In the appeal case of Amanda Knox, five witnesses are set to testify in her defense.
Amanda Knox was a 20-year-old University of Washington language student at the time when she embarked on a study abroad program in Perugia, Italy. She and her boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito, were charged with the murder of Knox’s British roommate Meredith Kercher. A third man named Rudy Guede was also found guilty of the murder. She captivated the American media, as some claimed her to be the innocent victim of a foreign “kangaroo court.” She was convicted December of 2009, and sentenced to 26 years in an Italian prison.
Now 18 months later, both Knox and Sollecito are appealing their convictions and five witnesses may prove crucial in their case.
CBS News Correspondent Charlie D’Agata reported that the witnesses attest to the two being innocent of the murder of Kercher, but that their “hardened criminal” statuses might disprove their reliability.
One witness, a convicted child killer and fellow inmate named Mario Alessi, said that Guede told him that his friend killed Kercher. The court also heard from armed robber Marco Castelluccio, who backed Alessi’s story. Guede denies Alessi’s claims.
Another version clearing Knox was provided by a second witness, convicted mobster Luciano Aviello, who insists that his bother murdered Kercher during a botched break-in.
Key to the appeal is the re-examination of the controversial DNA evidence. Lawyers say in terms of the murder weapon, a knife, there was so little of Knox’s DNA on it that it should never have been used as evidence in the trial. A final decision in Knox’s appeal is expected in the fall.