No D N A On The Knife
So, what happens next for Amanda and Raffaele. Okay, let's get this one off my chest.
Evidence before the Court on Day 1 of the new hearing ...
After six years of testing and testing and testing, it is clear that Meredith's bedroom contained NO DNA from Amanda or Raffaele.
None.
Zilch.
Zippo.
Not a debating point. A simple scientific and evidential fact.
Not "some" DNA. Not a "little bit" of DNA. Absolutely NO DNA whatsoever.*
But this is not because of Prosecutor Mignini's imaginary "big clean up". If they'd removed all their own DNA, they would also have ended up removing Rudy Guede's DNA, and the blood, and there was lots, and lots of Rudy's DNA. All over the room.
So Amanda and Raffaele were not at the scene of the murder.
They ... were ... not ... there ... !
They had not been in Meredith's room. Not when the murder happened. Not ever. And, if Amanda had ever been in Meredith's room when they were flat mates, then she didn't touch anything. She didn't put her hand on anything, at any time. Not a door handle. Not a light switch.
So the overwhelming likelihood is that Amanda had never, ever been in Meredith's room, even before the murder.
But there were other DNA traces in the room. Whose were they? Was it DNA from Meredith's real killers? Well, sadly we don't know, because ...
... Prosecutor Mignini didn't bother to run tests.
And now ...
The lab reports are back from Rafaelle's knife.
Remember? The "murder weapon" ?
And the tests show ...
The DNA on the knife does not belong to Meredith.
The "murder weapon" is not the murder weapon. Just like the Defence kept saying all along. Rafaelle's knife had been used to cut bread. Not to murder Meredith.
The "murder weapon" that has been in Police custody was six years, paraded in Court. Waved in front of the jury while Mignini told them how it had been used to brutally stab Meredith to death. It had never been anywhere near Meredith, and never been used for anything more violent than slicing cheese.
But why did we not find this out six years ago? Yes, because ...
... Prosecutor Mignini didn't bother to run tests.
Mignini has conducted an entire Murder trial on the strength of, what turns out to be, a cheese knife.
So ...
(1) Amanda and Raffaele were not at the scene of the murder.
(2) Rafaelle's knife was not the murder weapon.
When the case resumes on 6 November, presumably the Prosecution will withdraw the case, and apologise for failing to investigate what really happened?
Or will they continue to rely on "trial by media"?
Will they hope that they have done enough to portray an evil picture of Amanda, so that, despite there being no evidence against them whatsoever, there will be people who just kind of think that "well, they MUST be guilty"?
But here's the next question.
Every time anyone has said anything about Mignini that he has claimed to be untrue (like about his notorious interrogation techniques), he has sued them for defamation. When the case is withdrawn or thrown out, will Amanda and Raffaele now sue Prosecutor Mignini over and over again for the six years worth of lies that he has fed to the media?
But, by way of a glimmer of hope for the Prosecution, there are still some people, even today, who maintain that the Earth is flat.