Amanda Knox Verdict

On Friday an Italian jury (wearing red, white, and green colored sashes in honor of the flag of Italy) found American student Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Italian Raffele Sollecito guilty of murdering Knox's British roommate, Meredith Kercher after a sensational year long trial. The Italian media has portrayed Knox as both a vicious killer who murdered her roommate as part of a sex game, calling her both “Foxy Knoxy” and a “she-devil.”

The prosecutors' evidence against Knox and Sollecito was based upon a microscopic speck of Sollecito's DNA on a bra clasp that was believed to have been torn from Kercher's back during the killing, and another microscopic speck of biological substance compatible with Kercher on a kitchen knife randomly picked by police Sollecito's home after his arrest, with Knox's DNA on the handle. Prosecutors said Knox and Sollecito took the kitchen knife back to Sollecito's house after cleaning the crime scene. Experts who testified for the defense said the amounts of biological material were too small to be verified, and could have been the result of contamination at the crime scene or in the lab.

Many American legal experts are dismayed by the guilty verdicts and say the Italian media tried and convicted Amanda Knox before the trial began.

Jeff, Art,Shaun, and Scott weigh in on the verdict. After reading their thoughts, join the conversation by leaving a comment.