UPDATE 11:00 p.m. Tuesday, Seattle time

(Wednesday, 7:45 a.m. in Perugia, Italy)

Chris Mellas updated the West Seattle Herald by email with Tuesday's courtroom session. We inserted clarifications in italics in parentheses. He is currently on his way to court Wednesday. They are nine hours ahead.

We asked him why court meets during weekdays in this juried appeal trial now, when, during the first trial, court was mostly in session Friday nights and Saturdays to allow jurors to go to their weekday jobs.

"Court meeting every day? Because the judge said so. I guess is that the judge wants this done and over with. Perhaps he has other obligations in October, or he is just done with this case. I don't know for sure...but I like that it is moving toward a conclusion at a rapid pace. Amanda likes it too.

"This appeal will likely be done with a decision on the verdict within the last weeks of September, if nothing is added to the schedule.

"So, the last hearing had Stefanoni (police forensics investigator Patrizia Stefanoni who works for the prosecution) finish up on the stand, then ( Giuseppe) Novelli (The prosecution's DNA expert) went, and then someone who went for the Kerchers, (because of the family's civil suit against Amanda and Raffaele) and then ( Adriano) Tagliabracci went. He is the expert for Raffaele. He finished out the day. He is the one threatened by the prosecution to not say anything that he would regret. Everybody jumped on ( Prosecutor Manuela) Comodi for her threat, the judge included.

"He also got Stefanoni to admit that she stored evidence in Amanda's/Meredith's freezer, which just shows how unprofessional and uncaring the investigation was in regard to contamination, procedure, etc. Stefanoni just nodded and said 'yes' when asked. The picture was on the screen for the world to see, and it was expressly her job.

"Amanda was happy with the results of the day. The prosecution tried their best to make headway in discrediting the courts experts and the evidence, but she felt they did not succeed at all. Others I spoke to felt t it was a good day for the defense, even though we mostly heard from prosecution people. Their answers, in cross examination, were detrimental to their position overall. Novelli was shown to be disingenuous because he directly conflicted with things he has said in the past regarding policies, procedures, quality of evidence.'This is different' was all he had to say, and when he was asked 'In what way is this different?' he would offer no scientific reason. He would just dance around the topic like a veteran politician.

I think today (Wednesday) will be a short day too. Not a 6:30pm-ending day like the last two."

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UPDATE 8:15 a.m. Sunday

The appeal trial of West Seattle-raised Amanda Knox continues Monday, Sept. 5, after summer recess in Perugia, Italy, where she has been in prison for nearly four years. She is serving a 26-year sentence for the murder of her college roommate, Meredith Kercher. Her then boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito is serving 25 years. Rudy Guede, the drifter originally from Ivory Coast, is serving 16 years because of a fast track trial.

Kercher family's lawyer, Francesco Maresca, who is suing Knox and Sollecito in a civil suit and believes they are guilty, and the prosecution, are expected to attack the legitimacy of the two court-appointed forensics experts and their findings. Because the experts were appointed by the judge, drama in the courtroom is expected to develop in the next few weeks as those experts have dismissed the prosecutions findings in the original trial of DNA on the so-called murder weapon, the knife, and other objects.

Legal experts point out that by attacking the forensics experts' reputations, the prosecutors and Maresca are also attacking the reputation of Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann who appointed the experts, putting them in a touchy situation. That, plus the fact that the star witness for the prosecution was dismissed as unreliable, has given Amanda's West Seattle family and supporters hope for acquittal. The verdict is expected by the end of September.

UPDATE: Sunday 7:50 am

The West Seattle Herald contacted Amanda's stepfather Chris Mellas by email this morning. He just returned to Perugia from his Arbor Heights, West Seattle home, and Amanda's mother, Edda, still in Arbor Heights.

Chris said, "Tomorrow (Monday) we expect to get the calendar for the rest of the court dates, through the verdict, we hope. I believe the day will start with Maresca (Kerchers' lawyer) asking questions to the court appointed forensics experts. After he is done. Then it will be our turn as well as Raffaele's legal team.

"So basically a continuation of the last hearing. Should be interesting because the judge did mention at the last hearing that he would be strict on questioning methods. Redundant questions would not be tolerated.

"We look at it as the case has no more evidence. No more witnesses. Plus the circumstantial stuff is without basis. Sexual assault? Prove that Amanda took a part in that. Staged break in? Does not look staged, and prove that Amanda took part in it. Theft? Again, prove that Amanda took part in it. Rudy is a proven thief, so why would it be Amanda or Raffaele??

"Rudy has been convicted of all this already. All the way through the Supreme Court. He can actually be called guilty of murder, rape, theft, breaking and entering.

"There is no evidence of Amanda or Raffaele taking part in this mess at all.
This is just the last remnants of the prosecutors' crazy theories where 2 plus 2 equals something around infinity plus 1.

"Rudy, the guy who was a known harasser of women, drug pusher, thief, and vandal. Also known to be a bit strange and creepy. His DNA, finger prints, and foot prints, are all over the place at the crime scene. So how would it be logical to think of Amanda and Raffaele as suspects?

The few points the police cited as suspicious turned out to be mistakes on the part of the police. The timing of the phone call, etc. So, they just need to come clean. Call Amanda and Raffaele innocent. Say they screwed up and that they are sorry for ruining 4 years of their lives, and the reputation of the Italian police, and call it good!

More unfounded theories will not fix their problem, as they have seen with the last 7 theories from Mignini. Convicting innocent people will not fix their problem. There isn't much that is more admirable than being able to admit fault or failure, graciously, and publicly. The police and prosecution have met this case with arrogance and stubbornness. Never have they exhibited any humility.
And yet they wonder why their reputation is so tarnished...they need only look at themselves."

Edda said, "We are thrilled that so many people see that Amanda is clearly innocent. Support for her continues to grow and we appreciate each person.
Amanda has endured another horrible sweltering summer locked up. Each day she is there is terrible. Waiting when knowing the end of the appeal is so near is terrible.

"The court's independent (forensics) experts have been amazing! They supported everything our experts said, and then some!! No blood on the knife, no 'Meredith's DNA' and they even discovered bread residue on the knife. They are from the number one university in Italy and are very highly regarded."

We will continue to update this story.