on night meredith kercher arrived home.ime after midnight a witness living across the street claimed to hear a scream and multiple footsteps running away from the house in opposite directions. the next day knox says she returned home to shower and change clothes. then she noticed something was wrong. one roommate's room was turned upside down, a rock on the floor and a broken window. meredith kercher's door was locked and she wasn't answering her cell phone. >> i got the phone calls about when she came to her house. amanda kept saying i've gotten ahold of ebb. i can't get ahold of meredith. she's not answering her phone. her door is locked. there was lots of concern. and i said, okay, call the police. and then she did. and the police came. and then they had actually one of the other roommates' boyfriends broke down the door because the police wouldn't do it. >> behind meredith's bedroom door was her body, covered by a blanket, blood everywhere. meredith had been sexually assaulted, stabbed and slashed in the neck. a bloody

when kercher refused they pulled out knives and killed her.i would stick to his instincts despite the forensic evidence. >> you were fix ated, according to the defense, on amanda knox and raffaele sollecito and kept imagining new scenarios that made these two people guilty. >>> it trmpblgts i did what i -- >> i did what i did because i was convinced give be the evidence they were absolutely responsible. >> rudy gaday, the african drifter, was quickly convicted and sent to prison, implicating amanda and raffaele after which his sentence was reduced. in 2009, menini would bring his case against amanda knox and her boyfriend to trial. boring potato chip decoy bag.x now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. host: could switching to or mnsurance?ou fifteen percent dchuckchk wo man: hey you dang woodchks, quit chucking myood! vo: geic fifinutesould save y fifteen percent or more on car insurance. now use the best suncare recommended most by dermatologists. neutrogen

prosecution claimed it was the murder weapon, saying the knife had knox's dna on the handle and kercher's dna on the blade. second, kercher's'sra clasp, found in the bedroom where she was murdered, had sollecito's dna on it. according to prosecutors, it was enough to convict them. knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and sollecito to 25. after the verdict knox's family, stunned and angry, fought their way through a mob of press and local perugians. >> how do you think this whole experience has changed your daughter? >> she was 20 when she walked in here. she was naive, happy, lovely. she's way more cautious. she had to xwroe up, you know, really fast. >> learn some life lessons. >> huge lessons. >> reporter: this week knox was back in court for her appeal, looking fragile and pale. prison life has clearly taken its toll. but then an astonishing revelation. two italian independent experts, assigned by the court to review that dna evidence -- >> [ speaking foreign language ]. >> reporter: -- blasted the findings of the prosecution's star forensic expert. >> these independent experts cam

it's rudy guede, and he's everywhere. >> reporter: guede himself even admitted he was in kercher's roomow knox's family will be watching closely as this final stage of her appeal begins. for "good morning america," i'm elizabeth vargas in perugia, italy. >> and elizabeth will be reporting from perugia on amanda knox's hearing all week. >>> coming up on "good morning america," an extreme crash in an extreme sport, but you won't believe what happened afterward. over the south pacific in 1943. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection and because u.s.a.a.'s commitment to serve the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. u.s.a.a. we know what it means to serve. but they'd rather thy disappear. mott's medleys has two total fruit and veggie servings in every glassss but magically looks and tastes just like the fruit juice ids already love. mott's medleys. invisible vegetables. magical taste. [ male announce

now dna experts are saying that is not kercher's blood.aterial. that's a key link to the homicide blown out of the case on a very important day for amanda knox. >> is this her tibet to freedom or does something else need to happen for her to get out of jail? >> the italian system is very complicated and very different from the american system. that's a harder question to answer than it might be in the united states. in the u.s., a jury hears the case. then when it goes up on appeal, the judges decide whether the law was applied properly or not. in italy, you kind of start the trial over again. each appellate court can call witnesses, hire their own experts. the case gets retried. these experts, dna experts, were independently appointed by the court. they are the ones now who have discredited the dna evidence. the big thing she's left with, it's the dangerous thing for amanda knox, is what the italians call her confession, although many people say it's not like a confession. it's more like a statement. because she never really admittedo the

knox, sollecito and a third man were convicted and sent to jail for kercher's murder. >>> nato warplanescarried out strikes on libyan transmitters last night. they used state-of-the-art precision guided munitions. nato says three satellite transmission dishes were disabled by the air strike in tripoli. reports indicate up to a dozen explosions rocked the libyan capital. >>> to china where family and friends of the victims of last week's train crash will pay last respects today. 40 people died a week ago today when a high-speed train crossing a bridge was derailed by a lightning strike and another train slammed into it from behind. a chinese railway official blamed the crash on design flaws in the equipment that failed to flash and correct signals after that lightning strike. >>> in northern japan, flooding and landslide warnings for areas including the tsunami disaster zone. in parts of fukushima, more than 25 inches of rain have fallen since wednesday. more than 10,000 people were ordered to relocate after a dike collapsed. more than 1, 00 acres of farmland along with roads, homes and a

knox, her former boyfriend, and another man were convicted of murdering meredith kercher back in 2007. >>> family members and supporters of two american hikers detained in iran rallied outside the country's mission to the united nations yesterday. they are calling for the release of josh fattal and shane bauer. the two men were scheduled to have a final trial on espionage charges tomorrow. sarah shourd was released in september of 2010 after 410 days in solitary confinement. >>> held without bond. the muslim u.s. army private who authorities say admits to a plot to bomb a restaurant popular with fort hood soldiers. naser jason abbo is charged with possession of an unstructured destructive device. he refused to stand when the judge entered the courtroom yesterday. abdo later shouted an apparent reference to the muslim soldier charged with the deadly shooting spree in fort hood back in 2009. >>> along the texas coast, a lot of disappointment after what was once tropical storm don made landfall. it came ashore as a tropical depression. but it wasn't the rainmaker folks were hoping for. m

forensic experts rejected crucial dna evidence to prove she stabbed her roommate meredith kercher toe say that the claspp on kercher's bra was left at the crime scene for more than a month and then collected with dirty gloves. keith miller has more from peru ja. keith? >> well, there was a chip into the prosecution case today and in the courtroom there was an audible gasp when they showed the videos of the slides of the police procedures at the scene of the crime, and the policemen kicking it across the floor and others picking up evidence with dirty gloves an none of them wearing hairnets which are protocols for the international gathering of crime evidence and some of it written by the united states department of justice. but the most crucial part of the testimony concerned the alleged murder weapon that was retrieved allegedly at knox's boyfriend. there was some protocol of the handle of the knife, but no dna material whatsoever on the blade. the prosecution introduced that as evidence in the first trial, and it weighed heavily on the jury when they convicted knox of murder. also

testify to the dna material found on the knife allegedly used to murder knox's roommate, meredith kercher, an exchange student from england, was insufficient to reach a verdict of guilty. >> the truth is now finally coming out. i think it takes some pressure off of all of us. and so i think maybe we're all -- i think amanda put it well. we're all just breathing a little easier. >> reporter: and another key piece of evidence. dna allegedly matching knox's former boyfriend found on a bloody bra clasp is reportedly too contaminated to evaluate. the 24-year-old from seattle, washington, just celebrated her fourth birthday behind bars. with a cappacino shared with fellow inmates. >> she's definitely more hopeful she will be spending christmases and everything from now on at home. >> reporter: in the closing stages of the trial, the defense team will also raise the issue of motive. the prosecution originally claimed this crime was linked to a sex game gone wrong. but it was never proved in court. the fallback motive that knox murdered her roommate in a jealous rage seems to have fallen flat. th

amanda knox was convicted of killing meredith kercher in 2007 but insists she didn't do it. a forensic expert testified today that no dna was found on the alleged murder weapon. which is a kitchen knife. that contradicts testimony by forensic police experts during her trial. after today's session, the court adjourned till september 5th. >>> it's hard to believe when you look at this, but the 163 passengers and crew aboard this caribbean airlines plane are okay today. the boeing 737 was unable to stop after it landed at an airport in georgetown, guyana on a flight that originated in new york. the plane careened into a grassy patch and broke in two. several passengers were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries. >>> meet the latest british royal newlyweds. queen elizabeth's granddaughter zara phillips tied the knot with the rugby player mike tindall in edenburg today. prince harry, the mother of the bride were among the guests at the private ceremony. tonight, there is a reception at queen elizabeth's palace in scotland and in something of a royal precedent, zara phill

kercher is back in court. independent forensic experts are taking the stand in her appeal trial. they'll be cross examined by the prosecution after dropping a bombshell in court the experts testified the team mishandled the case. >>> back with you at the top of the hour with more live news. but, right now, hand it over to the money folks. >>> we know america's debt ceiling but do you know yours? good morning, everyone. i'm ali velshi. christine romans is off this week. from your credit card debt to your home and car loans your child's education and your retirement, how close are you to reaching your financial limit? we tell you what you can do now to avoid defaulting on your bills. the latest rage on twitter is the rage against washington. can we still trust our politicians to do what's right for the country? and this one i love, meet america's future leaders. they are girls aged 13 through 17, and they have just schooled the boys at the first google science fair. wait until you hear what inventions got them to the top. we begin with the debt ceiling. while washington continues t

. >> reporter: farmers like david kercher, whose family has worked this land for a century, are frantically pulling tarps over precious harvest, compressing it, working round the clock. all to get the cotton off the plant. is it all hands on deck for you? >> yeah, oh, yeah. you got to get what you can and get out. >> reporter: and praying the rain and wind hold off, anything left on the plant. >> it goes into the ground. >> you lose it. >> yeah. you lose it, yeah. >> reporter: but almost everybody else in texas, folks like feed store owner david deirlam, hoping for the just opposite. >> in this case, everybody has been praying for something like this. this is ideally something that could do real good for south texas. >> reporter: a state suffering through its worst drought since records began in 1895, easily dry enough to meet the definition of a desert. in fact, texas would be the world's seventh largest. it seems both sides will get what they don't want. the folks who wanted rain, this is going to bring about one to three inches. the folks who harvested their cotton, it's already picked.

knox was convicted in the 2007 death of her roommate meredith kercher. much of today's debate centered around a kitchen knife prosecutors believed was the weapon. they maintained knox's dna was on the handle and kercher's on the blade, but independent experts told the court this week the knife was not properly kept, saying the dna on the blade was below the minimum necessary for tests to be considered reliable. >>> california's presidential primary is moving from february to june next year to save the state money. governor brown signed a bill yesterday, making it official. it's expected to save california $100 million. the move now means the state-wide primary and presidential primary will take place on the same day. back in 2008, california tried to increase its political clout by moving its presidential primary to super tuesday in february. >>> a new political ad targeting identity theft is hitting bay area radio, and it's already generating controversy. >> i just got back from the supermarket and those pushy signature gatherers are back. >> i even rea

the second thing is the knife that is alleged to have killed meredith kercher. has been found on the handle of that knife and blood was found on the blade of that knife. what the defense is arguing is that the blood was so teeny tiny, it was so small that there weren't even enough cells to do a proper dna test to definitively identify it as the victim's. amanda knox and her family are really hoping that independent dna and forensic expert says, you know what? this is not going to be admissible. technically, they handled the dna incorrectly. therefore, it may not stand in court. they are keeping their fingers crossed that this flies. and this is the only window of possibility, they say, that could -- could see her released. kyra? >> keep us updated, zain. thanks. >>> faa, as you know, is temporarily shut down and is impacting ticket prices. let's talk about how it is affecting our wallet, alan. >> there's so much congress can't agree on these days, including funding for the faa. as you said, the agency is now partially shut down for thousands of faa workers and 3

night of meredith kercher's murder. on monday gaday himself took the witness stand claiming those inmates were lying. after his testimony knox once again stood in court, professing her innocence. the appeal is not expected to the appeal is not expected to conclude until the fall. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> it happened in the dark of night. a wrong turn down a dead end road. it would end up costing him 17 years in prison. >> there's no way i could have committed that crime. >> a state bureau of investigation crime lab withheld evidence that could have set him free. >> floyd brown spent 14 years locked up for a crime he didn't commit. >> was there any evidence whatsoever linking him to the crime? >> no. the only thing that puts floyd in this case at all is the fictional confession. >> i think over the last 20 years, a culture has developed at the sbi that basically the ends justify the means. >> you'd hope these were isolated incidents. the more we dug the more we found that wasn't the case. >> you never an

in 2007 knox and her then boyfriend were found guilty of murdering meredith kercher.e local drifter rudy goday were found guilty. independent experts found the samples of knox and kercher's dna on the alleged murder weapon were too small to be reliable and the way in which evidence was collected could have been contaminated. police bagged it with dirty gloves on. this is a key turning point in the case. >> we've been optimistic because amanda has told us the truth, that the truth will be assessed in the trial and the justice will prevail. >> reporter: amanda's family has rising hope this could lead to their daughter's release. prosecutors if they fail to undermine that dna evidence from those experts, obviously it will raise hopes for amanda's family she will be freed on appeal when this case resumes in september after the summer recess. >> nick piza from "the daily mail" in london thank you. >>> this morning we spoke with amanda knox's mother and asked her about her hope that her daughter's conviction could be overturned. >> i hope today everything remains clear ther

the two were convicted of murdering meredith kercher, an exchange student from england, based largelypolice. by on scientific review, the alleged murder weapon was found not to contain dna material from the victim, as the prosecution contended. police forensic teams were accused of shoddy work, that resulted in what the experts called a bungled case. that testimony, according to a leading criminal attorney in rome appears to seriously undermine the prosecution's case. >> it is a tremendous, tremendous advantage and victory for the defense, for amanda knox, because for an appellate court to request a review of the evidence means that the appellate court has already made an initial determination that the evidence used to convict amanda in trial level was flawed. >> reporter: the prosecution in rebuttal attempted to discredit the forensic scientist, drawing a warning from the judge. knox's defense team perhaps sensing a victory declined to request the experts. the knox family were cautious but optimistic. >> i'm really hopeful it will just become even clearer that the way the evidence wa

specifically, the dna material found on the knife allegedly used to murder knox' roommate, meredith kercher there was dna from knox on the handle and dna from the victim on the blade. on monday, forensic scientists are expected to testify that the dna material was insufficient to reach a verdict of guilty. >> everything's turned. the truth is now finally coming out. you know, i think it takes some pressure off of all of us. so i think maybe -- i think amanda put it well, we're all breathing a little easier. >> in the closing stages of the trial, the defense team will also raise the issue of motive. the prosecution originally claimed this was a crime linked to a sex game gone wrong. but that theory was never proved. and the fallback motive that knox murdered her roommate in a jealous rage has fallen flat. this week's testimony could reveal in the most dramatic way if an innocent person has been wrongly convicted. if the testimony swings knox' way, she still won't be free because the italians take the month of august off. so we're not expecting a final verdict from the appeals judge until som

amanda knox was convicted of killing meredith kercher in 2007 but insists she didn't do it. forensic expert testified today that no dna was found on the alleged murder weapon. which is a kitchen knife. that contradicts testimony by forensic police experts during her trial. after today's session, the court adjourned till september 5th. >>> it's hard to believe when you look at this, but the 163 passengers and crew aboard this caribbean airlines plane are okay today. the boeing 737 was unable to stop after it landed at an airport in georgetown, guyana on a flight that originated in new york. the plane careened into a grassy patch and broke in two. several passengers were taken to the hospital with only minor injuries. >>> meet the latest british royal newlyweds. queen elizabeth's granddaughter zara phillips tied the knot with the rugby player mike tindall in edenburg today. prince harry, the mother of the bride were among the guests at the private ceremony. tonight, there is a reception at queen elizabeth's palace in scotland and in something of a royal precedent, zara phillip

specifically, the dna material found on the knife, allegedly used to murder knox's roommate, meredith kercher exland. the prosecution claimed there was dna from knox on the handle and dna from the victim on the blade. on monday, forensic scientists are expected to testify that the dna material was insufficient to reach a verdict of guilty. >> everything's turned. the truth is now finally coming out. you know, i think it takes some pressure off of all of us and i think maybe we're all -- i think amanda put it well, we're all breathing a little easier. >> reporter: in the closing stages of the trial the defense team will raise the issue of motive. the prosecution originally claimed this was a crime linked to a sex game gone wrong. but that theory was never proved and the fallback motive, that knox murdered her roommate in a jealous rage, has fallen flat. this week's testimony could reveal in the most dramatic way if an innocent person has been wrongly convicted. even if the testimony swings knox's way that doesn't mean she'll immediately be set free because the italians will take their annual a

boyfriend raffaello sollecito and a third man were charged in the stabbing death of her roommate meredith kercherg-fueled evening, a sex game gone wrong. in 2009 knox was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison, sollecito to 25. back in court for her appeal earlier this week, the 24-year-old knox looked fragile and pale. but then that shocking testimony regarding g y forensic evidence on the victim's bra clasp said to contain dna of sollecito and on the alleged murder weapon, a kitchen knife said to contain knox's dna. >> these independede experts came forward saying there is no evidence on the knife. this little bra clasp also had no evidence of dna of the young man. >> reporter: not only no blood or dna, but strict international guidelines for collecting dna were apparently violated. >> taking away the material evidence destroys the case, and i don't think that they can go very much further with it. >> reporter: for amanda her freedom may very well not be a question of if but when. >> i was able to speak to the priest in jail who was there when she heard the news. he said, "you could see

knox is serving 26 years in prison for the murder of her british roommate, meredith kercher. >>> wellrs and supporters of two american hikers detained in iran rallied outside the country's mission to the united nations today. they're calling for the release of josh fattal and sean bauer nearly two years after they were arrested by iranian forces. and the two men are scheduled to have a final hearing on espionage charges tomorrow. meanwhile, bauer's fiancee, sarah shourd, you saw her in the video, was released in september of 2010 after 400 days in solitary confinement. >>> and the army private who admits to bomb a restaurant popular with army soldiers is being held without bond. naser abdo is charged with possession of an unregistered destructive twice. he didn't help his case by refusing to stand when the judge entered the courtroom yesterday. abdo later shouted an apparent reference to the muslim charge charged with a deadly shooting spree of ft. hoot back in 2009. >>> also in texas, they waited and they even prayed for a storm, but tropical storm don was a big washout. it fizzled b

boyfriend, and another man were convicted of the 2007 murder of knox's british roommate, meredith kercherso in texas, the muslim army deserter accused of planning to bomb a restaurant near ft. hood is being held without bond at an undisclosed location. police believe naser abdo was planning a second ft. hood massacre. >>> also in washington, d.c., lawmakers wrangle over triggers as the stalemate over the debt ceiling intensifies. mitch mcconnell wants a greater white house presence in the negotiations. >>> all right. the world of politics right now is all about the debt ceiling and whether leaders in washington can find a solution. in remarks yesterday, president obama tried to point out areas of agreement. >> keep in mind, this is not a situation where the two parties are miles apart. we're in rough agreement about how much spending can be cut responsibly as a first step toward reducing our deficit. we agree on a process where the next step is a debate in the coming months on tax reform and entitlement reform. and i'm ready and willing to have that debate. >> well, not everybody agrees t

case and was used to convict knox and her former boyfriend of murdering her roommate, meredith k kercherse of dna on the alleged murder weapon, a kitchen knife, contended.secution cc1: that new finding, according to a leader criminal attorney in rome, appears to seriously undermine the prosecution's case. >> if i were reviewing this from an american point of view, i would say most definitely it looks like a slam dunk. >> reporter: the knox family remains optimistic, but upset judicial delays in the appeal mean knox will spend another summer behind bars. the judges adjourned the trial until september 5th and then come back for at least a half dozen more sessions. by the way, lester, he is able to give three different rulings at the end of this. he can find amanda knox not guilty and overturn the conviction and impose a harsher sentence if new evidence arrives or in the end he could actually reduce her sentence. lester? >> keith miller, thank you. >>> so how is amanda holding up after this pivotal week in her defense and how is her family feeling about last week's promising testimony? we'r

remember it was based on dna evidence on the knife and also dna evidence on a clasp on merideth kercher's claim that evidence is not at all what it appeared to be. >> that's right, in fact for two years every single expert in the united states that looked at this evidence, including dna experts and top criminal tpho criminal ol gists said it wasn't the results of error, but that it amounted to deliberate fraud. i just learned today that og magazine is about to publish an allegation that that key piece of evidence that bra clasp was completely fraudulent, and that to prevent these independent experts from reanalyzing it the prosecutors allowed that bra clasp to rust, and then they claimed that the evidence was no good, that it was destroyed and not good as evidence. but these independent experts retested it any way and discovered that there was no dna on it at all. that there is none. martha: it's shocking but it raises the question, why? why would they go to these lengths to cover up or obfuscate the evidence, why would they want to convict her, if she and her former boyfriend weren't gui

the two were convicted of murdering knox's roommate, meredi meredi meredi meredith kercher, an exchangeer weapon was found not to contain dna material from the victim, as the prosecution contended. police forensic teams were accused of shoddy work that resulted in what the experts called a bungled case. that testimony, according to a leading criminal attorney in rome, appears to seriously undermine the prosecution's case. >> it is a tremendous, tremendous advantage and victory for amanda knox. because for an appellate court to request a review of the evidence means that the appellate court has already made an initial determination that the evidence used to convict amanda in trial level was flawed. >> reporter: the prosecution in rebuttal attempted to discredit the scientists, drawing a warning from the judge. the knox family were cautious, but optimistic. >> i'm really hopeful that it will just become even clearer that the way the evidence was handled was, you know, inappropriate, and that this has all been a big mistake and two innocent people have been locked up. >> reporter: the appe