This article regarding the case against Raffaele Sollecito is not going to be about evidence. It has been established by multiple sources that no physical evidence links Raffaele to the murder of Meredith Kercher. I’m going to demonstrate that it is impossible for Raffaele to have committed the crime due to the type of person he is. This will have to do with his morals, upbringing, intelligence, stability and most importantly how his life has shaped him into the outstanding man that he is.
Raffaele grew up with two doting parents. His father Francesco Sollecito, is known to be a loving father towards his son. Dr. Sollecito has stood by his son through this horrible injustice and, in my opinion, is the best father anyone could ever ask for. That being said I would like to state my first piece of evidence that it would be impossible for Raffaele to have committed the crime of murder. This is backed up by an article called “Mental Illness in Kids: The Surprising Warning Signs,” which is featured on the medical website everydayhealth.com. Signs of mental illness and destructive behavior in a person’s future will often emerge during their childhood years, in the preschool and elementary stages of their life.
As a child, Raffaele was described as calm, quiet and overall well behaved. He was not hyper by any means, and was cheerful and cooperative. If you put this side-by-side with what are considered to be warning signs of a child with a mental illness, you will see a striking difference. Children with mental illness in the preschool/elementary early school years are said to have signs of behavior problems in school and day care, hyperactivity, defiance, difficulty separating from a parent or guardian, temper tantrums and, last but not least, aggression. Raffaele possessed none of these traits as a young child. In fact, he was reported by several family members and friends to be very well-adjusted both in school and at home. This shows that he is in complete contrast to what is described as a child with a developing mental illness. In fact, this shows that he was well-adjusted, knew right from wrong, knew how to calm himself, and cooperated with not only his parents but other adults who would care for him.
Let’s now move on to children who are further along in their grade school years. One of the warning signs is not the number of friends a child has, but the quality of the friendships. If they are long-lasting, then there is no cause for concern but if one drops off then we have a red flag. Again this is in contrast to Raffaele during his elementary school years. As a matter, fact Raffaele was able to develop friendships that he still has to this day. Signs of a child during the elementary school years who has a possible mental illness would include extreme hyperactivity, sudden decrease in school performance, loss of interest in friends and favorite activities and visible prolonged sadness. Once again all of this is in deep contrast to Raffaele as a child. He was a very good student and he had a normal interests in his friends, hobbies and activities. These would include playing with superhero figures, and much the same activities that we would expect any “normal” boy of his age to enjoy. Again I would like to stress the word “normal,” because Raffaele is being accused of the act of murder, which is in no way normal.
Now let’s move on to the tween and teen years of a young adult who is developing a mental illness. Studies have shown that a tween or teenager who is in danger of developing a mental illness will show signs of destructive behavior, run away from home, withdraw from family and friends, and make comments about wanting to harm himself or others. Further down the road of his teenage years Raffaele is again the complete opposite of a teenager who is in danger of developing a mental illness. There have never been any reports of him wanting to harm himself or others; he never ran away from home; he never withdrew from family and friends, and he never demonstrated disruptive behavior of any kind. Last but not least, let us not forget that Raffaele’s father is a doctor. Parents are usually vigilant about their children’s behavior, and if they see something wrong will automatically look for ways to fix it. That being said, I’m sure a doctor who knows exactly what to look for would have recognized the signs if his son was developing a mental illness.
Now let’s fast-forward to Raffaele’s college years. Studies have shown that a person with a goal has a smaller chance of losing focus and committing an act that would prevent them from reaching his goal than those without firm goals in mind. In college, Raffaele was an accomplished student who, at the time of the murder, was studying computer science. Even now, while this travesty of justice is going on, Raffaele has been able to obtain his degree in Information Technology. If anything, this shows his ability to stay focused, his peace of mind and clear conscience.
What I would like the reader to realize is that in addition to there being absolutely no evidence against Raffaele it is completely impossible for him to have committed the crime of murder. There is nothing in his background or in his state of mind that would lead him to commit such a horrible act. All of these facts emphasize the absurdity of the case against Raffaele Sollecito. It is completely impossible for him to have committed the crime. It is not in him.
Mary Thompson