Four months have passed since the guilty verdicts were reached for West Seattle UW student, Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, for the murder of Knox’s roommate, Meredith Kercher, stabbed to death in that historic college town Nov. 1, 2007. Unemployed drifter, Rudy Guede, was also found guilty, but that verdict was reached over a year ago. In mid-March of this year a 427-page “motivation document” was released in Italian. Judges from the court there issued it spelling out the motive for the murder. Knox’s family is appealing the verdict.

According to that document, the motive for Knox and Sollecito to kill Ms. Kercher was marijuana that triggered a violent rage. Since Knox was first arrested the prosecution changed her motive four times, from a “cult sacrifice,” to a “sex-orgy-gone-wrong,” to “theft of 300 Euros,” to “jealousy,” to “a rage caused by smoking marijuana.”

A new, robust “pro-Amanda” website capitalizes on this “refer madness” motive, and other aspects of the case it finds troubling, called www.injusticeinperugia.org, started by an American, Bruce Fisher.

Two popular websites have been posting since the crime, the pro-Amanda www.perugia-shock.blogspot.com, authored by Italian journalist Frank Sfarzo who reported in English regularly from the Perugia courtroom, and the “Amanda-is-guilty” site, www.truejustice.org, operated by New Jersey resident Peter Quennell.

Another “Amanda-is-guilty” Facebook page calls for Knox to receive the death sentence. Sources tell the West Seattle Herald that complaints have been made to Facebook to remove the site both for its content and celebrative tone.

“I have been following this case since early 2008,” said Fisher. “I started ‘Injustice in Perugia’ because I was shocked to see how this case was being reported. Amanda Knox has been horribly mistreated in the press.

“She had absolutely no history of violence in her past,” he said. “She worked several jobs to save the money needed to participate in the study-abroad program in Italy and excelled in her studies. The extraordinary accusations made against her would require extraordinary evidence. The evidence simply wasn't there.

“A website was actually created to spread misinformation and outright lies about Knox,” added Fisher. “What makes the ‘pro-guilt’ site even more reprehensible is that it wraps the entire package of lies in the memory of Meredith Kercher. There are photos of Meredith all over the site. It is set up as a memorial to her. But using Meredith to promote hate is horribly disrespectful to Meredith and her family. Meredith and her family deserve justice. Imprisoning two innocent people will bring no peace and, certainly, no justice for Meredith Kercher.”

Also, the Knox’s family site, www.amandadefensefund.org, was just updated by Christina Hagge, Amanda Knox’s aunt, a West Seattle resident. And Knox’s stepfather, Chris Mellas, and others started www.raffaelesollecito.org, in Italian.

“My purpose is to show who the real Amanda is, not the Amanda falsely portrayed in early newspaper reports,” Hagge told the West Seattle Herald. Hagge posted never-published photos of her niece in addition to some familiar images. A photograph of a dove in flight is prominently displayed on the front page, rear-lit by the sun.

“Amanda wrote a story about a dream she had as a dove flying free from prison,” Hagge said. “So I included that photo for her.”

High-profile Seattle attorney Anne Bremner has not been hired by Knox’s family but has been an outspoken advocate for Knox’s and Sollecito’s release from prison. She helped establish the first Knox-support website, www.friendsofamanda.com, which also is frequently updated. She often appears on CNN, ABC Good Morning America, and other media. She told the West Seattle Herald she was glad to see new sites promoting their innocence.

“The world has seen an injustice and the world has reacted,” Bremner said.