. >> amanda knox, her american roommate is charged with the crime. >> my husband called me and said they have arrested amanda. >> a media frenzy with tales of cover-ups and sex games turned deadly all centered around the beautiful young student dubbed foxy knoxy by the tabloids. now amanda knox sits in this italian prison convicted of murder abroad. amanda knox was going into her junior year of college. her mother eda recalls amanda the fresh-faced 20-year-old intent on adventure. >> she was going to study abroad going into college somewhere. she didn't know where yet. >> amanda would decide on perusia, italy. her sister remembers when she moved into this house which she shared with three other girls, two italians and one british student named meredith kercher. >> why was she so set on that apartment? >> i think it's because of the people really. it was close to the college and her roommates are the sweetest people in the world. >> but after only six weeks in italy on the night of november 1st, 2007, amanda's overseas adventure would take a bizarre turn. amanda claims she slept over with

says amanda's behavior was enough to make her a suspect. >> translator: the famous behavior of amanda knox cannot be justifiable if we compare it to the way normal people behave. >> reporter: in this video amanda and her boyfriend comfort each other outside the house. but at the police station witnesses say they laughed and made faces, heightening suspicions about them. for them, the police station would become all too familiar over the coming days. her father, curt, recalls the week after the grisly discovery. >> between the time that they actually found meredith and when amanda was arrested, there was roughly a 90 hour time frame. i'm ballparking the numbers there. during that time, amanda was in the police station for questioning for, i believe it was, 52 hours. >> as the days passed, the interrogations became longer and more intense. without a lawyer, amanda continued to talk to the police. a decision her mother regrets to this day. >> you know, would have, could have, should have. i should have insisted that she leave the country. i should have insisted that she not talk to anybody. i

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could this free amanda knox? will be the key turning point if there is one in this appeal. they now have to rely really on this forensic and dna evidence. the two key pieces are dna evidence from the knife and from the bra that meredith kercher was wearing. now, the defense lawyers seem to be very confident about this, that there's going to be nothing in there that is going to be damning for amanda knox. the methodology that was used in the previous trial will also be scrutinized later on in july. i think this whole thing now is going to get very scientific and it's all going to come down to the forensics. >> dan rivers there watching that case for us, very interesting case in italy, thank you, dan. >>> and one of the most famous celebrated professional sports teams filed for bankruptcy this morning. we have the details for you right after the break. >>> time right now, about 20 minutes past the hour. and it is time to check in on some top stories we're following. the los angeles dodgers filed for bankruptcy prot

it's been nearly four years since american exchange student amanda knox was arrested in italy and accused of killing her english roommate in a sexual encountetethat turned deadly violent. knox, along with her boyfriend at the time, was convicted in 2009, but today, the 23-year-old got new hope that she will not pass into middle age in a foreign prison. abc's elizabeth vargas has the story for our series, "crime and punishment." >> reporter: this was the scene when american college student amanda knox was convicted for violently killing her british roommate meredith kercher, while studying abroad. >> knox and her former boyfriend were found guilty. >> sexually soughting and killllg miss kercher. >> reporter: fuhr chaos amid cheers and outrage in per reej ya, italy. a nightmare come true for knox's family. just an hour after hearing his daughter's 26-year prison sentence, knox's father curt and her sister deanna were overwhelmed. >> i thi i think those of us who have family members, who have children, couldn't help what it was like that moment, standing in that courtroom tonight and hearing

hoping that under the pressure of cross can examination, guede may crumble and admit, okay, in fact amanda knoxpletely innocent and so was sollecito and, in fact, he did it with, perhaps, someone else or on his own. but that didn't happen at all. reverse happened. he went further in accuse knox and sollecito being involved. before he only implied but today he came outright and said he thought they were guilty. >> this is the first time amanda knox and her ex-boyfriend, sollecito, and this guy guede, were all in the courtroom together for the first time in a couple of years, how did they seem? >> it was aid powerful day of evidence, i think. the atmosphere was pretty electric. amanda knox was clearly very nervous going into this. you could see her taking deep breaths just after she walked into what is really quite a small courtroom. she was sitting a few yards from guede. she had a brief chat with sollecito as well. we couldn't really hear what they said. she then gave dramatically, a statement halfway through the proceedings. halfway through that she almost broke down to cry so you could feel i

it is the evidence that put amanda knox behind bars. prosecutors convinced the jury that knox's dna and the dna of her dead roommatatwas found on the knife that was allegedly used in the murder. that evidence, and this entire case, is now in question. today's finding by court appointed experts that that dna at the center of this case was unreliable brought a glimmer of hope to amanda knox's mother. >> i was thrilled. the report said exactly kind of what our experts said all along that the correct procedures were not followed. they can't rule out contamination. we can't really celebrate until amanda walks out of that prison. but this is just one big step in that direction. >> reporter: amanda knox is appealing the guilty verdict that has sent her to prison for 26 years. that appeal getting a major boost from today's conclusion that the dna was either too miniscule or possibly contaminated to be used as evidence. it was 2009 when the seattle-raised student, living in the tiny italian village of perugia, was found guilty, along with her for

how might this weekend's testimony be a turning point in amanda knox's appeal? ng point, brooke, as you stated because rudy geday, the real killer, the lone killer, said back before amanda's trial on skype, where the police overheard it, that amanda wasn't there. she was innocent. that didn't go into trial. it's corroborated by a witness. he's in for a horrific crime. he confirms what geday says. i don't even know rafael, her supposed co-defendant. so it's huge. as for the mobster, that could be incredibly helpful or just incredible, but the bottom line on that is he came forward to the authorities a long time ago, and they wouldn't hear from him. so it goes to show the bias in the underlying investigation with that latter witness. >> as we're talking, anne, about prison inmates. as we just mentioned, alessi snatched an 18-month-old boy from home and killed him. 18 months. how are prison inmates as witnesses? in terms of credibility, lackluster at best at times. >> as prosecutors in the crimes committed in hell, you don't have angels for witnesses. inmates are in

good morning to you, the amanda knox murder conviction appeal is under way.to the initial trial of the american girl who went to study in italy and got confused and convicted of a murder along with her boyfriend and another man. and now that is all coming back to play out. >> yeah, ali, it continues to be really dramatic in court. and pretty explosive. just to update you on the latest. a man by the name of rudy guerde, got on the stand, and testified that amanda knox and her ex-boyfriend, did kill meredith kir cher. he was placed at the scene of the crime when it happened. amanda knox was totally pale as described by various reports and visibly upset. when he left the room, she got on the stan and she said, she was pained and anguished and it was just not true. she said he knows we were not there. and we had nothing to do with it. this is an appeal trial. it continues to take all sorts of twists here. but we're going to continue to follow it. and what the defense is hoping is that when there's this reexamination of some of the forensic evidence, that they say

another critical question that could help determine the fate of amanda knox. the biggest question of all, though, is is the dna. >> i'm assuming that these people are professionals and that they're going to do a good job of relooking at this, and we know that amanda's innocent and so we can only hope and assume that it is going to be a good report. >> reporter: amanda was convicted partly on the evidence of her dna on the murder weapon, a knife. but now that dna is being reexamined amid reports there wasn't enough of it to be accurate. independent experts examining the critical dna evidence and will report to the court in three days. it will take another four weeks before that will be officially made public. that's the key moment in the amanda knox appeal that could decide if she walks free or serves another 23 years in prison. willie? >> martin fletcher in perugia, italy, thank you. >>> princess catherine wows at a military ceremony as her brother-in-law prince harry opens up about pippa. we'll have details. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ male announc

this is a big moment for the amanda knox defense team. if they could get him to admit on the stand that he not only committed the murder but amanda was not involved, a slam-dunk case, over, amanda would be out. i don't think that's going to happen. >> he is coming back to court but he's not obligated to testify, right? you mentioned some weird italian law. is it like pleading the fifth in this country? >> very, very similar. a lot of aspects of italian law arise out of u.s. constitutional law. you can remain silent, you don't have to testify in italy. in fact, when he was called in the first trial, he said he was angry at the prosecutor and he refused to testify. so, i'm wondering what's going to happen on monday when he's called again. now, his lawyer has said he's willing to testify, he's going to testify. and the question is, will he tell the whole story or is he going to say in the middle of his testimony, i'm leaving? >> well, now, here's the other part of the story, is that because he was convicted and he was in jail, a few of his ce

amanda knox is back in court today, with the testimony in her defense. minals. as she entered the italian courtroom, amanda x appeared more confident than previous hearings and smiled at her supporters. despite being behind bars for over 3 1/2 years. for a crime she says she did not commit. >> she's looking forward to every day of court. we get to have a bad day. >> reporter: knox, along with her former italian boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, is appealing her conviction of murder and sexual assault of her british roommate meredith kercher. in what the prosecution describes as a sex game gone wrong. a third person, rudy guede, was also convicted of the murder. today's hearing focuses on the testimony of five convicts, all who claim knox and her ex-boyfriend are innocent. mario alessi, a convicted child murderer seen here speaking with sollecito's team said while sharing a cell with guede he was told the true story had not come out. three other prisoners are expected to claim they, too, heard the story and knox and sollecito were not involved. another prison

what's happening now is that amanda knox is going through an appeal hearing, okay? in that hearing, she said i do not know what happened that night. the testimony is centering around this conflicting pieces of information. there is a guy called rudyguede, who is -- and mario nelessi will say that rudy guede said that amanda knox is innocent. amanned i don't knox herself says she's totally shocked by this. this is a stage that is very important testimony. it's very critical. it's in the appeal stages and amanda knox and her family continue today, as they have every day, to protest their innocence. >> we'll follow it. zain, thanks. >>> the casey anthony murder trial is back in session, after an abrupt delay on saturday. we'll go live to orlando after the break. >>> and selling violent video games to children. free speech or government interference? a ruling could come down as early as today. a live report from the supreme court in two minutes. (screams) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. v

. >> an appeal hearing in italy today for amanda knox. she is the american student convicted along with her boyfriend in the murder of her british roommate. today a second man convicted in the case disputed testimony from a fellow inmate. he says he never told the inmate that knox was innocent. >>> floodwaters are inching closer to a nuclear power plant in nebraska. a levee broke yesterday which worried nearby residents that a nuclear disaster similar to japan's could be brewing but an official emphatically says the chances that water will reach the reactor and cause trouble are almost zero. the reactor was shut down in april for refueling and wasn't brought back on-line due to the flooding. forecasters think the missouri river will crest six feet short of the level that would inundate the plant. >>> wildfire is threatening the los alamos national lab in new mexico today. it is burning less than a mile away. officials say all nuclear and hazardous materials are safe. most of the lab's 11,000 workers were told to stay home. >>> crowds are

back to you. >> jackie, thank you. >>> to italy in a courtroom where amanda knox is appealing her murder conviction. her defense is calling prison inmates to testify that knox did not kill her roommate back in 2007. but this potentially crucial testimony has already been interrupted twice. jeffrey kofman has details from our london bureau this morning. can you walk us through what is happened in court this morning? >> reporter: i'll try, i actually need a chalkboard but it's really confusing but also really significant for amanda knox who has served 18 months of a 26-year sentence for murder. she appeared in court this morning, looking quite calm. you get the sense she's used to this by now and understandably so. the key this morning was, five witnesses called as part of her defense and ex-boyfriend's defense. all of them, though, very shady characters. all of them serving time in prison. what happened was, one of them, luciano mario alessi, a convicted child murderer appeared. he then said he was feeling sick. he came back, he said he was told by a drifter charged in connection with the

but first, a possible boost for amanda knox, the american student convicted of killing her roommate.ou what's been discovered on the alleged murder weapon that could change this entire case. we'll go live to rome next. [ waves crashing ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges. [ male announcer ] want to pump up your gas mileage? come to meineke for our free fuel-efficiency check and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke. >> independent specialists have said the dna evidence used to convict amanda knox is unsound. good to see you. what was the evidence, the dna evidence in question? >> well, this is very crucial element of the case certainly. there are two pieces of forensic evidence that linked her former boyfriend and her to the murder. leading knox to the murder was a knife in which amanda's dna was on the handle and kirchner's dna was on the blade. the material on the blade was never double

amanda knox has long insisted she didn't kill her british roommate years ago. now, some notorious italian criminals are backing up that claim. phil black is in perugia, italy, with the latest on today's testimony. phil? >> reporter: yeah, fredricka, five men convicted of serious crimes were called before the court in perugia today. called by amanda knox's defense team to try and help prove her innocence in killing british student meredith kercher in 2007. the first man to give evidence today was a 50-year-old serving a life sentence for the murder and kidnapping of an 18-month-old boy. he was called to give evidence because he says during his time in prison, he became friends with rudy guede. he is also convicted of meredith kercher's killing. and this man insists that guede told him neither amanda knox or her then boyfriend had anything to do with kercher's murder. several other prison inmates were called to try and support that story. and then the final witnesses of the day, yet another prison inmate, told a completely different story altogether. this was a m

college student amanda knox convicted of murder in italy.t some of the evidence used to convict her is unreliable. independent forensic experts saying some of the dna traces may have been contaminated. our legal analyst dan abrams is here, and so, dan, what now will this mean for knox's appeal? >> well, josh, this is a big development for amanda knox. remember that none of her dna was actually found exactly where the crime occurred, and so this dna found on a knife that prosecutors suggest was the murder weapon found at her boyfriend's home, also some dna found on a bra clasp are really the two most important pieces of dna evidence in this entire case, and now these independent experts coming forward and saying, that evidence may have been contaminated, that may lead the prosecutors with simply inconsistent statements by amanda knox which this appeals court may say is simply not enough to convict. >> a year long series of trials taking an important turn. dan abrams with the latest. >>> an emergency court hearing has been scheduled today in t

. >> a child boss and child murderer came to the aid of amanda knox. the story told by the convicts did not match up. >> reporter: the legal teams for amanda knox and her former boyfriend insists this was an important day in their appeal to try and prove their innocence, they called on the testimony of men guilty of serious crimes. the first witness was a 50-year-old and says he became friends in prison with her boyfriend. mario says getto told him in prison that knox and her ex-boyfriend had nothing to do with it. and he told the court his friendship would not tell that version to authorities. mart yoe is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping and killing of a 15-month-old boy, and he said he was giving this testimony because he was committed to the truth. three other inmates were called to tell the same story, but the final witness of the day told a completely different story. this man is serving 16 years for mafia-related crimes, showing open contempt for lawyers in open court. he said the murders were committed by his brother. >> knox is servin

pippa. >> more pippa in a bitta. >> don't flippa. ,,,,,,,, >>> the appeal for amanda knox in perugia,e american serving time in italian prison for killing her roommate. her attorneys are trying to overturn her conviction in the death of meredith kimpber. five witnesses each say knox could not have committed murder. all have questionable backgrounds. we welcome you back to the "early" show on this saturday morning. i'm russ mitchell. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. coming up we'll speak with amanda's parents about the new development. >>> in syria, witnesses say syrian forces and gunmen loyal to president assad stormed a town near the turkish border. homes were burned and dozens arrested. wyatt, what is expected to happen in the next 24 to 48 hours? >> reporter: russ, good morning. the key development we learned today is that bashir al assad, the syrian dictator announced he will be speaking to the syrian people in the next couple of days. we presume that may be as early as tomorrow night. what's important about that, assad is under increasing pressure to do something, certainly stop the violen

unlike amanda knox and her former boyfriend, his dna is all over the crime scene. today, he'll deny reports that he told fellow inmates that knox and her boyfriend had nothing to do with the crime. guede has always admitted he was in the cottage knox shared with kercher the night she was killed, but did not arts pate in the crime, he said. instead he was listening to the ipod in the bathroom when intruders murdered meredith. amanda's mother, edda mellas is in court this morning to hear his testimony. guede's testimony is one of two key elements in this proceedings. the other independent review of crucial dna evidence. including trace evidence of kercher's dna in sollecito's apartment. and sollecito's own dna found on kercher's bra clapse. that wasn't enough evidence on the knife to be tested. the defense points out the absence of knox's dna from kercher's bedroom, where there is plenty of guede's dna, including bloody handprints on the wall. while the independent dna experts intend to turn in their report this week, amanda's family tries to remain optimistic. >> yo

amanda knox tells a witness to tell the truth after he tells an italian court she murdered her roommatel debt. and the l.a. dodgers new chant, thank heaven for chapter 11 as the team files for protection under bankruptcy laws. let's play reporter roulette. i want to start with dan rivers in perugia, italy. >> a day of dramatic testimony here in perugia, italy in the continuing appeal of amanda knox and her then boyfriend raffaele sollecito. rudy guede, the co-accused was called to give evidence. they were hoping he would be tripped up in cross examination and would admit that it was he and he alone who murdered the british student meredith kercher in november 2007. in the end, exact opposite happened. for the first time, he said he explicitly thought that knox and sollecito were guilty of the murder, something he had only implied in testimony previously. there was also a dramatic moment when amanda knox herself made a statement to the court during the statement she said she was shocked by guede's evidence. she said he knew that we weren't in the house on the night of the murder. she sai

. >>> inmates in italy testified today that the american amanda knox wasn't involved in the killing ofer house matt. one testified that his own brother was the real killer. a second inmate said that another suspect in the case was responsible for her death. knox is serving a 26-year sentence for the killing but insists she is innocent. her hearing will continue june 27th. >>> sad news to report that clarence clemons, the saxophonist for the e-street band of bruce springsteen has died. he suffered a stroke a few days ago and died saturday of complications. those are the headlines this hour. i'm don lemon, keeping you informed. cnn, the most trusted name in news. >> i wouldn't have started "playboy" if i was afraid of controversy. i think that controversy is the way you change things. i want to live in a society which people can voice unpopular opinions. >> there are probably a lot of people today out there enjoying freedoms who have no idea that hugh hefner was the pioneer. >> that was a clip from are from the documentary "hugh hefner, playboy, about vis activist and rebel." jorge barah

abc's diana alvear has the story. >> reporter: it is the dna evidence that convicted amanda knox.d forensics experts reviewed what was collected from the scene of the murder of her roommate, british student meredith kercher. their findings? that the trace amounts of dna may have been contaminated and that they fell below international testing standards. it punctures a key argument that helped sway jurors, that both knox's dna and that of her roommate were found on the knife used to kill kercher. >> the report said exactly kind of what was our experts said all along, that correct procedures were not followed, that they can't rule out contamination. we can't really celebrate until amanda walks out of that prison. but this is just one big step in that direction. >> reporter: in 2009, knox was an exchange student from seattle studying in italy when she was arrested. knox and her then-boyfriend, rafael sollecito, were convicted in a trial that captured the nation. she was sentenced to 26 years. throughout it all, she has maintained her innocence. her family is hoping her appeal has a d

this one involves amanda knox. most people have heard about this. exchange student who's in prison in italy for killing her roommate. >> she's now appealing her conviction. testimony in court yesterday didn't exactly help her cause as diana alvear reports. >> reporter: if her appeal goes well, amanda knox is hoping a fresh review of dna evidence and witness testimony could free her once and for all. two years ago the seattle native was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison for the 2007 killing of her british roommate, meredith kercher. monday, knox had to sit through testimony from the man who helped convict her and her former boyfriend, rafael sollecito. rudy guede has never denied he was in knox's apartment the night kercher was killed. investigators found his dna all over the crime scene, including bloody hand prints on the wall. he was sentenced to 16 years in this case. last week his cell mate mario alessi testified guede told him knox and sollecito were not involved. guede denied those claims and maintained the two were responsible. kn

allen pizzey has this manda. >> reporter: amanda knox didn't start out as the main focus of attentionr the if, time. this is knox's best but not last chance to win freedom on appeal. she asked for permission to address the court but she and her former boyfriend raffaele sollecito had to hear from rudy guede who denied defense claims he told a fellow prisoner that knox and sollecito were not present when kercher was assaulted and had her throat slashed in a house she shared with knox in 2007. guede admitted to being on the scene and dna proved he and kercher had some sexual contact on the night of the encounter. the trial began in november but knox's mother says everyone involved has become realistic about how far they still have to go. >> none of us are overconfident because of what happened in the first trial, found guilty even though she's innocent. i think she's nervous about getting things going but i think we're more hopeful now than we have been in a while. >> reporter: when she got her chance to speak knox says the courtroom was the only time she and guede was the only time she

hope for amanda knox. the exchange student convicted of a murder in italy. could new dna analysis set her free? it is free diving taken to a new level. we go underwater with human torpedos onli t >> closed captioning brought to >> closed captioning brought to >>> animal rights activists are stepping up pressure on safe way and costco one day after the abc7 news i team first showed undercover video from a farm that supplies pork to retailers. >> the activists wants stores to push suppliers to make life better for pigs before they go to slaughter. dan noyes has the latest developments in tonight's i team report. >> mercy for animals held news conferences in three cities to play the video we showed you last night and make the case against yes station crates -- gestation crates that confine the fouls for most of their lives. >> animals with legs should have room to walk, run and exercise. >> california voters passed a ban on gestation crates that will take affect in four years. but nothing will prevent retailers from purchasing pork from out of state where gesta

. >> well, a review of the dna evidence used to convict amanda knox of killing her roommate could helplear her. court appointed experts report that the evidence is unreliable and possibly contaminated. e american exchange student is appealing the verdict. >>> the southwest airlines pilot who railed against gay and older flight attendants has something more to say after these now infamous comomnts. >> 11 [ bleep ] over the top [ bleep ] homosexuals and a granny. after that it was just a continuous stream of gays and grananes and grandes. >> those were broadcast through a stuck mike. now captain james taylor has apologized acknowledging his remarks were insensitive saying from now on he will show nothing but the utmost respect during his interactions with all employees. taylor added that the incident has forever changelearn from his misrs can learn from his mistake. >>> a florida principal has been reassigned after using hypnosis on students and two of those students later committed suicide. an independent investigation found that george kenny was told to limit it to psychology classes b

an appeal court in italy has heard claims from five convicted prisoners that american amanda knox and her boyfriend did not kill a british student four years ago knox seven twenty six years after she and her attend an ex-boyfriend were convicted of murder and sexually assaulting meredith along with a month from the ivory coast rudy. my prison inmates including a child killer said that they told them knox and her partner had nothing to do with the killing however but lawyers for the murdered woman say the f. . one theorist criminals with baseless. astounding biplane has plunged into everywhere while performing at a national in poland killing the pilot the man was only was the only person on board it was an award winning arab batiks act that and commercial airline pilot organized a save to early to say what caused the plane to crash. the coldest continent on earth antarctica and they look like part of russian winter that's nothing to do with this now and eyes because it's also home to a russian orthodox church and about as unlikely and far away a place as one would expect john thomas re

and of easily has heard claims for five convicted prisoners that american amanda knox and her boyfriend did not kill a british student four years ago knox acetic twenty six years after she and her boyfriend were convicted of murder and sexually assaulting meredith along with a man from the ivory coast. prison inmates including a child killer said that he told them knox and her partner had nothing to do with the killer words for the murdered woman say the evidence from c. it's criminals is baseless. also stunned by the way it has been launched into a river while performing at a national in poland killing the pilot the man who was the only person on board it was an award winning acrobatics expert and commercial airline pilot asher organizers say it's too early to say what caused the plane to crash. the coldest continent antarctica part of russia in winter that's nothing to do with the snow and ice but because it's also home to a russian orthodox church and about it and as unlikely and far away a place as one would expect shaun's thomas reports not from downtown and. perched atop a picture

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and if you call it easily has had claims from five convicted prisoners that american amanda knox and her boyfriend did not kill a british student four years ago knox is serving twenty six years after she had her child and ex-boyfriend were convicted of murder and sexually assaulting meredith along with a month from the ivory coast really my prison inmates including a child killer it said that day told them knox and her partner had nothing to do with the killing however long as the murdered woman say the evidence from serious criminals was baseless. this time the biplane has plunged into a river while performing at an air show in poland killing the pilot the man who was only was the only person on board it was an award winning aerobatics act but and a commercial airline pilot shot organizers say so early to say what caused the plane to crash. the coldest continent on earth i'm told to my look like parts of russia in winter that's nothing to do with snow and ice but because it's also home to the russian orthodox church and about as unlikely and far away a place as one would expect tryi

our jeffrey kofman has details. >> reporter: at 23, amanda knox is a convicted murderer, serving 26 years prison in for the killing of her roommate, british student, meredith kercher. and this drifter. knox and her ex-boyfriend are hoping that this appeal will clear their names. the defense has called five witnesses. all claiming to have information that will do just that. but all serving time in prison for an assortment for ugly crimes. mario alesi, a convicted child murderer, told the court that that drifter, gede, was the only one involved in kercher's murder. that would be key evidence for knox and her family. >> rudy has said, as he has said in the past, that amanda and raphaelle weren't involved in the crime. >> reporter: another convict, a former mafia member, told the appeal a completely different story. the mobster said it was his own brother who murdered kercher, during a robbery that went bad. that brother is nowhere to be found. amanda an her ex-boyfriend, meanwhile, are back in prison. fortunately for knox, she may have new evidence that is a lot more credible than those guys

hó >>> amanda knox, the american exchange student who's serving a sentence for murder in italy, has wonucial court victory. >> the dn after the evidence used to convict her in the death of her roommate has been ruled unreliable and possibly contaminated. this took place in an independent review of the evidence that could help overturn knox's conviction and may lead to her freedom. that will not happen before september. >>> another high-profile case here in the u.s., casey anthony's attorneys could rest their case in her murder trial today. >> that's right. once again, yesterday anthony's father was questioned. abc's t.j. winick joins us now with all the details. >> reporter: good morning, peggy and daniel. jury in the casey anthony trial could get the case sometime next week. it was an emotional day for casey anthony's father george. forced to recount that day in december 2008 when his granddaughter caylee's remains were finally found. >> up to that moment, had you held out the hope that caylee would be found alive? >> absolutely. every day from july 15th until the day we were told -- i

pictures of attractive young females and figuring out where it all went wrong you just wait until the amanda knox hysteria picks back up i've already seen a number of reporters doing live shots from italy because that's what's worth spending money on to make sure that you have reporters on the ground to cover every last detail again the corporate interests dumbing you down clearly winning out if they didn't then do you know what the mainstream media would be covering right now how about a new report put out by the a.p. on our nuclear power industry after a lengthy investigation what they found isn't pretty and that's because as usual it involves corruption a collusion between government and industry that's allowed nuclear plants to keep operating despite some incredibly valid safety concerns and you want to know why they keep operating that's because industry convinces the regulators to lower the standards see when valves leak they just change the standards to allow twenty percent more leakage when it quote rampant cracking caused radioactive leaks from steam generator tubing and easier test of t

but first, abc's elizabeth vargas has the details. >> reporter: it was the kind of news amanda knox hadadeenting nearly four years to hear. independent, court-appointed experts have concluded that key dna evidence, which helped convict amanda, may now have been contaminated or improperly collected. >> the report said that exactly kind of what our expert said all along. that the correct procedures were not followed. >> reporter: prosecutors argue that two key pieces of evidence implicate amanda and her then 6 boyfriend, raffaele sollecito. a kitchen knife found in sollecito's apartment with both of the girls' dna and kercher's bra clasp had sollecito's dna on it. some cases it was too minuscule to even properly test. the third defendant in the case, rudy guede, who is serving a 16-year sentence for the murder, was in court earlier this week, denying testimony that he told cellmates knox and sollecito were innocent. guede's dna is all over the bedroom where the murder took place. knox's dna is nowhere to be found. she just cleaned the room of her own dna? >> t tt's what they're saying. >> not

upper 50s, low 60s in the forecast. >>> today in italy five inmates are testifying on behalf of amanda knox knox who has convicted of murdering her roommate while the two shared a villan 2007. she was sentenced to 26 years in prison. a convicted child murderer took the stand today claiming another man told him knox and her boyfriend who was also convicted of murder are innocent. the other man is rudy, a man who because also convicted of being involved in the murder. >>> now experts are testifying for the defense in the casey acted murder trial and yesterday one of the defense' planned surprise witnesses dropped a bombshell. this is convicted felon vasco thompson and in 1988 he was sent to prison for kidnapping. the defense phone records show he was in contact with casey's fathers on july 14th, 2008. but before he even took the stand, he addressed the accusations. >> i have no idea who george anthony is. i didn't have that phone number until february of 2009. and i don't know why they got me involved in all this mess. >> the defense is not said what the alleged contact between thompson and c

confirm or deny karzai's remarks, but they do say it -- >>> five inmates are coming to the defense of amanda knox, she is the american college student serving 26 years in italy for killing her roommate. so far a convicted murder and a mob boss says another prisoner told them knox had nothing to do with the murder. >>> coming up, more misery in arizona as firefighters gain ground on the largest wildfire in state history. >>> this couple raised 71 kids and they want even more. we'll see what kind of advice the dad has for fathers right after this. ordinary windshield wipers off the glass. so, did we build a slower car? or design wipers that could handle anything? what do you think? the cadillac cts-v, the world's fastest production sedan. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. >>> all right, this father's day weekend we're asking you and our staff to share the best advice from dad. one of our writers megan ahern's dad has this fatherly advice to her. if y

. >>> and five inmates are coming to the defense of amanda knox.e's the american college student serving a 26-year sentence in italy for killing her roommate. so far convicted murderer and a mob boss have testified that another prisoner told them knox had nothing to do with the murder. >>> in india, check out one of the newest locations on the planet. residents of shrevenagr changed the name of the city to snapdeal.com. the e-commerce company installed 15 hand pumps in the village. >>> crushing debt, public outrage and now a new tactic to buy greece some time as it tries to fend off a looming financial disaster. the greek prime minister reshuffled his cabinet yesterday. greece needs to push through more budget cuts to secure a second bailout from the imf and european union. diana magne is in athens. set the scene for us. all right, looks like we're trying to work out some audio problems here. we'll try to re-establish that and get back to diana from athens momentarily. >>> so you may have a list of things you want to do when you retire, but will yo

attorneys for amanda knox are calling on inmates to help them try to prove her innocence. five prisoners testified yesterday that knox was not involved in the murder. a convicted child mulderer said that knox was not there. three others back the story. but a fifth inmate, a convicted mobster, said his brother did it in a break in. >>> casey anthony's defense team is going on the offense. yesterday, vernor spitz said what he had to talk about. >> if an autopsy was down in a corresponding to what every pathologist will tell you, it will tells me it's a shoddy autopsy. if the head is not opened, what else wasn't examined? >> in ten minutes, find out how the legal guys think the case is going. >>> and sega is hacked. details when we return. >>> first, father's day weekend, we are asking you and your staff to share your best advice from dad. one of our producers, her dad had this advice to offer. there is no reason for you not to try. if they can do it, you can do better. and here is what some of you said on twitter. cheryl smith, dad up to this day is failure is a lux write on

. >>> and an italian court heard two prisoners is testify on saturday that amanda knox is innocent ofmates differed on the identity of the real killer. one said his own brother was responsible but prosecutors questioned his credibility. another said that a different suspect was responsible for the murder. knox is serving a 26-year sentence for the killing of her room play the but insists she is innocent. her appeals process will continue june 27th. very sad news from the music world to report to you right now. clarence clemons, saxophonist for bruce springsteen's e street band has died at the age of 69. this is clemons performing in the classic video for and born to run." clemons suffered a stroke a few days ago and died saturday from complications. those are your headlines this hour. i'm don lemon keeping you informed, cnn, the most trusted name in news. >> roger. >> clear. >> and firing. >> reporter: julian assange's collateral murder video did not spark the outrage he had hoped for. and now his alleged source, private bradley manning, was in custody. >> journalist mark davis was wi

>> forensic specialist told an italian court that dna findings used to convict american amanda knox ofhe independent team said police did not follow international inspection procedures and the evidence may have been contaminated. this may be a boost for knox as her appeal is heard this week. >>> federal investigators say the manager of the west virginia coal mine where 29 workers died last april had been faking safety records before the worst u.s. mine disaster in 40 years. the mine safety and health administration said this week that massey energy kept two sets of books, one included safety problems or hazards, the other one didn't and that was the set that was given to government inspectors. massey sold the upper big branch are safe. today's word of the day is maximumalist. . >>> 55 moinsz after the hour. today's word of the day is maximalist. the actual definition is a person who holds extreme views and is not prepared to compromise. president obama used the word in his news conference about the debt ceiling yesterday. he blasted congressional republicans for refusing to consider ra

. >>> another case we're watching, that of amanda knox. she is in prison in italy for killing her housemate. today during her appeal hearing, two witnesses are coming to her defense. they are all expected to testify that a fellow prisoner also convicted in connection with meredith kercher's murder told them knox had nothing to do with it. that prisoner through his attorney denies saying anything of the sort. >>> and a fix to a computer problem that grounded united airlines flights across the u.s. but the airline says passengers could still experience delays throughout the weekend. the airline blames a network connection malfunction for freezing up the system that schedules departures, reservations and processes passengers. the glitch left thousands of people stranded and very frustrated. >>> an american eagle flight attendant is accused of stealing another man's identity to get a job that allowed him to fly all over the world. police say this man assumed the identity of a new york man and had several documents in that man's name including

. >>> an italian court heard two prisoners testify today that american amanda knox is innocent of murderbut the two inmates differed on the identity of the real killer. one said his own brother was responsible, but prosecutors questioned his credibility. another said that a different suspect was responsible for the murder. knox is serving a 26-year sentence for the killing of her roommate but insists she is innocent. >>> congresswoman gabby giffords is back home in tucson, arizona, for the first time since she was shot in the head in january. giffords and her husband, astronaut mark kelly, arrived friday and are spending the weekend with family. she was released from a houston rehabilitation hospital this week and will continue her outpatient treatment in houston. >>> the largest wildfire in arizona state history is more than 1/3 contained, allowing evacuees to get back to their homes in the alpine area. the wallow fire has now burned more than a half million acres. strong winds this weekend may hamper firefighters, though. those winds helped stoke a second fire to the south, which was t

the third place finisher, cain, isn't even close to the other two, and remember amanda knox?rican student sentenced to 26 years in prison for killing her british roommate in italy. the boyfriend was convicted too. knox has been fighting the conviction. her appeal hearing resumes today. sfwlirchlgts two prison inmates say earlier this month that knox wasn't involved in the killing. >>> let's go around the world today. we have some explosions going on in tripoli. word that they sound closer than some of the explosions we've recently heard. >> that's right. let's focus on libya today. we heard that there have been three major explosions or around tripoli, and at the same time, ali, the rebels are only something like 63 miles out of tripoli. they are making a push to keep our eye on that. we're also keeping our eye on the international criminal court today because they could be a major move, and it would be a big deal. what's happening is that they may issue an arrest warrant. the crimes against humanity for muammar qadhafi, his sons say qadhafi and the head of intelligence. this