Amanda Knox, the UW student and West Seattle resident has been found guilty on all charges in the murder case involving the death of her roomate, Meredith Kercher. This could result in a sentence of 26 years for Knox and 25 years for Raffaele Sollecito her former boyfriend who was also found guilty. The Italian court arrived at the decision after a process of deliberation by 2 judges and 6 jurors.

Amanda's aunt, Janet Huff said, "This is so stupid. They didn't listen to the facts in the case. All we have now is the appeals process to get her home." Knox who has spent the last 2 years in prison is clearly expected to appeal.

"We've been told that in the Italian court process nobody wins in the first part," said Huff, "I think they (the jurors and judges) were scared and intimidated. "

Seated in the courtroom were Knox's father Curt, her mother, Edda Mellas, and the oldest of her three younger sisters, Deanna, 20.

On Monday, well-known Italian defense attorney, Giulia Bongiorno, spoke in court on Knox's behalf, characterizing Knox as a naive young girl and not a killer. Bongiorno is a member of Italian Parliament and successfully had defended Italy's former premier Giulio Andreotti. She attacked the prosecution for their vicious characterizations of Knox. However this was not enough to convince the jury of her innocence.

In Italy, the appeal process lasts over two years and costs over one million dollars.

Saturday, Nov. 28, Amanda's parents, Curt Knox and Edda Mellas, were charged with defamation by the Perugia Police department for giving an interview with a newspaper months ago recounting Amanda's statement the the police struck her head, deprived her of food and water, and refused to provide her with an English translator, As we reported here.

Knox, who turned 22 on July 9, has already been in prison for two years on suspicion of sexually assaulting and murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher Nov. 1, 2007 during the third week into her college studies there. The trial began Jan. 16 of this year. Also accused are Raffaele Sollecito, her boyfriend at the time of the murder, and Rudy Guede, who was already found guilty of the murder and is serving his sentence.

On Friday, Nov. 20, Perugia prosecutor Giuliano Mignini gave a seven-hour closing argument claiming Knox’s motivation to stab Ms. Kercher to death was personal animosity toward her roommate of three weeks. The following day in court the prosecutor also showed a movie graphically depicting a computer generated Amanda killing a computer generated Meredith. The animation would stop and a gory still photo of Ms. Kercher would be inserted. He “demanded” that Knox be sent to jail for life.

"The prosecutor's final presentation, which included a computer animated movie showing Knox murdering her roommate, is as imaginary and fantastical as the case against Knox," said author Maine-based author Douglas Preston, who has been closely following the case. His best-selling book "Monster of Florence" describes his own entanglement with Knox's prosecutors on a different murder case, this one involving a serial killer who struck between the 1960's-1980s. In his book, now in production as a movie starring Tom Cruise, Preston experienced threats during his interrogation received by the prosecutor as his findings of who the "monster" was contradicted the prosecutor's findings.

Knox testified that she was visiting Sollecito the evening of the murder and arrived home the following morning to find police on the scene. Her defense team and independent investigators have stated that some of the stab wounds they studied on a recent autopsy of Ms. Kercher did not match the knife the prosecutor claims was the murder weapon. Knox, her family, and defense team has stated that she was friendly toward Ms. Kercher and that no friction between the two existed.

Amanda’s family agreed to share some thoughts with the West Seattle Herald as the verdict nears.

“Amanda and Meredith were very friendly,” said Janet Huff, Knox’s aunt. “Just two days before (the murder) they attended the Chocolate Festival together and had been out together to local pubs. There were quite a few photos of the two of them together in the days before her murder on Amanda's computer. Too bad the Italian police completely fried it when trying to get into it and were not able to retrieve a single thing.

“We’re terrified and hopeful at the same time,” added Huff. “Things have been nuts this whole time,” she said, referring to the two-year ordeal of her niece. “I feel hopeful if the ruling is based on the evidence only. For logical people that’s what they’ll do. Our stomachs are in knots all the time.”

Another motive, money, has been brought up in court. Guede claimed that Knox fought Ms. Kercher to steal $200. However, both Knox’s father and Huff said Amanda had enough money in her bank account and a theft of $200 would have been unnecessary.

“Amanda had a good amount of savings in her bank account from her three jobs she worked before she left, so why would she go after a brand new roommate for a couple hundred dollars that she did not need,” Huff said.

Knox’s case has been grueling for her, and for her sisters, parents, extended family, friends and supporters. Most of her family will be present at the trial. That includes her father and stepmother, Curt and Cassandra Knox, her mother and stepfather, Edda and Chris Mellas, her sisters Deanna, Ashley, and Delaney, and her aunt, Christina Hagge. Some arrived Thanksgiving weekend in time to hear closing arguments from the defense teams of Amanda and Raffaele.

Her aunt and uncle, Janet and Mick Huff, her uncle, Kevin Hagge, and her grandmother, Elizabeth, or “Oma,” will stay home and watch Amanda’s cousins. Janet expects to field media requests for family statements.

Prior to the verdict Curt Knox said, “There’s been so much misreporting from the press during this long, eight-month trial. "

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