It has to do with a completely different legal system in place in Italy; in fact, our country is unique in that it is the only one with a "real jury system." In Italy, the jury merely rubberstamped the police investigation.
Let it be a warning to any American trying to live abroad.
Some snips:
In Italian criminal cases, the jury includes two professional judges, one of whom is the presiding judge in the case. “Many of the European countries have this mixture,” Mr. Dershowitz said. “In general, the lay jurors don’t have as much lay influence as the professional judges.”
Also, the jury is not sequestered until deliberations, opening them to the inflated media coverage of a trial. And in the case of Ms. Knox, there seemed to be leeway about how much inflammatory prejudicial evidence was allowed.
Prosecutors linked Ms. Knox to the murder with forensic evidence that included a D.N.A. sample that was found on the handle of a kitchen knife, although one that was wiped clean and, according to defense attorneys, not the same size as Ms. Kercher’s wounds. In their concluding arguments, the prosecution showed an animated version of how they believe the crime was committed.
And in a sharp departure from American jurisprudence, the prosecutors portrayed Ms. Knox as promiscuous and wanton.
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