Friday, December 17, 2010
Stinging Guede Final Appeal Rejection Suggests Trouble For Knox and Sollecito
Posted by Peter Quennell
Rudy Guede’s appeal is rejected on all ten grounds.
His appeal grounds were ugly and dishonest and he has no further appeal. He will serve his 16 years, with maybe some time off, for being a savage willing party to the cruel stupid murder of Meredith.
Rudy Guede will go down in infamy for his sex crime against a defenseless victim, for being a party to a taunting torturing knife attack, for claiming Meredith invited him in for consensual sex, and for not calling for help for Meredith and maybe saving her life while it was still possible.
Cassation continues the fine Italian court tradition in this case of taking a firm and unblinking position, and for being utterly oblivious to the vile over-the-top campaign of Curt Knox, Edda Mellas and David Marriott which may now haunt Amanda Knox all of her life..
This is clearly not a final court of appeal that is now going to turn on a dime and say when they hear the final appeals of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, oh, of course, we got that previous decision wrong, and of course Guede did it alone.
Here is the cool clear report of Andrea Vogt, this time being published in the UK’s First Post. The highlights:
1) On rejecting Guede’s ludicrous tale.
Put simply, no judge or magistrate has believed Guede’s story that he was in the bathroom of the apartment the two girls shared in Perugia, listening to music on his iPod while someone else stabbed Meredith.
According to Guede’s story, when he came out of the bathroom he found Meredith bleeding to death and tried to staunch the flow of blood ““ hence the discovery of his DNA by investigators.
2) On the huge new risk now for Sollecito and Knox.
Under Italian law, all documentation from Guede’s various hearings can now be introduced into the appeal trial of Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, which reconvenes in Perugia tomorrow.
The problem for Knox and Sollecito is that Guede’s trial documents will include the judges’ reasons for convicting Guede and denying his appeals: namely, that they believe all three ““ Guede, Knox and Sollecito - killed Meredith together.
3) On Kercher family lawyer Maresca possibly demanding Guede testify
“Guede can now be called to testify and we are considering, along with the prosecutors, if we will request that Saturday or not,” said the Kercher family’s attorney Francesco Maresca in Rome.
“We will ask that the high court decision be admitted, as it stabilises the facts and is an important point of reference, with judges confirming the reconstruction of events and the involvement of the other two suspects in this dramatic ordeal in which a young woman lost her life.”
If Guede is called, it is unclear whether he would be considered a reliable witness given that no court has believed his story so far. And the situation is further complicated by conflicting stories about Guede’s take on Knox and Sollecito.
4) On the prospects for requested defense witnesses Alessi and Aviello
Guede is also the subject of a mysterious 10-page letter from prison, written on blue notepaper in the feathery script of convicted child murderer Mario Alessi, and now sitting in a lawyer’s office in Parma.
Alessi claims to have heard the real story of what happened while stuck in a prison cell across from Guede. Three other inmates signed each page of Alessi’s letter bolstering his story - that Guede said repeatedly in his cell and the prison yard that Knox and Sollecito had nothing to do with the crime. (Guede denies the conversations)...
Will the judge overseeing Knox and Sollecito’s appeal in Perugia request it? If he does, it could be entered into evidence alongside further controversial letters, these from a Neapolitan mafia snitch named Luciano Aviello. Aviello claims that his own brother killed Kercher…
Since Knox and Sollecito were convicted and jailed a year ago.. these stories of intrigue have found their way out from behind the prison walls across Italy, from the sex offender ward in Viterbo to the high security penitentiaries in Prato and Turin.
5) And on John Kercher’s recent strong protest against the profiting from Meredith’s death
Meredith Kercher’s bereaved family this month broke a three-year silence to speak out against Knox’s “minor celebrity” status and the high-profile publicity campaign her family and supporters have been waging to claim wrongful conviction.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 12/17/10 at 02:41 PM in Trials 2008 & 2009, Appeals 2009-2015, Guede appeals, Hellmann 2011+
Comments
Yay! the truth has come out of Rome!
Posted by Hopeful on 12/17/10 at 04:20 PM | #
Hi Hopeful. And it is still coming. We are getting very revealing snippets from Italian readers (thanks guys) and the Italian media which we will assemble in a bullet points post later today.
As repeatedly mentioned Knox and Sollecito will be back in count again tomorrow, the last time until mid January, and unless Judge Hellman agrees to all the defense demands (which we are not against) courtroom grins will be probably few and far between.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 12/17/10 at 04:56 PM | #
This is good news for those of us who hope for resolution & a definitive result. Coming on the eve of Amanda’s return to court, it must be a blow to her morale.
To quote another sentence from Andrea Vogt’s report: “In prison letters to his attorneys, Guede has pointed the finger squarely at Knox and Sollecito, calling them “slandering assassins” who just blame others instead of admitting their own guilt.”
Guede’s loss is the public’s gain inasmuch as all his material & testimony is now available for the Knox/Sollecito appeal.
And Peter Quennell: you might fairly have reprinted that paragraph in bold print which preceded this more complete report. By itself it was highly effective.
Posted by Ernest Werner on 12/17/10 at 05:30 PM | #
While agreeing to the defense demands will extend the appeal and the clamor from the Knox/Mellas clan, it will also close the lid that much firmer when the sentence is confirmed.
Because let’s face it, either way the clan will clamor;
1. If it’s denied - it’s unfair and an Italian cover-up
2. If it’s allowed - finally Amanda has a chance
The sentence will be confirmed either way, but if they get what they want now, hopefully they will shut up at the end of this appeal.
I know, slim chance of that.
Posted by bedelia on 12/17/10 at 06:07 PM | #
Hi Ernest. Thanks for quoting that telling para. Is that the one you suggest could have been in bold?
Posted by Peter Quennell on 12/17/10 at 06:31 PM | #
No, I meant the paragraph that you yourself, presumably, composed as a short initial summary—you mention the number of wounds in it.
Posted by Ernest Werner on 12/17/10 at 09:57 PM | #
The Telegraph should be utterly ashamed of itself!! Please, please anyone who can comment on this completely fictional piece that they have shamelessly published!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8209964/Amanda-Knox-She-realises-that-innocence-is-not-enough.html
On another note - Meredith’s father has written another piece outlining the damning evidence. I admire the journalist in him, finally using his voice to tell the world what really happened.
It must be very painful, but the media is incredibly powerful and there seems to have been nearly no challenge to the Knox PR circus in the past 3 years.
Posted by Giselle on 12/18/10 at 02:57 AM | #
@Giselle
I couldn’t even finish the article you referenced from the Telegraph.
Nor am I, by any means, alone in my conclusions.
Steve Moore, a former senior FBI officer ...
This is were I stopped reading.
I noticed how comments from Piktor, Harry Rag and SomeAlibi have been removed (constantly it seems). Censorship at its best.
The worst thing is, they truly seem to believe they are getting somewhere with this. I thought we were past that. Reading the pro-Amanda comments makes me shake my head.
Michelle Moore and Steve Moore must be a real fit for each other. She sounds as delusional and ignorant as he does and same as her husband, she likes the spotlight.
Posted by Nell on 12/18/10 at 06:14 AM | #
@Nell
The most deceiving twist of words IMO was when the article refers to Amanda’s memorandum as the “confession she signed” - that is incredibly misleading to say the least - Knox as we all know “wrote” the statement in her own handwriting and in English. The article reads as though there was a confession statement written in Italian by officials and handed to her to sign. Its an evil PR twist!
Until now I thought this Maddison girl just couldnt believe what her best friend had done. Now I can see that she is an opportunity seeking ***** who is using this horrible tragedy to get ahead in her journalism aspirations. She knows full well that Knox is guilty - she knows that the evidence is overwhelming. But that of course is not going to get her any headlines!
Posted by Giselle on 12/18/10 at 01:56 PM | #
Giselle
I know; I was astounded reading this piece of utter rubbish yesterday. Some apt comments though. I would like to say I’m surprised at the Telegraph (a supposedly ‘quality’ paper) publishing this dross, but sadly I am not. Disillusioned with British press long time ago for lack of balanced, accurate, factual, quality reporting. Been watching reporting of events since court session last Saturday and dismayed to see still getting basic facts wrong, even after translated report provided for them. Sent in complaint to Sky news for factual errors again few days ago; here we go again with the Telegraph ...
Posted by Lola on 12/18/10 at 02:06 PM | #
11.35 MEREDITH: CORTE APPELLO ACQUISISCE SENTENZE CONDANNA GUEDE
(Meredith: Appeal Court awarded judgement against Guede)
Posted by ncountryside on 12/18/10 at 02:48 PM | #
Dont give up on the Britsh press. Those with the most readers are all in Meredith’s camp.
The popular and highly successful Daily Mail and Mirror have many times the circulation of the ailing Telegraph (and the Independent and Guardian).
See the ranking there. The Daily Mail and Mirror are way up the top. The Telegraph is not even in the top 100.
And John Kercher pretty well dominates the mass circulation papers in the UK with his occasional statements and articles.
John Kercher will have been widely read. Bob Graham wont have been. There were dozens of comments repudiating Bob Graham. Comments were not open under John Kercher’s piece.
As to the comments in the threads, it is not difficult to pick which comments on UK media threads are coming from real British readers , and which from Marriott’s paid hacks and sock puppets, many of whom are American.
A quick comment analysis of the Telegraph thread suggests few British readers are being taken in.
For a post soon on this, tips and pointers on all of this from UK readers would be welcome.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 12/18/10 at 02:57 PM | #
I can’t help but think that the Telegraph has been given a carrot on a stick in the promise of “exclusive” interviews with the Knox clan or some similar arrangement.
I am disappointed to see them print such one-sided Knox defense rhetoric spin - real journalism is supposed to present all sides of the coin. The Telegraph had lost my respect and readership.
Posted by giustizia on 12/18/10 at 04:27 PM | #
Hu Giustizia. Yes that is how Marriott plays it. They are either totally in his camp or totally excluded with some ranting insulting emails.
The three in his camp (as I said very small combined circulation - between them less than the Mirror or Daily Mail) are the Telegraph, Independent and Guardian.
The Guardian is the real disappointment there. Typically it has always taken a strong pro victim pro women bias and this is the first time that we are aware of that the Guardian has fallen head over heels for a convicted murderer and carried out serial sliming of another country.
There seems to be an editor or sub-editor there who is Marriott’s pet poodle. Can anyone find out who he or she is?
Posted by Peter Quennell on 12/18/10 at 05:07 PM | #
I can’t help but think that the Telegraph has been given a carrot on a stick in the promise of “exclusive” interviews with the Knox clan or some similar arrangement.
I am disappointed to see them print such one-sided Knox defense rhetoric spin - real journalism is supposed to present all sides of the coin. The Telegraph had lost my respect and readership.
Posted by giustizia on 12/18/10 at 05:50 PM | #
Comments under Telegraph article do indicate that most readers are not taken in by this extremely poor, biased, factually inaccurate piece of ‘writing’. I do not think that the majority of the press here in the UK are pro-innocence towards Amanda, although many of the tabloids have since the outset reported on the case in a sensationalist way. Factual errors still abound and this is frustrating when so much work went into the translation to make things easier for them. As I have said before, Nick Pisa has always stood out for his factually correct, impartial reporting. Don’t know about extent of hidden Marriot influence but there does seem to be journalists who either have not done their research properly or who write in a partial/slanted way in order to generate ‘controversy’ and perhaps attention for themselves.
Posted by Lola on 12/19/10 at 03:28 PM | #
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