Amanda Knox and her co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito have been freed by an appeals jury. The jury overturned the murder convictions for both in the killing of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, four years ago.
Knox and Sollecito were led from the courtroom back to the jail to get their belongings and to be processed and released. Reports say that she will return to the United States immediately… possibly by private jet.
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.
Did she or didn’t she? That is the question an Italian Court of Appeals in Perugia, Italy must soon decide.
The appellate process is almost finished.
Amanda Knox was convicted and sentenced in December of 2009 to 26 years in an Italian prison for the murder of her college roomate, Meredith Kercher. Kercher was found with her throat slit in what was described as a very gory crime scene back on November 1, 2007. Since that time her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and another man have also been found guilty in the murder.
The appeal included testimony from two Sapienza University forensic experts who were independently appointed by the court. The expert’s reports and testimony concluded that the DNA testing, largely used to convict Knox, was completely flawed and unreliable.
It is likely that Knox will address the appellate court later this week to declare her innocence.
In Italy, the appellate court may decide on a wholly different sentence depending on their determination of the evidence. Prosecutors have asked for Knox to receive a sentence of life in prison with 6 months in solitary confinement. The defense has asked for an acquittal.
