alleged corruption of their local officials etc., we should tell them so, cite specific examples and renounce any sister city affiliation. But if this park naming issue is driven solely by the Knox affair, it is an incredibly immature way to handle it.

bigdaddyof4 said on December 31, 2009 at 6:09 PM

This is just laughable! The greater Seattle area has gotten so twisited it's just unbelievable. Only here can someone kill another person in cold blood, cry alligator tears, and become a victim! And mark234- She wasn't under american law! She was in Italy when she committed the crime, and she should held responsible under that jurisdiction using their rules and not yours! Put your wasted effort into educating young people about bearing responsibilty for their own actions! Then they can go wherever they want and be just fine!

yogibear said on December 31, 2009 at 5:17 PM

I think it is a good plan to drop the Itialian name and go with an Irish theme

withane said on December 31, 2009 at 5:13 PM

How about Top Pot Park?

gritz said on December 31, 2009 at 5:07 PM

Mark that is your personal feelings and nothing more. What you fail to understand is the trail is not in America and does not abide by our criminal justice system. Don't compare our system to theirs. A UK citizen was executed in China for a crime which would have gotten him parole here in the states,last week.So while you downplay everyone else opinion,maybe you should think that maybe you're wrong too.

gritz said on December 31, 2009 at 4:51 PM

What is with this city and the Knox's? Do they have that much clout? I fail to see the relationship between our sister city and a murder trial.Is the city of Seattle saying that they does not respect or agree with the outcome of the murder case? If so, I doubt that the leaders in this city asked it's citizens their opinion on the matter and are staking our cities reputation on their personal beliefs.

mark234 said on December 31, 2009 at 4:48 PM

So many of these comments are sad displays of ignorance. The case against Amanda Knox and Raffaele would have been thrown out of any American court for innumerable reasons, the complete lack of evidence against them being foremost. These wrongful convictions didn't just happen, and Perugia itself bears much of the burden for these events. They have allowed a prosecutor with a history of bizarre accusations and unstable conduct to wield terrible powers, and they have backed him as one of their own. Anyone considering sending their college students to study in Perugia should make a real effort to learn about what has happened to Amanda before making that choice. Same for tourism. Perugia does not deserve to be our sister city. Not because one crime occurred, but because the primary injustice has been perpetrated by the Perugian courts themselves.

retrievers said on December 31, 2009 at 4:46 PM

The City of Seattle wants to punish all the people of the city in Italy because the Knox was found guilty of murder. Fact: Knox was found guilty under the laws of the county she chose to visit. Do we punish all people of a country for what we may perceive as injustices or do we address the issue with those we have the issue with. Come on Seattle, grow up!

elmer120 said on December 31, 2009 at 4:38 PM

You mean if we convict an Italian for muder we can't have a park named "Seattle" in Italy? Boy that's mean.

jenasal said on December 31, 2009 at 4:32 PM

Some of the stuff Seattle does blows me a way the fact is she was involved in a case there not Seattle. A jury found her guilty there not here! Do they care if we do not name a park Perguia? I really doubt it. Its over can we please move on with more important things now!

voiceofreason said on December 31, 2009 at 4:28 PM

@seattle1111: I concur, the Seattle media (and the general populace) can't understand that even a youngish college woman from the hallowed U Dub can perpetrate grisly murders.

seattle1111 said on December 31, 2009 at 4:18 PM

@spc1922:Seattle shouldn't be defending a killer.This city should be focusing on more important things besides this spoiled brat.I'm so over this story!Move on King5!

voiceofreason said on December 31, 2009 at 4:01 PM

Ha-HA! Maybe the Knox family will camp in this new park since they blew all their money on their campaign to ignore the reality and spring their daughter.

spc1922 said on December 31, 2009 at 3:37 PM

It's about time Seattle started to stand up for its innocent daughter. They should do more. There is massive evidence against Rudy. Does anyone really think that AK was holding down the victim while Rudy did whatever, or that somebody came in and killed the victim while Rudy sat on the throne? Italy's trial of the century was a show trial and a kangaroo court that has made Italian justice the laughing stocke of the rest of Europe. The higher you go up the intellectual ladder the less debate you find on this issue and Seattle has for the most part a pretty sharp population.

finster said on December 31, 2009 at 3:31 PM

hippiegirl, why are you angry at the Portuguese?

hippiegirl said on December 31, 2009 at 3:24 PM

treehugger: What? No sense of humor? So I screwed up. Replace Emeril with Rachael Ray then. Happy?

gwerner said on December 31, 2009 at 3:10 PM

obviously lots of whiners complained to the city

rainiswet said on December 31, 2009 at 3:02 PM

So why change the name of the park? Did the sister city change? I don't get it. Even if she isn't guilty the park should still go forward.

treehugger54 said on December 31, 2009 at 2:38 PM

hippiegirl - what does Emeril Lagasse have to do with Italy? He is not Italian.

moe99 said on December 31, 2009 at 2:33 PM

Figures. All the fruitcakes come out after Christmas.

hippiegirl said on December 31, 2009 at 2:01 PM

Good lord, this is ridiculous. Why don't we just ban flights from SeaTac to Italian cities while we're at it. Oh, and let's have a burning of our Manolo Blahniks and Emeril Lagasse cookbooks for good measure. Seattle is being very childish, indeed.

jinkiesshaggy said on December 31, 2009 at 1:06 PM

The NE corner of E John & Summit E, isn't that the parking lot behind Starbucks? Making a parking lot into a park? 1. that'll become the new homeless shelter and 2. prepare for an increase in parking fees on Cap Hill.

levdog said on December 31, 2009 at 1:00 PM

NEW PARK???? Other parks closing, layoffs, parks dept. employees having to take unpaid extra days off to save money???? Good move Seattle !!! We don't have funding to take care of the one's we have!! Call it "Mistake Park"

gonewest said on December 31, 2009 at 1:00 PM

Perhaps "Justice Park" should be considered.

graham said on December 31, 2009 at 12:32 PM

Call it crook park

davidadams said on December 31, 2009 at 12:22 PM

I suppose the runner up name of 'Stab Your Roomate After Freaky Sex Games Park' isn't going to make it either..

kalaloch said on December 31, 2009 at 12:11 PM

Penalizing a city because a trial took place there? An absurd, childish reaction and very, very embarrassing to the City of Seattle . The City should honor its sister city relationship and name the park after the city of Perugia. Message to the City Fathers and Mothers and, in particular, Tim Gallagher: Grow Up

musicfreak said on December 31, 2009 at 11:46 AM

That is absolutely ridiculous. She was found guilty. Period. Why change the name of the park because of it?