While being interviewed by the West Seattle Herald Friday, March 5, Amanda Knox's stepfather, Chris Mellas, received text messages from family members and an attorney that gave him a happy jolt.

The messages alerted Mellas to a new article just released in Italy's second largest, and widely respected, newspaper, la Repubblica. It said that Rudy Guede, the first person convicted of killing Meredith Kercher, told his former prison cellmate that West Seattle UW student, Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, also convicted of the murder, were not present at the murder scene. Guede's cellmate claims that Guede told him there was another person with him on the night of the murder.

The cellmate made a formal videotaped statement that has been submitted to the prosecutor's office in Perugia, Italy, where Ms. Kercher's murder took place and where the case was heard.

Chris Mellas' wife, Edda is Amanda's mother. She told the West Seattle Herald, "In January 2008, at Le Capanne Prison, right after he was captured in Germany, Rudy said he was there (at the murder scene) with someone else, but that Amanda and Raffaele were not there. Rudy’s lawyers say he never said it. Not true. The police have a tape recording (…) of Rudy telling this to his dad.

"At that point he had already stated that Amanda and Raffaele were not involved in the murder, before he flip-flopped and pointed the finger at Amanda and Raffaelle. Once he was arrested, every conversation was recorded for months on end. In the conversation with his dad he said there was somebody else there, but 'I can’t tell you who.' It was never brought up (in court.) At that point the prosecution called Rudy a liar, including that conversation. Now there is something else to support it. His ex-cellmate's statement is important. He is still in prison and there is nothing in it for him. He has nothing to gain. He chose to share."

The Mellas's believe this will greatly assist Amanda's attorneys with her appeal process that begins in about two weeks. They also believe that the 427-page "motivation" issued Thursday, March 4, is filled with contradictions. The report explains the judges' reasoning behind the decision for the Dec. 4 conviction of Knox and Sollecito.

"Our lawyers have started going through it page by page and they tell us it includes lots of contradictions," said Edda. "In the document the judges state that Amanda is a great kid, a hard working student with no evidence of violence in her past, until one night she decided to kill her roommate. In trying to justify the knife (as evidence) they said there was 'definitely a second knife belonging to Raffaele.' But the 'alternative knife' was never brought up in court. Raffaele’s two little penknives were tested and found negative for anything. It’s ludicrous.

"This is the summary that the judges wrote up," Edda said. "It is trying to justify the wrongful conviction of two innocent people. Because it's in Italian Amanda is also working on translating it. Her lawyers are thrilled. All of this is reason, and good grounds, for appeal."

“This report reads like a fiction novel,” said Chris Mellas the day after receiving the text message. “This was expected. Simply put, much of what is discussed in the report is not based in court-covered fact.

"For example, Judge (Giancarlo) Massei states that the wound just below Meredith’s chin was made by Raffaele’s knife. This was never discussed in court. No expert ever said this. No such knife was ever produced or said to have been missing or anything even hinting that this could be a possibility. Where did he get this? Why did he feel the need to create a completely new theory? How does he make the jump from court-covered fact, which is allowed, to the completely new and unfounded? Why did he make things up?

“In the end, it is good for us and we are happy because it is not based in court fact," Chris said. "This makes it easier for us at the appeal. Had the report been based in court fact, the judges would have been writing the reasoning for exoneration.”

Amanda Knox may face the court again for her appeal as early as this coming fall, which will again be heard in Perugia.
Go to: www.westseattleherald.com for updates on this story.