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Cellmates of Amanda Knox, the American student suspected of involvement in the murder of Meredith Kercher in Perugia last November, have pleaded with prison authorities to stop her repeatedly singing the Beatles' song Let it Be at the top of her voice.
Father Scarabattoli, the prison chaplain at Perugia, said that Ms Knox, 20, from Seattle, had asked for a guitar so that she could play the song as well a sing it, but this had been refused. Inmates have complained that Ms Knox sings the song all day long, with one jailer reported as agreeing with them that it "drives you mad".
However, Father Scarabattoli said that she sang the song only at exercise time, in the open air, and he insisted that it had a "spiritual dimension" since it referred to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Ms Knox, who attended a Jesuit school, has been receiving religious instruction from the chaplain and reading the Bible.
The lyrics to Let it Be run: "When I find myself in times of trouble / mother Mary comes to me / speaking words of wisdom, / let it be. / And in my hour of darkness / she is standing right in front of me, / speaking words of wisdom, / let it be."
It concludes: "And when the night is cloudy / there is still a light that shines on me / shine until tomorrow, / let it be. / I wake up to the sound of music, / mother Mary comes to me, / speaking words of wisdom, / let it be."
Ms Knox, her Italian former boyfriend Raffaelle Sollecito and Rudy Hermann Guede, an Ivory Coast immigrant with joint Italian nationality, all remain in prison in Perugia pending charges. They can be held for up to a year before a trial is held.
Ms Knox's parents have started a campaign to counteract what they say is the distorted image presented by the media of their daughter as a "cold-eyed killer with the face of an angel" who indulged in an orgy of sex and drugs once in Italy and free of parental control. They have retained Joe Tacopina, a leading Italian-American lawyer, to try to demolish the case against Ms Knox.
Italian reports said that if the case came to trial Ms Knox's defence would argue that the crime scene had been altered by police, with objects such as Ms Kercher's mattress moved, and that while the kitchen knife found in Mr Sollecito's flat that is presumed to be the murder weapon had Ms Kercher's DNA on it, it could not be proved that the DNA came from her blood.
Giuliano Mignini, the chief investigator, has re-interviewed British friends of Ms Kercher who, like her, were on an Erasmus EU exchange programme in Italy and who have returned since the crime to complete their studies. Reports said that they had confirmed their earlier testimony, in which they said that Ms Knox appeared "proud" to have discovered Ms Kercher's body and had given details of the crime scene that only someone who had either witnessed the crime or committed it could possibly have known.
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I am the only one who is sick of people "getting god" whenever there is trouble.
Its about time we instill our kids with a set of modern values that dont require an imaginary being to enforce them , and dont allow an imaginary being to get you off when you behave in a disgusting way.
Michael, London, UK
Actually I believe Paul deliberately made the "mother Mary" lyric ambiguous. You would only know he was specifically referring to his mother if you read interviews or biographies, or deliberately looked the background of the song up. That means it's irrelevant. Indeed you can't impose your interpretation of art onto others. If Catholics believe Mother Mary of Let it Be is *their* Mary, then Christ, just let it be!
A. Rissetto, Auckland, New Zealand
The Mary in the song is a reference to Pau McCartney's mother. Her name is Mary and she died when he was a teenager. The song is a tribute to his beloved mother, not to the Virgin Mary. That a priest would interpret the song as being about the Virgin Mary follows what the Church has done throughout history, borrow from popular culture and declare it to be Christian. Statues of the Virgin Mary standing on the world are an example of this.
But, I suppose, once a song, poem, novel, or work of art are released to the public domain then each person can interpret the work as he or she sees it.
As for Ms. Know, "get back to where you once belonged." And, silence is one of the best tools for spiritual growth, discernment, and self-knowledge.
Katherine, Central Virginia, USA
Amanda is seen on video arriving at the house at 8:30 (while she claims not to be there at all that night), her blood is on the sink mixed with Merideth's (sure she lived there, but both of their blood mixed?), she left the house right after the time the murder took place , threw the cell phones (NO kid throws her cell phone away), met with one of those charged the next morning to do laundry (do laundry in the morning on a weekday-I don't think so) , mixed her stories about where she was and what she did (blocking her ears to the screaming? YIKES!) , implicated an individual seemingly not involved and failed to mention one that was involved. She was used to getting away with whatever she wanted because she was beautiful (and an "actress") and probably thought she could charm the Italian authorities. Unless there is evidence out there (aside from some hot shot lawyer's single "bombshell" about DNA on a knife at her boyfriend's house), she is where she should be and should stay
Ed Z, Lewisburg, PA, USA
I have always been under the impression that "Mother Mary" was a reference to John Lennon's former landlady.
Joe, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Father Scarabattoli is mistaken in his comments about the song, "Let It Be." ("...and he insisted that it had a "spiritual dimension" since it referred to the intercession of the Virgin Mary"). The songs of the Beatles do bring comfort to the suffering, and they can be interpreted in various ways by different people, but this was written by Paul McCartney in reference to his own mother named Mary, who died when he was just 14 years old. It should not be co-opted by the Catholic Church for its own uses.
Amanda is innocent until proven guilty and it is fine that she finds comfort in this song. She should not, however, be using it to be a nuisance to others.
Gail, Southeast England,
She's so heavy
It's bad enough having the Manson clan misusing the fantasic Helter Skelter without this.
The picture portrayed of Knox is one of nothing wrong at all, whilst, it seems, there is more underground than being shown, like her possible psychological problems,. Amanda Knox and her mother apparently had problems getting on together, mum had married a guy just a few years older than Amanda. The threat to ambition can be a possible reason for rage/jealousy/anger and more.
Whatever is the real case, it has not been shown by any of the contradictory and conflicting statements the three suspects have made up until now.
Gianni, London,
If the Americans can buy a good enough lawyer, the "Truth" will no doubt be revealed (because, as Obama would say, "Yes we can!" do whatever we like if we have the money), and she can go off and pretend it never happened.
Picture yourself on a train in a station,
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds.
The important trial, however, will go on inside her head. Even if it takes a lifetime.
Xan, Berlin,
She has seen A CLOCKWORK ORANGE too many times i think!!
Aligi, lake Garda, Italy
You'd think such a big Beatles fan would know more than one song, wouldn't you? Variety is the spice of life...
2Sweet2Kill, Europa, US
italian Criminal Procedure Code and Criminal law as well as the Police Investigation system are slow but tremedously effective. If she is guilty the truth will possibly come out and the the debt to justice and to Italian people will be paid completely. Enough said for the time being, to her parents.
D. goldmann, rome, italy
'Let it be' is a tribute to his mother, Mary, and in no way a religious song.
Nemo, strasbourg, france