Barbie's Quest for Success
By Bruce Fisher
September, 2010
I have decided to break one of my general rules and post a response to Barbie Latza Nadeau’s latest article Friends Like These. I would not normally have any interest in giving Barbie publicity on this website but in this case I feel it is necessary to respond to Barbie’s latest drivel because she has taken direct aim at the core of what this website stands for. Barbie’s latest article discusses how the support coming from the United States is actually hurting Amanda and Raffaele. Barbie actually suggests that the support could “doom” Amanda Knox. Does Barbie realize what she is really suggesting? Does Barbie believe the court of appeals will actually use the support for Amanda Knox against her at trial? I would like to think they would base their decision on the actual evidence of the case. Barbie is insinuating that the Perugian Justice System is a vindictive group that will exact revenge on Amanda for the words coming out of America. Does Barbie actually believe this to be true?
If Barbie’s opinion is to be believed then this belief would need to be applied to all trials in Perugia. This would certainly include the trial that resulted in the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito. This would mean that the ruling in the first trial must have been fueled by outside influences. I wonder if Barbie thought all of this out before printing it. Her article actually supports what many have felt for a long time. Amanda Knox was considered guilty in the court of public opinion long before her trial ever started. With Barbie's line of thinking, this would have certainly had an affect on the ruling by the court.
What if Barbie has another motivation for attacking the support that Amanda has received? What if Barbie herself feels threatened? How could this be possible? Well, it’s simple really, Barbie’s newfound success relies 100% on the guilt of Amanda Knox. Barbie is currently benefiting due to the suffering of others. If Amanda is exonerated on appeal, Barbie’s career will take a hit. Barbie has written a book about this case and now has a possible movie deal in the works. Everything Barbie has going for her will all vanish if Amanda is freed. For this reason, Barbie should not be looked at as a credible journalist while reporting on this case. In fact, Barbie has no business writing articles about this case for Newsweek. Newsweek has a responsibility to its readers to replace Barbie with an unbiased journalist that will report on the actual facts without any personal motivation. Barbie is a tabloid style writer. The Daily Beast is a perfect home for her.
Barbie is clearly being driven by money, and lost interest in the truth long ago, as she proves time and time again. In her latest article she writes this gem:
“The damage done by Knox supporters has, in some ways, been almost worse for Amanda than the DNA evidence she left at the crime scene.”
This sounds good for the Daily Beast but it is completely false. Amanda did not leave any DNA at the cottage during the time of the murder. Amanda lived in the cottage! The DNA Barbie is referring to was not found in the room where the murder occurred, it was found in the bathroom that Amanda used every single day. There is absolutely nothing incriminating about Amanda’s DNA in her own bathroom. There is no mistaking what Barbie is doing here. She knows the DNA is not incriminating and she does not care. Barbie’s book and movie deal rely on Amanda remaining in prison.
The above reference is not the first time that Barbie spread misinformation and outright lies regarding evidence at the cottage. Here is a quote from Barbie on MSNBC, April 10, 2010:
“There was a lot of information that was just never reported here in the United States...There were 5 spots of blood mixed… Amanda Knox’s blood and Meredith Kercher the victim’s blood found throughout the house in 5 different areas that were recovered after the use of luminol which is used to recover blood that’s been cleaned up."
First of all, Barbie loves to say that there was information not reported in the United States. Of course that’s why we have the wrong opinion of the case. Barbie is well aware that the case has been covered extensively in the US. There is no “secret” evidence that we are all unaware of. Besides, Barbie writes about the case for Newsweek in the United States. Maybe Barbie would like to explain why she decided to leave vital information out of her coverage.
Next, we look at Barbie’s outright lies regarding the blood evidence. There were not 5 spots of mixed blood. Meredith’s blood was collected in Amanda’s bathroom where it was deposited on surfaces that would have undoubtedly contained the residual DNA from Amanda. To put this in perspective, think about your own bathroom. Swabbing your bathroom sink, in the bathroom that you use daily, would unquestionably yield your DNA. When the samples were collected from the bathroom in the cottage, the investigator swabbed large surface areas to clean up the blood. When doing this, the investigator also wiped up Amanda's DNA in the process. When collecting samples, the investigator actually advanced the mixing process right on the swab as the swabs were used like cleaning rags. Barbie states that there was mixed blood. This is absolutely false. Even though it was not incriminating in any way, Barbie should have reported that Meredith’s blood was mixed with Amanda’s DNA. Of course, telling the lie that it was mixed blood sounds much worse for Amanda.
Lastly, we look at Barbie’s outright lies regarding the stains detected with luminol. Barbie is well aware that the stains detected with luminol were never proven to be blood. In fact, they were tested for blood and the tests were negative. Barbie also simplifies the explanation for luminol suggesting that luminol only detects blood. The truth is, luminol also reacts with many other things such as various household cleaners, different types of soil, rust in tap water, and many other substances. When luminol glows, investigators can pinpoint the area and then test to see if the stain does indeed consist of blood. The areas were tested for blood and the tests were negative. Does Barbie feel the need to discuss the actual facts of the stains detected with luminol? Of course not.
Barbie has shown her ability to write tabloid trash in her articles throughout the course of the trial. Her preference for tabloid journalism is also apparent in her book. The title “Angel Face” is depicted to be written in blood on the cover. It is quite obvious that the intention was to show the title written in Meredith’s blood. This is a tacky cover, but not surprising coming from Barbie. I was most disgusted by Barbie’s decision to describe Meredith’s body in great detail. This served no purpose to the storyline and there was no need whatsoever to mention anything about the appearance of Meredith’s private parts. Barbie chose to do this anyway. This clearly shows that Barbie will stop at nothing, no matter how immoral the action may be, in her quest for success.
Barbie has a very interesting take on how the murder took place. Here are a few excerpts from Angel Face:
“Between 9:15 and 11:15, Amanda, Raf, and Rudy got themselves seriously messed up; Amanda asked Meredith if she could lend her money to pay Rudy, and Meredith reluctantly did so. “
“She prodded Rudy to go see Meredith; he went into her bedroom and started trying to kiss her and fondle her until she called out. Amanda and Raffaele went back to see what was going on, and instead of helping Meredith fend off Rudy, joined in the taunting.”
“By this point, Amanda, Raf, and Rudy were beyond the control of conscience. Raf took a switchblade out of his pocket and started teasing Meredith with it. Rudy had a knife in his backpack, and that came out as well. They had no intention of killing Meredith, but they were taunting her with knives on each side of her neck and she, in essence, impaled herself on the larger knife as she twisted in the grip of someone holding back her arms.”
“The next morning, Amanda and Raffaele wake up around 6:00 A.M. with crippling hangovers and no memories of the night before. They peek into Meredith’s room to find her battered and lifeless body, but they still can’t remember anything.”
“Rudy is nowhere to be found, and in fact, they don’t remember that he was there. Amanda has a hazy recollection of a black man, but the only person she can think of is Patrick.”
Barbie believes that Meredith impaled herself on the knife. They were all just teasing Meredith and it was all just a big mistake. We are supposed to believe that Amanda and Raffaele committed a brutal murder and woke up the next day with absolutely no recollection of the act.
Barbie’s theory is ridiculous. Quite frankly, she should be embarrassed that this was the best she could do. Just like prosecutor Mignini’s many theories, Barbie’s theory is based on nothing but pure fantasy.
I have little doubt why Barbie has chosen to attack those who support Amanda Knox. Barbie is only doing what she can to protect her own interests.
One last observation regarding Barbie's article. Barbie takes it upon herself to imagine what Amanda is thinking in prison. Barbie writes:
"Amanda Knox must surely cringe every time she hears that another vocal supporter in the United States has taken up her cause."
Barbie has absolutely no idea what Amanda is thinking and she is in no position to speculate. I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone when I tell you that Barbie is wrong about Amanda's thoughts. Amanda has thanked us repeatedly for the support and she recently thanked Steve Moore for his efforts. This is the simple truth, something that seems to be of little interest to Barbie Latza Nadeau.
Injustice in Perugia
a website detailing the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox & Raffaele Sollecito
Additional Resources
Professional Analysis
Injustice in Perugia
The Appeal
The Victim
Meredith's Killer
Wrongfully Convicted
About Us/Contact Us
