A prosecutor in Italy on Saturday demanded that Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito serve life sentences for the murder and sexual assault of British exchange student Meredith Kercher. He also called for Knox, an American, to spend the first nine months of her sentence in isolation during daylight hours.
Giuliano Mignini requested the maximum penalty — life means more than 30 years — after an aggressive two-day summing up in which he accused Knox, 22, of nursing a drug-fueled “hatred” for her housemate Kercher, who was found dead in her bedroom, semi-naked and with her throat slashed, two years ago.
Telling the court that Knox was “narcissistic, aggressive, manipulative, transgressive, with a tendency to dominate” and “easily given to disliking people she disagreed with,” Mignini also asked that Sollecito, her former boyfriend, who was described as “notably cold” and dominated by Knox, spend the first two months of his sentence in day isolation.
PHOTO: EPA
“Each of them should get what is expected,” he said.
Ivory Coast born Rudy Guede has been jailed for 30 years after admitting his role in the murder.
Seconds after Mignini spoke, Knox rose to tell the court: “Meredith was my friend and I did not hate her.”
Knox, close to tears, added in a cracked voice: “To hurt someone who was kind to me is absurd. And I had no relationship with Rudy, I did not frequent him. What has been said is pure fantasy. It is not the truth, it is not the reality.”
Despite protests from defense lawyers, the prosecution was allowed to show an animated film reconstruction in court depicting the prosecution’s version of the murder. Jury members and Judge Giancarlo Massei watched as animated likenesses of Knox, Sollecito, 25, and Guede, 22, entered the isolated house Knox shared with Kercher on the outskirts on Perugia.
Resembling Second Life avatars, the cartoon trio attacked Kercher in her bedroom as photos flashed up on screen showing the wounds and bruises found on Kercher’s body. In the courtroom Knox turned away from the screen while Sollecito, who is now studying for a virtual reality degree in jail, watched as the screen turned red when Kercher, from Coulsdon, southern England, received the fatal stab wound to the neck.
Earlier, Mignini talked the jury through his reconstruction. After switching off their phones on the night of Nov. 1, Knox and Sollecito were in an aggressive mood thanks to a mix of dope and alcohol, he said, and entered the house after meeting Guede.
Finding Kercher at home alone, Knox had a chance, Mignini said, to take revenge against her housemate, “who was ‘too serious’ and ‘too sober-minded’ for her taste. The hatred grew and grew in Knox, but that night this hatred had the possibility to explode.”
Kercher “showed her disapproval over the umpteenth man brought home by Knox, particularly at that hour. Maybe she also challenged Knox about missing money,” Mignini said.
Guede went to the bathroom as Knox and Sollecito started to argue with Kercher in her room.
It is likely that Knox, “to vent her resentment against Kercher, pushed her violently against the cupboard,” as Raffaele held her by the hair, Mignini said.
Guede emerged from the bathroom and joined in, eager to compete with Sollecito to have sex with Kercher. When she fell to the ground, the three tried to undress her and Knox pulled out a knife while Guede began to sexually abuse her, the magistrate said.
“It is easy to believe Knox said ... ‘You were such a little saint ... now you are going to be forced to have sex,’” Mignini said.
As Sollecito pulled at her bra strap, Knox stabbed her for the first time. Pulling out his smaller knife, Sollecito did the same, Mignini said.
As it became clear Kercher “did not want to submit to sexual violence, ‘the game’ had to be brought to an end,” he said.
Knox began to strangle Meredith as Sollecito continued to stab, prompting Meredith to let out the “terrible” scream that neighbor Nara Capezzali heard.
At this point, Knox delivered the fatal blow, plunging her knife into Kercher’s neck at about 11.30pm, Mignini said.
Knox’s stepfather Chris Mellas, who was in court, said: “It is a huge jump to go from cohabitation issues to an enormous hatred, especially since Amanda had never ever had these issues. It’s one day closer to a verdict, which we believe will be innocent.”
Sollecito’s father, Francesco, said: “My son is astonished that anyone would think he killed Kercher, especially in that horrible way.”
Knox and Sollecito said they spent the night of the murder at Sollecito’s house in Perugia, having sex, smoking dope and watching a film.
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