'Naive' Knox is no killer, trial told
Tuesday December 01 2009
THE lawyer for the former boyfriend of Amanda Knox painted the American student as naive, spontaneous and imprudent as she argued yesterday that both Knox and her lover were innocent.
The pair are accused of murdering the American's British roommate, Meredith Kercher.
But yesterday Giulia Bongiorno, who is defending Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito (25) of Italy, compared Knox (22) to the film character Amelie in the 2001 French movie of the same title.
That is the film Knox and Sollecito claim they were watching on video the night that Ms Kercher was fatally stabbed in the throat in 2007, Ms Bongiorno reminded the court in final arguments.
"Amanda, just like Amelie, has a lot of energy. She is naive... (and) candid" like the French film character, Ms Bongiorno told the court. "The approach of Amanda toward life is exactly the same of Amelie -- spontaneous, immediate and imprudent."
The two are also accused of sexual violence in the death of Ms Kercher, who was found in her bedroom in the house she and Knox shared. A verdict in the long-running trial is expected toward the end of this week. Prosecutors have argued for life imprisonment for Knox and Sollecito.
- Paolo Santalucia in Perugia, Italy
Irish Independent
