Murder in Perugia

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Murder in Perugia
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In some of the recent court sessions, the
prosecution in the Meredith Kercher murder trial
in Perugia dealt with barefoot footprints pressed
in blood, several of which were identified on the
cottage floor tiles only after the application of
Luminol, a chemical substance which reacts with
the iron in even slight, non-visible bloodstains,
making them momentarily visible for inspection
and measurement by investigators. Another
footprint was a very visible barefoot bloodstain
on the bathroom mat in the small bathroom shared
by Amanda Knox and Meredith. Months ago, in the
Updated These Boots Were Made for Walking
presentation, we analysed these footprints. We
were able to conclude that whoever caused the
barefoot footprints, some were compatible in
length with Knox's and Raffaele Sollecito's feet
(we didn't study characteristics other than
length), and none were compatible in length with
Rudy Guede's giant basketball player's feet (Rudy
left his own, Nike shoe prints). A few days ago I
was looking at the prints, and thought that the
footprints which were compatible with Sollecitos
size 42 feet showed a crooked, elongated big toe.
However, a closer examination of the prints has
shown that what seems to be apparent is often not
the case - like a broken window seeming to
indicate a robbery. The objective of this new
presentation is to revisit some of the footprints
in question, and update our analysis of them in
light of Dr. Lorenzo Rinaldi's forensic testimony
in the courtroom last May 9. For other
presentations, timelines, debate, transcripts,
images, and articles and much more content, I
recommend the following two sites which have
resulted from Steve Huffs True Crime Weblog on
this tragedy Perugia Murder File - True
Justice For Meredith Kercher (While youre at it,
visit Steves current blog, published by Village
Voice Media http//www.truecrimereport.com/) Also
take a moment to check out the excellent
analysis on this case on Miss Representeds
blog. Any irony or sarcasm which may be
encountered in the presentation or our
discussions is not meant by any means to
trivialise the pain and suffering, and brutal
senseless murder that Meredith experienced, nor
to reduce her memory. As we go through the
scenarios of what may have happened in the crime,
the only moment which is truly important is the
day when all the evidence is presented in court,
like in any other serious crime case. I can only
hope that there will be one single ending, that
justice is served to those responsible for each
of the crimes which have been determined by the
Italian judiciary. I am buoyed by the fact that
the victims family has continued to express
confidence in the Italian justice system. -
Kermit (7 June 2009) email krmt123_at_gmail.com
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In my prior comparison of a luminol print from
the cottage and the bathmat footprint, I
identified characteristics in common between
them. However, while those observations are real,
perhaps they arent the most important
considerations as we compare the different
footprints, nor are they complete observations.
How my observations could have been more precise
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In my prior comparison of a luminol print from
the cottage and the bathmat footprint, I
identified characteristics in common between
them. However, while those observations are real,
perhaps they arent the most important
considerations as we compare the different
footprints, nor are they complete observations.
How my observations could have been more precise
1. Not saturate the colours in the bathmat photo
2. Take into acount the 3-dimensional aspect of
the bathmat and the impact of its texture on the
footprint
The saturated colour and the raised tufts of
the bathmat gave rise to the elongated big toe.
Such a toe is visually crooked. In addition,
drawing the bent axis of such a toe with the ball
of the foot pushed the identification of the ball
of the foot to an area where there was no blood
nor Luminol, hence the dotted line of the
supposedly ill-defined ball of the foot.
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In my prior comparison of a luminol print from
the cottage and the bathmat footprint, I
identified characteristics in common between
them. However, while those observations are real,
perhaps they arent the most important
considerations as we compare the different
footprints, nor are they complete observations.
How my observations could have been more precise
1. Not saturate the colours in the bathmat photo
2. Take into acount the 3-dimensional aspect of
the bathmat and the impact of its texture on the
footprint
However, when I saw the Il Messaggero image of
Raffaeles police footprint made in custody,
there was an obvious difference with my
observsations his big toe was neither long nor
crooked, but rather triangular
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In my prior comparison of a luminol print from
the cottage and the bathmat footprint, I
identified characteristics in common between
them. However, while those observations are real,
perhaps they arent the most important
considerations as we compare the different
footprints, nor are they complete observations.
How my observations could have been more precise
1. Not saturate the colours in the bathmat photo
In particular, if before we were looking at the
luminol and the bathmat prints only from an
overall point-of-view of their high-level
characteristics, lets now descend to a very
detailed visualisation, aided by the measurements
which we now have available.
2. Take into acount the 3-dimensional aspect of
the bathmat and the impact of its texture on the
footprint
So lets try it again, taking measures to be
more precise. Later well incorporate the new
visuals as reported in Il Messaggero. Youll see
that this presentation focuses on comparing the
newly available footprint of Raffaele taken in
custody, with the bathmat footprint made in
blood. Ill save for a future presentation an
examination of the Luminol print.
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Well need to pull out our precision measuring
instrument (?) from last autumns presentation
on the 6 Luminol prints. The ruler is based on
ILE marker C for one of the visible shoeprints
in the victims room.
All we have to do is to rotate it and extend it
proportionally, in order to obtain a measuring
ruler in centimeters. We see that the floortiles
used in the north wing of the cottage are 16 cm.
in width.
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Lets confirm the tile width and calibrate our
ruler on this grid, at 16 cm. per tile width, on
the bathroom footprint photo.
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Also, lets keep in mind as we advance the
importance of the texture of the bathmat, and its
3 dimensional impact on the footprint.
10
This recent graphic spread is thanks to Il
Messaggero. In addition to bringing new images
into our analysis, there is a key element which
these photos contribute, which is metrics. I was
happy to see the measurements on the footprints
and the defendants should be happy too, as it
will allow them to pursue their own defence
strategies concerning this key evidence.
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Lets zoom in on the bathmat photos, and the
detailed scale of our ruler.
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The first line we will draw will be the one from
behind the ball of the foot to the point between
the big toe and the second toe.
I suggest we draw the line from the clearest
end-point, which would be behind the ball of the
foot.
Lets the mark the line and stop when we get to
the end point at the front of the ball of the
foot.
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Now lets measure this line and we get
55 mm. Mmmmmmmm okay, thats fairly near the
police custody ball-of-the-foot measurement of 57
mm.
Now, Ill accept it if someone says that while
the starting point of the line is quite obvious,
the end point isnt necessarily clear. More on
that later.
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Now lets draw the horizontal line in a manner
which looks for concordance youll see, it
makes sense.
First of all, like with the other line, we start
from the clearest end point.
Concordance? Since the extreme end of the bathmat
line is ill-defined, lets draw the line with
exactly Raffaeles measurement 95 mm.
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I guess you call this our first test are the
measurements from Raffaeles police custody
footprint approximately compatible with the
bathmat footprint?
I think it would be imprudent to exclude the
possibility.
Now, what about that big toe? Last week I was
thinking that it was a crooked, elongated toe
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Spend a few seconds looking at this zoom of the
unenhanced bathmat photo. Specifically, try to
follow the limit of the footprint from behind the
ball of the foot, around to where the big toe
joins the foot, then try to identify exactly
where the print of the big toe reaches. Thats
enough for now. This isnt a trick request, in
fact its quite the opposite. In my case Im
surprised with myself, that until now, I hadnt
tried such a simple exercise on a zoom of the
photo.
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Ive marked with green arrows where I think its
quite obvious that the bloody footprint is in
that point. Ive marked with pink arrows where
its clear that the bloody footprint doesnt
reach. Ive put a couple of question marks on the
inside of the big toe, where the limits of the
big toe are not exactly clear. Click back and
forth a few times between this screen and the
previous one. Do we all agree on these limits to
this part of the footprint?
?
?
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Now lets trace that limit to the footprint.
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(No Transcript)
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Lets combine all three of the lines we have
drawn
And now, the spooky part. Lets overlay a
semi-transparent copy of Raffaeles police
custody footprint over the bathmat print.
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Now lets apply the bathmat image which Rinaldi
used for his measurements. Unfortunately, on the
copy which we have available from Il Messaggero,
only one of the measurements is readable 50 mm
from behind the ball of the foot to the end of
the bloodstain between the big toe and the 2nd
toe. Rinaldi was more honest than I (55 mm), as
he stops his line where the blood visibly
ends. (our photo wasnt as defined there)
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Lets summarise and click through the images
Rinaldis measurements on the bathmat
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Lets summarise and click through the images
Raffaeles police custody footprint
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Lets summarise and click through the images
Our lines and delimitation of big toe (its
not crooked!)
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Im not a forensic expert - Ill leave that to
Dr. Rinaldi. And while I dont feel in a position
to say definitely that that is Raffaeles
footprint on the bathmat, I do believe that the
bathmat print is compatible with his footprint.
Minor differences, like the point of measurement
for the line between the big toe and the 2nd toe,
can be justified by the texture of the bathmat,
its raised tufts, and the valley just at that
point of measurement.
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Ms. Bongiorno - can I call you Giulia? - I
assume you have a plan for this
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CONCLUSION ( 1/3 ) I dont have the details of
Dr. Lorenzo Rinaldis expert forensic testimony
to the court last May 9. But he has stated that
there is a very close compatibility between the
bathmat footprint made in blood, and the
footprint taken of Raffaele in custody. A close
inspection of the bathmat photo reveals that the
footprint there is not simply a foot with a
crooked long big toe, but rather does coincide
with the custody print, as we saw it published in
Il Messaggero. QUESTIONS Do Dr. Rinaldi's
observations mean that those footprints are
definitely Amanda's and Raffaele's? Not in 100
irrefutable legal terms. However, the more points
of correspondence which are identified between
two footprints, the more likely that footprints
are made by the same foot. What's more, that
consideration is multiplied if you have similar
positive results for footprints from not just
one, but two persons who aren't sought out as
unrelated, exogenous, coincidentally correct
samples out of the 10 billion persons who make up
humanity, but are in fact two persons who are
related (boyfriend - girlfriend) and who could
fit into a scenario for being present in the
cottage between 9 p.m. on 1 November 2007 and
1030 a.m. the next morning in Perugia, Italy. It
may be argued that his evidence - or better said,
his analysis - is flawed or that the results are
due to the proverbial statistical lottery. In any
case, it would be imprudent for the jury to
ignore Rinaldi's expert testimony relating to the
footprints, which we understand from press
reports was well prepared, well presented, and
stood up to the attempts to discredit it by the
defence legal teams (which is, of course, their
job). If the footprint evidence is true, does it
mean that Amanda or Raffaele are guilty of murder
or the other charges which they face? No, not by
itself. A footprint does not a murderer make.
However, if we are swayed by Rinaldis analysis
(personally, I have to say that it seems quite
convincing), we have to ask ourselves - what
were they doing in the cottage, what did they do
there, and at what times were they there during
that night? - why can't they tell us, or why
haven't they told us the Truth? The Truth isn't
just some of the truth, or a convenient legal
truth (protected by a suspect's right to lie),
but the Whole Truth. The use of a suspect's right
to silence does not show he or she is guilty of
anything in particular. But if one is innocent of
charges, and in light of a certain weight of
evidence being shown against you, it is probably
best not to make use of your right to silence,
but - with the help of your legal advisors - lay
out a logical and explicit defence strategy.
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CONCLUSION ( 2/3 ) I recently read an
interesting article in The NY Times - Judging
Honesty by Words, Not Fidgets, by Benedict
Carey May 12, 2009 Before any interrogation,
before the two-way mirrors or bargaining or
good-cop, bad-cop routines, police officers
investigating a crime have to make a very tricky
determination Is the person Im interviewing
being honest, or spinning fairy tales? .... Until
recently, police departments have had little
solid research to guide their instincts. But now
forensic scientists have begun testing techniques
they hope will give officers, interrogators and
others a kind of honesty screen, an improved
method of sorting doctored stories from truthful
ones .... Kevin Colwell, a psychologist at
Southern Connecticut State University, has
advised police departments .... He says that
people concocting a story prepare a script that
is tight and lacking in detail. 'Its like when
your mom busted you as a kid, and you made really
obvious mistakes,' Dr. Colwell said. 'Well, now
youre working to avoid those.' By contrast,
people telling the truth have no script, and tend
to recall more extraneous details and may even
make mistakes. They are sloppier .... In several
studies, Dr. Colwell and Dr. Hiscock-Anisman have
reported one consistent difference People
telling the truth tend to add 20 to 30 percent
more external detail than do those who are lying.
This is how memory works, by association, Dr.
Hiscock-Anisman said. If youre telling the
truth, this mental reinstatement of contexts
triggers more and more external details. Not so
if youve got a concocted story and youre
sticking to it. Its the difference between a
tree in full flower in the summer and a barren
stick in winter, said Dr. Charles Morgan ....
Will the Barren Tree of Truth to which we have
been witness during the course of an autumn, a
winter, a spring, a summer, another autumn,
another winter, and another spring suddenly burst
into bloom by the time this summer of 2009
arrives? (Three weeks distant at the time of
writing this). I am not betting on it, but I hope
and pray that that may occur. Perhaps Raffaele
and Amanda are not legally guilty of the trial
charges against her (or perhaps she is ). But in
any case they are morally responsible to tell the
Whole Truth, for many reasons, including - above
all - the Kerchers right to know everything
possible about what happened to their daughter,
and - in purely selfish terms - the viability of
their own reinsertion into the world on the day
when they finally return to Seattle and Bari and
they try to convince the general public that they
really did make every effort to support the
investigation, respond to questions and help
clarify Merediths murder in any minor or major
way which they could.
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CONCLUSION ( 3/3 ) Its never too late to start
working on redemption, but it does get more and
more difficult to achieve as more time
passes. Even Judge Heavey tells people to assume
their responsibilities, regardless, as he says,
of whether your actions are right or wrong (click
to see his statement from 1995). Its clear that
his apology in a 1995 legislative investigation
referred to moral responsibilities, and not just
legal liability, as he was never found legally
responsible for wrongdoing in that case (the
issue goes back to when he was a politician). I
wish he had been as public and explicit in his
apology to Prosecutor Mignini for the unsupported
accusations of illegal actions on the part of
Italian justice officials that the American judge
made on Washington State Supreme Court official
letterhead - as published by Anne Bremner on her
website (Anne has now left the link hanging by
removing the document, but you can still find it
on PMF), calling Heavey a member of the Friends
of Amanda group. Part of the problem, perhaps,
is the energetic effort on the part of the
respective groups of people who believe they are
supporting Raffaele and Amanda, who have turned
their positions into an all or nothing bet.
However, if they are truly concerned about their
return and reinsertion into normal family and
social activities - at whatever date - then they
would do well to encourage Raffaele and Amanda to
tell the Whole Truth. It will help them
emotionally and give them the confidence to state
in the future that whatever happened, they have
explained what they know about this case. I
personally find Raffaeles and Amandas "barren
tree" explanations early in the investigation and
subsequence silence rather distressing it
definitely does not contribute to the public
being able to trust and believe that each of them
was completely unaware of and separate from the
occurrence of the crimes in the cottage on 1
November 2007 Post Script In
the name of complete disclosure, I should also
quote the end of the above mentioned New York
Times article concerning police questioning,
concerning the limits of the barren tree method
of detecting truth or lies This approach,
as promising as it is, has limitations. It
applies only to a person talking about what
happened during a specific time not to
individual facts, like, 'Did you see a red
suitcase on the floor?' It may be poorly suited,
too, for someone who has been traumatized and is
not interested in talking, Dr. Morgan said. And
it is not likely to flag the person who changes
one small but crucial detail in a story 'Sure,
I was there, I threw some punches, but I know
nothing about no knife' or, for that matter,
the expert or pathological liar.' "