matt is in perugia this morning. hey, matt. >> how are you ann?sorry, fighting the sun a little bit. coming up, much more of our emotional interview with et etta mellis and curt knox. also we'll give you a lay of the land in the courtroom and show you where the key players are situated while this appeal is ongoing and also take to you a house that has now become one of the most infamous crime scenes in all of italy. coming up soon. ann? >> thanks a lot, matt. >>> also ahead we'll hear from the key witness who took center stage in the trial of michael jackson's doctor on thursday and also what he told the court could bolster the prosecution's case so in a moment we'll have exclusive live interview with a member of dr. murray's defense team but first we want to get a full report now on what happened yesterday from nbc's jeff rossen with the latest. jeff, good morning to you. >> ann, good to see new los angeles. seems like every single day there's a new big headline coming out of the trial in the court behind us. the latest one comes from michael jac

monique minlaveen, perugia, italy, for cbs news. >>> back in this country. a florida man accused of killing a police officer was executed last night. manuel valua shot the officer at a traffic stop. he was the first florida prisoner executed with a new mix of lethal drugs. >>> in arizona, federal judge has ruled that alleged shooter in the tucson shooting rampage jared loughner may one day be mentally competent to stand trial. love loughner pleaded not guilty. he had been found mentally unfit for trial but, yesterday, experts testified loughner's mental health can be restored. >>> it appears president obama's health care overhaul is headed to the supreme court. several lower courts have dismissed parts of the law. the administration is appealing a ruling by an atlanta court which struck down a requirement that all americans must buy health insurance. >>> just ahead on the "morning news," a wild shoot-out caught on tape. >>> plus, it's a twister somewhere you don't really expect. this is the "cbs morning news." d to recovery. proper nutrition can help you get

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 see her wincing periodically. it was very tough for her. what i find very hard to believe is how th

mean while i am matt lauer in perugia, italy, this morning, covering the murder conviction appeal of amanda knox. ann curry is some 6,000 miles away in los angeles, where she is covering the involuntary manslaughter case of michael jackson's personal physician, conrad murray. samantha guthrie and al roker and natalie morales are holding down the fort in new york city. nice to see everybody. 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

is at the courthouse and joins us now, live, in perugia.? >> reporter: prosecutors are giving their best shot, josh. arguing that amanda knox could stay behind bars for the rest of her life. they're defending their investigation, and pleading with the judge and jury not to discount this very disputed dna evidence. to clarify, it is two independent court-appointed experts who concluded that the dna evidence was contaminated or nonexistent. the same experts say that the knife that the prosecutor says was the murder weapon, likely was not. the prosecutor said, please don't overturn this conviction. if you do, amanda knox will flee abroad and justice will not be served. of course, the defense gets to get up and make its case, as well. josh, back to you. >> indeed. elizabeth vargas in perugia, back to you. >>> and now, to a terrifying ordeal for a 6-year-old boy in boca raton, florida. he tripped and fell below a car. people had to lift the car off of the boy. doctors had to reattach his year. but doctors said the little guy is otherwise doing o

edda, every christmas, every summer, every spring break, you've been there in perugia.t feel like maybe the beginning of the end to you? >> you know, it really does. i think we're more hopeful now than we've ever been. and a lot of people here are telling us don't worry, it's going great, you're going to take her home. so, it's nice to hear that from a lot of people. >> when was the last time you got a chance to talk to amanda? >> i talked to her briefly today in court. i was just able to tell her, you know, i love her, to ask her how she was doing and tell her to hang in there. other than that, i think i had -- i talked to her on the phone last saturday. >> how does -- i mean, how does she appear to you? how does it seem like she's holding up? because your husband has said she's allowing herself a little bit of hope. >> she is. she is. she's amazing. i don't know how she does it. she's obviously stressed. today was horrible. you know, listening to really terrible lies about her, about the case. and she just had to sit and listen, you know, to it. and it obviously cause

edda, every christmas, every summer, every spring break, you've been there in perugia.e beginning of the end to you? >> you know, it really does. i think we're more hopeful now than we've ever been. and a lot of people here are telling us don't worry, it's going great, you're going to take her home. so, it's nice to hear that from a lot of people. >> when was the last time you got a chance to talk to amanda? >> i talked to her briefly today in court. i was just able to tell her, you know, i love her, to ask her how she was doing and tell her to hang in there. other than that, i think i had -- i talked to her on the phone last saturday. >> how does -- i mean, how does she appear to you? how does it seem like she's holding up? because your husband has said she's allowing herself a little bit of hope. >> she is. she is. she's amazing. i don't know how she does it. she's obviously stressed. today was horrible. you know, listening to really terrible lies about her, about the case. and she just had to sit and listen, you know, to it. and it obviously caused a lot of stress. b

edda, every christmas, every summer, every spring break, you've been there in perugia. maybe the beginning of the end to you? >> you know, it really does. i think we're more hopeful now than we've ever been. and a lot of people here are telling us don't worry, it's going great, you're going to take her home. so, it's nice to hear that from a lot of people. >> when was the last time you got a chance to talk to amanda? >> i talked to her briefly today in court. i was just able to tell her, you know, i love her, to ask her how she was doing and tell her to hang in there. other than that, i think i had -- i talked to her on the phone last saturday. >> how does -- i mean, how does she appear to you? how does it seem like she's holding up? because your husband has said she's allowing herself a little bit of hope. >> she is. she is. she's amazing. i don't know how she does it. she's obviously stressed. today was horrible. you know, listening to really terrible lies about her, about the case. and she just had to sit and listen, you know, to it. and it obviously caused a lot of

. >> reporter: amanda chose to study in perugia, italy, a small town in the center of the country.of 2007 amanda and her sister, deanna, traveled there to get her settled. on the very first day in town deanna found amanda a place to live. >> we were walking around, and the first thing amanda did of course was go down to her university. so we walked down there, and she went inside and i sat outside, and this girl came up and was posting something on the fence right next to where i was sitting, and i looked over, and it said -- all i could read, because i don't speak aitalian, was "apartmento." >> and that was the apartment. >> mm-hmm. that was it. >> reporter: once set new delhi perugia, amanda seemed to be living her dream. >> the first set of pictures she ever sent me were of the little house that she had found. you know, and i was kind of looking at her going, you have that kind of a view out of your back yard? you know, and it was really, you know -- i was very happy for her. >> reporter: and just eight days before meredith's murder amanda met a boy. an italian student named raf

charlie d'agata in perugia this morning for us. there's been so much attention paid to this case and specifically to this appeal, whether or not things could turn around. joining us is retired fbi agent steve moore, who's done his own investigation of meredith kercher's murder, has followed this case very closely. steve, good to have you with us this morning. what's fascinating is that initially you looked at this and you said, yeah, amanda knox is guilty. and then you did a little digging. what changed your mind? >> well, my initial belief that she was guilty was simply my confidence in fellow officers around the world. if they said she was guilty and if they said they had the knife and if they said she bought bleach, then obviously, the evidence was there. when i looked at the evidence, when i saw the crime scene and realized no bleach had ever been used to clean that crime scene, when i saw that the knife was too big to have inflicted the wounds they say it inflicted, and then i knew that the prosecutor was still saying these th

. >> reporter: amanda knox came to perugia to study italian four years ago.eeks after her arrival, meredith kercher was brutally killed. amanda and her boyfriend raphael la sollecito were later arrested. they were convicted of murder after a year long trial in 2009. knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison. sollecito to 25 years. the verdict devastated her family. >> guys, move. move! >> anger. and just disbelief on how a judicial system could even come up with a verdict like this. >> this is completely unjust and i'm in complete shock. >> how will you continue to do this, kurt. this has cost you a fortune. >> we'll figure it out. she will not be left here. >> reporter: two years later, they are hopeful. for the first time this epic legal battle seems to be going their way. >> we've always known amanda is innocent. the light has always been on at the end of the tunnel. now it's shining even brighter. >> reporter: during knox's appeal, the two court appointed experts reviewed key dna evidence used to convict them. a kitchen knife the prosecution claims has kno

here in perugia, it is the murder conviction appeal of amanda knox.u inside the courtroom, to the crime scene, and we'll have a very emotional interview with her parents. >>> we're also live in los angeles at the scene of the trial of michael jackson's personal physician. then a remarkable story to tell you. a father rescued by his family members six days after he drove a car off a mountain road. his children will share that story with us. >>> so coming up on a friday, we've got a split edition from italy and los angeles and new york sbas well. starting in just a couple of minutes. back to you. >> matt, looking forward to it. thanks so much. have a great weekend. >>> time 6:39. 62 degrees. coming up, how councilman >>> happy friday, everyone. take a look at that hot pink on the horizon. it's a gorgeous looking sky. one of the best starts i've seen in a long time. we're at 62 degrees right now. we'll see a high today of 74. probably getting up to about 66 at 9:00 a.m. breezy today, though. it will be dry with clouds increasing. we could have a few ligh

edda mellas, are both in italy right now for the appeals trial, and they're joining us live from perugiagood morning to you both. kurt, i want to begin with you. what was your daughter's reaction to the prosecutor asking for a tougher sentence? was she surprised by this? >> actually, no, it was something that they asked for in the first trial and didn't receive, so, you know, obviously it's a bit of astonishment when someone wants to have you spend the rest of your life behind bars, but she was prepared for it. >> and, edda, this has really come down to all or nothing. you could either be taking your daughter home in just a matter of days as a free woman, or you could be seeing her face a lifetime in prison. how are you coping with this? >> well, we're doing the same thing we've done all along. you know, every day we reassure amanda that she will get out of there, that it's going well and tell her to hang on and we just have to hope for the best. but she knows that we won't stop fighting until she's out of there. >> kurt, i know next week your daughter's defense team will be delivering t

keith miller, nbc news, perugia. >>> up next here tonight, after days after watching and waiting, it's here. but where is it? >>> after days of hysteria, we can all rest a bit easier. a decommissioned nasa satellite plunged back to earth today. thankfully it didn't land on anyone's house or anyone's head, for that matter. here's nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: for 21 years, it was a speck in the night's side. the upper atmosphere research satellite was a hero to some scientists. >> it was really a star of the earth observation program. >> reporter: but last night, after orbiting the earth nearly 80,000 times, somewhere over the remote north pacific, nasa's workhorse became space junk. >> it's the size of a school bus, i think it was? >> there it is. >> reporter: that orange and white dot captured over san diego was all that most people saw of that school bus. in fact, there is a lot of space debris that breaks up and falls to earth. on average, there's about a piece every single day. the thing is, though, it's got to be either very, very big or very, very precise to get any notoriety. >>

cnn's paula newton is live for us in perugia, italy.hat knox should be set free, after all this? >> reporter: you know, two very important things. joe, the first thing they did was point to what amanda's father was saying, look, there's no evidence here. any evidence that there was was botched by a very shoddy police investigation, and there is nothing to link amanda knox to this mur murder. they hit on motive. the prosecution never made it clear there ever was one, they changed their mine. defense's words they created fantasy around this. but the or crucial thing they did, joe, was try to present a young woman who was terrified, they said she was crucified in the media and that that is the reason that she findse herself n the mess today. defense lawyers describing them, how they feel about her, saying they're treating her like their own daughter, she was a mere child, a baby, when she came to this town, and that her rights were violated by police and investigators when she was questioned about this murder. crucial, though, joe, what's

in 2009, two years after kercher's partially clad body was found dead in the house they shared in perugiaevidence they used in the trial has been called into question. without the ability to retest, prosecutors are left with little tying knox to the crime. how was she convicted in the first place? that's really a good question to ask. critics say it was a badly handled investigation by a prosecutor who rushed to judgment. his name is guiliano mennini. earlier this year drew griffin of cnn special investigations unit traveled to perugia with a rare interview with minnini that revealed the weakness in his case and mistake and arrest of amanda knox's boss, though he was working at his bar the night of the murder. here's drew's report. >> reporter: police apparently didn't bother to check the facts about lamumba. they immediately arrested amanda knox, rafael, and lamumba for the murder of meredith kercher. announcing to the public, case solved. the prosecutor admitted to us even without any evidence he knew almost the moment he arrived and laid eyes on amanda knox and rafael sollicito, they w

. >>> and the clock is ticking down on the amanda knox case in perugia, italy.he defense has wrapped up its final arguments, insisting that knox was wrongfully convicted of murder and there's no evidence against her. today, prosecutors will have a chance to offer a rebuttal. then, on monday, amanda knox will deliver her own personal statement to the court when she will ask to be set free. >>> nba players and owners get together today, in a last-ditch effort to ensure that the basketball season will start on time. both sides are committed to talking through the weekend if that's what it takes. but they're still far apart on two, big issues. salaries and the players' guarantee of basketball-related income. >>> and we learned this morning that lakers star, kobe bryant, has inked a deal to play in italy if there's a lockout. 3 million bucks for 40 days work. we're in the wrong business. >>> more sports from espn news. >> i'm don bell with your espn news update. undefeated south florida taking on pittsburgh. second quarter we go. pitt trails 14-13. first and ten from

paula hancocks is in perugia, italy.ell us what happened today in court. >> reporter: an emotional day in court with the defense taking another crack at this, randi. they were very passionate saying amanda knox was crucified by the media and aided and abetted by a prosecution that they say made up a story about why and how amanda knox murdered meredith kercher and more to that they tried to pick apart the evidence saying it was botched from the beginning, from the police, they didn't know what they were doing, they contaminated any evidence that there was and they continue to portray amanda knox as an innocent young woman from the united states, a mere baby, they said, who didn't know any italian and was tricked into giving some sort of a confession with no lawyer present. to add to all this though, randi, the defense knows that what they had to do was make sure that they pick apart the evidence primarily but then also point out that there was no motive. i want you to hear now from not only amanda knox's defense but then

matthew chance is live in perugia, italy. tell us about what happened in court today.porter: he had quite a lot to say. he was, first of all, showing the jewelry, images that are very gruesome of meredith kercher's body. he showed those photographs to the jury, obviously attempting to pull at their heart strings, to get them to basically vote to uphold this conviction for murder against amanda knox and her former boyfriend. he also said that the kercher family backs the forensic findings and the forensic work done originally by the police here in perugia. that's where authorities have been discredited by independent experts who have been called in by the court to examine the methodology used by the police. so these were all attempts again by the lawyer representing the family of meredith kercher to convince that jury to uphold the murder sentence against amanda knox and her former boyfriend. >> and matthew, who was it who made this comment about amanda knox being a she-devil? >> reporter: he's the lawyer representing another sort of character in this case, a guy who's

. >> reporter: in the final days of her appeal trial in perugia, italy, 24-year-old american amanda knox is once again causing a media sensation. with nearly all the evidence used to convict knox in the first trial either dismissed or discredited besieged prosecutor giuliano mignini painted knox and her former boyfriend raffaele sollecito as cold blooded killers. the prosecutor told the jury that knox and sollecito avoided looking at gruesome photos he presented in court of the victim meredith kercher suggesting that proved they must be killers. curt knox is amanda's father. >> he really was focused on everything but physical evidence. the physical evidence at least from my point of view would show that they had no participation in this horrific crime. >> reporter: knox and sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing meredith kercher. the prosecutor claimed it was a group sex game gone bad. but earlier this year, a team of forensic experts concluded that the d.n.a. evidence linking knox and sollecito to the scene didn't meet any standard of reliability. bob graham is an inves investige r

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nbc's keith miller is live in perugia, italy. keith, which character?becoming a courtroom drama made for television. today one of the defense attorneys came up and said that amanda knox has actually been misrepresented by the prosecution, that she's not some she-devil witch as described yesterday, but more like jessica rabbit, i'm not bad, i'm just drawn that way. the defense lawyer said amanda knox was a young woman in love and not democrated and did not devote her life to alcohol, sex and drugs. so really trying to present a different character than what we heard yesterday. also the defense today went after the dna which, of course, had been discredited by an independent panel of forensic scientists and so basically the defense lawyer for her co-defendant raffaele sollecito, a and it has been thrown out and they showed bloody footprints which they said could not have belonged to the defendant and belonged to the man convicted of the kercher killing. the case today, trying to bolster the fact that there is not that much evidence and certainly not enoug

she's live in perugia. a decision expected monday morning. >> that is going to be a big day. >>> also, a big exclusive for all you "modern family" fans out there. you know it's our faisst show. and this is really special. each week, we're going to give our "gma" family a sneak peek at the next "modern family." and you can only see it right here. >> that's ahead. >>> and we're going to get to day two of the trial of dr. conrad murray, who was by michael jackson's side when he died in 2009. abc's jim avila has been tracking the brand new developments from los angeles. good morning, jim. >> reporter: good morning, robin. prosecutors wasted no time, taking the jury and the world inside the crime scene, with firsthand accounts from those who watched the struggle to save and revive a dying michael jackson, while his children wailed in the hallway. again, we remind you, some of these images are graphic. it's 12:13 p.m., the day of michael jackson's death. the king of pop's bedroom, littered with oxygen tanks, an i

it's night time and there's no hearings on wednesday here in perugia, thursday is when amanda knox'sawyers will put out their version of events as to what they think will happen. it's been told to us as well, we could have an end to this trial, a decision by the court as early as saturday afternoon or saturday evening. so they brought that forward a few days as well. this might be coming to an end sooner than we otherwise thought. >> matthew chance in perugia italy, thank you. a lot happening still at that trial. and certainly a lot still happening in the trial of dr. conrad murray, michael jackson's physician. we'll return you to this trial after this very quick break. >>> welcome back to our live coverage here in los angeles, i'm randi kaye, we've been watching the trial of dr. conrad murray and the prosecution has now finished its opening statement for the day. they are in a short recess. so i'm joined once again by well known california defense attorney michael cardoza, thanks for joining us on this day. >> you're welcome. >> you and i have been watching the opening statements so

and joins us again this morning from perugia. >> reporter: good morning, robin.x seemed more tense than i've seen her. her family have flown in from the united states to support her. she looks thin. her mother says she looks like she hasn't been sleeping. for the first time, people in italy say she could be free within days, after spending four years behind bars for a crime she says she did not commit. amanda knox was led into the courtroom today, looking tense and somber, with her entire family gathered in perugia together for the first time. she was convicted three years ago of killing her british roommate. they're as hopeful as they've ever been. >> i've always tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel. now, the opening's there. >> reporter: hopeful because, for the first time, this legal battle finally seems to be going their way. during the appeal this summer, two independent experts reviewed key dna evidence, used to convict knox and her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito. a kitchen knife and a bra clasp. and opened serious questions about the prose

in court for today's proceedings, amanda's father kurt knox and he joins me now live from perugia, italycision, no new dna testing can be done. your reaction. and what does this mean for your daughter's appeal? >> well, first of all, it was very good news for amanda. and i think, really, it shows that the court asked for an independent review of the forensic evidence. and it came back very favorable towards amanda, which is what we were expecting based on what our defense experts had been telling us. so i think it's hopefully a step that will allow her to come home by the end of the month. >> the judge also said no to questioning the independent witnesses in the dna. i know you've been in touch with your daughter. how is she reacting to this? how is she handling this? >> well, she's handling it a step at a time. even during the first trial during the closing arguments it was crystal clear to us she had nothing to do with us. and then to have it go wrong with the guilty verdict. she's kind of taking it step by step. but it was definitely a move in a positive direction, and we're going to

knox is in perugia, serving a life sentence for the murder of her roommate.yfriend is serving 25 years for the killing. it hinges on the dna found on the alleged murder weapon. two court-appointed attorneys say that evidence is invalid. >>> a chilling letter from the missing indiana university student. this monday marks three months since lauren spierer. volunteers have organized massive searches for the 20-year-old and to date, police do not know what happened to her. lauren's mother, charlene, released the following letter through her twitter account. addressed to the person or persons who know what happened to lauren. here are some of the more poignant excerpts. to whom this may concern, let me begin by introducing myself. although i am sure you know who i am. i am charlene spierer, lauren's mother. perhaps we have met. you are responsible for lauren's disappearance, you know where she is. you are guilty of a heinous crime. that you know. now for what you don't know. you don't know what it's like to call your wife, knowing you will deliver news which will

nbc's chapman bell is live for us in perugia, it laly with the latest. >> reporter: today in court it picked up more or less as it ended in the last set of sessions before a month-long summer recess, and that was an attack on this independent forensic report by -- appointed by the appeals judge. the attack came from the prosecution and from the families, meredith kercher's family's lawyer, in the courtroom, attacking the statements made by these independent forensic experts who have pointed out more than 50 breaches of international forensic protocols made in the original trial. they've stated that there was sloppy evidence gathering techniques and that the dna used to convict amanda knox and her former boyfriend is so weak and unreliable and possibly contaminated. one of the independent appeals -- one of the independent experts stated that the dna on her boyfriend was so low they could attribute it to 90 different people, saying anyone in the court could have been at this crime scene the way the dna was used, really holding their ground today with their report. now court will continu

it's usually her family of hers, along with a friend of hers who's been moving to this place, perugiain order to be close to her friend. so, they get those visitors every week. but she also gets people inside the jail, like a local priest who's befriended her very much and has provided counsel to her, given her advice about how to get through this very tough period in her life. and that's how she manages to remain in contact with the outside world. not a great deal of contact, but there's family members and people who have befriended her in the prison and from the local church. >> what happens next with the trial? >> reporter: well, the trial is very shortly coming to a conclusion. we expect on monday morning, amanda knox, along with her co-accused, rafaela sollecito, will give their pleas of innocence, they'll speak for 15 minutes each. then the jury and the judge will retire to consider their verdict. we're expecting one to come at some point later on monday afternoon. >> matthew chance in italy tonight. matthew, thank you. >>> now let's check in on more stories we're following. ish

and she joins us live from perugia.morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: bianna, it's the final day of closing arguments for the prosecution. and it's their last chance to undo the tremendous damage done to their case by those two independent experts who say the dna evidence in the case was basically worthless. so much at stake in this appeal. the reputation and credibility of the controversial lead prosecutor in the case. and of course, amanda knox's entire life. amanda 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 co

in 2009 two years after kercher's partially clad body was found dead in the house they shared in perugiathe dna evidence they used in the trial has been called into question. without the ability to retest, prosecutors are left with little tying knox to the crime. how was she convicted in the first place? critics say it was a badly handled investigation by a prosecutor who rushed to judgment. his name is guiliano mennini. even though another suspect, patrick lamumba was working at his bar the night of the murder. >> police didn't bother to check the facts about la mum ba. they immediately arrested amanda knox, rafael sole seat toe and patrick la mum ba for the murder announcing case solved. the prosecutor admitted to us even without any evidence he knew almost the moment he arrived and laid eyes on amanda knox and rafael sollicito, they were involved in the murder. >> prior to the forensic investigation, prying to everything, really, your intuition or detectivive knowledge led you to amanda knox and rafael? >> after first few weeks we were convinced because of the bee may have for of the

. >> keith miller in perugia italy, thank you. >>> two american hikers held in an iranian prison forore than two years say they are thrilled to be back in the united states and say the only reason they were detained is because they were american. josh fattal and shane bauer finally returned home yesterday. they say they simply got lost while hiking with another american, sarah shourd. they recalled the worst moments of their ordeal. >> many times, too many times, we heard the screams of other prisoners being beaten, and there was nothing we could do to help them. solitary confinement was the worst experience of all of our lives. sarah, josh and i can now finally leave prison behind us. we want more than anything to begin our lives anew. and with a new appreciation for the sweet taste of freedom. >> the men also say that iran should not get undue credit for releasing them because they never should have been detained in the first place. >>> next up, martin o'malley weighing in on the fema funding fight and lots more. >>> and some new disturbing details about the arrest of steven powell

she joins us live from perugia, italy, covering the amanda knox trial. paula?nsider helping trying to find him, only because he could noefb never get guarantees he would be treated anything other than a suspected terrorist. he always believed after talking to u.s. officials, what they wanted was to assassinate him and that's what he said he felt was wrong. when i spoke to u.s. officials they admired the doctor, he know all he wanted to do was help out his son but at the same time did not think he's a father, who had a realistic impression of what his son was into online. joe, this was a guy who showed me pictures of a jovial, easy going, well educated american boy. that's the way his father described him to me. showed picture of him at disney world and described number a way which would juxtapose a terrorist. he didn't believe a word of it. more than that, he believed that it was illegal that they tried to assassinate him. they said at the very least they should capture him and put him on trial. he was a very tormented plan throughout, in my rapport with him --

this one in the normally quiet down of perugia, italy.he lawyer r insists she is not the sadist prosecutors made her out to be. lawyers are appealing her conviction. the defense team is making its final argument in hearing today. knox may make a statement herself on monday before the jury goes into deliberations there. >>> and a building collapse in columbus, ohio. what's left is an old manufacturing warehouse. it was process of being demolished. the structure came down today. one man fuwas found under a portion of the building. two were trapped on the work. two were injured, but we're hearing they should be fine. >>> and third time's a charm for a bank in new york. this man is chris burnette. he's accused of robbing the same bank three days in a row. tellers say the man walked in, said he had a gun, demanded money. after it happened two times, the bank released a photo and on day three, the guy walking back on on the street. that's when they arrested him. about $26,000 was stolen. >>> and red sox fans, look away. look away today. boston

and joins us again from perugia, with the latest.morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: good morning, robin. amanda knox's defense lawyers will be the last attorneys to address the court. then, of course, will come the statement from amanda knox herself. a statement she's been working on for several months. yesterday, the judge signaled the court may know already how it's going to rule in this case. saying they would need a very short amount of time to render a verdict after they hear that statement from amanda knox. a verdict that could come as soon as saturday. amanda knox's parents, stepparents, aunts and sisters, paid what they hope will be the final visit to the capanne prison this morning. for four years, at least one member of the family has made the weekly trip to the prison reception room, where choosing where to sit is a gamble. your dad said, we have to be careful which table we choose because people have -- >> scratched in things about amanda and her family. one time, there was something right in front of me. so, i put my arm o

a more promising day for her. "20/20" co-anchor, elizabeth vargas, has the latest from perugia. good morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: good morning, robin. defense lawyers have been arguing passionately that the police interrogation of amanda knox was illegal, done without a lawyer and without a proper interpreter. but everybody in court is really still talking about what happened late yesterday in court. when the lawyer for the murder victim, suddenly, and without warning, showed the public and the journalists from around the world gruesome photos of the victim's naked body. a tense and drawn amanda knox came into court this morning, when defense lawyers get a chance to answer a barrage of attacks by the prosecution. the most incendiary moment came yesterday, when the lawyer for victim meredith kercher stunned the courtroom, by repeatedly showing grisly photos of kercher's naked body and closeups of her stab wounds. there were gasps in the courtroom. and amanda lowered her head. we've heard this morning, all sorts of terms. demonic, satanic. one lawyer called your daughter a she

but during a one-year placement in the italian town of perugia, she was stabbed and sexually assaulteda crime of which amanda and her boyfriend were convicted, a drifter from the ivory coast, he was also convicted of her murder in a separate trial. this is the house where meredith grew up, a quiet town south of london. the kercher family have always maintained that they thought that the trial was fair. meredith's father john wrote in one newspaper that amanda knox has been convicted of taking our precious meredith's life in the most hideous and bloody way. the prospects of amanda being released will be very upsetting to the kercher family. the neighbor, maureen, says the appeal has put meredith's family under enormous strain. >> because it's been going on for four years. i mean, there was the initial murder, and then, of course, there was the trial and since then it always seems to be in the news. and as i say, meredith seems to be forgotten in it. she was beautiful, she was friendly, she was nice. she was clever, and there's not enough metaphors to say how much she looked after my gra

joining me now from perugia, italy, matthew chance. matthew, what happened today?> reporter: well, prosecutor's making basically summing up what's left of their case essentially. remember, the big problem the prosecutors have got is that the main physical evidence, the dna samples that were found on the alleged murder weapon, a 30 center meter long knife, were found by independent forensic experts appointed by the court to be -- samples weren't large enough they said to draw any conclusions from them. it's really undermined the evidence of the prosecution. what the prosecution is doing that is summing up the other circumstantial evidence that still exists against amanda knox and her boyfriend at the time who has been already convicted of killing amanda's british flat mate meredith kercher. i think a lot of people have been speculating around here that much of that prosecution evidence seems to have had the kind of wind taken out of it with the fact that that physical evidence having been declared. the parents of meredith kercher, imagine the pain they were going th

and a bar owner this city of perugia accused in the beginning of being implicated in the murder is filing for financial damages because of the impact on his reputation as well. so it's a slight diversion from the actual main issue of whether or not amanda knox and her one-time boyfriend are guilty of this murder, but nevertheless, that's what we're hearing about throughout the course of the day, carol. >> matthew chance reporting live for us this morning. thank you. >>> symbolic milestone and a cultural change in saudi arabia. saudi women gained the right to vote and run for office in future elections. only the second time in 50 years elections will be held this week and the saudi king says the change won't take effect until after the elections, and those haven't been scheduled. >>> quit complaining and stop your crying. tough talk at president obama directed at african-american voters, but is tough love the right tactic to win back the white house in 2012? we'll ask our cnn contributor earle lewis. >>> and bill clinton helping or hurting president obama. what he said that has republicans