Continuation Part Six: Discussion of the Amanda Knox/Raffaele Sollecito case

[Bill Williams]

Perhaps you can explain his obsession with Mignini's letter. Maybe you can provide the direct quote on "satanic rite" and why that expression is so important. I'm not saying that it is not possible that he said it but no one to date has produced it and using Nadeau as the source when we all know she isn't exactly an reliable source.

My obsession was "why now?" Machiavelli provided the answer. Mignini's letter was in response to something Spezi had recently written, which caused Mignini to (perhaps for the first time) want to publicly defend himself from the suggestion he'd ever theorized about a Satanic rite.

Whether or not Mignini, in fact, ever once DID claim a Satanic rite theory is largely a game of semantics. The point is: in 2013 it is such a strange notion that now even Mignini himself wants to be clear he never said it.

But then note - the "proof" he never said it is game playing with semantics.... what does "riti" mean!? What is amazing is the number of posts which can be generated by nit-picking what the word "riti" means, and its relation to Hallowe'en....

.... even to the point where (was it Machiavelli?) some would claim that Mignini had only referenced the day of the dead to locate it on a calendar, not to ascribe meaning to the date other than that.

But Machiavelli has given the answer. Mignini is, once again, doing battle with his enemies. At least the spots on that leopard have not changed. I've got my answer....

 

[Diocletus]

There was no such meme that ever flourished in Italy. Nobody in Italy has ever spoken about a satanic rite.

This discussion isn't limited to "Satanism." It applies to all other kind of weird superstitious cult-like allegations and suspicions directed against the defendants by law enforcement. I include all allegations to "Halloween," "rites," "initiations," and any other similar perverted fantasy scenario. I even include the supreme court's perverted sex game fantasy. Weirdos.

This peculiar piece of "sensationalist" information is pure British-Tabloids and American stuff.
Or prove otherwise. Cite or quote those puported many Italian press sources that you assert went on repeating a story.
The allegation about satanic rites belongs to English speaking media, to anglophone sites. But not to Italian newspapers, commentators or sources. You won't find it in any Italian paper or tabloid.

Um . . . the discussion started out with a quotation from Corriere della Sera, a paper of record in Italy.

Do you think Perugians ever thought about satanic rituals associated to the Kercher case? The only person who made this association, as far as I know. was Gabriella Carlizzi on her blog.

Why yes . . . yes, I do. In particular, I believe that the head honcho, Mignini, thought about Satanism/cult/riti early and often. A fact that is proven by Comodi's insistence that he couldn't go to "trial" with his bizarre theories, and Mignini's recent claim that he didn't use his fantasies "at trial." But, it seems obvious to me that he did use these theories in his investigation and in the pretrial hearings. And these theories were lapped up by the half-witted pretrial judges--who thought that they could solve the crime based on the false evidence that the prosecution was feeding them, and consequently wrote and published opinions prejudicial to the defendants' right to a fair trial.

(and btw, even if they Perugians heared a "satanic" scenario allegation, who do you think would care? Amanda Knox told false ludicrous stories and accused an innocent. This is what matters to Italians).

Perugians abused an American citizen. Why? That's what matters to Americans. Their conduct is very disappointing.

Mignini responds to Spezi, a professional defamator with multiple criminal records and pending charges, who places false allegations against him on a Florentine newspaper.

Yes, this is called a prior restraint. Mignini's favorite game.

Do you remember when a journalist (Velez-Mitchell?) approached Mignini while he was sitting at a cafe in Corso Vannucci, and asked him whether he still believed in a satanic scenario? That happened years ago. To the woman journalist, apparently the fact that he proposed a satanic scenario was taken as a given fact. Mignini apparently quite annoyed and surprised, objected that he never presented any satanic scenario.
Whenever a journalist put the question, the guy appered surprised and just always flatly denied ever having to do with offering a satanic scenario.
He told the same to any journalist who asked the question.
I mean he did so the first time ever he was asked, not after six years.

This is all a word game. We aren't talking about just "Satanism." We are talking about the full range of Mignini's dark, perverted fantasies, including Halloween games, initiation rites and even orgies and sex games. All of this crap is silly.

But the question, to Mignini, was not why people on obscure blogs or tabloid scribblers went on talking or believing about satanic orgy scenarios. The actual question would have been, why American tv networks decided to jump onto an appalling pro-murderer PR campaign cart. That was the point to answer, and to address to public opinion. But Mignini never did it. He never made press conferences nor press releases. Except sueing Preston (whom he had direct contact with) and another unknown journalist quoting Preston, he did nothing to fight the monstruosity of the defamation campaign that was put up against him in the US and in the English speaking world.

He's sued and threatened dozens of people. He can't very well sue anyone here or even in the UK, because he would be laughed out of court. So, no wonder he hasn't done anything. Further, truth is a defense to defamation . . . so what does that tell you?

(US xenophobia that feeds them; not on Mignini, nor on Italy.

Stop your whining, pop the titty out of your mouth, and understand that Americans are not xenophobic against Italy. It's a ridiculous statement. Many people simply think that the Italian justice system has serious defects, failed miserably, and is now trying to cover up. But Italians already knew this and they are highly critical of their own system. (golf clap) It's just that people like you are upset and crazed that "outsiders" are now making the same observations about the handling of this case. Guess what? If you didn't want people to see the turd in your dining room, you should have cleaned it up before the guests came. I'm sorry but you deserve the criticism because you tolerate a predatory, defective and abusive system and you have turned it loose on outsiders. Shame.

 

[Diocletus]

I can certainly appreciate your reasoning. I just don't think it has ANY bearing in how US law is administered. The US courts could care less about laws outside of the US. There is a process for extradition and that will be followed, nothing else.

I think that the concept of someone's guilt being adjudicated in a different guy's trial is going to trigger a gag reflex in a US judge. Once that happens, all bets are off. That's all.

 

[Grinder]

Hey Tesla (Cody here's a chance to hammer me) remember your statement that Filomena had the same alibi as Amanda? I asked you if you had any details on her being with her boyfriend?

Well Amnada at 3:00 of the video currently on page one says that everyone else close to Meredith had a "solid alibi" except Raffaele and me. So although in some technical fashion they had similar alibis, in fact the details of Filomena's must have made hers solid. Perhaps, as I suggested they were with people or in public late enough for their alibi to be solid. Amanda admits hers wasn't.

Cody I'm sure that Tesla will now concede the point, not.

ETA - everyone should watch the King 5 interview. The .org and .net people will be going crazy over Cantwell's cameo on it. For those that follow over there a recent schadenfreude theme has been that the hearing in D.C. means nothing and that Cantwell no longer has any interest in Amanda. Well, I'd say her being on that interview belies that.

Btw, Cody if you think I'm never wrong go read McCall , Hugo and the bookkeeper.

While I disagree with some of the writing on extradition here, their thinking on it over there is dead wrong. If it goes to a court hearing here it will not be to US law but rather whether under the Italian system they received a fair trial, but using US standards.

 

[Grinder]

My obsession was "why now?" Machiavelli provided the answer. Mignini's letter was in response to something Spezi had recently written, which caused Mignini to (perhaps for the first time) want to publicly defend himself from the suggestion he'd ever theorized about a Satanic rite.

Whether or not Mignini, in fact, ever once DID claim a Satanic rite theory is largely a game of semantics. The point is: in 2013 it is such a strange notion that now even Mignini himself wants to be clear he never said it.

Bill you never provide anything that substantiates that the Italian press accused Mignini of claiming a "satanic rite". Spezi apparently included that in his article/letter/op-ed recently published. I think your thinking is muddled on this point. Just imagine that 6 years after the crime a writer/criminal (see Mach) gets a piece in a real newspaper stating something that is inflammatory and not true (Mignini's position and maybe the truth) why wouldn't he respond? In addition according to Mach he hates Spezi and thinks he's the devil.

But then note - the "proof" he never said it is game playing with semantics.... what does "riti" mean!? What is amazing is the number of posts which can be generated by nit-picking what the word "riti" means, and its relation to Hallowe'en....

Even in English the word right has several meanings. I know we are talking "rite". I don't doubt that the ILE had weird theories including the "sex game" which still is out there and has nothing for evidence. That is in front of the court now and is much more important.

.... even to the point where (was it Machiavelli?) some would claim that Mignini had only referenced the day of the dead to locate it on a calendar, not to ascribe meaning to the date other than that.

But Machiavelli has given the answer. Mignini is, once again, doing battle with his enemies. At least the spots on that leopard have not changed. I've got my answer....

Great!

 

[Bill Williams]

Bill you never provide anything that substantiates that the Italian press accused Mignini of claiming a "satanic rite". Spezi apparently included that in his article/letter/op-ed recently published. I think your thinking is muddled on this point. Just imagine that 6 years after the crime a writer/criminal (see Mach) gets a piece in a real newspaper stating something that is inflammatory and not true (Mignini's position and maybe the truth) why wouldn't he respond? In addition according to Mach he hates Spezi and thinks he's the devil.

Are you saying that Mignini was claiming a "Spezi Rite"?

Grinder - I've got my answer.

 

[Kaosium]

Here's some additional information, part of a transcription of Mignini's closing arguments in the Massei Court which would have happened around early December, 2009, along with a google translate:

Correction, this is probably from the Micheli Court in October of '08. I'm double-checking now.


Something just occurred to me recently regarding how clever Mignini was. Rudy Guede took the fast track option and his trial was done while Amanda and Raffaele were in prison during the year-long 'investigation' period without even having been formally charged. Their lawyers have no reason to interfere with the prosecution of Rudy Guede, perhaps even thinking with that conviction their clients, Raffaele and Amanda, won't even be charged, everything their clients were held for when they went before Matteini had been shown to be coincidental or mistaken.

Mignini tries the case against Rudy with the limited evidence phase which is part of fast track, but sneaks in 'evidence' that the break-in was staged, that there were multiple attackers, etc, which Rudy's defense is just delighted to agree with as it gets him off the hood for the break-in and theft and nets him a mitigation for having just been part of a group.

Then he charges Raffaele and Amanda and also starts the ball rolling on the calunnia charge from Patrick which allows yet another antagonistic lawyer in court for the prosecution in the upcoming trial and turns the statements and her note into 'evidence' against her, as opposed to evidence of police misconduct and incompetence; culminating eventually in being used against her with the Supreme Court and becoming a part of the second appeals trial.

 

[Diocletus]

Correction, this is probably from the Micheli Court in October of '08. I'm double-checking now.


Something just occurred to me recently regarding how clever Mignini was. Rudy Guede took the fast track option and his trial was done while Amanda and Raffaele were in prison during the year-long 'investigation' period without even having been formally charged. Their lawyers have no reason to interfere with the prosecution of Rudy Guede, perhaps even thinking with that conviction their clients, Raffaele and Amanda, won't even be charged, everything their clients were held for when they went before Matteini had been shown to be coincidental or mistaken.

Mignini tries the case against Rudy with the limited evidence phase which is part of fast track, but sneaks in 'evidence' that the break-in was staged, that there were multiple attackers, etc, which Rudy's defense is just delighted to agree with as it gets him off the hood for the break-in and theft and nets him a mitigation for having just been part of a group.

Then he charges Raffaele and Amanda and also starts the ball rolling on the calunnia charge from Patrick which allows yet another antagonistic lawyer in court for the prosecution in the upcoming trial and turns the statements and her note into 'evidence' against her, as opposed to evidence of police misconduct and incompetence; culminating eventually in being used against her with the Supreme Court and becoming a part of the second appeals trial.

I guess you could call that "clever." To me, it's just procedural trickery intended to deprive the defendants of a fair trial. I would call it deceitful.

Rudy must have felt like he fell into a big puddle of luck. Someone else takes the wrap for his burglary, and he's just a hapless conspirator instead of a murdering corpse-rapist.

 

[Kaosium]

I guess you could call that "clever." To me, it's just procedural trickery intended to deprive the defendants of a fair trial. I would call it deceitful.

Sophistry rules in the Italian Court System. Prosecutors can use 'facts' any damn way they want, they can even manufacture them like with the calunnia charge becoming a part of Amanda and Raffaele's trial. They claimed she'd 'confirmed' her 'accusation' by cherry picking that one line about 'standing by her statements' out of the rest of the ode to confusion and skepticism that was the Nov. 6th note, then refused to acknowledge the note of the seventh because in addition to stating outright she wasn't there (and thus couldn't know) she tried to tell them she hadn't lied, she actually believed those must have been 'repressed memories' until she got a chance to sleep. That 'allowed' them to disqualify it if I've understood Machiavelli's arguments correctly.

So they pretend that Patrick was kept in jail solely because of Amanda, and even quote her line from the taped conversation with her mother (on the 10th) where she says she felt bad once she realized the cops never had any evidence against him to imply she's a heartless demoness, when at that point including her letter of the 8th to her lawyers she's now cast serious doubt upon or totally retracted her statements three times!

Rudy must have felt like he fell into a big puddle of luck. Someone else takes the wrap for his burglary, and he's just a hapless conspirator instead of a murdering corpse-rapist.

It wasn't luck, it was Mignini.

He could get the 911 conspiracy through an Italian Court, like I heard he did the double body swap. He might even get it through the Supreme Court, considering their honorary president already believes it!

 

[Grinder]

Correction, this is probably from the Micheli Court in October of '08. I'm double-checking now.


Something just occurred to me recently regarding how clever Mignini was. Rudy Guede took the fast track option and his trial was done while Amanda and Raffaele were in prison during the year-long 'investigation' period without even having been formally charged. Their lawyers have no reason to interfere with the prosecution of Rudy Guede, perhaps even thinking with that conviction their clients, Raffaele and Amanda, won't even be charged, everything their clients were held for when they went before Matteini had been shown to be coincidental or mistaken.

Mignini tries the case against Rudy with the limited evidence phase which is part of fast track, but sneaks in 'evidence' that the break-in was staged, that there were multiple attackers, etc, which Rudy's defense is just delighted to agree with as it gets him off the hood for the break-in and theft and nets him a mitigation for having just been part of a group.

Then he charges Raffaele and Amanda and also starts the ball rolling on the calunnia charge from Patrick which allows yet another antagonistic lawyer in court for the prosecution in the upcoming trial and turns the statements and her note into 'evidence' against her, as opposed to evidence of police misconduct and incompetence; culminating eventually in being used against her with the Supreme Court and becoming a part of the second appeals trial.

I agree. However, if Mignini was off on the things he is being accused of here lately wouldn't it have been clear that he was going to charge them.

Did Mignini bring the calunnia charge? I just don't remember. The judges allowing Patrick's case in the main trial is totally bogus. Letting in the disallowed statement is beyond bogus.

Letting Rudy have a letter read into the record in which he calls the kids the murders, well what a system.

I believe it is Randy that agrees that their defense lawyers were pathetic. Rudy had much better representation.

 

[Grinder]

Why yes . . . yes, I do. In particular, I believe that the head honcho, Mignini, thought about Satanism/cult/riti early and often. A fact that is proven by Comodi's insistence that he couldn't go to "trial" with his bizarre theories, and Mignini's recent claim that he didn't use his fantasies "at trial." But, it seems obvious to me that he did use these theories in his investigation and in the pretrial hearings. And these theories were lapped up by the half-witted pretrial judges--who thought that they could solve the crime based on the false evidence that the prosecution was feeding them, and consequently wrote and published opinions prejudicial to the defendants' right to a fair trial..

This is based on a woman that said that she was certain that Amanda's blood was found mixed with Meredith's blood.

If a PGP came here and used Barbie as a source for anything that proved guilt, they would be pilloried.

There is no reliable source for the Comodi contention that I have seen. Maybe Barbie thought she heard something after a bottle or two.

 

[Poppy1016]

Sophistry rules in the Italian Court System. Prosecutors can use 'facts' any damn way they want, they can even manufacture them like with the calunnia charge becoming a part of Amanda and Raffaele's trial. They claimed she'd 'confirmed' her 'accusation' by cherry picking that one line about 'standing by her statements' out of the rest of the ode to confusion and skepticism that was the Nov. 6th note, then refused to acknowledge the note of the seventh because in addition to stating outright she wasn't there (and thus couldn't know) she tried to tell them she hadn't lied, she actually believed those must have been 'repressed memories' until she got a chance to sleep. That 'allowed' them to disqualify it if I've understood Machiavelli's arguments correctly.

So they pretend that Patrick was kept in jail solely because of Amanda, and even quote her line from the taped conversation with her mother (on the 10th) where she says she felt bad once she realized the cops never had any evidence against him to imply she's a heartless demoness, when at that point including her letter of the 8th to her lawyers she's now cast serious doubt upon or totally retracted her statements three times!



It wasn't luck, it was Mignini.

He could get the 911 conspiracy through an Italian Court, like I heard he did the double body swap. He might even get it through the Supreme Court, considering their honorary president already believes it!

Was the prosecution that effective in this case, or was the defense team handcuffed to the point of being ineffective? Or was the defense team under qualified to handle this case? It seems to me that any half decent defense team in an American court, would have demolished this case within one week.

 

[Grinder]

Sophistry rules in the Italian Court System. Prosecutors can use 'facts' any damn way they want, they can even manufacture them like with the calunnia charge becoming a part of Amanda and Raffaele's trial. They claimed she'd 'confirmed' her 'accusation' by cherry picking that one line about 'standing by her statements' out of the rest of the ode to confusion and skepticism that was the Nov. 6th note, then refused to acknowledge the note of the seventh because in addition to stating outright she wasn't there (and thus couldn't know) she tried to tell them she hadn't lied, she actually believed those must have been 'repressed memories' until she got a chance to sleep. That 'allowed' them to disqualify it if I've understood Machiavelli's arguments correctly.

So they pretend that Patrick was kept in jail solely because of Amanda, and even quote her line from the taped conversation with her mother (on the 10th) where she says she felt bad once she realized the cops never had any evidence against him to imply she's a heartless demoness, when at that point including her letter of the 8th to her lawyers she's now cast serious doubt upon or totally retracted her statements three times!

And I still think along with the knife, the statement is the key piece of "evidence" used against her. Since the court allowed Patrick back for yet another encore I think the defense should call the chief (the real chief) to explain his day after remarks and the interrogation crew (including the former head of homicide, Napoleoni) and grill them on the stand.

They should publish the notes she wrote and broadcast them far and wide, on web pages, on blogs and on Youtube. Public opinion matters and they should use the media to get out these facts.

I would have stood by my statements as well since she was being held by those that had weaseled the statement out of her.

 

[Grinder]

Was the prosecution that effective in this case, or was the defense team handcuffed to the point of being ineffective? Or was the defense team under qualified to handle this case? It seems to me that any half decent defense team in an American court, would have demolished this case within one week.

So do I. They acted like scared little rabbits.

 

[Diocletus]

Was the prosecution that effective in this case, or was the defense team handcuffed to the point of being ineffective? Or was the defense team under qualified to handle this case? It seems to me that any half decent defense team in an American court, would have demolished this case within one week.

An American defense team would have put the prosecution on trial. But in Italy, people seem to go in to cardiac arrest whenever somebody suggests that *gasp* a mistake has been made. Look no further than the refusal of any court to cause the prosecution to cough up the EDFs. Why? Because they can be used to show a mistake. So, maybe this tactic of firing back at the prosecution isn't really available in Italy. Pretty sad system.

 

[Diocletus]

If a PGP came here and used Barbie as a source for anything that proved guilt, they would be pilloried.

That's because she's pro-guilt. But, for the same reason, her statement about Comodi's demand on Mignini is a statement against interest and therefore bears greater indicia of reliability.

 

[moije2]

Don't you just love it.

Quotes below from Kaosium post 2735. "Originally Posted by Mignini closing ~12/2009". Sorry! Working on my posting skills...

This is a bit 't the most striking and impressive of this story: namely, the fact that cruel and heinous crimes that were once reserved for very specific types of criminals, today, a form of leveling of criminality to the entire community, for the saturated atmosphere of violence and brutality that is breathed high television, film and publishing a certain (see, in fact, walks leaflets found in this investigation which seems photographed the murder of Meredith) of that cruelty become capable of young people who some have called, referring especially to Knox and Sollecito, as the "boys next door".

​

So they watched too much TV. Ah hah, that explains it.

But the reality that emerges from this story is this. You have to accept.

The night between the first and the second has one characteristic: Meredith and Amanda were alone in the house, they live together for the first university. There were no Italian guys downstairs and there were no Filomena Romanelli nor Laura Mezzetti. It was the first, the only night where you could drag the reserved girl in love with "boyfriend" Giacomo Silenzi, as well as attached to her family and especially her mother and English girls who were a bit '"world apart" in a perverse group sex game at which one would have also to take possession of the money that Meredith, always punctual, he would have had to pay after the "bridge", ie the following Monday, Nov. 5, still remains that what drives the three to organize the "feast" is a motivation of a sexual nature, be probable to engage in comics, three of which possessed.
​

So the reality we must accept. Hmm again. Let's see, "drag the reserved girl in love with... Giacomo..." The reserved girl who we hear started out as "party girl". The reserved girl with a Brazilian. The girl in love with Giacomo who I read somewhere would barely acknowledge her in public. I specifically am not criticizing Meredith over these characterizations. But this is the "reality" that Mignini felt he needed to have "kids next door" that watched too much corrupting TV blow a gasket turn kinky into depraved violence. Mignini was certainly writing a script to fit his needs but I don't see it agreeing with real facts.

It should be noted that, in any case, for those morbidly attracted by the mixture of sex and violence, it is far-fetched to connect the project to the tradition of Halloween, (because) if it is true that on the night of between 31 October and November 1 was passed (and Meredith had spent with her ​​friends compatriots), it is equally true that, at 21 about the first November and for the next three hours, it was still the day of All Saints' Day and what you do not was able to achieve on the night of the eve Holidays of the Saints, could be realized in the night to pass from the latter to the festival of the dead.
You could not let escape that occasion.​

This paragraph does not wholly make sense. The first highlighted part seems to be saying that it did not make sense to connect the Halloween etc holidays with the murders, but the content clearly argues for that association (second highlighted part).

As for this association, I can also see that for Italians such as Mignini that this doe NOT refer to Satanism. Why? Because they are a culture steeped in religion and for them it would not be a loose association. They are specific about their gods and demons. For many others of us not of that society, all of the talk of "all souls, and night of the dead" or whatever are lumped together in our minds as close enough to satan. After all, what the heck is satan? What are dead souls? What importance are those holidays? To me they represent the night when you protect your children from real life perverts while you focus on having a good time and not letting them get sick off of too much candy. For those that practice ritual (I will let others define that and argue about that) religious holidays in a "deeper" sense, we would clearly be confused about our activities and purposes. In my mind, all the more ridiculous to apply this cultural idea to AK and even RS.

 

[acbytesla]

Italy can request extradition but Knox can appeal that request. This would force a trial on US soil in front of a US judge. Perhaps this judge could invite Mignini to present the case (since it is so complicated...was that his excuse last time) for guilt against Knox. I would take bets that Mignini would not last an hour in an honest court. He and his case would be either laughed out the door and else he would be arrested and tossed in the slammer himself for actually attempting to jail innocent people with such a baseless case and plus the overwhelming indications of corruption and highly questionable witnesses and a gross amount of suspicious circumstances regarding evidence and missing data and withheld discovery denied rights, etc...In short Mignini or whoever would be tossed out on their lying corrupt azz....no doubt in my mind.

Yes Knox can fight extradition. But the process isn't exactly as you describe it. The request goes to the US State Department first. They then forward the request to the US District Court. The US State Department can refuse the request outright or never forward it to the courts. Or they can forward it to to the court for processing. They could also forward it to the court with instructions that might be out of the ordinary. The State Department can refuse extradition at any time for any reason.

The US District Court does not hold a trial, they have an extradition hearing...this is a bit of semantics. They review the case and the evidence. It is not meant to be a full blown trial. I really am not sure how comprehensive a review they perform. If they feel the evidence is sufficient, they will grant extradition, if not they can refuse it. Italy could appeal the District Court's ruling up through the US Court system if they like.

 

[moije2]

Correction, this is probably from the Micheli Court in October of '08. I'm double-checking now.


Something just occurred to me recently regarding how clever Mignini was. Rudy Guede took the fast track option and his trial was done while Amanda and Raffaele were in prison during the year-long 'investigation' period without even having been formally charged. Their lawyers have no reason to interfere with the prosecution of Rudy Guede, perhaps even thinking with that conviction their clients, Raffaele and Amanda, won't even be charged, everything their clients were held for when they went before Matteini had been shown to be coincidental or mistaken.

Mignini tries the case against Rudy with the limited evidence phase which is part of fast track, but sneaks in 'evidence' that the break-in was staged, that there were multiple attackers, etc, which Rudy's defense is just delighted to agree with as it gets him off the hood for the break-in and theft and nets him a mitigation for having just been part of a group.

Then he charges Raffaele and Amanda and also starts the ball rolling on the calunnia charge from Patrick which allows yet another antagonistic lawyer in court for the prosecution in the upcoming trial and turns the statements and her note into 'evidence' against her, as opposed to evidence of police misconduct and incompetence; culminating eventually in being used against her with the Supreme Court and becoming a part of the second appeals trial.

I totally agree with your comments here. It is totally to be EXPECTED that the prosecution would have this in their thinking. They didn't just fall of the turnip truck, as it were. This mix of fast track and "regular" trial is part of their system and what they have been immersed in professionally for years. Their job is to create, within the court system, a record of evidence that will support their cause. And in this case their cause was to obtain convictions. It was not about the greater concept of justice. Just like any case of over zealous prosecutor.

 

[Kaosium]

Was the prosecution that effective in this case, or was the defense team handcuffed to the point of being ineffective? Or was the defense team under qualified to handle this case? It seems to me that any half decent defense team in an American court, would have demolished this case within one week.

Well, the courts in Italy work differently, the prosecutor has a lot more leeway. Here's an article that explains how it goes sometimes in Italian Courts.

Italy is a serial offender before the ECHR, here's the latest update where their number of violations is (again!) only exceeded by Russia and Turkey. Here's how they stacked up for the seven years previous to the murder and with the violations categorized. The 'Right to a Fair Trial' one is the most applicable to this case.