Was Amanda Knox given a fair trial?

[omej]

For those that aren't aware, Amanda Knox was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 26 years in an Italian jail.

You can read the background of the story here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Meredith_Kercher


This story has caused a lot of controversy because immediately after the murder, the press in Italy was seen as being extremely negative toward Knox. Many think that the jury had already made up their mind before the trial even began.

Do you guys think she was given a fair trial? Vote in the poll, and also mention if you think she was guilty in a post.

 

[el canadiano]

Apparently there was no DNA evidence that she was in Kercher's room. I'm not too familiar with this story, but I have heard about it.

 

[DodgeFB]

In my opinion in most countries around the world a US citizen goes to court as the "underdog". We are more hated or feared than loved. So it is a great chance for them to stick it to an American and get a headline.

 

[el canadiano]

I guess you can see it that way. The only thing I really find is wrong is that lawsuits are abused in the States (there are way to many unnecessary ones). Not only that, a big corporate company can just bankrupt a little guy by suing them, usually for useless reasons, since legal fees pile up.

 

[myp]

I guess you can see it that way. The only thing I really find is wrong is that lawsuits are abused in the States (there are way to many unnecessary ones). Not only that, a big corporate company can just bankrupt a little guy by suing them, usually for useless reasons, since legal fees pile up.

What relevancy does that have to the Amanda Knox trial? Are you saying that unfair treatment could be justified if a foreign judge thinks the American legal system has problems?

 

[el canadiano]

What relevancy does that have to the Amanda Knox trial? Are you saying that unfair treatment could be justified if a foreign judge thinks the American legal system has problems?

No, I'm just saying that's one flaw I think of the American legal system. To be honest, as I said, I'm not that familiar with the case. The thing is though, should she have been tried in her homeland (the same would most likely go with every country) for an international crime, she would not have gotten as harsh as a penalty. Either way, foreigners won't get the same treatment as domestic people anywhere you go. From what I've read, Knox's background isn't that pretty.

 

[deanhills]

I'm not totally familiar with the facts, but the little I've read about it and heard about it on the news, it would appear that the murder had taken the fancy and imagination of the Italian press for months and months before the trial, virtually making her into a murderess, before the trial started. So from that point of view the trial could have been biased, and possibly there should have been an oppotunity for her to have been heard by a court in an environment that had not been as exposed to the media reports. Especially given that most of the testimony against her was circumstantial, the case could not be proven beyond total absence of doubt. She would most probably have been found not-guilty in the United States because of the lack of evidence, whereas the Italian system could find her guilty.

I wonder how many millions of dollars have already been invested in the court trials as the verdict includes allocation of millions of damages to be paid out to the family of the roommate who got murdered, and this is before civil actions have started. Not to forget all the deals that the family of the victim must have struck with the media for their stories.