IWJVM 12/08/09 transcript;
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0912/08/ijvm.01.html
Some excerpts;
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s revisit the night of the crime. Investigators believe Meredith was murdered sometime around midnight. But Amanda`s then-boyfriend and co-defendant doesn`t call police until 12 hours later. That call, which the prosecution played at the end of their video reenactment, is full of contradictions.
First, the boyfriend, Raffaele, says there was a robbery. Then he says nothing was stolen. Also Amanda allegedly knew the position of Meredith`s body, even though she never admitted being in the room.
So Wendy Murphy, is knowing the position of the body damning evidence if she never admits to even being in the room?
WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: It`s one piece of a very big pile of evidence against her, absolutely. You know, she knew other things, as well.
For example, she told police she -- during the statement when she said she was there -- remember, she changed her story several times. First she wasn`t there, then she was there. But she was in a drug-fuelled haze, so she`s not exactly sure what she heard and saw. You know, she said, "I heard -- I heard Meredith screaming." Well, it turns out a neighbor said that there was a blood-curdling scream. But Amanda wouldn`t have known that, had she not been there.
There is so much evidence in this case. And I just want to tell folks, just Google "justice for Meredith," and you`ll find the true facts in this case. In my column at PatriotLedger.com goes into a lot of information that we don`t have a lot of time to get into tonight.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
COHEN: Name the physical evidence. Name the physical evidence.
MURPHY: I would be glad to. I`d be glad to.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey, let`s talk evidence.
MURPHY: Please, let`s. First of all the most important piece...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me talk evidence for a second. And then you can...
MURPHY: Most important piece of evidence --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... respond, Wendy.
MURPHY: All right. OK.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s talk about the broken window.
MURPHY: OK.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Investigators say that the broken window is too small for a person to fit through. There it is. So the question is, was it smashed to make it look like there was a break-in? The prosecutor said yes. And adds, "In whose interest would it be to stage a fake robbery? Only the people who live there," end quote. Now, of course, that was Meredith and Amanda Knox.
Raffaele`s DNA was found on Meredith`s bra clasp, but that piece of evidence was contaminated, according to the defense. It sat in the apartment for months after the murder.
The prosecution said a bloody footprint and this bloody footprint belonged to Raffaele. The defense argued, guess what? He had a hammer toe, and it would have left a different print.
And then there`s the alleged murder weapon, a knife found at Raffaele`s house. Remember, the crime occurred at Amanda`s house. Amanda and Meredith were living together, rooming. They were students. Amanda, the knife was found at Raffaele`s house, a totally different place. But it has Amanda`s DNA on the handle and Meredith`s DNA on the blade.
COHEN: Cell DNA.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What?
COHEN: Cell DNA.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cell DNA. OK.
COHEN: Not blood DNA.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. So now that I have presented, now that I have presented the evidence, continue, Wendy. Continue, Wendy, to tell me...
MURPHY: Let me -- let me say a couple of things. First of all, let`s be very clear about the knife. It wasn`t just the knife that police believe was involved. They believe two knives were involved. But clearly, this one was involved, because Meredith`s blood was on the tip.
Now, let me be clear. Everyone on the defense team has been saying publicly, it wasn`t blood. It was only skin cells. As if that makes a difference. it was still on the tip of the knife.
But Sollecito, Raffaele Sollecito, said to police when they told him her DNA was on the tip of the knife that they found hidden in a shoebox, way in the back of his closet -- I don`t know what it was doing there. What do you think? Scrubbed clean with bleach, by the way. When they told him about her DNA being on the tip of the knife, you know what Sollecito said?
"Oh, yes, that`s from the time we were all having dinner at my place and I accidentally stabbed her while we were cooking." He said it was blood. And it was unrefuted evidence at trial. That`s why the prosecution gets to argue that it was, in fact, the victim`s blood.
So can we stop saying it wasn`t an important piece of evidence?
COHEN: ... bloody scene, Wendy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold it, Brenda Wade -- Brenda Wade.
COHEN: This is a bloody, bloody scene. Wendy knows as well as I do bleach and all that other stuff that you try to get blood off of knives, it doesn`t work. It gets stuck in the hilt.
MURPHY: Oh, please.
COHEN: It gets stuck in the crevices of the knife.
MURPHY: Oh, please. That`s why there was only a tiny piece left.
COHEN: I mean, you`re an experienced prosecutor. You`re telling me that in this scene, where there was so much blood...
MURPHY: That`s why there was only a tiny bit left. They scrubbed it like crazy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Please, wait! One at a time!
OK, let me just say this. Let me say this. The defense says it makes perfect sense for Amanda`s DNA to be on the handle, because it was found in her boyfriend`s house. So they cook. And so, of course, her DNA is going to be found on the handle.
And this was a roommate of hers that was murdered, so it makes sense that maybe a little DNA of the roommate shows up on the tip of the knife, because they all hung out together and they socialize together. Now what about that explanation, Wendy Murphy?
MURPHY: It was -- it was scrubbed clean with bleach, hidden in a shoe box way in the back of Raffaele`s closet. I don`t know where you keep your knives, Jane. Even -- you know, even clean college students might wash the knife. Why would you scrub it clean with bleach and hide it in your closet? He said it was bloody.
COHEN: Why wouldn`t he just throw it out?
MURPHY: Raffaele said it was bloody. Let me finish one point. Raffaele is the one who said it was blood from the victim, because he accidentally stabbed her. And guess what? Witnesses testified at trial she had never been to his apartment. Bad excuse.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
MURPHY: It was blood because it was the murder weapon.
COHEN: Wrong.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hang on, everyone.