For nearly three full years Superior Court Judge Mike Heavey Sr. has spent his personal time and energy into uncovering the truth about a murder in Perugia, Italy that led to the conviction of Seattle resident Amanda Knox.

His verdict?

“She is 100 percent innocent,” Heavey said. “This is a terrible injustice.”

Speaking before the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club on April 1 with Amanda’s father, Curt, looking on, Heavey told members that without any forensic support, authorities in Perugia spun a web of half-truths and outright lies to place Knox at the scene, put the weapon in her hand and ultimately implicate her in the crimes.

Her case is now under appeal in Italy and Heavey hopes that justice finally will be served. The appeals judge “appears to be pretty fair,” Heavey said and also showed a recent cover from OGGI Magazine with a picture of Knox titled “Innocente!”, Italian for “innocent.”

Heavey, a former state representative and senator, became interested in the case after watching a special investigative report on CBS television, which contained an interview with Paul Ciolino, a renowned investigator. Ciolino called the conviction of Knox “the railroad job from Hell.”

Heavey’s hypothesis centers on what he said was the response from the Italian authorities that was flawed in nature as a result of public pressure to resolve the case quickly, which he says led to Knox’s conviction.

Heavey cited a range of DNA experts who have signed a petition stating that the DNA testing used in the case is unreliable. Heavey added that “A lot of us feel the DNA experts [in Italy] contaminated the evidence.”

Recent reports out of Perugia have opened the possibility of a complete lack of DNA evidence on either the handle or blade of the knife, which authorities have alleged as the murder weapon, Heavey said.

Another of Heavey’s main contentions is with the alleged confession from Knox that has been used to place her at the scene of the crime. After being interrogated for more than 40 hours without access to food or water, Knox, in a dreamlike haze, told police she she heard a scream and covered her ears, which is the only linkage between her and the crime scene. Heavey says those unethical and improper interrogation methods coerced that statement and that Knox was also fed lies in an effort to cause her to implicate herself.

“They told her they had proof she was at the crime scene, told her that Raffaele was in the other room [at the police station] and had already told them she did indeed leave and returned telling him to remain quiet about the murder,” none of which is true according to Heavey.

He also takes issue with Knox’s lack of an interpreter or attorney, both of which are required by law in Italy.

Another important piece to Heavey’s puzzle is Rudy Guede, a co-defendant who opted for an abbreviated trial in order to avoid the maximum of a life-sentence. Guede, who is a known burglar, admits that he was present, left a bloody hand print underneath the victim and DNA evidence inside of the victim and on at least three other places at scene of the crime, including a drinking glass, Heavey told the Rotarians.

Heavey believes that without assistance from Knox or Sollecito, Guede broke into Kercher’s home intending to burglarize the residence and when confronted with Kercher’s return, sexually assaulted and murdered her. He says there is no connection between Guede and either Knox or Sollecito.

“No one can put Amanda with Rudy or Raffaele with Rudy,” Heavey said.

But with Guede’s conviction and the overwhelming lack of evidence that he had little or no connection to Knox, why hasn’t she been released?

Heavey argues that Italian authorities could not run the risk of damaging their public perception by admitting their original “orgy-gone-wrong” theory was completely off-base and therefore have kept Knox and Sollecito as collateral damage.

And what about the public perception of Knox in Perugia?

“Foxy Knoxy”, “Luficerina” and other catchy monikers have been used in an effort to demonize Knox in the public eye, according to Heavey. He says there has also been a stream of misinformation including untruths about her sex life, a claim she purchased bleach the day after the murder, that she knew details of the crime only the killer could know and that she could be identified on close-circuit television on a security camera across the street from the murder scene. All of this, Heavey says, poisoned the people of Perugia and Italy against Knox and ensured she would not receive a just trial.

“Their justice system is great, but like our justice system, it is run by people and can be abused, mistakes can be made,” Heavey said. “They took a good person and they demonized her.” He went on to note that in the United States, greater than 99 percent of all defendants go to trial with anonymity, which was absolutely not the case for Knox, who was found to be more recognizable than Carla Bruni, an Italian model and the second wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“The worst part is, we all bought off on it,” Heavey said. “We read she confessed – they wouldn’t go after someone who is innocent, would they?” But now, after putting in nearly three full years of his personal time and energy into uncovering the truth about Kercher’s murder, Heavey says he knows better.

“Between the demonization, the lack of evidence and a prosecutor that is of ill-will, you can get an unjust conviction,” Heavey said, calling Knox’s portrayal in the Perugian media “an unbelievable assault on her integrity.”

Among the more notable figures Heavey listed as believers in Knox’s innocence were John Douglass, the investigator who was the inspiration for the film “Silence of the Lambs” and a bevy of retired FBI agents and other investigative authorities.

Heavey was a state legislator for 14 years from 1986 to 2000, eight in the House and six in the Senate. He has been a King County Superior Court Judge since 2000.

Josh Suman can be reached at 425-453-5045.