Friday, May 29, 2009

Trial: More On The Violent Crimes Unit’s Reconstruction Of The Violent, Prolonged Attack

Posted by Peter Quennell



Grim-faced expert witnesses from the Violent Crimes Unit in Rome enter court

1. Reconstruction Of The Attack On Meredith

Judge Massei closed the court for much of the time. No English-language reporters were there.

Nevertheless, reports in La Nazione and other Italian media described the reconstruction of the final attack on Meredith in the court with the aid of many photographs and graphics.

Giuseppe Codispoti, Director of the Analysis of Violent Crime Unit, said in his deposition that the evidence pointed to three subjects in addition to the victim being present in the room at the time.

The evidence included the many wounds on Meredith, the state of her clothing, and the locations and shapes of the bloodstains on the walls, the wardrobe, and the floor.

Wounds to Meredith’s right hand pointed to a desperate attempt to ward off one or several attackers with knives while she was being held by her other arm.

The director of the Violent Crime department, Edgardo Giobbi, told the court that when, on the day after the murder, he handed Knox (not yet a suspect) a pair of shoe covers before entering the apartment below hers, she swiveled her hips and said “oopla.” This attitude made him turn his “investigative attention” on her, he said.

This was dramatic and telling testimony, and for some in the courtroom apparently quite hard to take.

Below: One of the images used in their detailed reconstruction of the final frenzied act in Meredith’s bedroom that suggested three people had to be involved.




2. Prior Testimony That Relates

Judge Micheli summarized the same forensic evidence and concluded for purposes of convicting Rudy Guede and of sending Knox and Sollecito to trial that it did point to three people being involved.

Judge Micheli also concluded that, as part of a cover-up, Meredith was later moved from the location below (by the wardrobe and the window) to where she was found, several feet to the left (by the bed).

3. Defensive PR Reaction To This Tough Talk

In their attempt to ridicule and undermine this compelling evidence, CBS News (48 Hours) in their recent very slanted report repeatedly showed bizarre caricatures of this scene by an Italian cartoonist.

None were remotely correct. That was not, we think, CBS News’s finest hour. They have been very silent on it since.

The paid Candace Dempsey defense blog on the Seattle PI website took a shot at ridiculing the reconstruction image above.

Something rather incoherent to do with not being specific enough about the figures. But the image above was one of a number that the witnesses used.

As real crime experts in the field would all know, it was deliberately not more specific because it incorporated only the known hard evidence.

Contacts of ours in NYC associated with law enforcement are giving the reconstruction an A. It was a careful and clever bit of work.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/29/09 at 09:23 PM in Defendants in court,  Amanda Knox,  The officially involved,  Police and CSI,  Evidence & Witnesses,  Various timelines,  Real crimescene,  The pack attack,  The two knives,  DNA and luminol,  Trials 2008 & 2009,  Massei prosecution,  Hoaxes against Italy,  5 No pack attack hoax,  6 No staging hoax,  Hoaxes re Guede,  33 Sole attacker hoax

Comments

Thank you for the additional information, Peter. I found it hard to believe that the prosecution would wrap up with “not much”.

Is it possible to have some sort of interpretation of “oopla”? Thanks.

Posted by bucketoftea on 05/30/09 at 03:48 AM | #

Hi bucketoftea, our Italian experts simply translate “oopla” as “oopla”... Maybe there’s more to it, but right now, it and the hip-wiggling look like a playful, dont-give-a-damn response to a serious and sad situation.

Posted by Peter Quennell on 05/30/09 at 04:06 AM | #

My guess is “oopla” is like a smart ass “well, la de da!” 

This chick is just spooky.

Posted by Professor Snape on 05/30/09 at 05:15 AM | #

“oopla” is like “whoops” or “oops” or “Oh dear”

Posted by bedelia on 05/30/09 at 04:19 PM | #

I wonder what her PR image consultants will dress her in for an aura of innocence during her testimony. Maybe a cute pinafore with lollipops, an Italian lapel pin, pigtails, knee high white socks with black patent leather shoes, and white gloves, with a great big Gucci rosary. No doubt she will proclaim how much she loves Italy and Italians, and how understanding she is of the difficult job police have to find killers.
I hope they ask her why she had no concern for Meredith’s door being locked and in her email saying it was always locked, when the other flatmates said it was never locked. Ask her why Sollecito said she was gone until 1AM. Ask her how she had details of Meredith’s wounds and of the crime scene when no one else did.

Posted by jennifer on 05/31/09 at 11:52 PM | #

Hi Jennifer,

She will probably wear her “ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE” shirt!

I don’t think she will be able to stand up to questions from the prosecution.  She has told so many lies and from those lies, more lies and inconsistancies.  I just wonder if she will crack under the pressure as she did the night she was questioned.

How is she going to dispute all the evidence, being seen the night of the crime and the next morning at the store?  She didn’t stand up in court during this testimony to deny being at the store where the bleach was purchased!

It is going to be an extremely important and insightful testimony!

Posted by BARBM on 06/02/09 at 11:16 AM | #

I suspect she’s decided to speak in Italian so she has her understanding of the language to blame if she does make any mistakes.

Posted by mikeyverve on 06/02/09 at 02:58 PM | #

I agree completely. Knox will use her (in)ability to speak Italian as a way of attempting to gain favour with the Italian public at large, not to mention the jury.
In her eyes, It all adds to the drama. Given the precise technicalities invloved, the legal intricacies, it would be folly to respond in anything other that the native tongue in such circumstances.

Posted by Paul on 06/02/09 at 06:46 PM | #

This will be her last chance to lie credibly to diminish her previous lies,to tell the court how she and Meredith were good chums. It will be carefully crafted by her legal team with the help of Italian jury consultants. Would not expect a nonsensical rambling like her email or diaries or statements to police. The whole point of the exercise will be to make her warm and cuddly,a victim of well intentioned law enforcement, or a nut case who would only need a few months in a mental facility to be rehabbed and released. Orrrr she will completely turn on Sollecito saying her story of covering her ears is true and she only helped clean up and cover up?

Posted by jennifer on 06/03/09 at 02:00 AM | #

I don’t see how she can respond to the prosecutor’s questioning in any direct, cogent way. Nothing she can say will make any sense—let alone be believable—after the many versions of a ‘story’ she has fabricated and the many times she has claimed not to remember the events of that night.

I agree that her performance will be a ruse to gain sympathy and portray herself as a misunderstood victim, ie. ‘I was only doing cartwheels or making jokes and sticking my tongue out at Raff because I was so distressed and confused and that’s how I let off steam. Poor me, nobody understands me!’ she concludes in mock frustration and desperation. 

Speaking in Italian will amplify the effect of her appearance on the witness stand being more of a performance than testimony. Also, speaking in Italian will limit the extent to which most people following this case outside of Italy—English-speakers in England and the U.S., Meredith’s family especially, but also her own family—will be able to scrutinize her words.

Think about it—it’s like the ultimate bird-flipping gesture.

But in the end, I don’t think it will be more than a momentary diversion, however dramatic.  I bet the testimony given by people like Stefanoni and the four men from the Violent Crimes Unit in Rome was way more compelling than AK could ever be. I truly believe she and RS will be found guilty.

Posted by wayra on 06/03/09 at 07:07 AM | #
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