that when they do that this wrongful conviction will be overturned and she'll get to come home. >> eddast week we watched amanda knox in court make a very passionate plea to the court and talk about mistakes that were made in this case. how key was her speech to leading up to this decision do you think? >> well, i have heard that it was an amazing speech. i talked with her. she was finally relieved that she was able to get the courage to stand up and say what she's been feeling for several years. it took a lot of strength. she's terrified of the court and the whole process. it was a big deal i'm told. >> curt, how has amanda adjusted to life in prison? the broader question is how does she maintain during all this? >> well, first of all, you don't really adjust to prison. she's a young lady that's in prison for something she hasn't done. it's a difficult process day in and day out. she's been able to stay strong and we try to stay strong for her as well. >> how involved is she in this appeals process in terms of working with her lawyers or walking through the case? >> she's examined the

thank you, curt and edda. >> thank you for having us. >>> now to the story of elizabeth smart. yesterday, her long and trying case came to a close when the man who kidnapped her 8 1/2 years ago was found guilty. mike von fremd was in the courtroom. >> reporter: elizabeth smart walked out of court, flanked by her family, glowing and confident. >> today is a wonderful day, i'm so thrilled to be here. thrilled with the verdict. but not only that, i'm so thrilled to stand before the people of america today, and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about what's happened to them. >> reporter: she spoke out in excruciating detail about the man who kidnapped her at the age of 14 by knife-point. her captor sang hymns while the verdict was read. the jury decided in less than five hours that brian mitchell was by no means not guilty by reason of insanity. after testimony from both elizabeth and the prosecution psychiatrist, who say he was a pedophile who knew the difference between right and wrong. the entire smart family is elated with the verdict. >> it's real. >> reporter

thanks for joining us. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> edda, i know this is the news that you'veional response from amanda when the judge did make that ruling. she wept. and what we'd like to hear is what your view was of the scene in the courtroom, and what was the first thing amanda said to you? >> well, you know, afterward we weren't able to get too close to her. but we were able to look at her. i told her i loved her and told her to hang on, and she nodded and smiled back at me. and, you know, that's really all we were able to do before they whisked her out of the courtroom, but, yes, it was a very emotional day. >> and obviously, curt, this is news you were waiting to hear. how important is this for your ultimate goal of having the verdict dismissed? >> well, it's really the first step and actually gives us, you know, that much more hope that this particular court will really take a rereview of the examination and, you know, find that this is really a wrongful conviction and allow amanda to come home. >> edda, tell us more about the witness that the judge wants to hear more

edda mellas. ms.g. >> i know you just walked out of the hearing in a break taking place right now. how you would describe what's going on today? >> well, you know, the prosecution in and civil parties again have talked about how they don't want anything reviewed. they think everything needs to stand as it is and they just think it needs to stand. >> how would you assess the way things are going for your daughter? >> you know, it's hard to tell. everybody is listening very attentively. so, you know, we hope that they will choose to really look closer at the lack of evidence in this case so that amanda can come home. >> as you look at your daughter, what goes through your head during these tough times? >> oh, well,s it he' heart breaking to watch her suffer. it's a nightmare. >> kind of put this in perspective for us, what does today's hearing mean, how important is it? >> you know, i think our lawyers are telling it that it's pretty important. that if they open it for review, that that's a good sign. a

all right, edda mellis, a critical -- >> yeah, finally eating. >> exactly.t's the mother in you. eat, eat. >> yeah. eat. >> happy holidays to you and your family over in italy. we'll be watching for more rulings as the independent experts take a look at the case. a crucial ruling this weekend. thanks for joining us. >>> now, other stories are developing this hour. we're going to check in with juju chang. she's tuning in at the news desk. juju? >> good morning, everyone. we begin with those major developments on the korean peninsula. this morning, the north is backing down on its threat to attack the south for carrying out military drills on the disputed border region. now there's news of a new diplomatic deal. clarissa ward is there. >> reporter: good morning, juju. south korea went ahead with its 90-inout drill this morning. while fighter jets roamed the air to fight off a possible attack. on the other side of the board, new mexico governor bill richardson met with top officials. richardson said the north has agreed to let u.n. inspectors visit its main nuc

. >> joining us from perugia, italy, amanda's mother edda mellas. good to see you again. know were you in court over the weekend there in italy. your thoughts this morning. >> well, you know, it gives us some hope. it was a good weekend. it was a good ruling. we've been asking all along that independent people take a look at the dna and now that's been granted. >> how's amanda doing this morning? >> well, she's, you know, definitely feeling a little better. you know, she went back. we were both, you know, all of us were just really relieved by the ruling and she's doing better. >> i know she made an emotional plea in italian to the court when this is all happening and you didn't see that in person but you heard about it. what did you think of that? >> well, i -- i was able to listen to a tape of it and, you know, it's what she's been wanting to do all along. she just really hasn't had the courage. she's terrified of this whole process and it's, you know, it's scary for her to stand up in court but she finally was able to say everything she wanted to say and it was a very

today, edda mellas, is sitting as close as she can behind her. >> it's a very scary time for her.e out. but she's hanging in there. >> reporter: her lawyers are asking for fresh evidence to be submitted, including a jailhouse letter from a convict, giving details of who killed meredith kercher. and a full review of the forensic evidence. knox's lawyers argue that the alleged murder weapon, a kitchen knife. did not have enough traces of her dna. there is nothing placing knox at the murder scene. >> we know absolutely, unequivocally, simply, there was no evidence whatsoever of amanda knox. >> reporter: a court. >>> perugia found knox and her former waif, rafa boyfriend, gu of murder. last week, knox made an emotional speech in italian. her voice cracking several times. she told the court that she was a victim of an enormous mistake. as two judges and six jurors decide on her appeal, knox is prepared to spend another christmas behind bars. >> i gave her her early christmas gift. she got a pair of socks from greece. >> reporter: and amanda knox's mother will not be with her on christm

. >> edda mellas, thanks for joining us this morning. my best to you for the holidays. >> thank you, matt. >>> let's get to other stories for the morning. tamron hall is at the news desk. >> tensions ran high for south korea overnight after concluding 90 minutes of live fire military exercises. pyongyang did not retaliate as expected. the drills were staged by pyongyang island. uk officials say the men have been detained for allegedly preparing to carry out an act of terrorism. >>> dozens are dead after thieves caused a massive oil pipeline to explode in central mexico. officials say at least 13 of the dead were children. homes, cars, and trees were incinerated and rivers of flaming oil gushed through the streets. >>> the justice department is looking to prosecute wikileaks founder julian assange here in the u.s. vice president joe biden said this weekend on meet the press. this is the first open admission that the u.s. attempts to charge assange for leaking sensitive diplomatic cables already in progress. >>> new york senators backing a