Ignore 'obsessive' media campaign, Knox jurors told

PERUGIA, Italy?? Prosecutors demanded on Friday that an Italian court throw out an appeal by American student Amanda Knox of her conviction for murdering her roommate in a drug-fueled sex game.

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Speaking for two hours in a packed room, prosecutor Giancarlo Costagliola urged the jury to keep in mind the family of the victim, British student Meredith Kercher, who was Knox's roommate at the time. His fellow prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini, urged the jurors to ignore the "obsessive" media hype and what he said was a pro-defendant slant.

A verdict in the appeals trial of Knox and her co-defendant and one-time boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito is expected at the end of September or early next month.

'Political circus'
Costagliola denounced what he said was "an obsessive media campaign that makes everyone feel like the parents of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito."

"As you make your decision, I wish that you jurors feel a little bit like the parents of Meredith Kercher, a serious, studious girl whose life was taken by these two kids from good families."

Slideshow: A murder in Italy (on this page)

Mignini claimed that the prosecution was "subjected to systematic denigration of a political ... nature" and urged the jury to forget the pressure of an international press he said was overwhelmingly in favor of the defendants.

"The trial must be held here, in this courtroom," Mignini said. "This lobbying, this mediatic and political circus, this heavy interference, forget all of it!"

Mignini showed graphic photos from the murder, and said he will never forget seeing Kercher's eyes wide open as he went to inspect the crime scene. As if to emphasize the contrast, he also showed the court a photo of the two defendants kissing in the immediate aftermath of the killing outside the house that was being inspected by police. The move led Knox's lawyer to object.

Knox and Sollecito were convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher on the night of Nov. 1, 2007 in the house Knox and Kercher shared while exchange students in Perugia.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito to 25. Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict, which was issued by a lower court in December 2009.

Story: Amanda Knox's murder appeal nears end

The prosecutors argue that the 21-year-old Kercher was the victim of a drug-fueled sex assault. In the original trial, the prosecutors had sought life sentences ? Italy's stiffest punishment. Like the defendant, they have also appealed the lower court's verdict, as they can in Italy.

Costagliola, at the start of closing arguments expected to last two days and involve two more prosecutors, summed up what he said were the clues that point to the defendants: bloody footprints found in the house that are compatible with those of the defendants, cell phone activity and witness testimony that appear to contradict the defendant's alibi that they spent the night at Sollecito's house and stayed there until about 10 a.m. the day after the murder, a staged burglary at the house of the murder aimed at sidetracking the investigation.

This all pointed to ascertaining the defendants' presence at the scene of the crime, he said, adding: "All clues converge toward the only possible result of finding the defendants guilty."

Knox, 24, appeared tense during the session. Her mother, Edda Mellas, said it was hard for her "as she has to listen to people saying horrible and untrue things about her."

Doubts about DNA evidence
Costagliola also talked of an independent review of DNA evidence that cast doubt on much of the genetic evidence used to convict Knox will help his daughter overturn the conviction. He challenged the results of the independent review and defended the findings of the original investigation.

Knox's hopes of being set free were a strong boost by an independent report earlier this year that cast major doubt on DNA evidence used to convict her, and also cited bungling by police scientists.

But prosecutors urged the jury to look past the confusion in the case, maintaining that Kercher's blood was on a knife handled by Knox that was identified as the murder weapon and that Sollecito's DNA was found on Kercher's bra clasp.

Both pieces of police evidence were rejected by the independent forensic experts.

Curt Knox, the defendant's father, said he was hopeful and grateful to the appellate court for having granted the review.

"We were not surprised with the results because this is what our defense experts were telling us all along," Curt Knox told The Associated Press in Perugia on the eve of the closing arguments. "I'm very thankful that the appeals court had the courage to authorize that independent review."

Video: Knox family holds breath for acquittal (on this page)

However, in court, Costagliola argued that the original finding could stand and said the review amounted to "a scientific falsification of the truth." Even when accepting some of the criticism in the review, he said, the jury should at least consider the traces of DNA evidence as strong clues incriminating the defendants, if not full-fledged evidence.

In an unusual move, Perugia Chief Prosecutor Giovanni Galati made an appearance at the beginning of Friday's session to express his support for the job done by prosecutors and investigators in the case, which had come under fire in the national and international media especially after the DNA review.

Next week, a lawyer representing the Kercher family and then the defense lawyers will make their closing arguments. Knox herself is expected to address the court in a final appeal to proclaim her innocence.

Worldwide attention
With young and photogenic defendants and tales of sex and drugs, the case has captivated audiences worldwide, drawing international media to Perugia since the beginning. On Friday, as the appeals trial draws to a close, the underground courtroom was packed with cameras, reporters and scores of curious residents.

Knox's story has been made into a movie for U.S. television starring Hayden Panettiere, though lawyers for both Knox and the victim's family have tried to stop it.

If acquitted, both Knox and her ex-boyfriend would be freed immediately, said Carlo Fiorio, a professor of criminal procedure at the University of Perugia. They could also have their sentences confirmed, shortened or lengthened, he said.

A third person, Rudy Hermann Guede of the Ivory Coast, also has been convicted of Kercher's murder in a separate proceeding. Italy's highest criminal court has upheld Guede's conviction and his 16-year-prison sentence. Guede denies wrongdoing.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44639014/ns/world_news-europe/

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