we begin with new developments in the case of amanda knox, the american woman currently serving a murderentence in italy. knox was an undergraduate just beginning a year abroad when she was accused of killer her english house mate. she's been behind bars ever since. now comes an appeal which has her family hoping she might be released. abc's elizabeth vargas reports from italy. there is so much at stake in that courtroom. >> reporter: cynthia, so much is riding on this appeal. the rest of amanda knox's life and the reputation and livelihood of the controversial prosecutor at the heart of this case. he continued today to accuse amanda knox of murder. she was convicted of stabbing her roommate to death four years ago but with much of the evidence in doubt now, there's mountsing pressure to set amanda knox free. looking more tense and serious than ever, this morning the 24-year-old seattle student made her way into the court for the last round of the appeal trial. her family has gathered in the hopes that amanda will finally be freed. the imposing lead prosecutor, julian no mignini showed t

. >>> and the final play to keep amanda knox locked up for life. prosecutors tell a packed courtroom that she should stay in jail, with her family just feet away. will amanda go free? or face years in prison? >>> the jackson trial. new details about the panicked moment when the doctor was screaming for help as jackson was dying. 12-year-old son, prince, and ordering his bodyguard to hide drugs. >>> good morning. let's get right to that breaking news. anwar al awlaki, born in america. an american citizen. america's top terrorist target, is dead. a senior administration official tells us he but, quote, at the top of the kill list. and he was killed early this morning by an air strike in yemen. >> you said american-born. he was born in new mexico, rising to prominence at the english-speaking voice of al qaeda. he's been linked to a number of high-profile attacks in the u.s. >> so many. the ft. hood shooting. the failed bombing in times square. and the underwear bomber in 2009. those in ft. hood, led to many deaths. the others did fail. he was the top t

amanda knox is the only female american locked up here in italy for the charge of murder, but the knox family is hoping the outcome of this appeals trial will reduce that number to zero. amanda knox in court this morning appearing pale and weak. so much so, one of her lawyers offered comfort with an embrace. her defense team has a reason to appear confident, after delivering a powerful summation of the case thursday, concluding knox should be set free. she got no sympathy from the prosecuti prosecution. on rebuttal this morning they forcefully argued the original dna evidence is valid. it is an argument the prosecution won't let go, despite a court appointed forensic scientist calling the work of italian crime scene investigators sloppy, and the dna results unreliable. the final days of this appeal trial sent hecentered almost entirely on knox's character. the question being raised in court, is knox capable of murder. defense lawyers said knox had been crucified by the prosecution, attempting to justify wrongfully imprisoning her for murder. >> the assessment of all the evidence has be

investigation, prior to everything, really, your intuition or your detective knowledge led you to amanda knoxtranslator: after the first few weeks, we were convinced because of the behavior of the two people and especially amanda, that they were both involved in the crime. >> reporter: but almost immediately after the arrests, menini had a problem. the third suspect, patrick lamumba, had an air tight alibi. he was in his bar that night. he could not have been involved. then the actual forensic tests came back. >> when i looked at it, i was horrified. >> reporter: greg hampinkian is a forensic biologist and director of idaho's innocence project. he also is working with the knox defense team. he says italian investigators did a good job processing the crime scene, collect eed excellt evidence, but slung to shakier evidence that proved their theory. a classic error. a prosecutor who trusted his gut feeling instead of the science that at that time was pointing to another suspect. >> when the dna's finally processed, it's not any of their suspects. so what do you do? what would you do? you let the

. >>> a shedevil, that's what one lawyer called amanda knox today.est on her murder trial appeal next. loaded potato with bacon. that's what we like to hear. where was i? oh right... our rich & hearty soups.. people love the thick cut carrots... we do too! where was i? progresso. right, our new rich & heart soups... [ ring, ring ] progresso... switch our phone service? [ ring, ring ] [ ring, ring ] ...no, i think we're pretty happy with our phones. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ >>> in italy, amanda knox's appeal trial is nearing its climax. two years ago, the american college student was convicted of killing her roommate and sentenced to 26 years in prison. her law

the appeals court heard final arguments in her case and nbc's lester holt was there. >> reporter: amanda knoxalked into an italian courtroom today for what may be one of the last times. within days, an appeals court could decide whether to throw out her conviction and set her free. knox and her italian former boyfriend were convicted in the brutal 2007 killing along with this man, an african immigrant who already lost his appeal. today, the lead prosecutor in his final rebuttal suggested amanda knox wants to leave that man, rudy guede, holding the bag. she could go free, said the lead prosecutor, and once again the black guy will pay. >> the racist theme has emerged during the closing statements. very interesting. >> reporter: prosecutors say the killing was the result of a drug-fuelled sex game, but their strongest evidence, supposed dna on a knife and bra clasp, was discredited by court-appointed experts, giving renewed hope to knox's family. >> alls we are doing is trying to support our daughter and trying to have the truth come out and have her come home. >> reporter: court observer ameri

this is a knife that was from amanda knox's boyfriend's house and it was found in her boyfriend's house. the theory is what is the victim's blood doing on the blade, what is knox's blood doing on the handle and what is the knife doing in amanda knox's boyfriend's house. this evidence has now been cast in serious doubt, has it not, douglas? >> that's right. now they are saying that this wasn't the murder weapon at all. in fact at the crime scene there was a bloody print of a knife which does not match this one. the prosecutors are saying, oh, there must have been two knives. now it turns out that the dna on the blade of this knife was nonexistent. the experts examined it, they said there is no dna on the blade of the victim, and that the result that they got was from contamination or perhaps even manipulation, so there is dna on the handle from amanda knox but she used the knife 4 her boyfriend's kitchen. it's not actually dna from her blood it's only from her hand, use of it. so that is not surprising. it appears that this knife is completely worth less as evidence. megyn: these were su

iltszian prosecutors using strong language to describe amanda knox.n court today lawyers said knox has two sides. one of which they described as diabolical, lucifer like and satanic. she's trying to get her prison sentence overturned. she was convicted of killing meredith kercher. today the family showed graphic pictures of her dead body. i spoke with matthew chance who is covering this story from ilgtsdzy. the prosecution was pretty tough on amanda knox in court today, weren't they? r >> reporter: they were. they were delivering heavy lines. one of the attorneys who was presenting his side of events in the case today saying that amanda knox is a she-devil. he called her an enchanting witch. he described her personality that was split between angelic on the one side and lucifer-like and satanic and demonic on the other side. so, you know, some very tough words being told there to the court by these prosecution attorneys with the sole purpose, of course, of convincing that jury, which is lined up to listen to the evidence and the testimony, of upholdin

there is now a real possibility that amanda knox could walk free along with raffaele sollecito in the next week or so, only leaving the drifter, rudy graeder, in prison for what police maintained was a group crime. >> this event here at the rainy and gloomy united nations didn't give us enough to follow these days, scientists are continuing to monitor a six-ton satellite out in space due to crash to earth in the next few hours. most of the satellite is expected to disintegrate upon re-entry but 26 pieces are likely to rain down in a location yet to be pinpointed. reassuringly, nasa says it's unlikely anyone will be hit. we sure hope so. with all eyes on the sky, it's a potential discovery here on earth which could up-end the world of science. it was more than a century ago that einstein laid out his formula that e equals mc-squared and ever since, every physics student has been taught that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. now scientists in switzerland believe subatomic particles may have broken that rule. >> amid all the mysteries of the universe, one thing seemed ce

. >>> one of the most closely watched trials, the appeal of amanda knox. it could come to a close. we will have details. >>> and. >> it's unbelievable that the energy that you feel, to hear them talk about it. the bravest verses the finest. they are duking it out in the ring. the mma match you have to see. >>> it's not safe to talk documents with your personal information in the trash. a safeway to get rid of it. . >>> the coast guard cutter eagle has docked in the inner harbor. you can see it right there. it's visiting at the end of the fall training cruise. it'll be open for tourists tomorrow and sunday from ten until seven. the eagle is the only active square rig net united states government and the largest tall ship. >>> firefighters and police officers have always respected each other but they have also had a brotherhood type rivalry and tonight they will take it to the ring for a good cause. how they are laying all out for fallen comrades. >> reporter: at the mma gym in forest hill firefighters and police officers are throwing punches and taking each other down. training in a

. >>> anderson, the world is already watching the amanda knox courtroom drama. today some of the harshest words yet for the american as she now appeals her murder conviction. the woman now being called a she-devil in court. [ woman ] my grocery bill isn't wasteful spending. [ woman ] my heart medication isn't some political game. [ man ] our retirement isn't a simple budget line item. [ man ] i worked hard. i paid into my medicare. [ man ] and i earned my social security. [ woman ] now, instead of cutting waste and loopholes, washington wants to cut our benefits? that wasn't the agreement. [ male announcer ] join the members of aarp and tell washington to stop cuts to our medicare and social security benefits. your core competency is...competency. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm getting an upgrade. [ male announcer ] as you wish, business pro. as you wish. go national. go like a pro. now through january earn a free day

. >>> anderson, the world is already watching the amanda knox courtroom drama. today some of the harshest words yet for the american as she now appeals her murder conviction. the woman now being called a she-devil in court. i couldn't conceive this as a heart attack. the doctor leaned over and said to me, "you just beat the widow-maker." i was put on an aspirin, and it's part of my regimen now. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go see your doctor now. before you begin an aspirin regimen. ♪ ♪ ♪ when the things that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ >>> keeping them honest tonight, what do you think of a repressive regime that guns down its own people deserves from the united states? condemnation, economic sanctions perhaps, even military action? how abo

. >>> anderson, the world is already watching the amanda knox courtroom drama. today some of the harshest words yet for the american as she now appeals her murder conviction. the woman now being called a she-devil in court. >>> keeping them honest tonight, ♪ [ cellphone rings ] cut! [ monica ] i have a small part in a big movie. i thought we'd be on location for 3 days, it's been 3 weeks. so, i used my citi simplicity card to pick up a few things. and i don't have to worry about a late fee. which is good... no! bigger! bigger! [ monica ] ...because i don't think we're going anywhere for a while. [ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. no lateiquicken loanslty rate. closed my loan fast. and i know a thing or two about fast. i purchased 3 homes with quicken loans. i wouldn't use anyone else. there were no hidden fees and no surprises. quicken loans is a lot like me -- we're both engineered to amaze. even though i'm a great driver and he's... not so much. we

back. >>> crime and punishment now in italy, as prosecutors today urged the jury to keep american amanda knox bars. the former student is appealing her conviction for the murder of british roommate meredith kercher with a decision expected as early as next week. knox and her then-boyfriend were found in 2009 two years before kercher's partially clad body was found in the house they shared in italy. the dna evidence used in the original trial has since been called into question, but in final arguments today prosecutors insisted evidence points to knox and her boyfriend and they called on jurors to put themselves in the shoes of the victim's parents. meredith kercher's death is certainly a tragedy, a life that shouldn't be forgotten but what about amanda knox? after four years of sometimes frenzied international media coverage, who really remembers the young woman at the heart of this trial? it's part of a cnn documentary. drew griffin of cnn "special investigations" set out to find out who is amanda knox. here's his report. >> reporter: with an investigation nearly finished and three people un

he also fingered rafael sollecito and amanda knox as his accomplices. h he never met sollecito and barely knew knox. closing arguments for the appeals case is going to be held at the end of this month. knox's family is very hopeful. knox is serving a 26-year sentence in that italian prison. after the judge's ruling today her father kurt knox said she will be home soon. i spoke to mr. knox who is in italy. so mr. knox, today's ruling that the prosecution cannot introduce new dna evidence against your daughter amanda, that's very good news for her, isn't it? >> well, actually the circumstances are such that they cannot ask for another independent review of the dna evidence. the court already appointed its own independent experts. and they came back with the result that was not favorable to the prosecution. so i think what they were trying somewhat of a desperate move today to say, we want another dna review so that it can hopefully come back to our benefit. >> the thing i can't wrap my mind around, though, is if the dna evidence isn't credible how did thin

apply. >>> crime and punishment now in italy, as prosecutors today urged the jury to keep american amanda knoxformer student is appealing her conviction for the murder of british roommate meredith kercher with a decision expected as early as next week. knox and her then-boyfriend were found in 2009 two years before kercher's partially clad body was found in the house they shared in italy. the dna evidence used in the original trial has since been called into question, but in final arguments today prosecutors insisted evidence points to knox and her boyfriend and they called on jurors to put themselves in the shoes of the victim's parents. meredith kercher's death is certainly a tragedy, a life that shouldn't be forgotten but what about amanda knox? after four years of sometimes frenzied international media coverage, who really remembers the young woman at the heart of this trial? it's part of a cnn documentary. drew griffin of cnn "special investigations" set out to find out who is amanda knox. here's his report. >> reporter: with an investigation nearly finished and three people under arrest,

side >>> crime and punishment now in italy, as prosecutors today urged the jury to keep american amanda knoxformer student is appealing her conviction for the murder of british roommate meredith kercher with a decision expected as early as next week. knox and her then-boyfriend were found in 2009 two years before kercher's partially clad body was found in the house they shared in italy. the dna evidence used in the original trial has since been called into question, but in final arguments today prosecutors insisted evidence points to knox and her boyfriend and they called on jurors to put themselves in the shoes of the victim's parents. meredith kercher's death is certainly a tragedy, a life that shouldn't be forgotten but what about amanda knox? after four years of sometimes frenzied international media coverage, who really remembers the young woman at the heart of this trial? it's part of a cnn documentary. drew griffin of cnn "special investigations" set out to find out who is amanda knox. here's his report. >> reporter: with an investigation nearly finished and three people under arrest,

trial, they asked a court to put amanda knox in jail for life as they wrapped up their case.they painted her as a senseless killer during an erotic game. the father of amanda knox talked after the allegations that she will flee the country if she is free. >> i'm not sure he gets this and are ready to escape, the judge and jury have to make the decision on whether or not you know she will have an opportunity to you know come home with us. >> amanda knox denies any role in the murder of her roommate but has been held in jail since 2007. a verdict in the case is due on monday. >>> payments on hold, made 0 dove -- madoff gave his victims a total of 200 checks today. they won a billion dollar suit against mets owners and now the money will be harder for the trustee in the case to recover. >>> here is a preview on what is coming up in the cbs evening news. >> we will have the remarkable details on how the united states found him. ♪ think about it. with everything you do... it's nice to have a vehicle that can keep up with you. it's the chevy season of doing. now qualified buyers ca

amanda knox case enters its final days in italy. today, her lawyers begin their final argument. >>> and down to the wire. an epic ending to baseball season with the last two playoff spots determined by a rally, a walkoff, and a pair of historic september collapses. captioning funded by cbs >>> this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, september 29th, 2011. good morning everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. >>> a massachusetts man is in custody this morning on charges he plotted terror attacks on washington, d.c. and the pentagon using remote control aircraft. rezwan ferdaus is a 26-year-old citizen, a college graduate with a degree in physics. he told authorities he wanted to attack the enemies of allah. susan mcginnis is in washington with much more on this. good morning, susan. >> good morning, betty. >> reporter: ferdaus started planning this attack early this year, after being convinced that america was evil. according to a federal affiliated he planned to hit the pentagon and blow the u.s. capital to smithereen

and of course, amanda knox's entire life.a knox entered the court today looking serious and somber. her family just a few rows behind her, listening to every word. in day two of closing arguments of her appeal, the lead prosecutor defended the police handling of the dna evidence and called the independent review that so criticized police conduct, unscientific. amanda sat stoic. there is real hope this morning that she may be just days from freedom. this chance at an acquittal is made possible by new questions about the validity of the forensic evidence and the crumbling eyewitness accounts used to convict her. evidence the prosecution continues to defend. >> it's amazing. they have no case. so, they resorted to random -- i don't know. it was almost ridiculous. >> reporter: friday, the prosecution argued that circumstantial evidence could lead this jury of two judges and six citizens, to just one conclusion. all clues converge in the only possible result, finding the defendants guilty. lead prosecutor, giuliano mignini, even u

but it seems amanda knox does have brief moments of escape. ese are exclusive photos of knox in prison, dancing to the music of a local rock band playing to inmates. one is taken from behind as she jumps to the music, another catches her profile listening intently. >> everyone inside the jail needs moments like this. they need to escape their situations, their nightmares, their state of mind. so they're all having fun with our songs. they're all singing our songs. >> reporter: but the band members say they've become particular friends with amanda, even collaborating with her on a forthcoming music video. they say she also sends them poems and letters about her life behind bars. >> she's struggling a lot. i mean, she knows this is what i can see in her letter, she knows she shouldn't be there, and she's struggling with the fact she can't be with the people she loves and she can't do the things that she loves to do. >> reporter: at court for a murder appeal, amanda looks pale and under stress as her parents watch with concern. her father told me

. >>> amanda knox is expected to address the court monday just before the judge's ruling. matthew chance is covering the case. knox has one last chance monday to make her case. what is her case? >> reporter: on monday she'll be able to make her plea. in a sense, so will her former boyfriend, who is also up for appeal. they're going to be doing that in italian, the parents of amanda knox tell me she's been making notes and preparing what she's going to say. we expect this to be a last final kind of plea to the jury to set her free. a last final plea of innocence. the defense all along have said there's no real physical evidence connecting amanda knox to the crime scene. they characterize this as a miscarriage of italian justice. the frick now, of course, the hope now on the part of amanda knox and her family, is that she and her defense lawyers so far, can convince that jury to overturn that 26-year sentence that she's serving. >> matthew, she gets a chance to have her last say before this court. a ruling could come as early as monday. maybe later. what could happen? >> it'

. >>> and is amanda knox finally set to go free after four years behind bars? the crucial decision in an italian court. and dan abrams will be here. >> she could be free by the end of the month. the prosecutors could still appeal. a lot happening in that case right now. -i love this card. -with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. it's 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% cash back on oscar. ...tony. oscar! 2% back on whatever she'll eat. 3% back on filling up this baby. [ male announcer ] now get 1-2-3 percent cash back. it's that simple. [ male announcer ] apply online or at a bank of america near you. we're talking 3% back on gas. [ male announcer ] there are snacks. and there are better snacks. quaker chewy, 25% less sugar than the leading sweet snacks, no high fructose corn syrup and the goodness of whole grains. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at bu

it's an abc news exclusive. >> reporter: amanda knox's entire life is now on the line. the prosecution in the appeal ended its two-day closing arguments by asking the jury to increase her 26-year sentence to life in prison. knox listened, showing little emotion and was quickly ushered out of the courtroom. today, knox's parents told me amanda is holding up as well as possible and is still hopeful she will be freed. i imagine there have been times it's been hard to sit there, especially when the prosecutor argues for life in prison, a longer sentence than the one she's already facing. >> day one of the prosecution was probably the toughest because that was, you know, the literal character assassination. that was the hardest day for amanda. >> in my head, i'm screaming, "liar!" >> reporter: the prosecution spent most of its closing arguments defending its work and slamming the independent dna review by court-appointed forensic experts, which was part of the appeal trial. those two experts concluded the dna on the two key pieces of evidence, a knife and a bra clasp, was inc

amanda knox's sisters, deanna, ashley and delaney. all joining us from italy this morning. for coming on this morning. it's so great to see all of you. deanna, amanda looked pretty optimistic in court. how was she when you saw her? >> she was feeling really good. i think we got past all of the hard stuff in the last couple of days. so, we finally started the good days with all of the defense. and she was really happy that that process has begun. >> and delaney, you haven't been able to see your sister in more than two years. what was it like to spend some time with her? >> i cherish every moment i get with her. because you don't know when it could be your last, so -- but i'm hoping for the best. and things are going good. >> what did you all talk about? >> we talked about school and friends. and our feelings and what's going on and everything in life, i guess. >> and, ashley, that whole scene outside the prison seems pretty overwhelming. >> yeah. it is. i'm not used to the cameras in my face. but it was good seeing her. i'm glad we could be able to be there with her. >> did

but it seems amanda knox does have brief moments of escape. these are exclusive photos of knox in prison, dancing to the music of a local rock band playing to inmates. one is taken from behind as she jumps to the music, another catches her profile listening intently. >> everyone inside the jail needs moments like this. they need to escape their situations, their nightmares, their state of mind. so they're all having fun with our songs. they're all singing our songs. >> reporter: but the band members say they've become particular friends with amanda, even collaborating with her on a forthcoming music video. they say she also sends them poems and letters about her life behind bars. >> she's struggling a lot. i mean, she noknows this is whai can see in her letter, she knows she shouldn't be there, and she's struggling with the fact she can't be with the people she loves and she can't do the things that she loves to do. >> reporter: at court for a murder appeal, amanda looks pale and under stress as her parents watch with concern. her father told m

now to italy where the murder conviction appeal trial of american student amanda knox is expected to ll be giving their closing arguments. >> and a verdict could come as soon as saturday. abc's elizabeth vargas is in italy talking to knox's family. >> reporter: amanda knox's parents, stepparents, aunts, sisters paid what they hope will be their final visit to the prison. for four years, at least one member of the family has made the weekry trip to the prison reception room, where choosing to sit is a gamble. your dad said we have to be very careful which table we choose because people have -- >> scratched in things about amanda and our family. and one time, something right in front of me. i put my arm over it. >> reporter: what had they written? >> amanda is a whore. >> reporter: sit that public opinion defense that lawyers argue the italian police created. in court one defense attorney compared amanda knox to the cartoon character, jessica rabbitt who has a famous line. >> i'm not bad, i'm just drawn that way. >> reporter: they argued amanda knox isn't a bad person, you just created

gabi giffords. >>> overseas now to italy and yet another twist in the appeals trial of american amanda knox. in their closing arguments, prosecutors today sought not only to uphold her conviction but asked the court to increase knox's sentence for the murder of her roommate. >> reporter: it was the prosecution's last chance to make the conviction stick, calling the circumstantial evidence against amanda knox and her former boyfriend rock solid, the prosecution team spent two days attacking independent forensic scientists, the defendants and the media. the prosecutor warned the judge and jury not to be deceived by the defendant's clean-cut appearance. declaring, there is a dark side in all of us. knox's lawyers insist their client is innocent. >> they have not brought anything new. there's been confirmed that there's a lack of evidence. >> reporter: today the prosecution attempted to persuade the judge and jury that the case is sound, even though dna evidence was declared unreliable by court-appointed forensic scientists. specifically the alleged murder weapon was found not to contain the vi

there were over 50 breaches of international forensic protocols used in the first trial to convict amanda knox and her then boyfriend. these range from sloppy evidence galtering techniques to dna analysis on two key pieces of evidence that were used by the prosecution in the first trial to tie amanda and her then boyfriend to the crime scene. now, this really put the prosecution on the attack, saying that no, the original findings should stand, still asking the appeals judge and the court spend more time to her sentence. the defense for amanda knox said they're satisfied with this report. it's what they've been saying all along and that they're glad this independent review has come out. this whole week is expected to focus on forensics and this dna material. it's a glimmer of hope for amanda knox. we'll have to see how the week carries out. we're expecting that after this week, there will be a short break in the hearing before reconvening. we're told we should expect a verdict in this appeal by the end of the month. craig. >> all right. chapman, thank you so much. appreciate that report. >>> c

amanda knox's entire life is now on the line.his weekend prosecutors in her appeal are asking to increase her 26-year sentence to life in prison including 6 months of daytime solitary confinement. >> we still got a ways to go. and it's still in the court's hands, but we're very hopeful. >> reporter: knox's co-defendant, her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, now also faces life in prison. during its closing arguments the prosecution stuck to its theory that in 2007 knox's roommate, meredith kercher, was brutally murdered and sexually assaulted by knox, sollecito and the third person convicted, a local drifter named rudy guede. still they never presented a strong motive, only saying this weekend that the trio killed her for "futile reasons." >> the motive has shifted several times. >> we've gone from a satan cal killing to a sex game gone bad to theft to revenge. >> reporter: the prosecution defended its work during the appeal slamming the independent dna review by court-appointed forensic experts which concluded the dna on the

can amanda knox clear her name, or will she be sentenced to life in prison? we are live from italy as her appeal is winding down. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. executor of efficiency. you can spot an amateur from a mile away... while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you. go national. go like a pro. where'd ya go? there you are. there you go. [ female announcer ] you always went for the tall, dark, handsome types. so who'd have ever thought the love of your life... would be short and bald? having a baby changes everything. [ male ] using clean american fuel is just a pipe dream. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're rolling away misperceptions about energy independence. did you know that today about a quarter of all new transit buses use clean, american natural gas? we have more natural gas than sau

all of this as amanda knox's future is hanging in the balance. let's go straight to italy. kurt knox is amanda knox's father. he's live in perugia. good to see you back on here again with us. you're where the appeals hearing is being held. looking at some of the video at amanda in court, she appears more thin. how is she holding up? is he eating? is she sleeping? >> well, you know, it's been very tough for her. you know, especially these last three hearings. it's been, you know, everything against her. so, you know, with literally her life hanging in the balance of what the decision is in the courtroom, it's very tough to sleep. she has been thinning down a bit too. >> were you, kurt, in court today when that lawyer called your daughter a sex-loving she-devil? >> yeah. you know, it was -- this particular lawyer, you know, even during the first trial essentially did the same thing. it was extraordinarily hard to listen to. it was even harder for amanda because, you know, she hears it all in italian and can understand it where i can only understand bits and pieces of it. i can

throughout all this, amanda knox rather sat stoically. r parents looked a little tense at some point. but a rough morning, a rough session for knox today. but this was, again, was civil attorneys. this was not the criminal complaint, and she'll obviously get her chance to talk to the judge and jury about the fact that she says she's innocent, craig. >> keith, what do we know about how amanda knox is coping in prison right now? >> reporter: i think she's having a very difficult time. we talked to some friends who have visited her. she's not sleeping well, not eating well. in fact, she's noticeably thinner. this morning she came in looking rather haggard, tired. also keep in mind, craig, the prosecution just a few days ago asked the judge and jury to increase her prison sentence to life along with six months of solitary confinement. so that came as a shock, too. so as this trial -- this appeal trial is wrapping up, it seems that the prosecution is really going 100% against her, trying to make sure that that guilty verdict sticks and that ama

jenna: new developments out of italy in the amanda knox appeal. judge denying prosecution request for brand new dna in the case. our legal panel what this means for knox's chances of winning her freedom. we have the still time for the must-see moment. jon: we do. we report you decide the story you want to hear. your choices angry birds. forget about playing it on your phone. you can play it at an amusement park live. we can give you a rare and sort of exclusive look inside some 18th century chinese vases. not exactly my cup of tea. maybe it's yours. finally a guy proposes, pops the question at a dolphin show. cute stuff if you like dolphins. let us know. send us your votes and we'll have answers and results when "happening now" returns after this. jenna: well the remnants of tropical storm lee causing headaches for much of the nation today. down in new orleans, damage assessments are underway after lee dumped a foot of water on that area. in texas, they wish they had some water. crews are starting to gain control of a massive wildfire. that's good

coming up, more of our interview with edda mellas and curt knox, parents of amanda knox. they're going to talk about the emotions and the frustrations as we continue our interview. ann? >> all right, and matt, here in los angeles, another dramatic trial we've been following all this week, michael jackson's personal physician is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of the king of pop. paramedics who treated jackson take the stand today but on thursday, emotional testimony from his bodyguard who called 911. you're going to hear some of that call. now al, let's go to you. >> thanks so much, ann. from here, ""today's" real estate" our guru barbara cochran is back, open house tours from the suburbs of chicago to the beaches of california. we're going to show you how far your cash can go when you buy that house these days. >>> let's get to natalie over at the news desk with the day's top stories. good morning. >> good morning to you, savannah and al. this morning a major victory in the battle against al qaeda. american born cleric anwar al awlaki was clikilled t

prosecutors at the amanda knox appeal began their final rebuttal today. should spend the rest of her life in an italian prison. knox wants to be set free. "48 hours mystery" correspondent peter van sant, who first raised serious questions three years ago about the weakness of the prosecution's case against knox is in perugia, italy, with more this morning. good morning, peter. so, what happened in court this morning? >> reporter: well, in the case, it has always been much more about perception than real evidence, prosecutor giuliano mignini once again attacked amanda knox and her boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, for not properly viewing death scene photos of the victim in this case, meredith kercher. the implication was that amanda couldn't look at these photos because she's one of the killers, and when he talked about raffaele sollecito, he said he looked at the photos a couple of times with a face of ice. he has to do these personal attacks because the dna evidence in this case has been thrown out, the key eyewitnesses have been discredited, and there is r

this week, the minuscule dna evidence used to convict amanda knox, after a blistering critique of thee police handled the crime scene. the star witness was in court to defend herself and to keep knox behind bars. but after nearly four years, this could be amanda knox's last month in prison. amanda knox have been transformed from the hopeful 20-year-old who arrived in this medieval city to study italian, to a peal and fragile-looking veteran of the italian court. >> i'm know that amanda's glad it started back up. and the independent experts have really pointed out some very serious errors in the original investigation. >> reporter: amanda listened as police forensic investigator took the stand. she insisted proper procedures were followed in collecting and analyzing the dna so crucial in convicting knox and her then-boyfriend raffaele sollecito. her work was attacked earlier when two independent court-appointed experts gave their review of the evidence. they lambasted the evidence collection, severely undermining the prosecution's case. >> those two experts have conclusively determined