AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Chat Area Amanda Knox Verdict

Your statement makes no sense at all here in Belize..

unless I misread -- 6 jurors wore matching red, white, and green scarves. You can draw a distinction by pointing to miscarraiges of justice in the U.S. but I will simply agree with you. That seems to be a poor standard to use as a comparison, yes?

If you read Italian press accounts directly, I will have to defer to you. All I saw were correspondants from CNN and ABC periodically over several months commenting on the Foxy Knoxy aspects of the case and that the young man in question seemed to be overlooked in their eyes. The interviews I saw translated showed angry Italians in the street making references to Aviano Air Base.

While I agree with Collyk's posts in principle and her apparent princples in general, it wasn't until today, that the news reporting made it clear to me, that Amanada was not being tried and sentenced alone.

I really don't get your point Otterlaum and I don't mean to be dis respectful because I agree with an awful lot of stuff that you write and consider you to be a a thoughtful person. None of the reports I have read have mentioned what the jurors were wearing to be honest. I can find no reference. I have read many articles that have suggested a strong anti italian/ anti european slant from USA coverage of the case, which has been disproportionate in light of the fact of how many USA nationals are charged and convicted of crimes abroad. This reeks of Nathalie Holloway to me.

If a jury had worn breast cancer ribbons, carried bibles, worn skull caps - would this also imply that they would convict an innocent person and were less able of reaching a fair verdict? Either way, I'd love to see a reference to the fact that the jurors were behaving in a nationalistic manner as I can't seem to find one.

You aren't being disrespectful at all -- I always appreciate being challenged when valid -- and your challenges certainly appear valid -- especially if you have more direct knowledge from European sources.

Here is one of the articles mentioning the scarves...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/12/04/italy.knox.trial/index.html

I'll see if I can find a you tube of some "man/woman on the street" interviews from weeks ago.

My point is that any exhibition from the jury such as this (if true) seems quite inappropriate, and if you go to my original post, it was simply being referenced to say that this doesn't seem like it would fly in the U.S. We've seen mistrials in the U.S. where the jury admitted to looking to the Bible for guidance, and any reference point other than the law should be reason for an appeals court to re-consider the verdict -- at least in the U.S.

Again, I'm not saying she is innocent or given a raw deal in any way -- just seemed very odd to me.

That's all

Fair comment Otterlaum. I look forward to seeing some further sources on the nationalistic aspect before I comment further. Thanks.

you got me thinking -- I'll keep an open mind and watch for more coverage myself...

I have an open mind on this. I've followed the case in online papers from the UK, US, Germany and Australia (not Italy) and I have formed a strengthening view that indeed she is guilty. But of course that's not remotely the same as having been in court, perhaps as a jury member, and argued my views against others with the same direct experience. I'm interested how others come to the contrary view based on the same hearsay evidence.

Certainly she appears to have had a rather unbalanced upbringing. Anyone who was Jesuit educated has a mountain to climb in relating to the real world. In my view she didn't overcome her background.

As to the colours worn by the jury, I also haven't read that anywhere before today - maybe they only wore them when they delivered their verdict - but as they are the national colours of Italy I don't draw any deep significance from that. Anyone who seeks to see an anti-American bias is in my view scratching in the dirt. At the same time that they delivered their verdict on her they delivered their verdict on her co-defendant, an Italian.

Might be related to the fact that they consider Knox as the person who wielded the knife.

I dunno, still seems a bit odd, since the victim wasn't Italian. Do we know if Italian juries have worn the ribbons before? Maybe this isn't a one-off.