Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Rather Strained Couric-Sollecito Interview: Reading Between The Lines (1)
Posted by Hopeful
Raffaele’s physical appearance was okay. He was groomed and dressed well. I alternately felt sorry for him and grossed out by him when I sensed he was lying from a cunning script.
He has taken a page out of Amanda’s playbook by using English instead of his native Italian with a translator, so the audience will identify with him and so he can buy time to formulate safe answers. He wants to show off to Amanda that he is as quick to master language as she is.
Katie Couric definitely put him on the defensive. Her maturity and restraint honed over years of interviews gave her the advantage. It must be so hard to smile and remain polite when you harbor suspicions you’re talking to a liar and stonecold killer. Her civility and training stood her in good stead.
She didn’t reveal too much disgust, but some slipped out. She did poke and prod for hard truth as much as possible within the limited format.
I think the biggest clue to Raffaele’s dishonesty was his refusal to denounce Meredith’s “real” killer, Rudy Guede. Had he not been part of the violence or obstruction of justice against Meredith, he would have the moral high ground to express natural horror rage and resentment against this “real” killer, a killer whose act has also destroyed Sollecito’s life.
If he were totally innocent, Raffaele would want only to name and shame Guede and howl for the harshest punishment. If Guede had gotten me involved in such a nightmare I would blame him without regret and with no game-playing or fear of his lies. The fact that Raf does not dare to anger Guede and refuses to judge the known killer who has dropped Raf into a living hell is a sign of some perverse obligation to Guede, fear of Guede, or guilty knowledge or some unnatural response.
He refuses to denounce Guede, while he revels in his coverup for Amanda. This suggests he is part of the crime. He denounces prison loudly enough! He seemed to want to say that prison serves absolutely no purpose at all, incarceration accomplishes nothing. This is simply a reflection of how much he hated prison, not how little he deserved it.
His big glory seems to be bucking his family, and rejecting their good advice, while professing to understand they are blinded by love and concern for him.
His tone is condescending. No, he will spare his family nothing. He prefers to turn his back on their best interests (which would be to have a son who could earn a solid living and eventually help his father in old age or sister, has Raf ever thought of success as a gift he can give them? No, it seems he wants drama and destruction and waste).
While his book claims Dr. and Sister Sollecito were begging him to reveal the truth regardless of whether it hurt Amanda or not, he turns his back on them and on truth completely. His desire is to honor a wildcat female who used him and cost his father and sister everything.
What a mockery of real honor. He’s ready to save Amanda a prison sentence no matter how big a liar he must become or how much terror he brings to his family or expense and stress on them. His childish and mistaken attitude was that Amanda loves him, Amanda is all that matters.
Thus he becomes a foolish and destructive ennabler, saving Amanda from the natural results of her own bad acts that would finally teach her something real. He wants to rescue her and his vanity since she reflects his romantic choice and he doesn’t want that criticized.
He will rescue her at cost of destroying the family who has truly loved him and stood by him, even though he has so many unresolved issues with them. I think this is because he has not felt strong enough to stand up to his family in the normal teenage years of establishing boundaries, usually through mild rebellion.
His fear of losing his father since he was motherless, or their overbearing powerful personalities (doctor and policeman) left his growth undone at the normal time. He is still a child. But his role in this crime has become a way out for him.
Raf is in hog heaven. He can emigrate from Italy to the U.S. for survival reasons that his folks must understand, since they assure him they don’t want him in prison. This is his way to get others to boot him to where he wanted to go all along. (Munich wasn’t far enough, and he was soon back home dejected.)
His biggest joy seems to be deceiving the police. His sister’s biggest mistake was doing shady stuff to help this ingrate brother, and his father will learn the same lesson.
It’s really sad because Dr. Francesco Sollecito Senior deserves better than this from his only son. Raf wants to lower the bar on their expectations of him. In that he has succeeded. His main goal is to disappoint his father and compromise his sister since he cannot compete with their workplace achievements and no longer has a mother to protect.
Raffaele took another page from Amanda by giving a lengthy and ambiguous answer to the question, “What would you say to people who still think you are guilty?” He never gets around to categorically denying he killed Meredith! Instead he harps on the media having deceived the public.
Of course the fog of nonsense is his own and Amanda’s.
Posted by Hopeful on 09/19/12 at 09:08 PM in Defendants in court, Raff Sollecito, The officially involved, News media & movies, Hoaxers from 2007, Raff Sollecito PR, Hoaxers from 2011, Raff Sollecito #2
Comments
I noted two points that you mentioned:
Damn the detectives: but why?
Blame your own family: just for the sake of AK, who has not shown the least consideration for you?
I would have loved to know more about his loss of memory- how convenient!
I am curious to know what the IIP stalwarts are thinking!
Posted by chami on 09/19/12 at 10:08 PM | #
For those of you who understand Italin or read it
(there are subtitles).
http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-425341d9-4010-469d-a2e9-b77709fa4503.html
Posted by Miriam on 09/19/12 at 10:22 PM | #
Jeering at detectives and prosecutors is a not uncommon psychopathic trait that has led to many a downfall. It began days before he was arrested.
Resenting his family also seems to ring true. His father always kept him on a short string and was financing him (including apartment and car and college fees) well into his twenties.
Francesco’s daily calls to his son seem to have been caring and patient (Sollecito had few friends) but he is on record also repeatedly venting his frustration toward his “catch me if you can” son.
It has just happened again in Rome, on RAI’s Porta a Porta, the most popular talk show in Italy, where Francesco was made to concede Raffaele was lying in the book. There are dozens of Italian reports on this, and it is escalating fast.
Remember Francesco and four other family members (wife, sister, uncle, aunt) still face a trial for attempted perversion of justice, and they sure dont want additional charges tacked on.
Andrea Vogt reports in English on her own blog on this. http://thefreelancedesk.com/?page_id=148
As the book made headlines in both countries, Raffaele Sollecito appeared on Katie Couric’s new show “Katie†in the U.S. Tuesday, while his father was on the defensive back in Italy, being held accountable on Bruno Vespa’s Porta Porta.
At issue in Italy was a story in Tuesday’s La Stampa reporting a segment of the book (pages 219-222) where Sollecito talks about how a Perugia lawyer told his family that he could get off with a reduced sentence if he did a secret deal with the prosecutors and stopped backing Amanda’s alibi.
Perugia prosecutors Tuesday vigorously denied that they ever offered a backroom deal (which would have been an ethical-legal breach in Italy) and, somewhat awkwardly, so did Sollecito’s father, Francesco Sollecito.
While Raffaele writes about “Uncle Giuseppe†being involved and cites the prosecutors directly, Francesco Sollecito stated firmly his brother had played no role, and said the informal discussions with an unnamed Perugia person never involved the prosecutor’s office.
There were several testy exchanges on Porta Porta, which were mostly akin to:
Bruno Vespa: No, no no no no. Your son is writing something different than what you are saying. Mr. Sollecito, please. Its written right here.
Francesco Sollecito: Oh please, be patient Dottor Vespa. What do we want to do now, put our impressions on trial too?
La Stampa’s U.S. correspondent Maurizio Molinari confirmed that Francesco Sollecito’s version was very different from what was in the book, a testament, he said, to the friction in the family that Raffaele had reported: in essence a break of some sorts between father and son.
All involved with writing and publishing this book maybe should start watching their backs. Falsely and maliciously accusing people of crimes is an imprisonable offence both in Italy and the United States.
Seems so naive, all of them, to have chained themselves to what even his own father is close to admitting is a serial liar and psychopathic murderer.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 09/19/12 at 10:34 PM | #
Thanks Miriam. I had been watching for a YouTube. Many of the Porta a Porta shows end up on YouTube which is how our Italian lawyer Cesare Beccaria was able to illustrate this series.
Here is Franceso on that show.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 09/19/12 at 10:47 PM | #
Excellently said Hopeful, thanks! I think if he spoke better English we would see his cunning more clearly…bottom line is he feels he is smarter than everyone (that he can outsmart us all), but he has never been properly pressed on his nonsense. Let’s pray that the Sup Crt sees the issues with the appeal!
Posted by willsavive on 09/20/12 at 12:12 AM | #
I certainly don’t think Knox or Sollecito would risk an interview like this ever again. Sharlene Martin & Co were salivating at the thought of millions of viewers and they failed to consider that Couric had no track record of fealty to the PR campaign. That made the interview much more risky than it initially appeared. And, predictably, it was a disaster, although it could have been even worse.
Sollecito’s relationship with his dad seems quite complex. Although his dad is plainly aware that his son is an idiot (he’s even said as much), I have no doubt he would—and did—lie and attempt to subvert the legal process to try to help him.
I have a different take on Sollecito’s relationship with Knox. I think he would have testified against her if he could have gotten the deal that he wanted. But he couldn’t, so he chose to claim that he never doubted her. He must have felt she owed him something after that, which is why he tried to rekindle the relationship. It was ridiculous to say that he had no regrets about meeting her because—innocent or guilty—she cost him 4 years in prison and permanent damage to his reputation. By any measure it would have been far better for him had they never met.
Although Couric did a superb job, especially by the standards by the U.S. media, I would have skipped the questions about the blood droplets and why Knox didn’t call 911. As much as I want to see Sollecito thoroughly discredited, I want it to be a fair fight, and those questions require nuanced answers for which there wasn’t enough time.
I loved the detail about Knox singing to him on Skype. She is obviously a complete lunatic—but NO NO NO she COULDN’T POSSIBLY be capable of hurting someone.
Posted by brmull on 09/20/12 at 01:05 AM | #
Sollecito is happy to blame everyone else for his problems—except for himself. You alertly indicated that the one man he should be blaming (if he is innocent) is the one man whose feelings he spared by throwing the entire concept of judicial punishment under suspicion.
In the end, his words were not those of an innocent man.
Posted by Stilicho on 09/20/12 at 01:48 AM | #
“If he were totally innocent, Raffaele would want only to name and shame Guede and howl for the harshest punishment. If Guede had gotten me involved in such a nightmare I would blame him without regret and with no game-playing or fear of his lies. The fact that Raf does not dare to anger Guede and refuses to judge the known killer who has dropped Raf into a living hell is a sign of some perverse obligation to Guede, fear of Guede, or guilty knowledge or some unnatural response.”
Spot on.
Guede is supposedly shopping a book with no publishing takers. At this point I think it would be an interesting proposition to try to get to the truth and publish Guede. If all THREE versions could be put together, maybe we could come up with something A BIT closer to the truth for Meredith and her family, and for all of us who can’t let this beautiful woman’s life end in a traumatic question mark. Miss you Mez.
Posted by zinnia on 09/20/12 at 03:44 AM | #
Fascinating analysis, Hopeful. I also thought it was interesting when he was discussing the ‘blood droplets’ in the bathroom he talks about it being possibly from a bloody nose (with his fist gesturing up to his nose). Possible hint towards Knox/Meredith mixed blood in the bathroom? I know some suspected Knox had a nose bleed.
Not sure if others have seen this one on Katie Couric’s website- a few tough questions and more uncomfortable answers from Raffaele:
http://www.katiecouric.com/behind-the-scenes/raffaele-sollecito-amanda-knox-nervous-about-appeal/
Posted by Formerlurker on 09/20/12 at 09:11 AM | #
Thanks for the link Formerlurker, the mans a idiot, this is damage control simple as.
As for the Porter Porter debacle with his father, how damming for the whole road show, his own father basically calling him a liar.
I for one hope on one hand, that Sollecito keeps up with his interviews and talks, as he is digging himself a massive hole, but on the other hand their are people out their who actually believe it is true what this fool is saying.
It is ok for us here on TJMK & PMF, as we know the truth, we can spot the contradictions and the outright lies, but your average guy with no back. Ground knowledge of the case could believe all this BS.
That is why it is really important to be as active as possible in directing people to these two great sites.
Bedelia done brilliantly before the KC show, handing out flyers, we can all do our own little bit even from our Pc/ laptops, as many are already doing so, and valiantly.
Let’s keep the pressure up, I honestly feel that justice is round the corner for Meredith & her family.
Jeffski
Posted by Jeffski1 on 09/20/12 at 11:43 AM | #
I am behind in my reading but just want to say, Hopeful, that this is an excellent analysis of the interview.
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments about RS’s response to the Qs on Guede. Absolutely. I would have made the same comment if you hadn’t.
Posted by thundering on 09/23/12 at 12:32 PM | #
I just watched the interview for the first time, she had a look of disgust on her face and Sollecito seems like a wimpy kid.
Posted by Severino518 on 11/26/12 at 01:42 AM | #
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