Amanda Knox was Denied a Lawyer, says Wash. Judge, Seeking Obama's Help in Italian Murder Case
Arguing that the rights of a young woman from Washington state were fundamentally violated when she was interrogated, tried and convicted in the sexual assault and murder of a foreign-student roommate with whom she was then living in Italy, a Washington state judge, in his capacity as a private citizen, is asking President Barack Obama to intervene.
Superior Court Judge Michael Heavey was previously criticized for writing to Italian officials on King County letterhead about the case and apparently took care to use plain-vanilla stationery this time. However, he says multiple, serious violations of Amanda Knox’s rights under Italian law “should have set off alarms” at the United States embassy in Rome, yet resulted in no action to protect the Seattle native, reports KOMO.
Among the issues of which Heavey complains are that Knox allegedly was deprived of sleep, denied an interpreter, even though her Italian wasn’t then fluent, and a lawyer, even though she asked for one.
A group of 11 Italian lawmakers are also calling for scrutiny of the way the murder case was handled, the article notes.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Tears Up in Emotional Closing to 10-Month Amanda Knox Trial”ABAJournal.com: “”
ABAJournal.com: “Italian Jury Finds US Student Guilty of Murder, Gives Her 26-Year Sentence”
ABAJournal.com: “Judge Faces Ethics Case for Writing Letters to Court About Amanda Knox Murder Trial”
