Knox appeal: DNA evidence could be contaminated

AMERICAN student Amanda Knox received a major boost in the appeal of her Italian murder conviction when independent analysts rejected the prosecution’s claims of finding DNA on two crucial pieces of evidence used to convict Knox of killing her roommate.

Knox, looking pale and fragile, smiled slightly at her mother at the start of the hearing that could determine whether she is released from prison or must finish her 26-year sentence.

The investigators who collected the genetic evidence used to convict Knox of murder in Italy made a series of glaring errors, including using a dirty glove and not wearing caps, two independent forensic experts said.