Amanda Knox

 

It's been a good week for justice, with Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito being freed after four years of incarceration for what amounted to a witch hunt and subsequent railroading by Italian police, investigators, and prosecutors.  "Justice delayed is justice denied," but I'm sure for Knox and Sollecito, who longed for this day to come for years, they'll take it at this point.

By the way, for any Americans tempted to scold the Italian system as "backward" as if our system is better, you might want to talk to Michael Morton, the Texas man wrongly convicted 25 years ago of killing his wife who was also exonerated and walked free today.  "Justice delayed is justice denied," but I'm sure for Morton, who longed for this day to come for years, he's just glad Texas never had the opportunity to execute him.

I'm also thinking Hannah Overton might have some strong opinions as to the integrity of the US justice system.

But back to Knox and Sollecito: I'm overjoyed at their release.  They deserve every penny and more coming their way in state compensation, book and film deals.  It will serve as a small degree of restitution from what was robbed from them.  I don't know what their prison experience was like, but I pray that if they were not already believers that finding going through that trial brought them to a point of understanding their need for Jesus.  I pray they are able to forgive those who persecuted them so they may truly be free of their ordeal.

Giuliano Mignini (the prosecutor), the police, and investigators who allowed this case to become the railroad job it did all deserve every bit of the scorn heaped upon them over these last several years and especially the last few days.  If justice were truly served, then they would be held accountable for their recklessness beyond their public shaming.  That's not likely.

I also pray for the family of Meredith Kercher, who seemed bewildered at the reversal of the convictions of Knox and Sollecito, but the next day seemed accepting of the court's decision.  My heart breaks for them; I cannot imagine the grief and pain losing Meredith so barbarically has caused in their life these past four years.  To have this all drag out, to have so many questions still unanswered must be sheer Hell.

“Until the truth comes out, we cannot forgive because no one has admitted to the crime,” said Meredith’s sister Stephanie the day after the reversals.  I understand where her feelings come from.  It is hard enough to forgive when someone has wronged us so painfully; but how do we forgive when someone refuses to even admit their guilt?  God's grace gives us the capacity to do so, even when that kind of forgiveness is impossible in and of ourselves.  I pray that the Kercher family will find peace with God that comes with that forgiveness, and may He minister his grace and mercy to them in these coming days, months, and years.