Knox Trial Goes to Jury
In Perugia, Italy today, the murder trial of American student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito goes to a jury. Both are charged with murder and sexual violence in the November 2007 knifing death of Meredith Kercher. “We’ll know today,” Chris Mellas, Knox’s stepfather told CNN in court. “All we can do is hope for the best.”
Knox took the stand on Thursday, proclaiming in Italian that, “”I fear to lose myself, to have the mask of the assassin forced upon me. I fear to be defined as someone I am not.”
She thanked her family for support and expressed gratitude to her lawyers. “After years of prison, I confess that I feel sad and frustrated,” Knox said. “In front of you, I feel vulnerable, but I am confident of what I know. My lawyers, my family and my friends save my life every day.
“We suffer at the memory of Meredith. But we look at the future of Amanda,” Luciano Ghirga said in his defense summation.
According to CNN, the setting for the prosecution was established in the preliminary hearings. Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini argued Knox, Sollecito and Guede slashed Kercher’s throat during a sexual misadventure as the two men vied for Knox’s attention. In recent days, Mignini has focused more on what he says was a hatred between the two roommates.
