Knox and Sollecito in the eyes of the court – guilty

25th September 2011 sandrea World/Local News 0

Italian prosecutors urged an appeals court on Friday, local time, to uphold the murder conviction of Amanda Knox despite what they called a media campaign in support of the American student, asking the jurors to think instead of the young victim whose life was brutally ended.

In the first round of closing arguments that took seven hours on Friday, local time, the prosecutors summed up circumstantial evidence, testimony and other clues they believe point solely to Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. They sought to move past a recent independent review of genetic evidence, which cast doubt on key traces used to link the defendants to the murder and dealt a significant blow to the prosecution’s case.

“All clues converge toward the only possible result of finding the defendants guilty,” Prosecutor Giancarlo Costagliola said.

Prosecutors will wrap up their arguments on Saturday, local time. They could seek stiffer sentences, including life imprisonment or ask the court to uphold the current jail terms. A verdict is expected at the end of September or early October.

Knox and Sollecito were convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Knox’s British roommate, Meredith Kercher, on the night of Nov. 1, 2007, when they were all students in Perugia. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito to 25. Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the lower court’s verdict in December 2009.