Candace Dempsey, author of MURDER IN ITALY, visits Mme. Perry's Salon

You've read the sensational headlines in newspapers, magazines, online media and the tabloids about the tragic death, bizarre circumstances and shocking theories in the death of the British student Meredith Kercher, and the arrest, trial and conviction of her American roommate, Amanda Knox. Or maybe you watched the Lifetime movie about these two young women attending school in Italy. If you haven't read MURDER IN ITALY by Candace Dempsey, the Italian-American journalist who has covered the entire story from the beginning, you are in for an even greater shock.

MURDER IN ITALY (Penguin/Berkley Books) received the Best True Crime Book of 2010 Editor’s Choice Award and Best True Crime Book of 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards. We are very pleased to have author Candace Dempsey visit Madame Perry's Salon.

Jennifer Perry: Welcome to Madame Perry’s Salon, Candace. We are joined by my friend, Atlanta broadcast professional Joy Barge. We are so delighted that you could make time to talk with us.

As I told you before, many times I passed your book MURDER IN ITALY as I scoured the true crime shelves at bookstores. Having bought the sensational media and legal conviction of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the horrible murder of Meredith Kercher, I didn’t think my opinion could be swayed. Then I bought your book, and was absolutely amazed.

Please tell us how you came to be covering the story, and how you were able to get such a close up view of the proceedings?

Candace Dempsey: The Amanda Knox case has beautiful people, sex, drugs, Italy, a hilltop college town, tragedy. A real-life murder mystery. For me, it’s a natural. I’m an Italian-American journalist from Seattle, Amanda’s hometown. I have many sources there and in Italy, where I flew for trial and interviews. I know Italy well, because I have family there.

In fact, I’d just returned from Rome in 2007 when I heard a British student had been murdered in Perugia, Seattle’s sister city, and that the main suspect was Amanda, an honor student from the University of Washington in Seattle. Meredith Kercher’s stabbing was so sad, tragic and ironic. I had to write about it on my seattlepi.com blog.

Joy Barge: For some reason, the first time I saw this story I didn't believe Amanda Knox was guilty. It seemed from the start a sort of media hysteria. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in another country accused of such a heinous crime. When did your opinion about the case begin to change?

Author Candace Dempsey

Dempsey: When police claimed Amanda was cultivating marijuana in her Perugia garden. That’s like growing orchids outdoors in the Arctic. When police lie like that, I get curious. They also told reporters that Amanda had called drifter Rudy Guede, supposedly a co-conspirator, before and after the murder. He didn’t even have a cell phone and police knew it. They’d taken it away on Oct. 27, because Rudy had stolen it.

Even prestigious newspapers like The Times of London simply typed up whatever police or prosecutors leaked on a given day - no matter how illogical or nonsensical. That certainly made me wonder if Amanda could be innocent.

Perry: It seems that Kercher and Knox met because they both responded to a billboard notice seeking roommates, and knew each other only a few weeks before the murder. Knox was with her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito that night anyway. Did it seem this was just disregarded in favor of sensational headlines?

Dempsey: Yes, the roommates shared quarters little more than a month. Nobody knew anybody very well. Meredith’s British friends described Amanda harshly in court, but most of them had met her only once—at the police station after the murder. They became suspicious only after her arrest.

Barge: Do you think Amanda Fox was so targeted by Italian authorities and the media because she is American? Did that have any bearing on her case?

Meredith Kercher

Dempsey: I’m not sure she was targeted, but anti-Americanism plays a part. Read the comments in Italian newspapers. They’ll bring up Guantanamo Bay, the electric chair, George Bush, U.S. arrogance. They’ll talk about “Natural Born Killers” like it’s a documentary. Amanda Knox becomes Sharon Stone in “Basic Instincts.”
There’s also hypocrisy. Perugia’s been called a “Disneyland of drugs” and prostitution thrives there, but you’d think Amanda invented marijuana and premarital sex. The prosecutor was fixated on vibrator and condoms. Very few of Perugia’s 40,000 college students are American. Perugia has serious crime problems that we didn’t cause.

Perry: The Kercher family seemed convinced of Knox’s guilt. Their grief and heartbreak is certainly painful. Do they seem at all swayed by the information brought to light in your book?

Dempsey: Victim’s families usually side with the prosecution. They need to trust someone. We’re all looking at the same facts. I doubt they’ve read my book.

Amanda Knox

Barge: Amanda and her family were recently in the news again on new charges. What do you think about this? Are you in touch with her family at all?

Dempsey: Yes, I’m in touch with Amanda’s family. They’re accessible to journalists. Yes, she’s in court all the time. Her 26-year murder conviction is on appeal. She and her parents are also being tried for slander. Twelve police offers have brought charges against her because she said an officer hit her twice during an all-night interrogation. Her parents are being tried simply for telling a reporter what Amanda said about the hitting.
Police refuse to provide videotapes, audio or even transcript of that interrogation. So it’s a police said/they said. Amanda already has a 26-year sentence. To Americans, these new trials look like harassment, especially when the financially drained parents are hauled into court.

Whatever happens, I’ll cover every twist and turn in the Amanda Knox case on my blog.

Perry: I believe we all want true justice in this case, and for Meredith Kercher’s family and friends to find some peace and consolation after such a despicable tragedy.

Thank you for giving us so much of your time here, Candace, and for your excellent reporting of events. For both the Kercher and Knox families, it is vital that someone is diligently watching the developments with an interest in the truth.

Coming Soon! Interview with Candace Dempsey, award winning author of MURDER IN ITALY

My good friend, broadcast professional Joy Barge, and I interviewed Candace Dempsey about her book MURDER IN ITALY. An Italian-American journalist who covered the Meredith Kercher murder investigation and the trial of Amanda Knox from the beginning, Dempsey gives up a close up view you can't and won't get from media or the Lifetime movie.

I'll post the interview later this week. For now, check out Dempsey's blog.SeattlePI - Candace Dempsey - Lifetime pulls disturbing Amanda Knox video.

Walter Fredericks, writing as T.F. Walters, My Brother's Keeper

T. F. Walters, author of My Brother's Keeper

In 2009 I met T. F. Walters and his friend, film maker/actor Keith Hayes, in Waldenbooks store in the CNN center in Atlanta, where he was scheduling an event to promote My Brother's Keeper. A handsome man, he has an aura that is simultaneously understated and intriguing. Walters' debut novel is the story of brothers Dallas and Dakota Seabrook and their mother, Nora Seabrook. Nora is doing her best to keep a good home and raise two boys in Harlem in the 80s and 90s after their father goes out for the proverbial loaf of bread of no return.

The call of the streets and fast money have an iron clad grip on Dakota, the older brother, while Dallas is a carefree fellow who enjoys and excels at school and sports. What the boys have in common is a fierce devotion to each other and their mother. Told through the eyes of Dallas we are provided the sights, sounds and feel of their lives as if watching a 3-D film, thanks to Walters' tight control of language, dialogue and action. The family trio settles into a life that, though not perfect, has managed to find a workable balance within their circumstances.

The balance is shattered by the brutal murder of Dakota, and seemingly apathetic police investigation. Dallas, for whom the future appears to offer the keys to the doors of success, success he's methodically planned for, sacrifices all to find Dakota's killer.
AuthorHouse. 183 pages. ISBN 1420853805 Available at Barnes & Noble , Amazon, .

T. F. Walters is here to answer questions about My Brother's Keeper and I'm curious about his influences and writing habits. We're joined by a very dear friend of mine, Joy Barge, (right photo) who is a seasoned and respected broadcast professional in Atlanta as well as a talented vocalist and entertainer. Joy and I give Mr. Walters a moment to settle in and serve him a cup of tea and conversation before we ask the questions we've had on our minds.

Madame Perry: You have a style of telling the story that makes the reader see, hear and feel the action. People will assume it is, at least in part, autobiographical. Is it, and if so, how much?

T. F. Walters: My book is loosely based on my life. The story of Dallas and Dakota Seabrook being raised by a single mother was my brother and I growing up, hence the title. We had to take care of each other while my mother worked. There are different parts of the story that are autobiographical. There are actually too many to point out. The content of my book is based off of my life's experiences.

Perry: What one event in your childhood had the greatest effect on your career as a writer?

Walters: The one event in my childhood that has had the greatest effect on my writing is the brutal murder of a close friend. He was murdered right in front of me and that changed my life forever. I realized that my life was a canvas that needed to be painted on and shared with the world.

Joy Barge: What was your general mood as you were writing the book?

Walters: Joy, during the time I was writing "My Brother's Keeper" my mood was one of heartache and disappointment. I was coming out of a very serious relationship and I had to move back to New York and stay at my mother's house.

Joy Barge: What did you hope to accomplish by sharing this story with your readers?

Walters: I hoped to touch my readers in some way. I believe everyone who reads my book can relate to a particular character or situation. I want people to live the story as they read it.
Barge: Did writing this book give you a better understanding of your own life experiences?

Walters: Definitely, I can't stress enough how much of me and my life is poured into this book. When I look back at some of the things discussed in the book, it amazes me how incredible my childhood was.
Perry: What lesson from an older person do you still live by today?


Walters: My mother is my role model and biggest supporter. She taught us to work hard, stay focused and never let anyone keep you from achieving your dreams. I continue to follow that wisdom as I live out my dreams today.

Barge: This has certainly been a pleasure, and I wish you much success with this and all of your work.
Walters: The pleasure is all mine, Joy, and after hearing you on the radio it's very nice to finally meet in person.

Perry: And I'm delighted to have you as a guest in Madame Perry's Salon. I don't want to reveal to much, but I know about the screenplay and we hope you'll come back and talk to us about that.

Walters: Definitely!