I will add this on the subject of what ought to be criticized regarding the Kercher's actions and current position. The (perfectly nice incidentally) Daily Mail article with the pictures of Amanda basically walking around trying to be normal, and the last line, a quote from John Kercher, ought to illustrate something. Amanda as well as Raffaele according to (private) reports from Italy, are being besieged by paparazzi, hiding out from them, while at the same time John Kercher is saying they shouldn't be allowed to 'profit' from the murder. However no one notes that he's also writing a book, has a civil case pending against the Sollecito's for 'damages' and his lawyer is still working to help put Amanda and Amanda's parents in jail on two other cases still to be heard.
There are some who fear for Amanda and Raffaele's safety,
serious people with the qualifications to know, as the line has been developed that they got off on a 'technicality' or due to some conspiring with the government, succored by some spending four years of beating the drums of guilt. They continue the pretense that the 'facts' of the case indicate guilt, a position that appears to have resonance in some quarters. The propaganda that those that think them innocent are the promoters and deluded dupes of a 'PR campaign' has gained traction, another lie promoted and 'supported' by distortions and falsehoods.
The reality is that the
Kerchers engaged in a PR campaign against Amanda and Raffaele through hiring a lawyer which complimented and expanded upon the one run by a corrupt prosecution. In addition they
wrote numerous articles promoting bogus
'evidence' and accusations against supporters of Raffaele and Amanda as 'cultists' and decrying the fact that the normal process of justice in Italy allowed for an automatic second trial, placing that 'blame' squarely upon Amanda
and Raffaele. The acquittal was described as '
ludicrous' suggesting a gross miscarriage of justice occurred. The same position was reflected in highly moderated websites that journalists perused and amounted to little more than propaganda outlets.
It is truly tragic what has occurred to the Kerchers, the majority of that blame ought to be directly focused upon the men and women with authority who deceived them, namely Mignini, Maresca, Napoleoni, Stefanoni, and the guys above the latter two in the
Polizia Scientifica and
Polizia di Stato notably Biondi and the two who've done such a fine job hiding behind Napoleoni's skirt I cannot recall their names. However, at this point with the verdict of the trial of the second instance
the one that really mattered in this process rendered on the murder charge, the idea that the actions and attitudes of the ones who pretend they're the only ones that suffered ought to be subject to criticism, as I honestly believe this attitude
dangerous not just to Raffaele and Amanda, but also the Kerchers themselves and to a certain extent the future of justice in both countries.
It may seem perfectly reasonable to want to reimburse the Kerchers for expenses, however I think there should be some consideration for whether this is behavior that ought to be subsidized. Should
every victim of a murder such as this be encouraged to seek a lawyer to run a 'PR campaign' on their behalf? In Italy that 'PR campaign' gets to speak in the courtroom, but in Britain and the United States they can still do plenty of damage to public opinion as this case has been instructive as
no one will dare criticize
anything a victim's lawyer might say, or suggest to his clients they say, even if it is demonstrably untrue.
In this case it lead to delusional clients of the 'victims lawyer,' and while the same phenomena may exist without it, I'd suggest that adding a Maresca to the mix and investing the relatives of the victims in a particular outcome may very well guarantee that they'll never be able to let it go. Does anyone want a precedent set that encourages lawyers to seek out the families of victims at their most vulnerable and invest them early and openly in a particular outcome? Think of it, even if they lose they can bill the government and maybe write a book about their loss and perhaps even blame the victim of
their excess forevermore in some quarters?
There is
powerful emotional appeal to 'remembering the victim' however the ones accused in cases like this are by law and custom considered 'innocent until proven guilty.' Except in this case, they weren't, they were condemned freely and openly by the 'victims lawyer' and the online lynch mob. When exonerated they ought to be considered innocent, yet in this case there's a movement afoot to ensure they will never have that dignity restored. One promoted by incestuous tightly controlled propaganda outlets that get cited by media yet no one ever investigates the claims made by them or exposes them as the fraudulent promoters of falsehoods that they are. This would be Perugia Murder File, True Justice for Meredith Kercher, and Maundy Gregory site, none of which permit opposing opinion they disagree with and cannot pretend to refute as Maundy Gregory does, giving the illusion he is allowing 'all sides.' Not if he can't think of what looks like a answer he doesn't! On the other hand Injustice in Perugia, View from Wilmington and this thread allows any claim to be contested, that
ought to tell people something.
Amanda Knox, Raffaele Sollecito and their families are victims too.
Real victims, not just ones associated with one, but ones who will have to bear the burden of accusation and expense for the rest of their lives, and who did nothing but try to defend themselves from
ridiculous scurrilous charges by the prosecution, the 'victims lawyers' and the online lynch mob. There are those who would want to taint them forever as being killers or those who 'sprung' a murderess with a 'PR campaign.' Amanda and Raffaele's parents still have charges pending against them from daring to speak out in defense of their children when provable lies were being told against them and bogus 'evidence' collected, yet for some reason this goes unnoticed? Instead, having the additional expense and having to risk those charges and criticism for the little they could do is used against them as 'proof' that they somehow dishonestly affected the court's outcome?
The ones attempting to dishonestly affect the court's outcome and who ran a concerted and expensive 'PR campaign' to destroy the lives of innocents were not Amanda and Raffaele's families. How could the ones that did that expect that they now can influence the lives of their victims by telling them they shouldn't 'profit' from the murder? They didn't have
anything to do with the murder, except as
victims themselves. What they endured is something that should be exposed, and their pain and suffering rewarded if they so choose by telling it, it should not be up to the ones who victimized them and actually
did and are still trying to profit off of the murder.
Those that prejudge, who refuse to abide by the law and custom of justice that defendants are innocent until proven guilty and who work to destroy the accused and their families, then refuse to accept the verdict of the court, should not have any mantle of victimhood or aura of infallibility. This is lynch mob justice, it is something that ought to be condemned, not subsidized or encouraged. It has
consequences not only for the objects of their misguided vengeance, but for them and all future victims of terrible tragedies such as this. This is a precedent that ought not to be set.
The Kerchers suffered a terrible loss, they were then used by delusional and dishonest men and women, and are still being used today by their sycophants in the media and elsewhere to try to control or destroy the futures of those who are also innocent victims of Rudy Guede, Mignini and the rest of his band of mendacious thugs. This should not be celebrated, it ought to be condemned, and if any restitution out of pity is to be made it ought to come with an apology to his victims and a denouncing of the rest of the slavering hordes that lit torches and tried to pervert the course of justice for two innocent youngsters whom
common sense, logic, science and law have now exonerated. If this does not happen, Raffaele and Amanda may be condemned to a life of suspicion and contempt by the ignorant and deluded and may someday end up roasting in the bonfire of the hatred fueled by that attempt.
All it takes is
one person who thinks they 'escaped' justice, or that one of those family members 'perverted' it and is unhinged enough to do something. Even if that doesn't happen, any attempt to stigmatize the victims and families of the
real victims of the Amanda Knox case ought to be open to criticism. There are stakes here that go beyond what happened to the Kerchers in their tragedy, or even Raffaele, Amanda and their families if we want to pretend we live in a civilized society.
