Amanda Knox Back in Court; Appeals Trial Nears End
As the Amanda Knox appeals case resumed Monday, the family of the murder victim broke their silence, saying they have not been able to find peace or closure.
"My sister, a daughter brutally and selfishly taken from us nearing 4 years ago – and yet a not a single day goes by that we can grasp any peace or closure," Stephanie Kercher wrote in a letter, according to Fox News.
Meredith Kercher was sexually assaulted and murdered four years ago in Perugia, Italy. Knox, Kercher's roommate, along with her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and a third party, Rudy Hermann Guede, were all convicted for murder and sentenced to 26, 25, and 30 years respectively, although Guede's was later reduced to 16.
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Knox and Sollecito appealed.
In June, forensic experts concluded that the DNA evidence used against Knox was unreliable. The DNA on the knife blade and bra clasp of Kercher could have been contaminated, the specialists reported.
On Monday, Italian police defended their forensic expertise and rejected the independent panel's conclusions that they contaminated key evidence, as reported by ABC News.
The Kercher family said in a letter to the court that they were troubled by the panel of experts' report but still had faith in the Perugia police.
"We ask that the Court of Appeal assess every single (piece) of evidence, both scientific and circumstantial, as well as any witnesses who have taken the stand independently of any other information or media," the family wrote.
Knox's stepfather, Chris Mellas, was at the trial and defended the panel's report to ABC News.
"They are independent experts," Mellas said, according to ABC. "They have said there were mistakes made and that the evidence cannot be trusted. I would like to see this thing done and over with and Amanda's and Raffaele's name cleared."
Knox is a college student from Seattle, Wash., who was studying abroad in Italy. She has declared that she is innocent.
The appeals hearings are expected to continue this week.
