I have been profoundly shocked at the recent and ongoing exploitation from certain individuals, seemingly with the aim of securing personal or financial reward for their own tenuous links to the brutal murder of British exchange student Meredith Kercher. This exploitation sadly seems to be increasing in both instance and severity.
Meredith’s body was discovered concealed by a duvet on the floor of her bedroom on the 2nd November 2007. She had been sexually assaulted, strangled and fatally stabbed in the neck. Meredith’s 21 year old American housemate Amanda Knox and Italian national Raffaele Sollecito are currently on trial for their suspected involvement in Meredith’s tragic death.
As the case unfolded many people became entranced by the spirit of Meredith and angered by the brutal way she met her tragic end, not least as it appeared certain subjective parties were playing a rather sick and twisted game with what appeared to be the emerging facts: The evidence suggesting both Amanda and Raffaele are firmly at the centre of this crime.
Many people will agree that exploiting this sort of tragedy to achieve a desired objective is morally questionable, yet exploitation in its many forms has been the underling motive of certain individuals following or involved in the case from the very beginning.
Personal and/or Financial Gain?
Most of these guilty parties are made up of the friends, family and supporters of the defendant Amanda Knox, otherwise known as the FOA, who quickly initiated a PR campaign with the apparent aim of ensuring a ‘balanced and fair’ representation of Amanda in order to combat a perceived ‘negative and overblown’ representation of her as a seductress or man-eater in the press. Funny then that instead of focusing on their primary objective, many of Amanda’s friends and supporters began a vicious and extensive internet hate campaign aimed at ensuring those following the case saw only the picture of Amanda they so carefully constructed, those that rejected or questioned this doctrine were deemed ‘anti-Amanda’ and their forums and blogs relentlessly trolled with talking points that were either factually incorrect or hostile in nature.
A number of the questions I have had since I started blogging about the case: Why are Amanda Knox’s supporters so aggressive? Who are these people, what do they have to gain and more importantly, is it helping Amanda?
The FOA Doctrine
The FOA I believe, have officially disbanded, yet many of it’s ‘members’ appear to be very much active.
Amanda the victim
One of the most outrageous insinuations to date has been the suggestion that Amanda Knox is somehow a victim in this case. Unsurprisingly, most of the people proclaiming there is not a ‘shred of evidence’ linking her to the crime are those with a specific interest in ensuring Amanda is released immediately, without even considering the evidence suggesting she was involved. Those pieces of evidence they cannot dismiss are usually distorted by the outright lying or manipulation of its significance.
The recent 48 hours show on the case actually made me feel physically sick and I hope the victim’s family never see it. As a result of this show I have seen more and more instances of individuals turning up on blogs and forums proclaiming Amanda’s innocence on the basis of this hugely biased and offensive excuse for journalism. Just another example of the exploitation of the victim in order to achieve the objective of negating or distorting the case against Amanda Knox. Unfortunately, many accomplish only the aim of smearing the name and reputation of victim, but what do they care? She always has and will continue to be an irrelevant and unimportant detail to these people. What does this say about Amanda Knox and her ever deluded supporters?
Dirty Tricks
Some of Amanda Knox’s supporters have even gone as far as smearing the name of the victim in order to somehow dissolve the perceived ‘good girls do and bad girls don’t’ comparison between Amanda and Meredith. Amanda’s mother Edda actually stated she’d feel sorry for Meredith’s parents when the court heard how Meredith was not as good girl as she had been portrayed. This was her apparent message of support to Meredith’s grieving family. Certain media outlets even went as far as suggesting the victim was drunk when she was killed. This was later shown to be an outright fabrication. Who I wonder did that benefit? Then we have certain Knox supporters like Kelly13 suggesting that the Kercher family put aside their grief (her actual words) and jump on the ‘free Amanda’ bandwagon.
Then we have the associate of Amanda’s stepfather Chris Mellas, Goofy, a repulsive individual who appears to be going through a mid-life crisis and who seems to enjoy relentlessly smearing the name of the victim in the comments section of Perugia Shock. Not to mention revealing personal details about certain posters that hold an opposing view on the case to him. One individual, a administrator on a popular forum has been forced to file a harassment complaint to the police on account of Goofy’s ever escalating, obscene and grotesque behaviour. He’s even gone so far as to smear the name of her husband, revealed their approximate location and personal details about her family. If it were physically possible I’m sure this sad and deluded creature would blame the victim for her own death. All in the name of securing justice for his own ego Amanda Knox. Pretty sick huh? There’s more…
Lies
Amanda and her supporters have told so many lies during the course of the investigation and trial. These are well documented and there is no need to list them all here. One of the most vicious has been that the prosecutor Mignini is mentally unstable. As the case against Amanda mounted, the FOA began to up their smear campaign against the PM, by attempting to ensure the public believed he is some sort of psychotic maniac, obsessed with sexual orgies, who consults a lunatic conspiracy theorist blogger for advice on the case. Who do you believe? Those with a vested interest in ensuring the case against Amanda is dismissed? Or those without ties to Amanda who believe Mignini is the right man for the job?
Strange how the FOA never seem to mention Mignini’s co-prosecutor who would, should Mignini step down, be more than happy to continue in his absence. The main tactic of the FOA has always been to take cheap shots at each and every perceived obstacle in its way, if it takes a lie to achieve this objective so be it. If it means smearing the name or reputation of an innocent individual, whatever. They don’t care, after all everyone but Amanda is part of a giant conspiracy to stitch her up for murder. Gimmie a break.
Then we have the allegations that Amanda was hit during her ‘interrogation’ which have not only been demonstrated to be false, they’ve actually succeeded in slapping a further investigation and possible slander charge against her as well as giving her lawyers a red face. Amanda’s lies are of course deemed irrelevant by her supporters, unfortunately they will be considered by the jury and will probably go against her.
The lies of her friends, family and supporters however will not be considered by the jury, who will not necessarily know how her supporters have undeniably and no doubt irreparably damaged both her credibility, reputation and the ability of the media and public to sympathise with her on any level. Some ‘supporters’ huh?
Money for Nothing
There are some who may believe that Amanda’s friends and family, having an emotional link to the case have some sort of excuse for their behaviour. I personally think they are old enough to know better, but people are of course entitled to their opinion. Once we remove the potential obstacle of those who have a personal or emotional link to the case we are left with the real dregs, individuals who seek to make money from the tragic death of Meredith Kercher and the hysteria surrounding the ongoing trial of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito.
I’m sure most of you read Frank’s little revelation about being paid for his tabloid smut blog, I’m sure all of you have noticed his apparent contempt for decency and u-turn from objective, honest reporting to his current fascination with the defendant Amanda Knox. One can only imagine him drooling over his keyboard as he writes the latest tripe, counts his hits, banks the pay check and salivates further at his future prospects all whilst seemingly unable to moderate the comments on his blog which have become increasingly crude and disgusting. Reading his blog has become a fascinating example of unprecedented arrogance. This pales in significance when compared to the writings of Candace Dempsey who after discussing the case for about five minutes decided to write a book and promote herself as an award-winning journalist.
Then we have the recent revelation that the owner of the house where Meredith was killed has decided to sell tickets to those who wish to view the ‘house of horrors’. I for one had no problem whatsoever with her decision to clean up and re-let her house, it is after all her prerogative, as is selling tickets to gawp at the site of Meredith Kercher’s sad and tragic end. Despite this I fail to see how someone can be so motivated by the desire to recoup financial losses that they could abandon all rationality and decency by profiting from the tragedy that caused the loss of earnings in the first place, a tragedy that resulted in the brutal and sadistic death of an innocent young woman. I do not think the owner of the house should be allowed to capitalise on the murder in this way and fully expect the Kercher’s lawyers to express his views on this at some point during the next week.
I ask who will benefit from all of this, certainly not the victim, nor her family and not the woman accused of taking part in her brutal murder. There have been times when this case has made me consider the morality of certain people involved to a much deeper level that I ever thought possible. I am at this present moment in time frustrated and angered by it all.
This case is not about making a quick buck, earning a living or spring-boarding into a film/journalism career, this case is about ensuring dignity, honour and respect for the victim and her family, something which costs nothing to uphold and everything to forfeit.
It seems there are many that have forgotten what happened to Meredith that night and who seem determined to ignore those pangs of guilt that are surely emanating from within and if they aren’t I’d be seriously inclined to suggest they are either deluded or lacking in morals altogether.
April 29, 2009 at 2:09 pm
A very passionate piece. I haven’t personally read much about the Knox’s or FOAs antics as they have been much critisized on True Justice and I feel the comments would only upset me. I soon gave up reading the comments left on Franks blog as they continue to be hurtful and inaccurate as well as abusive towards each other (how Michael continues to post there is beyond me- leave them to their gutter ways). I do still attempt to read Franks blog, but it constantly surprises me with how he continues to make outrageous statements and jumps to conclusions- and if I read the lone wolf theory one more time I may well scream- it has been PROVEN to be near on impossible!! and highly improbable.
Time and time again it brings me back to the behaviour of the Kercher family. They have been quiet in their grief and have remained dignified throughout- whilst this is my very own leap to a conclusion I think this would hint at how Meredith was probably just as classy as they have been. In a vast contrast the behaviour of the Knox supporters and, therefore presumably the behaviour Amanda has grown up believing to be acceptable, highlights once again why so many people feel such a love towards the bright young lady from Croydon and such animosity towards Amanda.
April 29, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Hi Ginny, I’m not sure what irked me to be honest but something did. It’s also come to my attention that the owner of the house isn’t actually selling tickets, it may have been made up or elaborated by the press. If this is the case then I have no reason to be cross with her. Though I’m not sure if I’d want to rent a house where a young woman had been so brutally murdered.
I can’t help but feel that it is Meredith’s spirit that inspires so many to follow this case, her smile really does impress upon me that she was a very special young lady.
PS: Anyone tired of hearing about this swine flu already? Typical media scare tactics as usual and the only people that will benefit are the papers. As usual. Totally ridiculous.
April 29, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Miss Represented: A fine and heartfelt post ( and yes, I too am tiring of the media hype surrounding swine flu!). I agree with Ginny that the respective families of AK and MK reveal the difference in the girls themselves. My favorite picture of Meredith has always been the one where she is wearing green jeans and Tee, and appears to be lying on her bed, looking at her IPOD. She looks cute, fresh, sweet and collegiate. So sad that what should have been her happiest adventure became her tragic end. It is a shame that the town of Perugia cannot buy that cottage from its owner, tear it down, and plant a beautiful in memoriam garden for Meredith. Perhaps oneday her family can do something to make that happen? Thanks for your fine post.
April 29, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Hey SMK, thank you kindly. I got very angry when I read that the owner of the house was supposedly selling tickets to look around the house and now feel a bit silly for exploding so heartily as a result. We live and learn I guess.
He-he I actually saw a fantastic comment about swine flu yesterday, apparently John Prescot has rushed to 10 Downing Street after hearing about the pandemic, he thought it was a new type of pizza and didn’t want to miss out. Trust the Brits to take the piss as usual. But the whole swine flu explosion has encouraged me to read a little about mass hysteria and how the media encourage and use fear to sell papers and get higher ratings, pretty shocking and exploitive really.
My favourite picture of Meredith is probably this one. She looks so happy and peaceful, as calm and approachable a lady as you could ever wish to meet. You can also clearly see her Indian heritage here with her healthy glow. Such a waste of a beautiful and promising life.
I’d like to see a memorial garden as well or a sculpture. I think a really nice gesture would be naming a famous Perugia chocolate after Meredith, she did after all love chocolate.
April 29, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Oh, thank you for posting such a sweet picture of Meredith! I agree, her Indian heritage gives her an exotic look, which must have been so charming with her British accent, and her family must be bewildered to have lost her in a manner which is at once tragic, evil, and ridiculous. I do not blame you for exploding about the ticket selling; one has no way of knowing whether these internet items are true until one reads further, and I would not put it past a lot of human beings to want to view the cottage. Funny about Brits and swine flu! And, yes, the chocolate idea is a lovely one. I think the saddest part in all of this, is to picture Meredith full of excitement as she was preparing to depart for her Perugian adventure, and never knowing that she was heading toward a time when people around the globe would be on blogs, speaking of her in memoriam. I do hope her family can find some healing in setting something up for her in Perugia, though. Their pain must be excruciating.
April 29, 2009 at 4:54 pm
To be honest I read it and went off on one straight away which is not something I normally do, I hope people will read the comments as taking it out of the article is not something I would do either, I have criticised other bloggers for editing or deleting posts that might make them look silly or wrong.
With regard to the gawpers, I’ve no doubt that many tourists in Perugia ended up staring intently at the house that put Perugia in the international spotlight, I think anyone that moves in to the cottage in the next few months (if the owner can let it of course) will have to get used to journalists and ogglers peering through the windows. Not pleasant. There are unfortunately some odd people floating around, it’s one thing to take an interest in case, it’s another to take it to that level. I hope people don’t start collecting souveniers.
I too have pictured Meredith all bubbly and excited on her way to Perugia and feel a pang of sadness everytime I realise her dreams were all shattered the minute she realised the attack would escalate totally out of her control. I couldn’t speak for the Kercher family in any capacity but they may wish to let their demons lie and not choose to set any kind of memorial up for her it may prove too painful for them.
April 29, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Yes, I indeed see your point about Meredith’s family: It may be that Perugia is not the place they want her remembered, and I am sure in Great Britain there are a myriad of fond family memories together with her.
Insofar as your posting regarding gawkers: It is natural enough for all of us to get a bit passionate when we post about a profound incident; the fact that you caught your error, and have retracted your comments and apologized for your haste, is the most honest and professional manner that any of us who are writers can engage in. After all, without some passionate and personal feeling, you would not have been able to write such fine expository posts in the first place. Not to worry. . .
April 29, 2009 at 5:21 pm
MR wrote:
“Then we have the associate of Amanda’s stepfather Chris Mellas, Goofy, a repulsive individual who appears to be going through a mid-life crisis and who seems to enjoy relentlessly smearing the name of the victim in the comments section of Perugia Shock. Not to mention revealing personal details about certain posters that hold an opposing view on the case to him. One individual, a administrator on a popular forum has been forced to file a harassment complaint to the police on account of Goofy’s ever escalating, obscene and grotesque behaviour. He’s even gone so far as to smear the name of her husband, revealed their approximate location and personal details about her family”.
Another interesting post, MR. With regard to the individual referred to above, it is interesting to note that many – though not all – of his libelous comments about me and my family are posted with apparent impunity on Frank’s blog. I feel it is irresponsible of Frank to allow posters to leave comments but not to moderate them in any way. In fact, he does delete posts from time to time. But as far as I can tell, he only deletes posts that are critical of him, that question his motives, or that link to blogs or forums that have been critical of him or his motives, or that do not share his worldview.
As far as I am concerned, he is one of the key participants in the ongoing attempt to make this case all about Amanda Knox, to the detriment of the victim of this brutal crime, Meredith Kercher.
Incidentally, I filed a complaint against “Goofy” because this kind of harassment should never be tolerated. It is a form of bullying, and in this case I am the target because I have refused to jump on the hometown bandwagon. However, I want to make it very clear that in no way do I condone drawing undue attention to this sideshow in ways that overshadow the only thing that is really important: making sure that justice is done for the victim and her family.
The systematic attempt to erase Meredith Kercher from the frame began early on and has been relentless, disrespectful, cynical and ruthless.
April 29, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Thanks for the clarification Skep, I agree it’s probably best to leave Goofy entirely to his own devices, individuals such as he are often programmed to self-destruct.
I have noticed that Frank has been deleting an awful lot more comments recently than he normally does, probably only those as you quite rightly suggest, that are critical of him or link to other blogs, the only problem Frank has at this point is that those reading his comments can clearly see ‘this post has been deleted by a blog administrator’ unlike Candace’s site where comments quite literally disappear into thin air without so much as a hint they were even posted.
I’m glad TJMK and PMF hold the objective of ensuring Meredith’s memory and dignity are preserved with the objective of seeking justice. I remember think how refreshing it was to find these excellent sources. I did in fact come across TJMK through the Croydon Guardian article suggesting it was a ‘conspiracy website that claimed to know the truth about what happened to Meredith Kercher’, the description, though inaccurate did attract my attention so I suppose it served its purpose.
Ironically Frank is running his own conspiracy website claiming or at least believing he knows what actually happened unfortunately nobody who comes across Perugia Shock finds it in the least refreshing.
Oh how the tables have turned
April 30, 2009 at 12:42 am
MissR,
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your very insightful, intelligent and reasoned posts in the past on this case but this one is different. It reads more like someone who’s become too involved in the world of infighting among the longtime personalities on the various blogs and message boards. It dismayed me somewhat because I think people like you with a talent for analysis and invaluable insight based on your profession should stick to what you do best and leave the blog trashing to those who have nothing better to do.
And no, I don’t contribute to those blogs and boards, especially not Frank’s. I just read everything that’s out there on this case and appreciate the excellent information that some contain like PMF and TJMK and feel a little sorry for those on other blogs (like Frank’s) desperately trying to believe in and support Amanda in the face of her obvious involvement in what happened to Meredith. I usually skip the posts trashing each other on either board. I’m only interested in the actual facts of the case, and intelligent analysis of the same and this is one of the reasons I read everything you write. Sorry, I’m really not trying to insult and I hope you don’t take it that way, I respect your insight too much for that. I’m just trying to make you aware of how this post came across and I look forward to reading more from you in the future.
April 30, 2009 at 2:04 am
Very nice post Miss Rep!
April 30, 2009 at 7:31 am
MR – powered up! Wow, you covered so much and couldn’t agree with you anymore. FOAK are rats.
I am swaying with the idea Edda and her family are following deeply in Amanda‘s “footsteps of jealousy” towards Meredith as this could foster the hostility they appear to have against Meredith and her family.
Seems common sense is sucked in to some huge black hole. I hear it called the “Goofmells” hole. Sounds stinky to me.
April 30, 2009 at 8:29 am
Morning Guys,
Had a little time to think about this one, in fact I was going to post on something else but something set me off apparently.
Albiluke I know exactly what you mean, blog war crap gets on my tits too but sometimes, our feelings about it get to all of us I guess and yesterday it got to me big time. Currently working on another piece which should go up soonish, guess I just had to have my two cents and I do believe there are certain individuals that are being extremely irresponsible in their conduct on the internet. It’s never okay to trash the victim.
Female Lawyer was H I L A R I O U S I remember thinking ‘is she/he/it for serious?’ then raucously laughing my head off. These things you can laugh at, some things you can’t like the endless trashing of the victim, dirty jokes etc. I’ve even been called a cross dresser (huh?)
More on the apparent fascination with the neck to come.
Have a great day everyone, even though the weather here is horrific and we’re all going to die of swine flu
April 30, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Albiluke wrote:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your very insightful, intelligent and reasoned posts in the past on this case but this one is different. It reads more like someone who’s become too involved in the world of infighting among the longtime personalities on the various blogs and message boards. It dismayed me somewhat because I think people like you with a talent for analysis and invaluable insight based on your profession should stick to what you do best and leave the blog trashing to those who have nothing better to do.”
The blog trashing and blog war aspects of this case are unfortunate, but unfortunately they are now part of the backstory. I was very surprised to read MR’s post – because I am mentioned, although not by name – but I feel MR did a good job of addressing the issue factually in a neutral forum that happens to be her own.
Albiluke, I share your feelings about Frank’s blog. I look in once a day, the way one might look in on a gaping wound or a raving lunatic that should be kept under wraps the rest of the time. I think it is important to note that the sniping, biting, bitchy comments about other boards and posters are most likely being made by 3 or 4 people at most. This is far from the majority of the people who have been following this case. Of course, it is hard to know for sure because the posts are always anonymous.
The only reason it is a problem is that one of the ways these individuals air their festering grudges – especially when things get really nasty – is to drag the poor victim’s name into it, which is ugly and wrong on so many levels.
Personally, I cringe when I see this, especially when I see my own name associated with this kind of primitive ugliness and hate.
As for MR possibly being overly involved in it, I hadn’t noticed she was and doubt this is the case. However, like many people I have noticed that she and her blog have lately become a target of this anonymous blog trashing. I think she was right to address it here, on her own forum and above the fray. Neither MR nor I have any power to stop these comments from being made elsewhere. Though libelous in the sense of being untrue and known to be untrue by the person(s) making them, they are probably not actionable. In my own case, many of the comments have extended beyond me to include family members, ex family members and so on. This crosses a line and is simply unacceptable.
Last week, another line was crossed. An individual who posts on PMF regularly was “named”, along with her location and employer. In fact, the name did not match up with the employer or the location (bad research? wrong instincts?), but the point is that the person who made the post suggested that the PMF poster in question could get in trouble with his/her employer if the employer knew of these online activities – ie, posting about this case. That form of harassment and intimidation should not be tolerated on any forum, blog or board. How would any of us feel if we were the target of this kind of anonymous threat? For me, it makes the blog wars potentially more than a minor annoyance and far more dangerous than mere infighting.
Sorry to have taken up so much space with this comment. It’s the last one I’ll make here on this subject. Keep up the good work, Miss Represented. It isn’t easy to create a space for civilized discussion, but you have managed to do so and many appreciate your effort and achievement.
May 3, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Hello, I’ve just joined the forum. Thankyou to everyone for your well researched discussion. I live in the UK and have been following the case for some time now. My deepest sympathies go to the Kercher family and I hope with all my heart that justice will prevail.
I would like to ask a question of the forum. Allegedly, on the morning after the murder, the lady in whose garden Meredith’s mobile phones were found, received a hoax telephone call claiming there was a bomb threat.
Who made this call and why? It seems to me that the caller wanted to draw the police to the cottage immediately. What are the implications of this for the case?