Seattle Crime Reports : Seattle Crime Blog : Seattle, Washington

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That Northwest Gangs website that The Apprentice wrote about over the weekend? Well its founder Brad has also got a Northwest Gangs MySpace page, offering a much more personal look at the criminal world on than it's static website counterpart.

While the website offers mostly factual information, the MySpace is complete with tidbits about the author, a friends list that - judging by the profile pictures - includes at least a few gang-affiliated youths, and even some blog entries. Worth noting is the post titled Fallen Homies of 2008, originally published on February 12 (though updated since), which offers up a list of gang-related locals who've died so far this year.

Less than 3 months, and the list already includes 8 names. Some of them we've heard the local dailies repeatedly associated with Seattle's gang problem - Allen Joplin (aka "Ali"), DeChe Morrison (aka "Little Streets") - while others haven't been graced with as prominent coverage.

A rundown of the data Brad presents:

• The first killing happened on New Years Day, while the most recent was this past Sunday
• 5 of the 8 deaths were in Seattle; 1 was in Grandview; 1 was in Tukwila; and 1 was in Medford, Oregon
• 6 of the 8 victims died after being shot by someone else; the remaining 2 committed suicide
• Of the 6 murders, only 1 - that of Perry Henderson, gunned down on January 26 - has so far resulted in an arrest.

There are only two comments on the post, but one of them - from a local 23-year-old woman - sums this depress-fest up most succinctly:

These streets ain't no joke so I suggest ya stay away from em. Unless yu wanna be another R.I.P. It's only bout ta be March and I cant believe how many niggas that I kno been murdered. This shit is heavy...

You said it, sister.

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Let this be a lesson to teenage criminal thugs everywhere: next time you commit a crime, it's probably a good idea to avoid publishing details of your devilry on MySpace...no matter how badass you think those details may be, and no matter how cool you think they'll make you look. Case in point: the above article, from this morning's Seattle Times.

The victim, a 16 year old girl from Bellevue, was supposedly raped by four male teenage suspects. The Times' report claims the young men gave the victim alcohol, then took turns having their way with her in the back seat of a car on November 18, 2007. The girl's mother knew something was up when the suspects dropped her off at home afterwards, and the subsequent medical examination confirmed that an assault had occurred. Police were called in, and shortly thereafter...

The girl went to MySpace.com, found profiles for two of the teens and identified them as two of her assailants, according to a police affidavit.

Police got a search warrant for MySpace.com records and found descriptions of the attack.

"The messages included details of the assault ... and confirmed that four males were involved," Detective Carl Kleinknecht said.

In other messages, two suspects and other recipients exchanged ideas that included possibly killing the girl if she went to police, concocting a cover story and even boasting of the attack. [Note: Of course, any emphasis in this passage was added by the Seattle Crime Blogger - Ed.]

Foolish move, boys...but not one that you're alone in making. Almost since social networking took off, young people of the MySpace generation - sometimes suspected criminals, sometimes victims, sometimes a little bit of both - have been leaving online clues that ultimately come back to bite them. Recently in Seattle alone, it happened with Amanda Knox, it happened with Allen Joplin, and now it's happening with these four youths.

When will these kids learn? You're either a web 2.0 fanboy or a derelict criminal; there is no grey area. And for those who try to create one - as appears to be the case with these four suspects - the outcome is as predictable as the ending to M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (a film that totally sucked, by the way).

UPDATE: For those who were wondering: why yes, we did publish this post before Dan Savage offered his almost identically-cited  coverage in SLOG a few minutes ago.

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They do things different in Italy.

Longer dinner hours. After-lunch naps in the office. And...police abuse of young foreign girls?

That's what murder suspect Amanda Knox claims in a recently-released jailhouse note, according to an Associated Press article reprinted in today's Seattle Times.

Not only that, the suspect writes. Her contradictory statements, and that ever-changing story? It's natural, she implies, due to "shock" and "exhaustion" in the days immediately following the murder.

From the note:

"I was told that I would be arrested and put in jail for 30 years. When I didn't remember things I was hit in the head, but I understand the stress of the police," Amanda Marie Knox wrote in the three-page handwritten statement the day of her Nov. 6 arrest.

[...]

Knox said she had "serious doubts" about statements made to investigators before her arrest because she spoke "under the pressure of stress, shock and because I was exhausted." She did not elaborate. [As usual, the Seattle Crime Blogger has added emphasis here - Ed.]

I don't know about you all, but I'm skeptical. Why?

• Knox claims police abuse her first day in custody, but that information doesn't reach the public until the statement is leaked to the media weeks later? Why wouldn't the suspect have reported this to a third party who could potentially do something about it, like the prison chaplain or her visiting mother? Amanda Knox isn't dumb. She knows how high-profile this case is and the media sensation it has created. Why would she not want to find some way to get the public on her side as early as possible?
• In the note, just after she makes a casual reference to being "hit in the head," she immediately says she "understands" that the police were under stress? Come on. If police hit you when you're in custody, you sure as hell aren't going to turn right around and show them support.
• And of course, when this information comes out almost 20 days after the supposed abuse, it makes it much more difficult to find any physical evidence to back up Knox's claim...

Does anybody know who exactly leaked this note? So far all parties involved remain tightlipped.

The letter also included some reference to Patrick Lumumba, the recently-released Congolese bar owner whose original arrest was based largely on the UW student's statements. As the Times article shows, Knox's note shows just how valid her recollection of Lumumba's so-called presence at the scene of the crime really is:

"I know I didn't kill Meredith. I see Patrick in flashes as the murderer, but I can't verify the truth the way it appears in my mind, because I don't remember with certainty if I was there," Knox wrote in the Nov. 6 statement.

Ah, yes. Ruin a man's life because you see him in hazy flashes from an event you admit you may not have even been at. How classy.

Claiming police abuse may work well for minorities in American cities, where the racial dichotomy between often all-white police forces and more-often-than-not black suspects creates an environment where such claims may be legitimate. But Mrs. Knox, you aren't a minority...and you're a long way from America. Plus, I find it extremely hard to believe that with a delicate case like this, the Perugian police force would risk it all to abuse a helpless young foreigner in their custody.

By the way readers...Happy Thanksgiving.

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The big news in the Amanda Knox/Meredith Kercher saga this morning: a fourth suspect exists, folks, and police have reportedly issued a warrant for his arrest.

So who is this mystery man?

We don't know. Local news sources show that police have thus far declined to identify him - perhaps because doing so might make executing said warrant a bit more difficult - but he is, according to the AP article reprinted in the Seattle P-I, "believed to be a [N]orth African linked to drug-dealing who lived near the cottage where Kercher was killed."

Upon news of this development, Charles Mudede at SLOG said it best: "The plot thickens."

It sure does. I can't wait to see A) who this individual is; B) what explanation he has for being in Kercher's bedroom; and C), most importantly, which of the other suspects he points an accusatory finger at first.

Meanwhile, a journalistic aside: for their coverage of these developments, both The Seattle Times and the P-I reprinted the same Associated Press article (written by Frances D'Emilio). But each presented the piece a bit differently from the get-go. A couple of major differences stuck out in my mind.

First, look at how they both begin. Here's the opening paragraph from The Times...

New fingerprints have been discovered on the pillow of a British student found slain in her bedroom in the Italian university town of Perugia earlier this month, a lawyer for the victim's family said Saturday.

...and here it is in the P-I.

New, bloody fingerprints have been discovered on the pillow of a British student found slain in her bedroom in the Italian university town of Perugia earlier this month, a lawyer for the victim's family said Saturday.

While the Times eventually brings up the "bloody" issue, they don't do so until the third paragraph.

[The lawyer] said he did not know whether the prints, described as "bloody," belonged to a potential new suspect in the case but said they did not belong to any of the three suspects now jailed in the probe.

Notice that it's just one word - "bloody" - but it definitely has an impact on how the story reads. Not only does including it in the first paragraph work in the sensationalist angle (which devotee readers will know I'm all for), but it also makes a stronger suggestion that whoever those fingerprints belong to is involved in Kercher's murder. Is the P-I going for shock value, or is The Times just playing it cautious? Or is something else entirely going on here?

Second point of note: The Times completely leaves out any reference whatsoever to the North African suspect! Their article proceeds like this:

The Milan daily Corriere della Sera reported that one of the prints on Kercher's pillow was that of a man's thumb, but Maresca said he had no details about the prints, including whether they were believed to be those of a man.

Knox, 20, and her 23-year-old Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are being held in a Perugia jail as suspects in Kercher's sexual assault and fatal stabbing.

The P-I, meanwhile, has loads of additional information sandwiched between the two paragraphs cited above. I've put this content in bold italics below to further illustrate my point.

Milan daily Corriere della Sera reported that one of the prints on Kercher's pillow was that of a man's thumb, but Maresca said he had no details about the prints, including whether they were believed to be those of a man.

"One step away from (finding) a fourth" suspect, was the headline on the Turin newspaper La Stampa's story about the fingerprint development.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times of London reported that Italian authorities issued an arrest warrant for a fourth suspect, "believed to be a north African linked to drug-dealing who lived near the cottage where Kercher was killed."

Kercher's 20-year-old American roommate, Amanda Marie Knox, a University of Washington student from Seattle, and Knox's 23-year-old Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are being held in a Perugia jail as suspects in the woman's sexual assault and fatal stabbing.

Granted, these differences are largely explained at the end of the P-I article, where it reads that "Seattlepi.com staff contributed to this report." But you'd think that if The Times wanted to provide up-to-date coverage, they'd at least have included more on the "fourth suspect" angle.

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A potential huge break in the Amanda Knox case, which was first reported to me by a commenting reader this morning (and has since even been picked up by tight-lipped Seattle papers).

Word on the street is, DNA belonging to Amanda - and murder victim Meredith Kercher - was found on a knife owned by Raffaele Sollecito. Sollecito, for those newcomers to the site, is Knox's Italian boyfriend (also sitting in a Perugian jail cell, suspected of playing a role in the crime).

Check out the coverage from across the board:

• DNA from Knox and slain roommate reportedly found on boyfriend's knife [PI]
• Meredith suspect's DNA found on knife [Telegraph]
• Foxy Knoxy's DNA found on knife 'used to kill Meredith' [Daily Mail]

Tonight is the first chance I've had in front of a computer to sit down and check out the details. Looks like Knox's hole just got a little deeper.

From the Daily Mail:

The black-handled 7in knife is one of three found last week at the home of Knox's boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in the Italian town of Perugia.

Police said that Miss Kercher's DNA was found on the tip of the knife, while Knox's was found near to the handle.

That's not all...turns out the knife isn't the only place our local celebrity left her genetic calling card, according to authorities:

Local flying squad chief Giacinto Profazio also said that DNA from both Knox and Sollecito has been found on rags at the scene of the crime.

Apparently someone had recently done a hell of a job cleaning out Sollecito's apartment. Cops say that the knife had been scrubbed down with bleach (which was also found all throughout the suspect's home), and that a "blood soaked sponge" was also discovered.

And, according to the Telegraph's coverage, the search also uncovered "several blood-soaked rags, sheets and towels, as well as a bloody blue sweatshirt" in Sollecito's residence.

None of this evidence, it should be noted, has been linked to Congolese club owner Patrick Lumumba. Was he dragged into this as the fall guy for someone else, as the DNA evidence so far seems to suggest? Or is there more to this man, supposedly a well-known figure in the Perugian bar scene, than meets the eye? Only time will tell.

Looks like the suspects are due back in court about 10 days from now. We'll be interested to see what other goodies are revealed between now and then.

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On my post analyzing Amanda Knox's MySpace page, commenter Travis Oberlander writes:

Hey, really great coverage on this story. I've been very interested in it since I'm a UW alumni. The company that I work for has also been following the story as it develops. We actually jumped on it really early and we were able to grab a screen shot of a revealing short story that Amanda wrote and posted to her Myspace blog in 2006. It's by no means a confession but it does give a little insight into her inner thoughts.

Travis has done what I neglected to do during the one day I had access to Knox's profile: he got a screenshot of her most notorious blog entry, which has since been cited in multiple media reports and web forums, detailing what The Telegraph describes as "the drugging and rape of a young woman." (The screenshot I've linked to above includes what appears to be about the first half of Knox's story...not the whole thing, but enough to give readers a glimpse at her writing voice and into her mind).

From The Telegraph's article on the rape story, published last week:

In [the story], an older brother Edgar, challenges his younger brother Kyle over a woman called Victoria.

His brother responds, laughing: "Icky Vicky, huh? Jeez, Edgar. You had me going there. A thing you have to know about chicks is that they don't know what they want," before attacking him.

As Travis points out, authorities obviously cannot consider this story a confession. But it is useful, even if as nothing more than another piece in the increasingly difficult Amanda Knox puzzle.

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The Telegraph reports today that Amanda Knox, the UW student studying in Italy suspected in the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, expressed little concern after discovering her friend's corpse.

The comments were made by a friend of Kercher's, which means that it is best to take them with a grain of salt: after all, it seems reasonable that people from the Kercher camp would be looking to demonize Knox in attempts to secure a guilty verdict in the case.

Still, if accurate, the claims shed a sinister light on a suspect whose MySpace page portrays her as no different than the thousands of other 20-something college girls from the Emerald City.

Robyn Butterworth, one of the last people to see Miss Kercher alive, told police in Britain that Amanda Knox, 20, "seemed proud" of being the first person to see the body.

[...]

Miss Butterworth, who was on the same university exchange programme as Miss Kercher, said she had run into Knox on the day Miss Kercher's body was found.

In a statement to the Northern Constabulary in Scotland, she said: "I went into the police waiting room. It was around 10.30pm. In the waiting room was Amanda, Meredith's flatmate.

"She kept talking about how she had found Meredith and seemed proud of being the first to find her. She behaved as if she was not upset." [As usual, emphasis in the above selection was added by the Seattle Crime Blogger - Ed.]

These are very vague statements. "Seemed proud"? "Behaved as if she was not upset"? Sounds fishy.

What would the suspect have to do to prove to Ms. Butterworth that she was upset? Obviously Knox's reaction to the death of her flatmate wouldn't be as severe as the reaction of one of Kercher's close friends. Is Butterworth saying that since Knox wasn't emotionally distraught or tearful at the death of her roommate, that immediately counts as a strike against her?

Just an observation...

Meanwhile, The Telegraph's coverage yesterday - while the Seattle Crime Blogger was temporarily out of commission - includes some new developments worth noting:

• Meredith murder suspect "caught on CCTV" - A closed circuit TV camera purports to show Knox entering the home where Meredith Kercher died on the night of the crime (apparently contradicting previous statements the flip-flopping suspect already made).
• Hair found in Meredith's fist may identify killer - Ohh, forensics! From the article: "A few strands of hair found in Meredith Kercher's clenched and bloodied fist may hold the clue to the identity of her killer, it has emerged," it says. "Dr Luca Lalli, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Miss Kercher, said he had discovered 'some hairs, some skin cells and some other fibres' on her body." If the hair belongs to one of the three suspects currently locked in a Perugian jail, I'd imagine this would just about clinch the case. How could you talk your way out of this one?

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The Daily Mail has the latest scoop this morning. They've published the photo above, which purports to show the crime scene Perugian police discovered after breaking down the door to Meredith Kercher's room on Nov. 2.

[Police] decided to break down the door to Meredith's bedroom after her other flatmate Romonelli Filomena said that it was strange that it was locked and that Meredith was not answering either of her mobile phones.

According to the report the room was a shocking sight.

The report says: "With the door opened there was a chilling scene in so far as the room was found in disorder with blood stains everywhere, on the ground and on the walls, and also under the duvet of the bed a foot could be seen."

Unfortunately the picture is pretty grainy, probably because, as the reporter notes, it is "photocopied from a police crime scene photo."

Her lifeless body is clearly visible in the centre of the image under a duvet next to the bed. Her foot can be seen from beneath the duvet.

Maybe it's just my eyesight, but I can't see the foot at all. Unless...is it the blurred portion just to the right of the letters "A" and "E"?

Meanwhile, The Seattle Times is reporting that Meredith's body has finally been returned to England.

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The Times Online has another great piece on the Amanda Knox case.

This one focuses less on the crime and more on Knox, and how she was supposedly consumed by the excesses of Italian life upon her arrival in Perugia. Just look at the headline: "All-American sweetheart who plunged into world of drink, drugs and easy sex." How could you not want to keep reading?

There are a number of interesting points brought up in this article. If half of the author's claims are true, the Amanda Knox being so aggressively defended by her UW peers may not be the wholesome person friends are claiming:

When she arrived in Perugia for a three-month stay, Ms Knox, 20, was seen as an all-American sweetheart, a soccer player of note and an accomplished rock climber.

But something happened to her in those three months, according to people within the university community of the Umbrian hill town. At some point, apparently quite early on in her stay, she lost control. In the town’s seedier bars, she soon became known as someone who was capable of intense jealousy and rage. She dedicated her free time to the drink, drugs and easy sex of Perugia’s nightlife. [...] One acquaintance said that Ms Knox had not been corrupted by any particular person because she was 'already up for it'. She had plunged fresh from Seattle into a world of vodka, marijuana and free-and-easy sex.

Some of the article's highlights:

• It continually comes back to claims that indicate erratic sexual behavior (that Knox slept with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito on the first night they met; that she had a reputation for picking up men from local bars; and that she brought some of these "strange men" back to the flat she shared with murder victim Meredith Kercher).
• The author notes that Perugia is "Italy's Ibiza," a cosmopolitan city where immigrants and students mingle closely and where a lot of older men spend their free time hanging with college students in their 20s. " 'There are a lot of older men who hang around the student community,' said Mirko Palmesi, an Italian-Canadian who recently left Perugia after studying at the University for Foreigners. 'I used to ask myself all the time what these older types were doing with us.' " Good question.
  
• Italy's easy access to alcohol (which students of Knox's age in America do not experience), the piece notes, is dangerous for foreigners - especially when coupled with the abundance of money that people who can afford to study abroad usually possess.
  
• One extremely interesting point that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else: "Marijuana was grown by the students at the whitewashed cottage Ms Knox and Ms Kercher shared with two Italian girls and Ms Knox and her boyfriend admitted smoking on the evening of the murder, which they claim accounts for their confused accounts and memory lapses." I'd heard Sollecito's claims that he couldn't remember much from the night of the crime because he had smoked a joint. But they were growing pot in the same house where Kercher was killed? Why hasn't this come out in the Seattle press, who seem to have an affinity for highlighting pot-related crimes?

The article also seems to hint at something that will surely become a bigger issue in coming weeks: the many faults of study abroad programs.

I've been in college and seen how students view study abroad, and it is no question that the claims implied by this report - mainly, that study abroad programs are a joke, and little more than an excuse for students to go party in another country for a few months - are entirely accurate. Anyone who pays for their child to study abroad and actually thinks that they are going for the education is naive beyond words (I'll expand on this in a blog entry sometime down the road).

All in all, a great article. Somebody buy the reporter a drink.

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Lots of great e-mail response from folks who saw Seattle Crime Blog mentioned on King 5 last night (I'm still trying to find the video somewhere online, and will link to it when I do).

One reader writes:

Have you been following the coverage of this story in the
foreign press? The British press is far more graphic and outspoken
than the American press, which sometimes gets it into a lot of trouble
(like with the Royal Family). [...] I think it would be well worth your time to surf over to
www.dailymail.co.uk to check their coverage. They're saying TONS more,
and a lot sooner, than the wimpoid press in Seattle will divulge about
our girl Amanda.

I'd come across The Daily Mail a few times so far in my investigation, but upon receiving this reader's tip, I headed back over to their site, where I came across a fine example that validates our tipster's claim.

The example comes in the form of this article that the Mail has had up since late yesterday afternoon. It adds an interesting twist to the case - but has so far received absolutely zero coverage in The Seattle Times or the P-I.

Apparently on October 30, a Roman man received a text message from an unknown number with the cryptic message, "For me, tomorrow or tonight Meredith dies." From the Mail:

At the time, the man assumed the message was sent by mistake and he deleted it.

But earlier this week he heard reports of the murder, which has left Italy stunned, and contacted police in his hometown of Rome.

They are now trawling through vast quantities of phone data to retrieve the message and check if it was sent by one of the three suspects.

Phone records have already proved vital in the police investigation and it is known that in the hours after the killing there was heavy text and call traffic between Amanda Knox and boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

Some people are already disputing the legitimacy of this message. On the Mail's comment page, Ben from Birmingham writes:

Something in the text story doesn't ring true.

You receive a text message from an unknown number saying that someone will die and not do anything about it?

I share Ben's skepticism. They may do things different in Italy, but I'd imagine that in much of the civilized world, when an individual receives death threats on their cell phone they would have at least some interest in following up on it. But then again, you never know. The media shouldn't accept this message as fact, nor dismiss it immediately, until the phone records come out.

Regardless of the story's accuracy, why would the local press here in Seattle not cover this? While no direct link has been established between this text message and Kercher's murder, it is certainly an interesting development that locals should be made aware of. Any thoughts, readers?

Meanwhile, in their (less-than-in-depth) coverage, The Seattle Times is reporting that Knox has accused her boss, 38-year-old Congolese club owner Patrick Lumumba, of "of knifing her British roommate to death."

Let the fingerpointing begin.

[As usual, the Seattle Crime Blogger has added emphasis in all of the excerpts cited above - Ed.]

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An Italian judge ruled this morning that Amanda Knox, the University of Washington student jailed in Perguia, will remain behind bars.

According to the Guardian Unlimited, the judge's ruling will allow authorities to hold 20-year-old Knox, as well as her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Congolese co-worker Patrick Lumumba, in jail for up to a year without facing formal charges in the murder of Meredith Kercher:

In her 19-page ruling, Judge Claudia Matteini said there were "serious indications of guilt" that warranted keeping the trio in jail. She also warned that if released, the suspects could attempt to leave Italy, noting that Knox is from Seattle, Washington, Lumumb[a] is from Congo and Sollecito could seek his girlfriend's help to flee.

Meanwhile, over at West Seattle Blog, there's a link to the statement recently released by Knox's family. It says:

The events that have unfolded in Perugia, Italy over the last few days regarding our daughter, Amanda, have shocked and devastated our family. We love our daughter very much and certainly stand by her through this ordeal. We know she is probably frightened and upset about what has happened, and needs all the support her family can give her.

We would ask the media to respect the privacy of the members of our families and friends, and refrain from putting further pressure on them for interviews and comment, especially our children.

Interesting day so far...and its not even 10:30 yet.

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Anyone who has clicked the link to Amanda Knox's MySpace page (which I included in my last post) will know that, as of about 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon, her profile was set to private.

Once again, Monica Guzman at the P.I.'s Big Blog got the scoop first, updating readers that both Knox's MySpace and Facebook profiles have disappeared from the public eye.

And once again, the comment section includes a rant from someone unfamiliar with the purpose of the Internet. Welcome to the spotlight, grammatically handicapped author of comment #64334:

The internet has become too public. None of what was seen online has any serious relation to the case. But innocent things like the youtube video and Myspace info are easily blown out of proportions by zealous media. The internet should be a place to share and be open. Instead it can badly misused. [As usual, emphasis has been added by the Seattle Crime Blogger - Ed.]

How foolish we reporters are, thinking that something somebody puts up on the Internet is - gasp! - public information. The Internet is "a place to share and be open." You're right: Amanda Knox was open, and the media is sharing. Shocking, I know.

And just for you, commenter, we've included images of what you can't find on MySpace today: Amanda Knox's profile page, exactly as it was when taken down yesterday. Check it out after the jump.
The profile picture. Knox operates on MySpace under the alias "Foxy Knoxy." Note the date of her last login, as of early yesterday morning: 11/5/07. 3 days after Meredith Kercher's body was found:



Foxy Knoxy's Blurbs. She seems like the stereotypical female Seattle college student - likes drinking (both wine and coffee), spending time in the outdoors, practicing yoga...and reading Harry Potter:



Foxy Knoxy's Interests. Here we start to see just who Amanda Knox is. She appears to be a big fan of the Beatles and other classic rock, throwing in a little Outkast and Cake for good measure (much respect for the latter of these...the Seattle Crime Blogger is also partial to the fine sounds of John McCrea's Sacramento quintet).

Her favorite film list is divided between the childish (The Lion King, Shrek, Finding Nemo), the comedic (Spaceballs, Robin Hood: Men in Tights) and the subversive (Fight Club, American Beauty). Still, nothing overly exciting or revealing here...just another Seattle college student who spends too much time customizing their MySpace page:



Foxy Knoxy's Details. This section, not surprisingly, reveals the most information about Knox, and shows a couple inconsistencies between the person she claims to be and the murder suspect being portrayed by the media.

• Status: Single (That's not what we've heard. Did Knox not want her parents or friends to know she was dating a 23-year-old Italian, Raffaele Sollecito, who has also been arrested in connection with Kercher's murder?)
• Smoke/Drink: No/No (Really? Then how do you explain the love of "good wine," Knox's first interest listed under the "About me" page in Foxy Knoxy's Blurbs? Or this YouTube video, which has been making its way around the web like wildfire, and appears to show Knox under the influence of alcohol?)

More on this case when I've got time to blog it...

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The European tabloids are having a field day with this one.

Amanda Knox (pictured, right), a Seattle native and University of Washington student currently studying abroad in Italy, has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault and murder of her housemate, Meredith Kercher. The local press is all over it as well, as in-depth articles have appeared in both The Seattle Times and the P-I.

I won't go into the specifics of the case here: the P-I and Times articles are plenty detailed when it comes to balanced reporting, and for good old-fashioned sensationalist news, check out the Times Online, the Daily Mail, and any other British papers you can get ahold of. They're doing journalism the way it used to be: seedy, exciting, and yellow as hell. The latest twist, according to the Times Online? That Kercher was killed after "refusing to take part in a violent orgy." (God, this case is going to sell a lot of newspapers).

What is worth noting is the slew of Knox defenders jumping on her critics, despite the fact that the suspect, according to the articles I've read so far, has already "confessed to playing a role in the slaying." Italian authorities have yet to announce exactly what that role is.

After Monica Guzman wrote an update on it in the P-I's Big Blog (special kudos to Ms. Guzman for being the first blogger I found linking to Knox's MySpace page), a wave of comments - many from people claiming to be friends of the suspect - flooded in.

Some of the highlights (emphasis in each comment has been added by the Seattle Crime Blogger):

• One unregistered user left this gem as comment #63873: "There is also no reason for the (London) Times reporter to e-mail Amanda's friends, including myself, for interviews. I dislike the notion of him tracking down my e-mail from links on Amanda's Facebook profile. [...] Amanda doesn't deserve this media maelstrom." Are you serious? Has this commenter been living under a rock for the past four years? Welcome to the world of the Internet, baby. If you don't like the idea of being discovered through your Facebook profile...then don't have a Facebook profile.
• Another unregistered user, following up with comment #63880, gave a more reasonable response: "It doesnt matter if you know her or not, if she's commited or aided in the killing of a housemate then why doesnt she deserve this media "maelstrom"? [...] Im disgusted that some of you are more worried about this suspect's reputation rather than the feelings of the family of friends of a murdered girl." Well said, despite the wave of spelling and grammar errors. If Knox is in fact involved, the idea that her reputation is more important than due process reeks of subliminal ethnocentrism.
  
• In response to all of the claims that Amanda is a nice person who could never commit murder, the most recent comment as of 10 a.m. - also from an unregistered user - sums it up quite succinctly: "They say Ted Bundy seemed like an awful nice guy too. Ya just never know." Appearances can be deceiving. It'll be interesting to watch this situation develop, and to find out more about just who Amanda Knox really is. I don't know where I stand on the case at this point...it's still too early to tell. But before anyone defends (or attacks) Amanda Knox, we should wait for more details to emerge.
  

The best news? Now that I've got a link to Knox's MySpace page - which shockingly is still online as of 10 a.m. Wednesday - I've taken screenshots galore. We'll be posting an "Anatomy of...", in which I dissect the pertinent details of that MySpace page, later this evening tomorrow. Stay tuned...the Seattle Crime Blog will be covering this story closely.