ANN CURRY, co-host:
For more on what's ahead with
Amanda Knox
let's bring in
Savannah Guthrie
, TODAY's legal correspondent, and also Italian journalist and lawyer
Praxilla Trabattoni
. She's with us from
Perugia
. Good morning to both of you.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, anchor:
Good morning.
CURRY:
Praxilla
, let's begin...
Ms. PRAXILLA TRABATTONI (Italian Lawyer and Journalist):
Good morning.
LAUER:
...
let's begin
with you,
Praxilla
, because I'm wondering, you know, with
Amanda Knox
now leaving the country and yet with the
prosecution
now telling
NBC News
that it will appeal, do you foresee any circumstance in which
Amanda Knox
would have to be forced to return to
Italy
?
Ms. TRABATTONI:
Well, this would have to be a strategic choice of the lawyer. It has to be said -- I spoke earlier a few moments ago to Mr.
Mignini
, the prosecutor, and he said it's beyond any doubt in his mind that he will appeal and that he said consider it done. Now whether the case does get admitted it's going to be an issue. If it does and she doesn't decide to return then it will be up to the extradition treaties between the US and
Italy
as to whether the US allows her extradition. If she should travel back to
Italy
and under a conviction then she will be immediately arrested. Should she travel to another country that allows these extradition then that could happen as well.
CURRY:
All right. And so,
Savannah
, this raises some questions for what the
United States
is going to have to do.
GUTHRIE:
It does. Assuming the prosecutor appeals, as he said he will, assuming the
supreme court
of
Italy
took that case, assuming the
prosecution
prevailed in that appeal, then it would come over to this country.
The US
does have an
extradition treaty
with
Italy
; however, there's an important caveat there.
The US
has to believe that there is, quote, "evidence to sustain the charge in the
foreign country
that wishes to extradite a
US citizen
." I think there's a real question in this case whether US authorities would extradite, given the weakness of the
prosecution
's case here.
CURRY:
Which raises some questions that
Lester
brought up about the relationship between the two countries.
Praxilla
, the other question I think we -- I want to ask you is something that
Matt
broached. He was talking about in appealing this conviction -- or this over -- appealing the overturning of this conviction, this is the same prosecutor who once called
Amanda
demonic, diabolical, satanic, a she-devil. I mean, do you think that there is some personal vendetta on the part of this prosecutor against
Amanda Knox
?
Ms. TRABATTONI:
Well,
Ann
, I think there is a career here at stake. There's a life, not just one career, not just the prosecutor's and the other prosecutors that have been involved, but all of the forensic experts, the police. We saw the police lined up in court to rally their support. Everyone's very worried about the repercussions this will have on the
Perugia
prosecution
, on the
Perugia
police.
CURRY:
I see. And,
Savannah
, the other question about that is that there is a man who's in jail convicted of murder.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah.
CURRY:
So the question that begs is, is that not -- does that not suffice? Does this thing have to move forward especially given that the victim's family,
Meredith Kercher
's family, is basically saying that they feel that she's been forgotten here?
GUTHRIE:
Well, you put your finger on it. Because the
Kercher
family this morning said they were perplexed because they believed, based on what the
prosecution
and police have supplied to them in terms of information and evidence, that
Rudy Guede
, the man who has been convicted, whose
DNA
was at the scene, who acknowledged being there, they believe he didn't act alone. And so they think maybe there is someone else involved. Obviously, the
Kercher
family really believed in the
prosecution
's case. So to the extent that the
prosecution
was sloppy, that the police were sloppy I look at the
Kerchers
as victim -- as victims all over again...
CURRY:
Hm.
GUTHRIE:
...because they were led to believe in a case that was discredited and couldn't stand up in court.
CURRY:
All right,
Savannah Guthrie
and
Praxilla Trabattoni
, thank you both very much this morning. It is now 7:17. Once again, here's
Matt.
