Today, in a packed courtroom in Perugia, Italy, Amanda Knox stood before the 8 person jury who will ultimately decide her fate and plead for them to return a verdict of not guilty and to give her life back. Knox spoke in Italian, which she now speaks fluently after spending the last four years of her life in an Italian jail. Reports described her plea for freedom as very sincere. She fought back tears but was able to keep her composure in her 10 minute address to the jury.
In her last plea to the jury, Knox stated,
“I’m not a promiscuous vamp. I’m not violent … I have not killed, I have not raped. I was not there. I was not present. I want to go home, I want to go back to my life, I do not want to be punished and to have my life taken away from me for something I have not done, because I am innocent.”
She further said,
“I lost a friend, in the most brutal and inexplicable way possible. My absolute faith in the police authorities was betrayed, I’ve had to face absolutely unfair … and baseless accusations. I am paying with my life for things I did not commit.”
A verdict in the case is expected later today. Under the Italian system, the jurors will not be allowed to leave the deliberation room until they agree on a verdict. The jury has many options as to Knox’s fate. They can uphold the original conviction and her 26 year sentence, they can uphold the conviction and reduce or increase the amount of years Knox will spend in prison or they can find Knox not guilty and order that she be released.
