Lawyer Sues Seattle Paper over Coverage of Amanda Knox Fundraiser
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s pretty. She`s young. And she`s an accused killer in a twisted sex game attack. It`s a case that has captivated all of Europe. Twenty-one-year-old Amanda Knox, a.k.a. Foxy Knoxy, on trial in Italy for the murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. Authorities say she was killed when she refused to take part in a bizarre sex game. Defendant Amanda Knox has a group of supporters here in the United States. A fund-raiser was held for her last week in her home town of Seattle. Now shocking reports that the Italian prosecutor is suing a local Seattle newspaper after it reported that somebody at the fundraiser called him mentally unstable. Wow. To discuss all this and all the latest developments in this truly strange case, I am joined by Candace Dempsey. She`s a blogger at "The Seattle Post-Intelligencer." And not to be confused with the paper involved in this reported litigation. I want to make that clear. Candace, thanks so much for joining us tonight.</s>CANDACE DEMPSEY, "SEATTLE POST": Thank you, Jane.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: I understand you`re now writing a book called -- about this case called "Murder in Italy".</s>DEMPSEY: Yes, I am.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: By the way, a book written for Italian audiences is already a monster best-seller. I want to ask you why the fascination with this case. And let me start out by asking you a question I`ve asked like five reporters so far covering this case. Nobody has given me an answer. What is the sex game that prosecutors say they were playing when this murder occurred?</s>DEMPSEY: Well, the prosecutor believes that -- that all three suspects participated in a game where, I guess, they were all in the house together, and they tried to initiate Meredith into the sex game. She resisted, and so they killed her (ph).</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: What kind of sex game?</s>DEMPSEY: Well, that`s -- they`re very vague about that. And, to me, it`s never made -- sounded extremely erotic or really made a lot of sense. And I think that`s why people have a hard time answering that question that you just asked.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: And apparently -- yes, go ahead.</s>DEMPSEY: Well, there wasn`t -- I mean, there was just so little time. I mean, Meredith Kercher was on the phone with her mother at 9:30. And they believe that at 10:30, one of the suspects was seen running out of the house, which only gives you about an hour at most...</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s enough time for a nasty sex game.</s>DEMPSEY: Well, it is if everybody is already there and they`re drinking and they`re, you know, smoking marijuana and all that kind of thing. But there`s no sign that that really happened. So the sex game is one of those things that they`re going to have to cover -- to tell us more about in court.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me ask about this Italian prosecutor suing the "West Seattle Herald," because somebody at this part said that he was mentally unstable. Why does an Italian prosecutor care what they`re saying in Seattle? And does this have any chance of flying, this lawsuit?</s>DEMPSEY: I don`t think it has any chance of flying, because all the reporter did was to repeat what somebody else said at the press conference. So as far as American libel laws, that doesn`t cross any line of any kind.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me ask you about Foxy Knoxy`s history.</s>DEMPSEY: Right.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: Because apparently, the book that`s a best-seller in Italy is chock full of sexual details. Who is this young woman?</s>DEMPSEY: Well, Amanda Knox is a Seattle girl. She`s a soccer player. She doesn`t really have a history of orgies. And if you read her diaries, there`s no indication that she was interested in having group sex with anyone. She seems like a -- to her family, at least, seems like a very sweet, loving girl. And I actually did meet the author, though, of that book when I was in Italy recently. So...</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Well, listen, I want you to come back as this case continues. Candace, thanks so much.</s>DEMPSEY: OK.</s>VELEZ-MITCHELL: Drew Peterson, suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Stacey. Now his new fiance dumps him on national TV, saying it was a sham.