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Topic: Amanda Knox

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May 1, 2013 at 6:51 AM

Wednesday Memo: Warm, beautiful day in forecast — with a chance of mayhem

Man killed in South Seattle early this morning: Seattle police report that the man was killed in his car near Rainier Avenue South and South Austin Street around 1 a.m.

Dang chilly this morning, but don’t give up hope. We’re in for some great sunny and hot weather later today through the weekend, maybe even getting to the 80s. OK, maybe just the upper 70s, but we’ll take that!

In this 2012 file photo, Assistant Police Chief Mike Sanford trips on his way to confront black clad protesters on May Day in Seattle. (Photo by Alex Garland Photography, )

In this 2012 file photo, Assistant Police Chief Mike Sanford trips on his way to confront black-clad protesters on May Day in Seattle. (Photo by Alex Garland Photography, )

May Day mayhem: A new year, a new May Day. Let’s hope it’s not like last year when we had the riot and destruction in downtown Seattle by anarchists, et al, during demonstrations. Rallies and marches are scheduled again this year. Police say they have doubled their forces downtown in anticipation of any trouble. We’ll have reporters out there reporting the news. Be aware that traffic could get messy because streets will be closed for marchers.

If you haven’t had your fill of Amanda Knox news, that TV interview we mentioned yesterday was last night: She said her experience was surreal and ‘could have happened to anyone.’

He tried to poison her in her sleep? A grad student at WSU was arrested after reportedly attempting to poison his wife while she slept, says the Whitman County sheriff’s office. The wife reported he tried to kill her on March 27 in their home in Uniontown, about 15 miles south of Pullman. We don’t have the details, but we are curious how one attempts to poison someone while they’re sleeping.

The old Ballard many knew and loved is fast disappearing as evidenced by the coming demise of the Viking Tavern. Another last call in Ballard.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

  1. When it comes to the NBA, Seattle can’t win | Jerry Brewer
  2. NBA panel votes to keep Kings in Sacramento
  3. Editorial: Bring Sonics back in a different location without public money
  4. Now what? Seattle’s fate is up in the air
  5. Body found at home of DB Cooper parachute packer

 

Memo light: 

Nick Provenza: 206-464-2142 or nprovenza@seattletimes.com

Comments | More in Environment, Morning Memo | Topics: Amanda Knox, May Day, South Seattle

April 30, 2013 at 6:56 AM

Tuesday Memo: Spokane smokers can’t … M’s winning … Amanda Knox tonight

Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em. Well, not so much in Spokane. You might get cited if you’re within 25 feet of a building entrance. The city council gave the OK for police to write tickets to offenders. You get a warning first and a $50 ticket the second time around. Ouch. The Spokesman-Review has the story.

Yikes, the Mariners win again: With all the hubbub about pro basketball in Seattle, you might have missed the fact that the M’s have won four out of their past five games, beating the Orioles 6-2 last night on good pitching by Joe Saunders. But only a few people turned out to watch. Just 9,818 attended the game — the first in Safeco Field history with fewer than 10,000 fans.

A pro basketball team in Seattle is a no go, at least for now. (Animation by Susan Jouflas / The Seattle Times)

A pro basketball team in Seattle is a no go, at least for now. (Animation by Susan Jouflas / The Seattle Times)

No pro basketball in Seattle? Well, as we’ve said, repeatedly, we’d love this story to end. With Seattle’s NBA bid denied, you’d think it was all over. Will we get an expansion team? NBA commish David Stern has said that while expansion is “not a complete non-starter” in the long term, it’s not a serious, immediate option. Hmm …

Police: Roommate a rabbit killer: A 32-year-old man has been arrested in Bellingham on suspicion he killed his roommate’s pet rabbit, police say. The roommates got into an argument and one threw the others pet rabbit out the window. Seriously, an innocent rabbit.  Read more.

This undated photo provided by HarperCollins shows the cover design of “Waiting to be Heard.” (AP Photo/HarperCollins)

Amanda Knox TV interview tonight: In case you care, Amanda Knox is interviewed on TV tonight to coincide with the roll-out of her book today, the one where she opens her case to the court of public opinion.  If you don’t know, Knox was convicted, then later acquitted, in the stabbing death of her British roommate Meredith Kercher while both were students in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. Knox, a University of Washington student from West Seattle,  spent four years in prison before she was freed. She sits down with Diane Sawyer at 10 p.m. on KOMO.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

  1. NBA panel votes to keep Kings in Sacramento
  2. In battle against cyber attacks, these Seattle hackers wear ‘white hats’
  3. Starbucks presses social media onward
  4. For Seahawks, draftees with red flags are worth the risk
  5. NBA changes the rules, breaks hearts of Seattle fans again | Jerry Brewer

Memo light: Arlo and Janis | By Jimmy Johnson

Nick Provenza: 206-464-2142 or nprovenza@seattletimes.com

Comments | More in Morning Memo | Topics: Amanda Knox, basketball, Ms

April 18, 2013 at 3:11 PM

The New York Times: In Book, Amanda Knox Takes Case to Court of Public Opinion

This undated photo provided by HarperCollins shows the cover design of “Waiting to be Heard.” (AP Photo/HarperCollins)

The New York Times has gotten hold of a copy of Amanda Knox’s book on her ordeal in Italy where she was convicted, but later acquitted in the stabbing death of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in 2007.

In the book, Knox, of West Seattle, takes her case to the people, telling her story of what happened the night of the murder, the handling of the case by police and prosecutors, her time in jail and the two trials.

Details from the book noted in the Times story include: Knox had thoughts of killing herself while in prison; the widely reported cartwheels she was said to have done in the police station never happened; on the night of the murder, she and her co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito were smoking marijuana and watching a Harry Potter movie; Knox admitting she had made mistakes and that contributed to her conviction, including being “naïve, sometimes inappropriate and odd, too proud to admit when her halting knowledge of Italian failed her,” according to the Times story.

Knox, now 25, was a University of Washington student studying in Perugia, Italy, in 2007 when Kercher was found stabbed to death in her room in a house shared by Knox, Kercher and two other women. Knox and her then-boyfriend, Sollecito, were arrested soon after the slaying, accused by prosecutors of being participants a sexually charged killing. An Ivory Coast man, Rudy Guede, was also convicted in the killing and remains in prison.

Knox, who spent four years in prison in all, was convicted in 2009 of the murder, but was acquitted on appeal in 2011 and returned to Seattle, where she has been living and working on the book. The book is scheduled to be released April 30th.

Comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: Amanda Knox, book

March 28, 2013 at 9:32 AM

Italian appellate judge stands by Knox’s acquittal

MILAN (AP) — The Italian presiding appellate judge who acquitted American student Amanda Knox in the murder of her British roommate says he remains certain there is no evidence of her guilt.

Now retired, Judge Pratillo Hellmann was quoted Thursday by Italian newspapers as saying the only evidence that tied Knox and co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito to the crime was refuted by new expert testimony entered on appeal.

Italy’s highest criminal court this week overturned the acquittals and ordered a new appeals trial for Knox and Sollecito. The two had been found guilty in the 2007 murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, whose throat was slashed. An Ivorian man is serving a 16-year sentence for her slaying.

Hellmann said he would draw the same conclusion again “without a doubt.”

Comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: Amanda Knox, appeals court judge

March 26, 2013 at 1:16 PM

Amanda Knox book, interview go on as planned

The Associated Press

Amanda Knox’s memoir and interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer will go on as planned, despite an Italian court overturning her 2011 murder acquittal.

Italy’s highest criminal court ordered a whole new trial for Knox and former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito on Tuesday, overturning their acquittals in the gruesome slaying of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher.

Spokesman David Ford says an ABC News Primetime Special scheduled to air April 30 is moving forward as planned. It will be the first in-depth interview Knox has given since returning to Seattle.

Knox also has a memoir — “Waiting to Be Heard” — due out on the same day as her television interview.

HarperCollins spokeswoman Tina Andreadis says the book plans have not changed.

Comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: ABC, Amanda Knox, book

March 25, 2013 at 7:44 AM

Monday Memo: Some sun … Amanda Knox waits … Passover starts tonight

Good morning. Time to get some work done after days of basketball, right?

Weather: A sunny day ahead, or at least partly sunny. High near 60. The National Weather Service forecast.

Amanda Knox: Italy’s top criminal court is heard arguments today from prosecutors appealing Amanda Knox’s acquittal in the murder of roommate Meredith Kercher. Prosecutors want the court to toss the acquittals of the former University of Washington student and her ex-boyfriend, and order a new trial. Knox is in Seattle awaiting the court’s decision. We will keep you posted on the developments.

Terror sentencing in Seattle today: Sentencing is scheduled this morning in Seattle for a man who pleaded guilty to plotting an attack on a Seattle military complex with guns and grenades. In conversations the FBi recorded, authorities say Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif discussed with another man how they wanted to attack the Military Entrance Processing Station in south Seattle as revenge for atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Abdul-Latif was arrested in 2011.

Passover begins tonight: The holiday of Passover, perhaps the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday, begins at sundown tonight. The holiday celebrates the Jews’ escape from slavery in ancient Egypt. To learn more about Passover, or to print a Haggadah to get you through the basics for your seder tonight (the ceremonial meal), the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle offers lots of information. The holiday last seven or eight days, depending on whether one observes Reform, Conservative or Orthodox customs.

Comments | More in General news, Morning Memo | Topics: Amanda Knox

February 13, 2013 at 8:44 AM

The New York Times: TV networks jostled for interview with Amanda Knox

If you want a closer look at the television network jostling to secure the first TV interview with Amanda Knox, have a look at The New York Times story on the subject.

The Times says no one in the Knox camp was compensated by ABC which secured the interview with Knox. It’s scheduled to be broadcast April 30. Diane Sawyer will do the interviewing, according The New York  Times story.

ABC, NBC and CBS all offered similar “packages” to Knox and company in hopes of getting the interview. These packages can include, along with a prime time interview, teases on other network shows and local TV affiliates, as was the case with ABC, according to the Times story.

The ABC event coincides with the release of Knox’s book on her ordeal in Perugia, Italy, where she was convicted, but later acquitted in the slaying of her British roommate Meredith Kurcher in 2007.

Knox, who’s from West Seattle and is a former student at the University of Washington, was studying in Italy when she was arrested along with an Italian student she was dating in Kercher’s murder. Knox spent four years in an Italian prison, awaiting trial, during the trial and after the 2009 conviction. She was acquitted on appeal and returned to Seattle in late 2011.

Comments | More in General news | Topics: ABC, Amanda Knox, interview

February 11, 2013 at 7:37 AM

ABC lands interview with Amanda Knox

Amanda Knox on her return to Seattle in 2011.

The Associated Press

Amanda Knox, who spent four years in an Italian prison after being accused in the slaying of her British roommate in 2007, will tell her story to ABC news.

The network says the exclusive interview will air on a prime-time special on April 30. It also will be featured on other ABC News programming.

Knox, of West Seattle and formerly of the University of Washington, was arrested along with Raffaele Sollecito, in Perugia, Italy, shortly after Knox’s roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found stabbed to death in the home Kercher and Knox shared with two other women.

This undated photo provided by HarperCollins shows the cover design of “Waiting to be Heard.” (AP Photo/HarperCollins)

Knox and Sollecito, who were both students in Perugia and had been dating for a short time, were convicted of murder in 2009, but were acquitted in 2011 after they appealed.

The interview is timed to the publication of Knox’s book, “Waiting to Be Heard.”

After her emotional return to Seattle in late 2011, Knox, who has kept out of the public eye, has been writing about her experience in Perugia.

Sollecito already has written and released a book about the ordeal.

Comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: ABC, Amanda Knox, book

November 30, 2012 at 11:42 AM

Amanda Knox book cover released

This undated photo provided by HarperCollins shows the cover design of “Waiting to be Heard.” (AP Photo/HarperCollins)

Amanda Knox’s book on her ordeal in Perugia, Italy, won’t be out until April next year, but the book cover is…

Publisher HarperCollins has released a photo of the cover showing Knox, who’s now 25, looking solemn and straight ahead.

Knox and her one-time Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in an Italian court in the 2007 stabbing death of Knox’s British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia. The convictions were overturned on appeal a little more than a year ago, but not before Knox and Sollecito had spent four years in Italian prisons.

Knox, a Seattle native and former University of Washington student, was in Italy on an exchange program when Kercher was killed.

She returned to Seattle in October of last year and has been writing her memoir during that time .

The book is being released two months later than originally planned out of deference to the court in Italy that scheduled a March 25 hearing for the prosecution’s appeal of Knox’s acquittal in Kercher’s murder.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: Amanda Knox, book, Italy

November 28, 2012 at 12:57 PM

Title, release date announced for Amanda Knox memoir

Amanda Knox on her arrival at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last October after her conviction for killing her British roommate in Perugia was reversed and she was released from an Italian prison. (Photo by John Lok / The Seattle Times)

The Associated Press

Amanda Knox’s upcoming memoir has a title, a cover design and a new publication date.

HarperCollins announced today that the book is titled “Waiting to be Heard.” It will come out April 30, two months later than originally scheduled. The date was changed out of deference to the court in Italy that scheduled a March 25 hearing for the prosecution’s appeal of the former exchange student’s acquittal in the 2007 murder of her British roommate.

The 25-year-old Knox returned to her Seattle just about a year ago after spending four years in a Perugia, Italy jail. Her ordeal made international headlines and her book deal, announced in February, was reportedly worth $4 million.

The cover features a close-up of an intense, unsmiling Knox. The picture was taken earlier this year.

Raffaele Sollecito, who was briefly Knox’s boyfriend in Italy and was convicted along with her in the stabbing death of Meredith Kerchner, also wrote about his ordeal in a book published earlier this year: “Presumed Guilty: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox.”

Knox and Sollecito were imprisoned for years awaiting trial in Kercher’s slaying and were eventually found guilty. They were released late last year when those convictions were overturned on appeal.

Comments | More in General news, The Blotter | Topics: Amanda Knox, book, Italy

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About The Today File

The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and edited by Assistant Metro Editor Nick Provenza.

Please send feedback about this blog to webmaster@seattletimes.com, and direct news tips to newstips@seattletimes.com.

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