Amanda Knox Case & Verdict 2014: What Happens Next?
The never-ending saga of Amanda Knox continues after she was again found guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher in 2007. Also found guilty again is Knox's ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. He was found near the Italian border perhaps trying to flee the country. Despite the severity of the crime, the whole case has been laughable. It simply makes the Italian justice system seem like a Kangaroo court.
If you haven't been following this case from the very beginning, let me catch you up: Knox and Kercher were roommates with Filomena Romanelli starting in September 2007. Just two months after they became roommates, Kercher was killed on Nov. 1, 2007 in Perugia, Italy. In addition to her bloody corpse, Kercher was found in a state of undress in her apartment bedroom by Knox the next day.
After calling police, Knox was almost instantly labeled a suspect and questioned for four straight days by police. Her "confessions" meant that she was arrested. Also taken into custody were Sollecito and Perugia bar owner Patrick Lumumba. He was implicated by Knox. Knox reportedly told police that Lumumba wanted to have sex with Kercher. When Kercher and Lumumba supposedly met up, according to Knox, he killed her roommate. Lumumba was later found to be uninvolved in the whole mess when evidence pointed to Rudy Guede, an Ivory Coast native and drifter.
Just what were Meredith Kercher and Amanda Knox doing in Italy, anyway? Kercher was a British exchange student studying modern history, political theories and the history of cinema at the University of Perugia. When compared to Knox, Kercher was found to be much more personable. Knox, on the other hand, was an American exchange student from the state of Washington. She was a student at the University for Foreigners studying Italian, German and creative writing.
Three trials have been held. The first trial concluded in 2009 and found Knox and Sollecito guilty in the murder of British exchange student Kercher. Then, in 2011, an appellate court found the pair not guilty. Since Knox is an American resident, she wisely returned home to Seattle. Sollecito, being an Italian resident, was not so lucky and had to stay in the country. The third trial just concluded yesterday and reversed the appellate court's ruling. You may be wondering what happened to Rudy Guede amidst all this legal wrangling. He perhaps wisely opted for a faster, separate trial. While he was found guilty of Kercher's murder, he's eligible for release this year.
Shortly after the third ruling came down, which both Knox and Sollecito are expected to appeal, Good Morning America sat down with the beleaguered American. Knox had this to say to GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts:
"I did not expect this to happen. I really expected so much better from the Italian justice system," she said. "They found me innocent before. How can they say that it's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?"
I guess Knox never heard about the Italian court who found a bunch of seismologists guilty of manslaughter for not predicting an earthquake.
What do you think really happened to Meredith Kercher? Is Amanda Knox innocent or guilty in your opinion? Let us know in the comments section below.
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