Meredith Kercher Found Deceased 11/1/07 - Rudy Guede Sentenced To 16 Years - Amanda Knox And Raffaele Sollecito Found Not Guilty

Amanda Knox Trial Takes Toll of Family Finances, Emotions
Dad Has Lost Job, 'Mortgaged Everything,' Spent Retirement Funds

The long and exhausting defense of Amanda Knox has taken a financial and emotional toll on her family.

For nearly two years, Knox's family has shuttled back and forth 6,000 miles from Seattle to Perugia, Italy, to visit their daughter and sister in the Italian prison that has become her home.

They have had to finance an expensive legal team that includes forensic and DNA experts to help fight charges that she helped murder her British roommate during a drug fueled sex game gone wrong while studying abroad in Italy.

For the Knox family, it has been an unimaginable, emotional and quite expensive journey. And there is no end in sight because if Amanda is convicted, the family will appeal. And if Amanda is acquitted, the prosecution plans to appeal.

The question of how the family could possibly continue to pay for lawyers, travel and living in Perugia is one they cannot definitively answer, other than to say that somehow they will.

"Between Amanda's mother and myself, we have spent over a million dollars so far," said Knox's father, Curt Knox, who lost his job as an executive at Macy's during the ordeal and is looking for work. "We have literally mortgaged everything and used our retirement funds. But we do what it takes because we are not leaving our daughter in a foreign prison for something she didn't do."

This weekend, the lead judge will decide whether or not to appoint an independent expert requested by defense teams. If requests are denied, closing arguments will begin and a verdict will finally be reached. If requests are accepted, the trial will be delayed.

A delay would be another step in the long journey this case has been for Knox's family, one that has left a gaping hole in the family's suburban Seattle life.

"We want to be hopeful and we know she'll be home, but just to assume she's going to be home right now -- it's hard," Knox's mother, Edda Mellas, told "Good Morning America" today. "Because when it doesn't turn out the way it's supposed to, it's devastating."

Mellas, a math specialist in a Seattle school, has made nearly a dozen trips to Italy to see her daughter in prison for only one hour, twice a week.

In an interview with ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas, Mellas explained, "As a mom, are you really going to leave your innocent child in a foreign country alone with no one to visit her?"

Mellas told "GMA" that she'd definitely be in Italy for the closing arguments and the verdict. And when she's not able to be there in person, she's on the other end of the phone.

"I talk to Amanda every Saturday morning," she said. "She's never alone."

Mellas said she has to be hopeful that her daughter is getting a fair trial and is encouraged that the defense has been able to "rip apart" some of the prosecution's evidence.

When Mellas is not in Perugia, Knox's father is. Despite divorcing when Knox was young, her parents are united in their quest to free their eldest daughter whom they wholeheartedly believe is innocent.

Curt, who spent September in Italy, worries about Amanda. "She has been phenomenally strong and kept a positive attitude. But she told me last week there is this huge weight on her chest of having somebody else take your life in their hands and say -- guilty or innocent."

The "somebody else" are the two Italian judges and six jurors who will decide his daugther's immediate fate. During eight months of trial, they have heard nearly 100 witnesses. At points during testimony, some jurors -- and even the lead prosector, Guiliano Mignini -- have fallen asleep.

Amanda Knox's Sisters Pay Price, Too

Curt Knox also worries about his two young daughters, Ashley Knox, 14, and Delaney Knox, 11, who have been growing up with their father away half the time. Curt has lived nearly an entire year in total in Perugia.

Curt's youngest daughter Delaney misses her father, but understands why he's away. "I wish he was here when I had my first day of middle school and for him to take me there or pick me up. He couldn't because he was in Italy, but we know he is over there doing a good thing for Amanda."

Sitting next to her younger sister, Ashley fights back tears. "We all love and support her. The right thing will come out, that she's innocent and we will be able to see her back home soon."

Amanda's sister, Deanna Knox, 20, says the two are best friends. It was Deanna who traveled with Amanda to Perguia and found her new home, a cottage overlooking the Umbrian hillside that Amanda shared with Meredith Kercher and two Italian roommates.

Deanna recalled, "I actually found [the house] and it was amazing. Nothing in my mind could have imagined that something like this could happen."

A few weeks later, the picturesque cottage became a crime scene, and the lives of Amanda Knox and her family changed forever.

After learning that Amanda's roommate had been murdered, Mellas boarded a flight to Italy to go console her daughter. But during a layover in Switzerland, she answered an unforgettable phone call: Amanda had been arrested.

When Mellas finally arrived in Perugia, she was swarmed by media. Mellas says those first days in Perugia are a blur. "I was in shock. I wasn't eating. I wasn't sleeping. I hadn't seen Amanda. It was just a horrible time."

Knox Family Has Rented Apartment in Perugia

A few days later, Curt flew to Perugia, too.

But back home in Seattle, Deanna was alone in college harassed by media to the point she was provided security guards.

Deanna told ABC News, "It was a little frustrating. I couldn't walk to eat dinner without a police security escort to my cafeteria."

The attention from the media and the stress of the trial has been difficult for Deanna. While waiting for a verdict, Deanna is taking a semester off college and working in retail. She wanted to move closer to home and be with her family.

Deanna has also traveled to Perugia to visit Amanda six times. When home, she has had to fill the role of big sister to Ashley and Delaney while Amanda is gone. But Deanna says she cannot fill Amanda's shoes. "It's been hard to take her role, because no one can really replace what she did. She always took care of us."

Driving around their hometown, Deanna has constant reminders of her absent sister -- the soccer fields they shared, Amanda's favorite bowling alley and a local park they frequented.

"It's different driving in the car now. It was always the four of us -- Amanda, Ashley, Delaney and me... but now there is always an empty seat," Deanna explained.

For more than a year, Amanda's family has rented a small apartment on the outskirts of Perugia because it's cheaper than a hotel. When they are not in court or visiting Amanda in prison, they spend much of their time updating family and friends about Amanda and the trial.

One silver lining for this blended family is their much stronger bond. Both Curt and Edda remarried and live just miles apart, but Amanda and Deanna were raised by their mother.

"Everyone knows my parents are divorced. We have lived with our mom our whole lives and it pushed our dad to the side. But he has really stepped in and became the dad we always knew he could be."

The two families even gather at the Mellas household for Amanda's weekly 10-minute phone calls.

Reflecting on the one-hour visits he has with Amanda, an emotional Curt explained how much stronger his relationship is now with Amanda. "How often do you get to sit down and just talk with your child for one hour?"

Amanda Knox Family "Cautiously Optimistic"

With a verdict approaching, Amanda's family remains "cautiously optimistic." But they are very aware that this ordeal may not be over anytime soon.

Deanna cannot think about the possibility her sister may not come home. "I just can't imagine it in my head. I just can't picture it. I need her home."

There are moments when Edda simply loses hope. There are also moments she dreams of her best case scenario. "Three o'clock in the morning, I think about the plane ride and getting her here, and she talks about the food she wants to eat. She craves ethnic food, Thai food -- or even a really good sandwich. We will take her someplace where boating is involved and the sun. We will find a way to take her and just relax for a while."

What Deanna wants is simple. "I just want her home so I can talk to her about sister stuff and life." Deanna is also holding Amanda to a promise she made in a letter from prison. "Amanda promised me she would be home for my 21st birthday. I'm holding her to it."

Amanda's family refuses to be defined by this chapter in their lives, and, they say, so does Amanda. They acknowledge that life will never be the same, but insist they will find their new normal.

But for now, their normal is having their eldest daughter, now known around the world, locked up in a foreign prison, waiting for the verdict in her murder trial.

The family never forgets that the Italian justice system is different from the United States. Jurors are not sequestered or vetted for biases. They can watch media reports and read newspapers.

In Italy, a verdict is based on a majority vote among the two judges and six jurors, not a unanimous decision.

Curt understands what his daughter is facing. "It's a foreign country that has an extremely different legal system than the United States. And until I hear 'innocent'. ... I just need to hear that."

He cannot imagine another year of waiting and the toll it will have on all of them, especially Amanda.

In a quivering voice, he added, "I just want them to say 'innocent' and then we get to take her home. We just want her home."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/US/amanda-knox-defense-costs-million/Story?id=8782722&page=1

Closing arguments begin in Amanda Knox murder trial

Closing arguments are underway in Perugia, Italy in the murder trial of former University of Washington student Amanda Knox. The prosecution opened today re-focusing on one of its arguments that Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, staged a burglary after the murder. Prosecutors insist the evidence proves Knox and Sollecito killed Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher. The pair is charged with murder and sexual violence in the 2007 death. Both Knox and Sollecito have denied any wrongdoing.

"The key to the mystery is in that room," lead prosecutor Giuliano Mignini said, adding that it would be nearly impossible to climb that window and enter without hurting oneself and leaving blood traces on the shattered glass.

Also, he argued, that window was the most exposed of the apartment, making it an unlikely choice for a burglar. Nothing in the room with the broken glass, which belonged to one of Knox's and Kercher's roommates, was reported missing, Mignini noted.

"All of this was done to channel suspicions on a stranger, and divert them from those who had the apartment keys," he said.

The 22-year-old Knox maintains she spent the night of the murder at Sollecito's house in Perugia. The 25-year-old Sollecito has said he was home working at his computer that night. He said he does not remember if Knox spent the whole night with him or just part of it.

Read more: http://www.ktvb.com/news/regional/Closing-arguments-begin-in-Amanda-Knox-murder-trial-70629337.html

Thanks, Fysty and J4A.... I've been wondering what was happening with that case.

I haven't followed this as closely. I have only read some on it. It will be interesting to see what the jury decides. Some of the defense story didn't add up to the original evidence, from what I read earlier. It just didn't make sense. And, one of the guys has already been sentenced and is in prison, correct?

Rudy Hermann Guede is the person already in prison. He was sentenced to 30 years after asking for a fast-track trial. He is appealing his conviction.

I know I shouldn't be too hasty, but I think she did it. It's a shame that Amanda's family has to suffer, but what about Meredith's family? They will never see her again.

I agree, Babbette. I believe they will find her guilty.

Here is the 48 Hours episode that AJ was talking about.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

I was only going by what I had originally read, and a detailed documentary, which I can't produce because I can't remember what station it was on. It wasn't 48 Hours, I remember that. But they walked thru the apartment and did reenactments. And showed the evidence, or supposed evidence at that time. And pictures from the murder scene. It just didn't make sense to me, and they weren't being biased one way or the other in the documentary.


I had just put all of those together. I hope if she is innocent, justice will be served and the true killer is already imprisoned and Amanda will be freed and be able to return home to the US.

I still think she did it.

I haven't followed this case nearly as closely as AJ has. But from what I have followed of it, I feel that Amanda is not guilty. However, given the fact that this is being tried in another country without benefit of American judicial standards (no offense to non-Americans intended), I believe she will be found guilty.

And that breaks my heart for her and her family. I think Amanda never had a chance......

Amanda Knox's parents say their daughter is no killer

Seattle, Washington (CNN) -- When Amanda Knox's parents head to Italy for closing arguments in their daughter's murder trial they'll be carrying a present they hope desperately she can use soon: a plane ticket home.

In that purchase lies one family's entire hope.

Curt Knox and Edda Mellas say their daughter is nothing like the person they've seen depicted before and during her trial.

They grimace at the description prosecutors have used in court: that Amanda Knox was a resentful American so angry with her British roommate Meredith Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sex misadventure at their home two years ago.

Prosecutors say Knox directed then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and another man infatuated with her, Rudy Guede, to hold Kercher down as Knox played with a knife before slashing Kercher's throat.

"She is totally nonviolent, almost a passive person," Mellas told CNN in a joint interview with her former husband.

So passive was Knox, the parents said, that she couldn't even continue a kickboxing class because she felt it was too violent. She was so caring, they said, that she would make her friends stop a car to let a spider out rather than kill it.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/24/seattle.amanda.knox.parents/index.html

Amanda Knox's Parents Investigated for Alleged Defamation

The parents of Amanda Knox arrived in Italy Thursday to support their daughter in the final days of her trial for murder, and were promptly informed by Italian authorities that they are under investigation for defamation -- allegedly for accusing police of beating Amanda.

In a June 2008 interview with the British Sunday Times newspaper, the two said that Amanda was "abused physically and verbally" by police in the course of an interrogation. They also told the Sunday Times that Amanda told them that she "was hit in the back of the head by a police officer with an open hand at least twice."

Amanda Knox's parents, who are divorced but have kept a united front during their daughter's trial, are puzzled by this latest development, and do not want it to take attention away from the trial's final days.

"Why now?" asks Edda Mellas.

"The timing is suspect since it comes 18 months after the fact and right before the end of the trial," she told ABC News outside of court today.

"We don't have the file yet, so we cannot comment on it, but in that interview we just repeated what Amanda told us, and what she herself later said in court," Mellas said.

Mellas also pointed out that "you have to name someone" in order to be accused of defamation, but they never named anyone, she said.

Police deny mistreating Knox. Defamation through the press carries a sentence of six months to three years in prison and a fine. A person without a police record is unlikely to serve prison time, however.

Read more: http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/amanda-knoxs-parents-investigated-alleged-defamation/story?id=9196514

It is hard to imagine given the crime scene that there would not be some usable DNA of Amanda or her boyfriend if they were involved. I personally know someone who confessed to a crime they did not commit after HOURS of interrogation so the confession means nothing to me. I hope justice is served and both families can move on with their lives.

Emotional Knox makes final remarks.

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I have tried to follow this very closely. AJ, I don't know about you, but I found it difficult to follow it as closely as I'd like. I found it difficult to find JUST actual information that came out of the courtroom and NOT the tabloid type stuff.
I have a bad feeling about this though. I don't trust the Italian court system there. I mean, just the fact they allowed that prosecutor to be the one who tried the case, blows my mind. Had there been even an accusation of this magnitude against a prosecutor in the states, there would have been a new prosecutor appointed.
I also worry there is a bias against her and this may also be the feeling in the jurors. If this case were in the states, I think reasonable doubt would prevail and she would be acquitted. Unfortunately, I just don't see this happening. And if NOT, I believe it will be a great miscarriage of justice.

Praying she will be able to use the plane ticket her parents bought her and come home.
I do feel so very sad for Meredith's family. This must be a nightmare they can't wake up from.

AJ, have you read anything that has detailed the trial of Rudy Guede. I'd like to read about this in more detail. Was it a full blown trial?

AJ~I just wanted you to know that I am here waiting with you....hopefully justice will be served here.

Thanks Tish!!!! You rock! Hubby is watching something on his lunch break and I am cleaning. Coming here is faster since I am always logged on....

For the record, hubby is NOT watching diners, dives, and drive ins.

Oh and You are very welcome AJ, I rely on you for a lot of research that I don't have the patience for...Thanks a lot!!!!!!

Thanks for the update Tish. ABC News seemed to be first site to report the summons, so they may one of the first to report the verdict.