News from Perugia, a small Italian town, shocked the world as reports of a misterious murder began to surface. Meredith Kercher, an exchange student from the United Kingdom, had been brutally murdered under suspicious circumstances.

The case generated buzz among the International Media and Italian authorities were quick to arrest Amanda Knox, a student from Seattle, Raffaele Sollecito and Rudy Hermann Guede, all of whom were tried and prosecuted on murder charges.

After spending four years in jail, both Knox and Sollecito have been freed, after an appeal’s court ruled in their favour. Rude Guede is the only one now accused of sexually assaulting and killing Meredith Kercher and his lawyer admits he will seek a retrial. On the other hand, the prosecution is now seeking an appeal:

“We will appeal,” prosecutor Giuliano Mignini told Reuters. “The court will decide whether to confirm the first sentence or the second sentence.”

According to Italian Law, the prosecution can only file an appeal after the court publishes a formal explanation of the decision, which might take a couple of months. In the meanwhile, Meredith Kercher’s family seemed overwhelmed by the court’s decision, believed to have been ruled based on sloppy investigation and the contamination of several DNA samples.

“It was a bit of a shock,” Meredith Kercher’s sister told reporters, “It’s very upsetting … We still have no answers.”

After 11 hours of deliberations the verdict was read, as hundreds of protesters took over the streets in Perugia. Back home in Seattle, her supporters cheered and applauded over her release. According to a recent interview, John Lange, Knox’s high school drama teacher, admits that “When I knew her she was kind, hard-working and a team player. There was not a mean bone in her body.”

After a whirldwind media coverage, Knox is finally back home in Seattle and no one quite knows what the future holds for her; interviews are a sure thing but it won’t be easy being thrown back into all the media attention Amanda Knox has been getting for the past several years.

Knox took a moment to thank her Italian supporters “who shared my suffering and helped me survive with hope”, while also ackowledging “those who wrote, those who defended me, those who were close, those who prayed for me. I love you, Amanda.”

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The Supreme Court unanimously rejected Troy Davis’ appeal. Davis was killed at 11:0PM EST  in Georgia. Troy Davis’ case was long and complicated. Davis has been scheduled for execution four times, appealing the decision successfully each time.

Although Davis was scheduled to die at 7 PM EST on Wednesday night, a last minute plea by Davis’ lawyers to the Supreme Court, caused a delay in his execution while the Supreme Court weighed in on the controversial case. Troy Davis reportedly was strapped to a gurney waiting to die for four hours.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the jail while dozens of riot police officers barricaded the jail and arrested those that crossed the line. During the lengthy delay, Davis’ family remained quiet outside the jail. The slain officer’s family waited inside to watch the execution. Laura Moye, an organizer with Amnesty International, was on prison grounds all evening long.

“We are just profoundly saddened and upset,” Moye said. A prayer circle had formed around the Davis family earlier in the evening and remained through the execution. “We knew that it was a long shot,” Moye said. “Troy Davis has always had difficult odds. He’s faced executions three times…We always held on to our hope.

We got this far by believing in the power of human rights. Now it seems there’s nothing that can intervene to stop this execution.” “People are trying to rally around this family. Everybody wants to be there standing in support of the Davis family,” Moye explained. “A lot of people standing in disbelief.”

All around the world, protesters held demonstrations. Residents around the world tweeted, “Dear Georgia,” reminding the state that the world is watching their decision. Earlier in the day, many people weighed in on the impending execution. Moye said that the support Davis’ case has received from the public has been very moving. ”What is a miracle in this case is so many people have raised their voices,” Moye said.

Troy Davis was convicted of the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer, primarily of witness testimony. Since that time, Davis has maintained his innocence and the majority of witnesses have recanted their testimony. A group of former death row wardens wrote to Georgia authorities calling on them to halt the death sentence due to doubts about Davis’ guilt.

Among the group was the former warden in charge of the Georgia death chamber. ”While most of the prisoners whose executions we participated in accepted responsibility for the crimes for which they were punished, some of us have also executed prisoners who maintained their innocence until the end,” the wardens wrote in a press release.

“It is those cases that are most haunting to an executioner.” Meanwhile, the family of the murdered officer and the case’s original prosecutor have argued strenuously for Davis’s execution, and have asserted that there is no doubt that he is guilty of the murder.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/death_penalty/

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Convicted of murder, American student Amanda Knox, prepares to appeal her murder charge on Monday in an Italian court. The sister of the slain victim, Meredith Kercher, reminds the public of the life that was lost.

“Please remember our beautiful Meredith,” said Stephanie Kercher in a statement distributed Sunday by attorney Francesco Maresca. Stephanie Kercher said that the media frenzy that developed around the Amanda Knox trial has made people forget about what was taken from Meredith – her life.

In 2007, Knox and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted for the death of Meredith Kercher, 21. Kercher, a British exchange student, was found dead in the villa she and Knox rented together in the central Italian university town of Perugia. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Sollecito to 25.

A third defendant in the case is drug dealer Rudy Guede. An immigrant from the Ivory Coast, Guede was jailed in connection with Kercher’s death. According to CNN, he was sentenced to 30 years for murder and sexual violence following a fast-track trial in 2008. His sentence was later cut to 16 years.

His case will not be appealed. According to a prosecution reconstruction, Guede and Sollecito held Kercher down, while Knox stabbed her. Kercher was found semi-naked, with her throat slashed. In July, the Italian appeals court heard the testimony of a new DNA analysis that may call Knox’s conviction into question.

The proceeding will resume Monday, reported CNN. The original DNA found on the alleged murder weapon — the knife — has been dismissed as evidence. According to the West Seattle Herald, the Kercher family, who is suing Knox and Sollecito in a civil suit, believes the couple is guilty of mudering Meredith.

The fact that the experts, professors Carol Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti, who will be reexamining the case evidence Monday were appointed by the judge, is expected to create much controversy in the courtroom. “Over the last week, we have waited anxiously and with great concern as the rumours surrounding the original DNA evidence findings are spreading,” Stephanie Kercher said in the statement.

CNN reported that at trial, authorities testified that a knife found in Sollecito’s home had traces of Knox’s genetic material on the handle and Kercher’s on the blade. Kercher’s bra had traces of Sollecito’s DNA. Vecchiotti and Conti have brought into question the strength of the evidence that convicted Knox and Sollecito.

Edda Knox, Amanda’s mother, expressed to the Seattle Herald her gratitude for all those backing her daughter. “We are thrilled that so many people see that Amanda is clearly innocent,” Edda Knox said. “Support for her continues to grow and we appreciate each person.” Kercher said she is hopeful that the appeal will not change the original verdict on the case of her sister’s death.

“We still have confidence in the Perugia police and every faith in all those involved in court and the investigation,” Kercher said.

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