<p>I heard this girl had like 4 different stories… and the police systematically poked holes in one after the other?</p>
<p>all countries do not operate their courts the same way as the United States. You should know that before you travel there.</p>
<p>Of course, the US judicial system let OJ off, so I don’t know if it’s fair to call ours superior.</p>
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<p>I don’t know about that. He was described as emotionless as well. If memory serves me right, the pair was making out right after the murder at the crime scene, and then bought sexy underwear for her right afterwards. It has been a long time since I heard that stuff, but as I recall there was a lot of outrage at the coldness of their behavior. I would say that the two of them have a demeanor which would be, in general, atypical for Italian culture.</p>
<p>So very sad. I don’t know if she is innocent or guilty, but for both families this is the kind of crazy happening you imagine in the middle of the night when you have not heard from your child and feel silly in the morning when all is normal. How sad for their study abroad to go so awry. I am not inclined to believe innocence or guilt based on a court case, but we will never know what happened here and I feel sad for both families.</p>
<p>I guess I do not relate quite as much to the local defendants, they were living life, I can relate to the way this must have felt to the parents of a study abroad student!</p>
<p>spideygirl: I was reacting to what seems to me an anti-Italian bias (I have not a single drop of Italian blood) which focused on the attitude of the judge toward Amanda Knox whose demeanor was described here as “northern European.” If it had been merely described as emotionless, I would have had no trouble. And it would have fitted the demeanor of her co-defendant as well.</p>
<p>Somemom: I don’t get your point about the local defendant. What do you mean by “they were living life?” If they are guilty, so is Amanda Knox. Why is it okay for us to sympathize with her parents but not theirs, just because they do not live thousand miles away? If Amanda Knox is innocent, then so are they–and they and their parents deserve just as much sympathy as Knox and her family. I don’t understand the incredible parochialism displayed in this thread.</p>
<p>havent followed the trial and have no idea of her guilt or innocence…but why does a judge sit as a juror? as a judge he may have information not known to the rest of the jury as he would make rulings on allowed evidence etc, or he may have been shown to have a bias for the prosecutor. would he not have a position of power over other jurors? that seems very strange to me.</p>
<p>Different countries have different judicial systems. Just because other countries have different judicial systems does not mean that all the verdicts that are handed down are flawed. Ours is by no means the best (see OJ Simpson trial, for instance).</p>
<p>Would love to hear perspective of someone on CC who lives in Italy re: public viewpoint about the trial, evidence, etc…</p>
<p>This whole trial broke my heart (guilty or innocent)…</p>
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<p>LOL. No bias here. Just looking at the situation with an open-minded and critical eye. Culture does affect demeanor, and therefore both expressive and receptive non-verbal communication.</p>
<p>Let me ask my sister.</p>
<p>marite- in reading the thread, so many people are relating to the parents of the two study abroad girls, not the others. I believe this is because we can imagine ourselves with our student studying abroad and something crazy happening.</p>
<p>I don’t think any of us imagine our kids killing some one or being murdered in their day to day life, but when you wend your kid abroad (or even far away to a university) your imagination can run wild. I just think more people can innately put themselves into the shoes of the mother’s of the study abroad students. It is just the way people are, easier to imagine the feelings of a people in a situation to which you personally can relate.</p>
<p>Not saying that is right or wrong, just the way it seems to be.</p>
<p>I would be curious to see what results the jurors would have gotten if they had been sequestered, instead of free to go home and watch the nightly news</p>
<p>Guilty or innocent, I don’t feel too bad for Amanda Knox. </p>
<p>Apparently, when questioned by police she tried to blame someone who she knew was innocent. If she is indeed guilty, she deserves to be in prison. If not, she’s getting a taste of her own medicine.</p>
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<p>ALL legal systems are questionable. Just think of those high-profile foreigner-tried-in-USA cases, where their press (and bloggers) are horrified at the weird happenings in the US legal system.</p>
<p>Somemom: I don’t buy this argument. The fact that Amanda Knox was studying abroad has no bearing whatsoever on her guilt or innocence. I, for one, am not so limited in my empathy that I cannot sympathize with the parents of people who do not share my nationality/ethnicity, or the exact circumstances of my kids. </p>
<p>Spideygirl. Granted. I would not denigrate the importance of culture. But in this case, both Knox and her Italian co-defendants were emotionless. The suggestion in some posts that she failed to act like an Italian and thus affected the judgment rendered against her seems odd to me in this particular context.</p>
<p>I think Senator Cantwell should not comment on specifics of overseas cases she knows nothing about except what one side fed her. She could create an international incident with an friendly country. It’s out of her pay grade.</p>
<p>I’ve been following this trial since the beginning. It looks like the burden of proof in Italy is not as big as it is in the US. I don’t think she was guilty based on the information presented at the trial, but no matter what, she was doing some very questionable activities. I agree with marite that study abroad has nothing to do with it other than possibly scaring some people from studying abroad. As for Senator Cantwell, it is very common for her to present a view biased for anything that involves WA. It is part of her job in many cases, but she can take it too far.</p>
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<p>A person can be born in a certain country, yet still display a non-verbal communication style which is not the expected norm.</p>
<p>Here is what Senator Cantwell said:
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<p>As an elected representative from Amanda Knox’s home state, I think Cantwell did what was expected. We’d all hope for the same advocacy if we were in the Knox’s situation. Guilty or not, Amanda Knox deserves justice. Personally, I think she is innocent. The guy who cut a deal was in trouble previously for brandishing a knife at someone.</p>
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<p>katliamom,
What sources have you been reading. I am hearing people saying most Europeans side with the Italian court:
[Amanda</a> Knox verdict receives mixed international reactions | Comments Blog | Los Angeles Times](<a href=“Archive blogs”>Archive blogs)</p>
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<p>Yes, I have been reading the international press, too, and most side with the verdict. As well, Amanda Knox is not portrayed as a stiff-upper lip stoic whose demeanor was misread by a culturally biased jury and judge.</p>
<p>Those who cast doubts on the Italian judicial system should keep in mind the Cameron Todd Willingham case and the many others that have shown that innocent individuals were executed in this country, and not that long ago.</p>