. >> will you join us in perugia. we're outside the courthouse in this medieval city as we wait to hear from a young american woman who was accused back in 2007 of murdering her roommate. we welcome our american viewers to our coverage of our amanda knox trial here in perugia. what you're listening to now is the file rebuttal from amanda knox's defense lawyer in court this morning. it's the first part of the sentencing. after that we're expected to hear pleas of innocence from amanda herself probably in italian and from her former boyfriend. let's listen in again to what the defense lawyer for amanda knox has to say. >> to tell you the truth, so what is this letter? two things have been said that really is a liar and cannot be relied on. you can't convict a person that lies. a person got involved in things that wasn't involved. but that is the end. apart from what was said it serves no purpose. you have told him off on several occasions. don't talk of the homicide. okay, i won't talk about this homicide. and then not

paula newton is covering the trial for us in perugia, italy. what more can you tell us? d, tense two days for amanda knox. she remains in prison. speaking to her family, she said she's been working on this for three months. very emotional day in court yesterday. amanda knox had to hear again the details of what the prosecutors believed she did to murder meredith kurcher. amanda knox has thought to herself why don't they believe me. the defense team repeated there's no evidence. yet she's unable to connect with those people on the jury at least during the first trial to be able to say look i didn't do this. i didn't have anything to do this. what she's trying to do is how in 15 minutes she can make that connection and have them believe that she's as innocent as she claims. >> prosecutors want her to spend more time. they made that argument. what is the likelihood of another guilty verdict or an extension of her sentencing? >> reporter: you know, there are a few people willing to put money on anything that's going on here. and the prosecutor has upped the ante by saying we

in the balance. cnn's senior international correspondent matthew chance has been watching this appeal trial for us from perugia and matthew, i said there -- people here appeal and take the stand to defend yourself, this is not going to go like a normal case in the united states where someone takes the stand and they're going to be asked questions. no. >> they call it the pleas of innocence here. both amanda knox and her co-accused accused and convicted already of course of murdering meredith kercher in 2007 will get about 15 minutes each. it's not been confirmed that rafaela will make a speech but definitely amanda knox, tomorrow morning, is going to be standing in front of that jury with a heartfelt last appeal for her freedom. >> reporter: it's said to be the speech of her life. soon amanda knox will make a final direct plea of innocence, a last chance to convince this italian court to set her free. >> is she ready? >> i believe she is. she's been thinking about it for well over three months and so i think it's going to be very heartfelt and it would be truly her and hopefully it will go over well. >> report

in tears when she heard it. she is free to go, free to return home to the united states. lester holt starts us off tonight in perugia, italy. lester, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. this was all an appeal to her 2009 conviction on six criminal counts. today, the judge ruled that five of those counts would be thrown out. the lone remaining conviction, a slander charge related to her false accusation of a suspect early in the investigation. that, said the judge, carries a three-year sentence. she's been in prison four years. now we expect her to leave italy as soon as tomorrow as a free woman. after a four-year struggle to clear her name the final verdict for amanda knox took just minutes. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: the 24-year-old seattle native collapsed into the arms of her lawyers as her family gathered in the courtroom and swept each other up in their arms after the jury overturned her conviction in the murder of her roommate meredith kercher. her sister deanna spoke to reporters afterwards. >> we are thankful amanda's nightmare is over. she suffered for four years for a crime

us live from perugia, italy. tell us more about what amanda knox said. >> reporter: carol, a very emotional speech indeed. the speech of her life, as we said, the opportunity to stand up in front of this court in perugia, address the judges and the jury and make that personal appeal, in her own words, for her release saying that she was not guilty of killing meredith kercher and she was being held unjustifiably inside the court. a very emotional speech indeed. she'd spent months according to her parents deciding what she would say and how she would say it. she spoke apparent italian and at times could not hold back the tears. at one point the judge said she could sit down, but she didn't. she kept herself together and delivered her plea of innocence. take a listen. >> translator: i am not what they say i am. perversity, violence. i respect life and people, and i haven't done the things that they are suggesting that i've done. i haven't murder. i haven't raped. i haven't stolen. i wasn't there. i wasn't present in that crime. >> reporter: amanda knox speaking there in court, giving that heartfelt appeal. the jury is deliberates. we're expecting a verdict not before 8:00 l

in the kitchen. but do they? the moms will be setting us straight. >>> but we begin in perugia, italy, on the scene for amanda knox'sfor the 24-year-old american. abc's josh elliott is on the scene and he has learned more about the people who hold amanda knox's fate in their hands. six jury members and two judges. good morning to you, josh. >> reporter: good morning to you, bianna, that's right, after nearly four years of ardent appeals by both prosecution and defense here in perugia, it has come to this, fewer than 24 hours now remain before a decision is made to overturn or uphold the murder conviction of amanda knox. the fate of amanda knox now rests in the hands of eight people. six jurors and two judges. we have seen the jury. five women and one man. file in and out of court dozen of times over the last ten months. but to be a jury in perugia is something all together different than in america. >> jurors can read newspapers, they can watch tv. there is no sequestering of jurors in italy. they're as vulnerable as any member of the public to a lot of the hyperbole that appears in the italian media. >> reporter: a

case that has made headlines around the world and in some ways put the italian justice system itself on trial. lester holt joins us now live from perugia. good evening, lester. walk us through what happened in the courtroom tomorrow? >> well, tomorrow is the final day of the appeals trial itself in terms of testimony. her lawyers will make their final rebuttal and then amman do knox gets the final word here. she gets to address court to have her say. her father told me she has been working on the remark for three months. as soon as she is done, a jury of six laymen and two judges will gather together and begin deliberations immediately. two years ago when is officially convicted for the murder of her roommate deliberations went into the evening. we had a verdict some time after midnight. expectations are, kate, we could have a verdict here by end of monday. >> her family is there. i know you have been speaking with them. they must be so anxious for a verdict. talk about emotions surrounding all this and are they hopeful this ends one way or another this week? >> they're on a fine edge here. i had a chance to speak to many members of th

matthew chance is joining us now in perugia, where the reaction is still intense.to speak to a member of meredith kercher's family to get his reaction. how did that go? >> well of course as amanda knox will celebrate her freedom, the other side of this terrible story has been the plight of the meredith kercher family. they've been giving news conferences. also got an opportunity to speak to the brother of meredith. he spoke to me of the disappointment that the family have. that the murder convictions have been overturned. take a listen. >> as we said, we respected or accepted the decision of the original trial and we accept what was decided yesterday. you know, we do have the yut most respect for the decision and integrity of the court and what they've decided and we'll abide by that. >> i get the sense that you're not entirely convinced, the back of your minds, all of you still think there may have been some kind of connection with the killing. >> well, i mean, as i've said before, it's a very complex case. there's a lot of evidence there whether it's forensic or

our senior international correspondent, matthew chance, is outside the prison in per use perugia? any idea of the points she is going to try to make. >> reporter: she is going to plead her innocence. we have been speaking to her parents. her parents tell us that she has been working on the contents of the address to the court and justice. she has been in prison for several years in italy. over that time, she has learned to speak italian very fluently indeed. she will be making the address in italian, not in english, which endear her somewhat to the jury. she is going to be saying, i am innocent, i didn't kill meredith kercher in 2007 and asking the jury to set her free from her 26-year prison sentence here in italy, fredricka. >> her family has been there every step of the way at least in recent weeks and months. any idea what the general sentiment is in the town of perugia as people are highly anticipating what it is amanda knox will say tomorrow? >> reporter: it is a good question. actually, i have done a bit of research on this. a lot of people are pretty sick of hearing about

knox's parents who are here in perugia tell us that their daughter has been working on what she's going to say for months. she's, of course, learned to speak italian fluently in her four years in prison here, so it's likely she'll make the address in the local language. her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, also convicted in the 2007 murder of british exchange student meredith kercher, during what prosecutors said was a drug-filled sex game gone wrong, will also have the opportunity to speak, although it's not clear that he will. shortly afterwards, the jury will retire to consider all of the evidence in this case, returning with their decision, we expect, on monday night, local time. obviously, a great deal of anticipation here and around the world, as we await the outcome of what has been one of the most lurid, scandalous, and closely watched murder cases of recent years. matthew chance, cnn, perugia. >> all right. matthew, thank you. >>> the traditional catholic red mass today drew six supreme court justices along with several washington power brokers. the church service is held

. >> certainly has given her a second chance, lester on duty in perugia for us, thank you. >>> a new survey suggests 10% of american parents are not following government guidelines for having their children vaccinated. parents are refusing some vaccines and delaying others mainly because of safety concerns which many health experts say are unfounded. >>> well who knew a dolphin could take down a lion? it happened this weekend at the box office. "dolphin tale" took the top spot from "the lion king" taking in $14.2 million. "moneyball" came in second and "the lion king" slipped to third. >>> still on the topic of our furry friends, catholic churches around the world held their annual blessing of the animals on sunday. the tradition is observed in memory of francis of assisi, the patron saint of creatures great, small and furry. eight past the hour. >> ava in a earlier you mentioned today's supreme court session, the students of john jay saluting our supreme court justices here by dressing up. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> good to see you. nice to have you here. >> thank y

it's not just an all or nothing proposition. >> lester holt in perugia, italy for us. thanks so much. i'm sure we'll be talking with you more as we expect an anticipated result coming later this afternoon. joining me now is rickie kleeman, former analyst and sex crimes prosecutor. as we're talking about this and hearing lester's report, there are these different scenarios. not just whether or not the conviction is overturned and she's set to her own freedom. as we talk about this, the options, they can acquit knox and sollecito, set them free, uphold the convictions. they can confirm, reduce, or increase their sentences or convict one and acquit the other. i think there's a lot in the hands of this jury and the two judges that lester has been talking about. but what would be the best evidence to sway them to acquit? >> well, certainly from the united states' point of view, and we have heard for four years all of the mounting evidence toward the innocence of amanda knox, i don't mean not guilty, but innocence, and, of course, it was the dna testing that seems to totally

in more depth than our own "20/20" anchor elizabeth vargas on the case since day one in perugia to report again for us tonight. elizabeth? >> reporter: the four-year odyssey is over. a member of the knox family has been here every single day since her arrest four years ago since the murder of her roommate. they never wavered in insisting on her innocence and tonight in a dramatic hearing they got the acquit ago they've been waiting for. the tension grew with every one of the nine hours of deliberation. then well into the night the appeal judge summoned knox from the 13x13 foot cell that's been her home for so long. her family walking hand in hand made their way to the 15th century courthouse. taking their place as amanda set trembling before the judge speaking deliberately in italian, the judge rejected claims knox and her former italian boyfriend were part of a lure width sex murder. a stunning murder. the words amanda knox and her family longed to hear. >> translator: both defendants have been acquitted. >> reporter: who those words sank in the 24-year-old broke down slumping in her seat sobbing. sh

in me, who has defended me, who supported my family. >> knox was set free on monday. a jury said faulty dna evidence was used to convict her of murdering her british roommate four years ago in perugia. she was acquitted and one day later flew home. >> i was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything wasn't real. my family is the most important thing to me right now and i just want to go and be with them. >> knox's case played out under an international spotlight and here in seattle, her story often made headlines. many here are relieved they were worried this day would never come. >> we love you. >> the airport, friends and well wishers came out to support her. >> we are happy she is home. it's the way it should be and i wanted to welcome her home. >> i hope she can recover from this and live a normal life. >> ago being in an italian prison for years, it could take time to adjust. >> they are reminding me to speak in english, because i am having problems with that. >> knox says she is thankful to everyone who helped her get home. now she is asking for privacy and just wants to be with her family. manuel, cbs news, seattle. >> also in news tonight, a woman celebrat

rafael sollecito are back in prison awaiting to be called back to the courthouse here in perugia, so they'll give ushour, hour and a half heads up. meanwhile, we're told inside the prison amanda knox is in the local chapel there, was playing guitar, singing. this all according to an atoitan member of parliament. she has to be terrified. this is a tense moment for the her and the kercher family and everybody involved. >> keith milner perugia, thank you so much. >>> let's take a check of some other stories people are talking about right now. defense secretary leon panetta says it is critical for israel to find ways to communicate with its neighbors if middle east peace is ever going to be achieved. >> it is not a good situation for israel to become increasingly isolated, and that's what's happening. >> panetta meat with the israeli defense minister in tel aviv. the minister said israel has an obligation to resume negotiations. >> dick cheney is praising the obama administration for sending drones to yemen to kill anwar al awlaki but he also thinks the president owes him an apology. >> what i'm waiting

in perugia. during their trial, the dna evidence used to convict them was thrown out after a scientific panel ruled it was unreliable. >> well, she's totally innocent. both her her and raffaele had nothing to do with this horrific crime. you look at use of just circumstantial evidence, there is no case. >> reporter: if fountain not guilty, the family plans to get amanda knox out of italy as quickly as possible. she could be back home in seattle by late tuesday, or wednesday. peter van zandt, cbs news, perugia,ity la. >> earlier this morning i had a chance to talk to sill yeah in perugia and said how easy it is that knox is addressing the court in fluent italian? >> it's very important indeed. she now speaks fluent italian. she spent four years or close to four years in prison in perugia and her italian is very good. she's fluent and certainly this was not the case when she first arrived in perugia and when this whole thing happened. she had barely been here, you know, a couple of weeks when the murder took place. >> reporter: how confidence is knox's legal team that her guilty verdict will be overt

in perugia. but during their retrial, the d.n.a. evidence used to convict them was thrown out after a scientific panel ruled it was unreliable. >> well, she's totally innocent. both her and rafaele had nothing to do with this horrific crime. you look at the use of just circumstantial evidence. there is no case. >> if amanda knox is found not guilty, her family plans to get her out of italy as quickly as possible. she could be back at her home in seattle by late tuesday or wednesday. russ? >> mitchell: peter van zandt in priewj, yeah italy. thank you. ahead, a crisis for american courts. budget cuts are slowing justice. that story is next. >> mitchell: state legislatures looking to increase budgets have been targeting the courts, which have been forced to lay off thousands of staff workers. with state courts handling more than 40 million cases a year, the result is often gridlock. jim axlerod explains. >> reporter: engineer doug reed wants to start his own management consulting business, and uncertain of his cash flow, he filed the lower alimony p

cnn's matthew chance is live in perugia with the latest for us tonight. tthew, it was pretty amazing. she was in tears and rushed from the courtroom with a gaggle of police around her. what happened then? and where is she now? >> it was a very emotional scene, indeed. amanda knox was almost overwhelmed by the emotion. she was crying hysterically. she could hardly walk when she walked past me inside the court. as she was escorted outside the courtroom, there were cheers and woots from her family, the knox family that had gathered there to witness this -- this ruling by the appeal court, which, as you mentioned, overturned her 26-year sentence for the murder of meredith kercher, and that of her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito. she went straight back to the jail, signed some paperwork and was whisked away. in some vehicles with her family to an undisclosed location. what the family says, they're going to get out and back to seattle, which is their hometown, as soon as they can, erin. >> and i know, matthew, i had seen that she said the first thing she wa

you're coming up on perugia's chocolate festival which used to be the most famous thing that happened here in perugia. all these trucks and media will be out of town and they can enjoy their chocolate without us here. >> barbie, thank you very much indeed. as barbie was suggesting, she was surprised by what we heard. emotions are high and maybe people wanting the world to remember there was a victim here. meredith kercher was murdered in 2007. rudy guede serving 16 years in prison for that murder. there is somebody behind bars but it won't be sollecito, the boyfriend of amanda knox. >> why can't folks in italy believe there was one murderer in this case? the man was convicted of murder. there was a lot of dna evidence that resulted in the conviction of rudy guede and he is serving multiple years for this murder. why can't people in italy believe this young woman 21 years old was raped and murdered by this one individual who is serving multiple years? >> you're asking the wrong person. it may just be university students who are so proud of this beautiful city and disraut its reputation has bee

a jury said faulty dna evidence was used to convict her of murdering her british roommate four years ago in perugia. she was acquitted and one day later, flew home. >> i was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything wasn't real. my family is the most important thing to me right now and i just want to go and be with them. >> reporter: knox's case played out under an international spotlight and here in seattle, her story often made headlines. many here are relieved and they were worried this day would never come. >> we love you! >> reporter: at the airport, friends and well-wishers came out to support her. >> just so glad that she is home. it's the way it should be and i wanted to welcome her home. >> i hope she can recover from this and live a normal life. >> reporter: but after being in an italian prisons for years, she is reminded it may take some time to adjust. >> they are reminding me to speak in english because i am having problems with that. >> reporter: knox says she is thankful to everyone who helped her get home. now she is asking for privacy and just wants to be with he

us. i'm amy robach here in new york. lester in perugia, italy.n this nine-month appeals trial is expected on monday, correct? >> amy, monday at the earliest. what will happen on monday, amanda knox and raffaele sollecito will get their final say. sometime on monday it goes to the judges and the jury. the verdict has taken a heavy toll on their family. her parents and sisters are here to support her. their hope is to bring amanda home sometime in the coming week. we'll have more on the emotional roller coaster this has been for the knox family. >>> and back here in new york, have you been brand washed? from staging displays to inside speed bumps, what are some companies doing to get you to spend even more money? we'll take a look at some of the secrets behind super markets coming up. >>> also for "today" a sampling of suddens on this cool, crisp day here. we're talking beer brewed in the great u.s. of a. that is coming up ahead and we will be drying them. >> and a man who might need a beer, with he's had a busy, busy fall, bill karins, we want to

in the courtroom. and she's with us, now, live from perugia, this morning. good morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: good morning, dan. two very different portraits of amanda knox were painted in court yesterday. prosecutors calling her a ruthless killer. defense lawyers arguing she's a gentle innocent, wrongly convicted of murder. amanda knox is spending this weekend in prison, putting the final touches on that crucial closing statement she'll deliver on monday. amanda knox left the italian courtroom on friday. when she returns, it will be to look the jurors in the eyes and make one, last final plea for her freedom. but we now know that someone else will be there to look those jurors in the eyes. the mother of meredith kercher, the 21-year-old amanda's accused of murdering, plans to be here monday, as well. she will not speak. but her lawyer said in court, that her one look to the juror will speak volumes, that knox should be kept in prison. in their last full day of arguments, the prosecution sought to remind the jurors of the kercher family and their massive l

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 investigative reporter and a cbs news consultant. >> absolutely zero evidence to link t

her home today in. >> i think they are. >> reporter: she's lucky to have friends like you supporting her. >> thanks for having us. >> lester, thank you very much. we'll have more from perugiaa little later and hear from some of amanda's family who are anxiously awaiting decision in herseattle, washington. here's ann. >>> now to politics and the 2012 presidential race. is the gop going to expand? new jersey governor chris christie is close to making a decision. jamie, good morning. there's been grow egg speculation over the last two weeks, so what is the latest? >> nbc news learned governor christie may be one step closer to getting in the race and giving it "serious consideration." i'm told he spent this weekend discussing it with his family, his top advisers and that protectively, they are now looking at what it would take to put together an organization, raise money and do a roll-out, and i'm told that he's taking a little more time this week to think about it, but it is serious. this is not just having meetings with partyt( leaders or donors. he is actively exploring the steps necessary to move ahead. i'm also told his family is on board if he decides to go, and that he

in seattle, too. >> we're moments away from the decision being read. anne bremner, stay with us. isha, to you. >> let's go back to the scene outside that courtroom in perugiahere we are of course moments away from the decision. becky anderson is standing by outside that courtroom. becky, i'd imagine the tension through the roof right now as people know we're moments away from a decision in all of this. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. the tension is palpable out here. i mean, these streets were fairly empty for most of the day, a lot of media around. we didn't have the sort of inquisitive audience there is here now. people from all over perugia just here to find out what is going to happen in the next few minutes. just before we hear from the presiding judge, just want our viewers to have a sense what they might be listening out for. we will translate what the presiding judge helmand says. he'll be speaking in italian, of course, we'll be translating it for you live on cnn. listen up for two key numbers. if there's an acquittal in all of this, you will hear him use the number, we understand at least, article 530. if the decision here on appeal is to uphold t

in seattle for us, thank you. >>> two friends of amanda went to perugia to join her for the verdict. andrew and jessica. good morning to both of you. >> hi. >> good morning. >> let me ask you, first, jessica, were you in the courtroom? where were you when you heard the verdict and what was your reaction? >> the courtroom was unbelievably crowded. it was just family and press actually that were allowed into the building for the actual verdict, so we watched from a live feed here in the town. i don't think i've ever had a happier moment than when we realized that they were going to let her go that night. >> andrew, as i what happened her reaction, which was -- first she looked terrified, and understand understand that her future was on the line, and then literally collapsing into the arms of her lawyer. give us a sense of who the real amanda knox is and what you think these last four years have been like for her. >> she is an incredibly happy person by nature. she is my friend that's always wanting to make everyone feel better no matter how their day is going and has always put other people before herself.

cnn's matthew chance is in perugia, italy, where this story begins. tell us about her last few hours in italy. >> she was released, of course, from custody late last night. she was very happy when you saw those pictures of her in the court. she was crying, in fact, she was so happy. almost hysterical as she was let out of the court. she could barely walk. afterwards she was reunited with her family and drove away to an undisclosed location, we believe it was a villa somewhere close to rome. since then making her way back home to her hometown of seattle where she can pick up the pieces of her shattered life. she was photographed in rome's airport. we don't what plane she got on, but flying back to seattle via london, that has not been confirmed to us. just agency reports saying that. clearly, she's doing everything she can to get back to the states as soon as possible. martin? >> matthew, despite all the excitement over her departure, it is still possible that prosecutors can appeal this and they have said they plan to do so, right? >> well, not just possible,

a news conference in italy, her family, again, saying that they hope the outcome of this case will focus on the victim and not the hype. greg burke, streaming live to us from perugia, where this is all happening. greg. >> reporter: hello there megyn. you know, public relations has played an important part in this appeals trial and it certainly did today, as well, with amanda speaking. now, she might have had media training. she was just that good. the first time around, in the first trial when she spoke at the same point, right before it went to the jury, she rambled around, this time, short, declarative sentences saying i did not kill, i did not rape, it was really very effective, she was emotional, though, she stopped as she started to cry several times, her family as well, there, holding hands and crying, but a very effective speech today. now, her co-defendant, her former boyfriend, also on trial, somewhat less effective. you could tell that rafaela is terrified, talking about how tough it is to live in prison, they have both been in prison, amanda and rafaela, now for nearly four years, rafaela talking about being in a tiny cell, 2-meters by 3-meters, for som