Amanda Knox

clear innocence to you, who were not even there.

Can I ask why this case is arousing so much interest and acrimonious debate?

In her own testimony, Amanda Knox described receiving several light slaps on the back of her head while the policewoman was questioning her. Although that is not a "beating", it contributes to a well-known problem in interrogations: suspects feeling pressure to answer the way that the interrogator wants them to. Amanda was twenty years old, a newcomer in Italy, and was therefore vulnerable to suggestions made by the policewoman.

edgarblythe wrote:

clear innocence to you, who were not even there.

I don't have to be there. I can see very well how bogus the supposed evidence against is, and all the malicious acts on the pert of Italian officials.

Well! Here's a new twist, of sorts.

John Guare interested in this story for a play -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/jan/05/john-guare-interview

France: Niece of British official on murder trial
(The Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2010)

VERSAILLES, France - The niece of a British junior minister told a court on Monday that she was responsible for the stabbing death of a 24-year-old man in what French investigators have described as a sex game gone wrong.

The 30-year-old Jessica Davies, however, said she could not recall the circumstances of the killing. She faces 30 years in prison if convicted on murder charges.

Davis, who has a dual French and British citizenship, is a niece of Quentin Davies, Britain's junior defense minister in charge of procurement.

Witnesses told the court that Davies has had a history of depression, violent behavior and drug and alcohol abuse.

In November 2007, French authorities responded to a call from Davies saying there was a wounded man in her home, in the affluent Paris suburb of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The 24-year-old victim, Oliver Mugnier, had multiple stab wounds to the throat and thorax. He died shortly after medics' arrival.

British and French news reports said Davies picked up Mugnier at a bar in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on the night of the slaying. French investigators have suggested that Mugnier's wounds resulted from a sex game that went too far.

Tests revealed that Davies had a high level of alcohol in her blood on the night of the incident, and witnesses at Monday's proceedings " which mainly centered around Davies' past " said she had long had drinking and drugs problems.

In her testimony, Davies' mother, Monique Henry, a literature professor and French citizen, acknowledged that her separation from Davies' father " a British businessman who left his family to move to Italy with his mistress " deeply upset her daughter.

"Jessica was shattered by her parents' difficulties," said Henry, adding that in the months before the crime, Davies had taken to cutting her own arms and legs.

"She seemed totally empty," Henry said.

Davies said the psychological help she'd received in prison, while awaiting trial, have helped her.

"I'm finally able to name my feelings and master my emotions," she told the court.

A decision in the case is expected on Tuesday.

Davies' uncle, diplomat-turned-businessman Quentin Davies, has served in Britain's parliament for more than 20 years. Originally elected as Tory, he defected to Britain's ruling Labor Party in 2007 " a move which won him the post of junior defense minister in charge of procurement.

The Cambridge and Harvard-educated Davies reportedly made his fortune at British bank Morgan Grenfell. He served as president of the bank's French operations.

Similar case in France:

Quote:

France: Niece of British official on murder trial
(The Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2010)

The French could save themselves a whole lot of money; they could just look on here and see whether Oralloy says she is guilty or not. I expect he thinks she is - she's not American after all.

clear innocence to you, who were not even there.