Justice on Trial: The Final Outcome - Evidence and Analysis in the Meredith Kercher Murder Case

by James Raper

On the 2nd November 2007 the body of a 21 year old British overseas student from Croydon, Meredith Kercher, was found in her bedroom in the flat she occupied with three other girls in a cottage at 7 Via della Pergola in the city of Perugia in Italy. She had been killed. Her throat had been slashed. Three individuals were detained and charged with her murder. They were Rudy Guede, an Ivorian who had been fostered and raised in Italy, Amanda Knox, an American from Seattle who was a flatmate of Meredith’s, and who like her was an overseas student, and Raffaele Sollecito who was Knox’s boyfriend at the time. All three were convicted at trial. Following a series of appeals the final outcome is that only Guede remains convicted for Meredith Kercher's murder. In March 2015, on final appeal, the 5th Chambers of the Italian Supreme Court annulled the convictions of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. The verdict was stated to be pursuant to Article 530, section 2, of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure. In other words the standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” had not been met due to insufficient and/or contradictory evidence. It was not generally reported that the 5th Chambers also noted that notwithstanding the acquittal there was compelling evidence that Knox had been in the cottage when the murder took place, and that begs a lot of questions which the author considers. There is a considerable body of evidence in the case. Not only that but because each verdict is required by the Italian judicial system to be “motivated” and published in a detailed report, we are privy to the reasons for the verdicts. With extensive use of quotations from translations of the original court material the author traces the history of the case, reconsiders the evidence and it’s evaluation and studies the law that was applied both from an Italian and other perspectives. Finally the author expresses his own grave concerns as to whether justice was done.

579 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2016

Reviews

[AnimalFriendly · Rating 1 out of 5]

James Raper is one of the happily few remaining guilter groupies who hangs out at "TrueJustice.org" and he has been for years been misrepresenting various aspects of the series of trials relating to the murder of Meredith Kercher. Not surprisingly, TJMK is an echo chamber where absolutely no dissenting views are allowed via postings, etc.

There was no compelling evidence that Knox had been in the cottage when the murder took place. Nor that she "washed blood" from her hands. That is why those things weren't "reported", Raper's misrepresentation notwithstanding. Meredith Kercher was murdered by Rudy Guede. There is no credible evidence that anyone else was involved.

[whatswisdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raper looked at all of the evidence. The American PR firm hired by Knox’s parents ensured that the media here never reported the facts of the case. They created “alternative facts” and “fake news” years before Conway and Trump invented the terms. It’s all in the public record for anyone who wants to take the time to read the evidence. Amanda Knox has to one day answer her children’s questions. I hope Mignini’s book on the case is translated soon. Thusfar, Raper’s book is the gold standard on the case. Everything the curious reader needs is here. Thorough analysis based on the facts and taken from primary sources.

[Adam Gilham · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lot of books written about this case, however it was refreshing to read one which focused on the legal aspects of it, particularly since the verdict/s were surprising and confusing to many observers. At times I found the level of detail quite heavy going, which was undoubtably hard to avoid from four court judgements over seven years, but James’ sharp prose and acute observations were enjoyable company throughout and I was left with much clearer view of a complicated subject. Recommended.