Just when we (Americans) thought we were the only ones with a crooked justice system, Italy exonerates Amanda Knox. It’s not a surprise to see Knox go from a murder trail to a star.
Too often we witness “murderers” turning into celebrities.
Although Knox is free from the hard floors and brick walls of a jail cell, she will be forever held captive by her now tarnished reputation.
It’s easy to compare Knox’s case to Troy Davis’, especially when one pulls the race card.
A young white girl from the US was set free despite the DNA evidence found at the crime scene and Knox’s confession to the murder while the black man who claimed his innocence to the end with no DNA evidence was killed. Should the race card be pulled so quickly?
Troy Davis was convicted of a 1989 killing of a local police officer in Georgia, Mark MacPhail. In 2007, Amanda Knox was convicted and then acquitted for killing her roommate Meredith Kercher in Italy.
Although Amanda Knox’s fate contrasts with Troy Davis’, let’s take into account that both these trails were fought under two different legal systems and when a police officer is killed, there is no leniency.
The similarities in these cases can identify one of the flaws that authorities have, not just in this nation but also across the globe. Are authorities doing their job or are they being biased?
Justice can’t be served if authorities continue to be abusive and unfair. Both trails include “false” confessions.
Knox claims that Italian police officers abused her for 14 hours straight and forced her to admit to the murder.
Eventually, fearing for her life, she wrote a letter admitting to the murder in a language she allegedly studied for just two months, Italian. The same can be said in the Troy Davis case, but this time, the witnesses claim to have been forced by police officers to say Davis was in fact the one who committed the crime.
Later, the witnesses and Knox recanted their initial statements. According to this, authorities play a foul role in investigations causing unnecessary confusion.
However, there was other evidence in Knox’s trail that could have easily convicted her of the sex game murder, but did not.
In comparison to Troy Davis’ trail whose evidence was extremely weak but yet he was still executed by the State of Georgia.
A saying goes, “why do we kill people to prove that killing is wrong,” in reference to the death penalty.
One of the issues that we cannot ignore is that Amanda Knox is now gracing the covers of mainstream magazines and is continuously the topic of discussion on morning news and daytime broadcasts.
“Amanda Knox has touched down on American soil!” I once heard a morning news anchor say while camera’s zoomed in on her entourage escorting her exclusively through an airport.
I don’t know for certain if Knox did commit the murder, so I do sympathize with her because she did spend four years in prison for a crime that she might’ve not committed, but the celebration of her freedom through the media has completely overshadowed the victim, Meredith Kercher.
Some people don’t even know her name.
She traveled to Italy as an exchange student to indulge in the culture and enjoy a new experience, but was victim to a senseless murder.
While Knox will enjoy being a cover girl and movie premiere’s centered on her, the Kercher family will continue to mourn the death of their daughter.
Both the verdicts of Knox and Davis have shocked many of us. But in the midst of the hoopla and the unfortunate circumstances, let’s always keep the victims and families in our prayers.
Mark MacPhail and Meredith Kercher will live on.
Lathleen is an entertainment reporter and freelance writer based in New York City.
