Sunday, May 24, 2009
Trial: Court Hears Of Enormous Cruelty Of The Crime
Posted by Peter Quennell
Click above for Nick Pisa’s report.
Dr Francesco Camana told the court: “From the blood pattern we can see that when Meredith was fatally knifed in the throat she was no more than 40cm from the floor.
“She was kneeling down facing the wardrobe, her face pressed almost to the floor, with her chest pushed forward and her legs behind her.”
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/24/09 at 06:00 PM •
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Saturday, May 23, 2009
Trial: The Seattle PI’s Report On Saturday’s Forensic Testimony
Posted by Peter Quennell
Click above for Andrea Vogt’s report.
1) On the mixed-blood traces found in a bathroom and bedroom
In the courtroom… an unflappable Stefanoni said she thought it would have been “strange” that three traces of blood with both Kercher and Knox’s genetic profile would have been left at different times.
The mixed blood traces were identified on the sink, on the bidet near the drain and on a box of Q-tips sitting on the sink.
“Fortunately these were found all on white surfaces, perhaps had the sink not been white ceramic or the transparent cotton box been a different color—pink for example—we might not have found anything with the naked eye because the traces were so diluted.”
2) On the collection methods used for one sample
Knox’s attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova of Rome, questioned Stefanoni about the methods used by a colleague from Perugia’s local forensic division, who took samples from two different places in the bidet with the same cotton swab.
Stefanoni said the two traces seen sampling in the video were actually one continuous trace, linked by a very light-colored drip that extended from the top to the drain. Had there been any contamination or DNA of another person present, she added, it would have been revealed during the genetic analysis of the sample.
“In any hypothetical, accidental case of contamination by whomever or wherever, once we do the analysis and see the genetic profile, we can see that there has been contamination from another person. There would be problems apparent in the data analysis,” she responded.
3) On the DNA on the knife found in Sollecito’s apartment
Friday Stefanoni said she was able to identify the genetic profile of Knox on the handle of the large kitchen knife that is the alleged murder weapon, and that of Kercher on the blade. The sample of Kercher’s DNA was so small, only one identifying test was performed, however, and could not be repeated for verification. Still, Stefanoni insisted that the one test that was conducted produced a reliable result.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/23/09 at 10:17 PM •
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Trial: ABC’s End-Of-The-Day Report On Friday’s Forensic Testimony
Posted by Peter Quennell
[Above: Patrizia Stefanoni prepares to testify, click for a larger image]
Ann Wise filed this report
1) On Amanda Knox’s DNA
[Stefanoni] said that in about 20 out of over 100 hundred samples taken from the crime scene she found Knox’s genetic profile, or DNA. This is not unusual since Knox lived in the cottage, but significantly, in a number of the samples Knox’s DNA was mixed with Kercher’s DNA.
Most of the mixed DNA from the two women was found in blood traces discovered in the bathroom. Stefanoni told the court that Knox’s DNA was found mixed with Kercher’s in a luminol-enhanced bare footprint in the hallway outside Kercher’s room,and in a luminol-enhanced spot found in the room of housemate Filomena Romanelli.
When the murder was discovered, Romanelli’s room appeared to have been broken into. Her window was shattered and a large rock was found on the floor. Nothing was stolen, however, and investigators accuse Knox and Sollecito of faking the break-in after murdering Knox.
In the small bathroom that Knox and Kercher shared, investigators found numerous spots of blood, including on the sink, the toilet, the bidet, the rug, the light-switch and the door jamb. Three of these blood stains one on the edge of the sink, the one on the drain of the bidet, and one on a Q-tip box - contained the mixed DNA of Kercher and Knox
2) On Raffaele Sollecito’s DNA
The DNA of Sollecito was found only in two samples out of the many taken in the house, one on a cigarette butt in the kitchen, and on the hook of Kercher’s bra, mixed with Kercher’s DNA.
Kercher’s bra was found on the floor in her room, soaked in blood and with the shoulder straps torn. The part of the bra with the hooks had been cut off. This fragment of the bra was taken into evidence a month after the crime when the forensic police returned to look for it and other items they had not taken the first time.
In the meantime, the crime scened had been searched and the house turned up-side down. Sollecito’s defense maintains that the late collection of the piece of bra and the earlier search of the house has contaminated that particular piece of evidence.
Under a sometimes-heated cross interrogation by the defense lawyers for both Knox and Sollecito, Stefanoni defended her methods and denied the crime scene had been contaminated.
Sollecito would have had to rub the bra hook forcefully for DNA from his skin cells to be on it, she said. Dead skin cells floating around the room do not contain DNA and would not stick, she said.
[click for larger image] These teams seem to professionals we know watching the case to be smart, efficient, and well-organized. And large. The numbers involved in the various searches and analyses have been quite considerable. They all arrived in Perugia from Rome of course. From the equivalent of Scotland Yard or the FBI.
Click above for the full story. DNA from Meredith Kercher murder suspect Amanda Knox was found on the handle of a kitchen knife and Miss Kercher’s DNA was on the tip, a court has heard… On Friday, forensic scientist Patrizia Stefanoni told the court how her team had recorded 460 biological traces at the crime scene. Dr Stefanoni also said DNA traces were found on a black-handled kitchen knife recovered from Sollecito’s flat - which the court has been told is compatible with the murder weapon. She showed photographs of the knife and pointed out the areas of the handle where Knox’s DNA was found, and the tip of the blade where Miss Kercher’s was found. Dr Stefanoni told the court that blood tests on the knife had proved negative, and in earlier hearings the judge and jury were told that the knife had been cleaned. DNA from Knox and Miss Kercher was also found in blood stains found in the bidet of the bathroom, the sink and on a box of cotton wool buds, the court heard. Dr Stefanoni said the bloodstains were “slightly pink as if the result of being washed”.... The court heard how DNA from Sollecito was found on a metal clasp that had been cut away from Miss Kercher’s bra and which was found at the scene. A blood stain found in the bedroom of flatmate Laura Romanelli was also found to have DNA from Knox and Miss Kercher. That last line sure surprised us! But we think Nick Pisa may have intended to write Filomena Romanelli and not Laura Romanelli at that point. Mixed-blood evidence found in either bedroom would appears to be very important new news, and even tougher for the defense teams than the mixed bathroom traces. We remain grateful for Nick Pisa’s fast reports. The London Times, in contrast, has not posted any report on the trial for quite some time now.
[click for larger image] Italian media have reported that the first part of Ms Stefanoni’s deposition was a sort of seminar on how to catalogue and collect forensic evidence and exhibits. From La Nazione: “We use kits which are internationally recognized and marketed. This means that a researcher in Sydney, Australia, looking at the same tube would see the same outcome in terms of results of the DNA. For our investigation of the death of Meredith, two different special kits were used to analyze the DNA and other genetic traces.” She then testified that 460 biological traces were collected and analyzed. And that 360-degree images of each room were taken in advance of each of the team’s search for more evidence. She excluded contamination by her operatives. “In collecting traces of bloodstains, it is crucial for the operator not to come into contact with them, not to alter the scene, and to avoid being infected by bacteria or viruses. Therefore we use special gloves, boots, masks and coveralls.” Ms Stefanoni’ found no biological evidence under Meredith’s short fingernails, which she found not unexpected as Meredith was apparently fighting off a knife attack and then down on her hands and knees. It is perhaps worth recalling that Ms Stefanoni presented essentially the same evidence at the trial of Rudy Guede. Judge Micheli seems to have found it extremely credible, as it forms a large part of his report. Judge Micheli then awarded Guede a term of 30 years in prison, and Prosecutor Mignini had only asked for 25.
[click for larger images]
Italian media have reported the following agenda for Friday and Saturday. Probably all day Friday: Patrizia Stefanoni. leader of the forensic team, who will testify on the crime scene and what was found where and how it was collected. Probably all day Saturday: Francesco Camana, who will testify on the bloody footprints revealed with luminol, and then Giuseppe Codisposti and Piero Sbardella, who will testify on the second collection of evidence and the prints found on the pillow. We are anticipating (see our right column for dates) that there will be no court sessions next Friday and Saturday because a public holiday in Italy renders this traditionally a long weekend. Meredith’s mother and perhaps other members of the Kercher family are expected to testify at the next session on 5 or 6 June. And in a Seattle PI interview, Curt Knox has confirmed that Amanda Knox wants to testify at the session after that on 12 or 13 June. Soon thereafter, all Italian courts will cease sessions for a period of some weeks during the vacation period. The defense phase of the trial will resume in September and the trial may be over in October and the verdicts and sentences, if any, announced then. If the verdicts are “guilty” appeals are automatic under the Italian system..
I seem to be one of a growing number aching to see true justice for Meredith to be the final conclusion to all this. Like many others here I am struggling to make sense of a reported pattern of events that is confusing and incomplete, and in terms of a motive possibly senseless. And like some of the others here I have been trying to fit the facts as they emerge into a sort of a chronological framework. I draw from Michael’s excellent Master Timeline for the known overall chronology. These below are three possible scenarios. They presume for the sake of argument that the defendants were in fact involved, along with Rudy Guede. The scenarios all have one common front end through to just after 9 pm, but thereafter, they differ slightly. And at bottom (under the “click for more”) I have included some annotations on key elements. These scenarios may stand or fall as the trial moves forward, but I hope they inspire other scenarios so we may all conclude that the crime really has been properly solved and true justice for Meredith is widely perceived as a reality. I am presuming that although the exact timing may have been vague (nobody knew when Meredith would arrive home) something involving Meredith was intended. Events involving the alibis and other statements, cell phones and the knife, and assembly at the house, simply seem too hard to explain otherwise. 1 pm: Meredith and Amanda Knox each have lunch in the cottage. Perhaps some annoying subjects are discussed. Perhaps Meredith comments on Knox’s behavior around the house and her male visitors, as only a thin wall separates their two bedrooms. 5 to 6 pm: Knox and Sollecito stroll around in the center of town and, by chance perhaps, they meet with Rudy Guede. They perhaps believe that Guede has some desire for Meredith. They make an appointment to meet Guede at 8.30 pm at the cottage, perhaps intending to edge Meredith into an affair with Guede as a payback for Meredith’s problems with Knox. 6 to 8 pm:Knox and Sollecito are at Sollecito’s apartment and consider what might lie ahead for them that evening. There are the interactions with Lumumba and the woman who had asked for a lift to the station. 8:30 pm Guede arrives and waits at the cottage for Knox to arrive. 8:40 pm Mobile phones of Knox and Sollecito are switched off, with the seeming intention of preventing Knox and Sollecito from being disturbed or traced. 8:45 pm: Knox walks home to her cottage and admits Guede, and Sollecito follows shortly after with some mushrooms 8:50 pm: Knox and Sollecito and Guede are in the kitchen of the cottage, perhaps cooking mushrooms, perhaps dealing or using drugs, and perhaps all three waiting for Meredith. 8:56 pm: After saying goodbye to Robyn on her way home from the English girls’ house, Meredith calls her mother while walking, but her call is interrupted for some unknown reason 9:10 pm: Meredith enters the cottage, and is so displeased about the party in the kitchen that she goes on to her room, being demonstrative about not joining the party. The scenarios below are actually not mutually exclusive, but they inscribe a different ordering and weighting of the information. These are my factual baselines: a) The car breakdown in front of the gate makes it seems unlikely that Meredith was murdered between 10.30 and 11.20. So either Knox and Sollecito are IN the cottage during the whole hour from 10.30 to 11.20, or they are OUTSIDE the cottage the whole time. b) The testimony of Curatola in the park seems credible, but what did he precisely see? “He said also that, although he did not watch them all the time “¦. He originally said that they were there from 9:30 through midnight, but clarified that they were there at 9:30-10:00pm and may have left around 11-11:30 and then returned to be there just before midnight” (quote from Stewarthome2000 on TJMK on 3/29). See my annotation below on this. c) Cell phone activity: “.. Meredith’s cell phone made a call (not a phone call but a GPS call attempt) at I believe around 10:15 pm, and that the call was made from the area where the phones were found the next day as it involved a different cell tower than those covering Via della Pergola” (quote from Stewarthome2000 on TJMK, 3/21) In other places this information is confirmed and the time is given as 10.13. This is a crucial point, as it is then impossible that Meredith made the call while struggling. The scenario by Brian S on TJMK on 3/31 suggested “ The scenario suggests is that Meredith was struggling with her attackers from around the time of her aborted call at 10:13 pm until sometime just before 10:30 pm.” I suggest that Knox and/or Sollecito were responsible for throwing Meredith’s two mobile phones away in the garden, as a) I feel it does not fit the psychology of Guede to think to take the cell phones, and b) the position of the call does not fit with Guede seen leaving the cottage at 10.30. If Guede had taken the phones, he would have had to leave the cottage around 10.05 pm, in order for the cell phones to be in the area of the other cell phone mast at 10.13, See my annotation below on this. 9.15: Meredith goes to her bedroom, perhaps to try to go to sleep. She was known to be tired after a late night on Halloween. 9.20: Knox and Sollecito perhaps steal Meredith’s mobile phones now, to prevent her from calling the police during whatever the event was with Guede that they intended. 9.35: Guede hides in the toilet at a distance from Meredith’s room, to prevent Meredith from hearing that he remains in the house, while “¦ 9.35: Knox and Sollecito perhaps now leave the house to create an alibi for themselves for the staged event between Meredith and Guede (presumably a rape) so they can afterwards claim that they did not know that Guede was still in the house after they left. Knox and Sollecito walk to Piazza Grimana (Curatolo as witness). They take with them Meredith’s cell phones. 9.40: Guede leaves the toilet and enters Meredith’s room, perhaps trying to lure/force Meredith into having relations with him. 10.00: Guede and Meredith are the ones heard arguing loud (Marlacchia as witness) and Meredith fights back as Guede tries to rape her. Guede tries to strangle Meredith to keep her quiet 10.00: Knox and Sollecito are up at Piazza Grimana, walking to and from the wall, discussing how things might be developing within the cottage. Then they split up. 10.10: Knox returns to the cottage, and finds Meredith wounded/struggling in the bedroom/kitchen; and a big fight, including the use of a knife, is still taking place. 10.13: Sollecito (leaving to pick up his car?) throws Meredith’s phones into the garden where the cell phones are found the next morning. As Meredith’s cell phone hits the ground and tumbles around, the call function is activated. 10.20: Sollecito arrives back at the cottage and more knives become involved 10.25: Meredith’s is stabbed fatally in the neck, screams out loud (Capezzali as witness, uncertain about the time) 10.30: Guede flees the cottages (Formica, witness) 10.30: Knox and Sollecito flee the cottage (diverse witnesses hear running) 10.35- 11.15: A car is parked in front of the house, blocking the entrance, and the breakdown receives assistance from the tow truck (Lambrotti as witness) 11.30: Knox and Sollecito are again watched by Curatola up at Piazza Grimana 9.15-9.35: The party develops out of hand, and Meredith is deadly wounded in the struggle with Knox, Sollecito, and Guede. 9.35: Knox and Sollecito leave the house and walk to Piazza Grimana (Curatolo as witness). They take Meredith’s cell phones with them. They discuss what to do. Problem here: where is Guede? 10.00: Knox and Sollecito split up, and Knox returns to the house. 10.00: Knox and Guede argue loudly in the house (Marlacchia as witness). 10.00: Sollecito picks up his car at home, and while driving”¦ 10.13: “¦ Sollecito throws Merediths phones into the garden where the cell phones later are found. 10.15: Sollecito park his car in front of the cottage (to use the car for”¦.?) 10.30: Guede flees (but why wait until now?) 10.30-11.20: Sollecito is with Knox in the cottage. (doing what for one hour?) 10.35- 11.15: Car parked in front of the house, blocking the entrance, and the breakdown receives assistance from the tow truck (Lambrotti as witness) 11.20: Knox now screams? (Capezzali as witness) 11.23: Knox and Sollecito flee the cottage (diverse witnesses hear running on the stairs) 11.45: Knox and Sollecito are again watched by Curatola at Piazza Grimana Note: this one does not fit the forensics timeframe for Meredith’s death which was put at between 9.00 and 11.00 pm 10.30: Guede departs from the cottages (Formica as witness) leaving Meredith behind, perhaps strangled into unconsciousness. 10.35- 11.15: Car parked in front of the house, blocking the entrance, and the breakdown receives assistance from the tow truck (Lambrotti as witness) 11.15: Knox and Sollecito enter the house “¦. 11.20: Knox and Sollecito perhaps now kill Meredith (scream with Capazzali as witness) 11.13: Knox and Sollecito flee the cottage (diverse witnesses hear running) 11.45: Knox and Sollecito are again watched by Curatola at Piazza Grimana
Click above for media commentator Peter Kafka’s analysis. The Seattle PI website still carries some of the best US reporting from Perugia on the case, by Rome-based Andrea Vogt. The home-based reporting, blogging and editorials have been rather more of a mixed bag. Kafka thinks that the Seattle PI’s owner Hearst’s figures dont quite add up yet, but he would like to see things work out. If the Seattle PI pulls it off, other US papers may follow this route.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/23/09 at 03:13 PM •
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Posted by Peter Quennell
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/22/09 at 06:39 PM •
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Posted by Peter Quennell
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/22/09 at 05:23 PM •
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Posted by Peter Quennell
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/22/09 at 03:50 PM •
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Posted by Peter Quennell
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/22/09 at 03:29 PM •
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Archived in Trials 2008 & 2009, Amanda Knox, Raff Sollecito •
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Posted by Peter Quennell
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/22/09 at 04:11 AM •
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Posted by Fiori
[Above: the platform where we believe Meredith first set foot in Perugia]Common front end to all three scenarios
Now for three different possibilities
The first scenario
The second scenario
The third scenario
Four annotations on the evidence
Please click here for more
Posted by Fiori on 05/20/09 at 08:03 PM •
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Archived in Various hypotheses, Various scenarios, Evidence & Witnesses, Various timelines, Cellphone activity, Hoaxes against Italy, 6 No staging hoax, 8 No motive hoax •
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Posted by Peter Quennell
Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/19/09 at 05:13 PM •
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