Amanda Knox Acquittal Overturned By Italian Court

Amanda Knox’s acquittal for the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007 was overturned by a Roman court on Tuesday morning. Knox and Kercher were fellow exchange students and roommates studying at the University of Perugia, hailing from the United States and Great Britain, respectively.

Knox was acquitted of her alleged crimes 18 months ago. Today, however, the Court of Cassation overturned the acquittal and is calling for the case against Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Solecito, also alleged to be involved in Kercher’s murder, to be reheard. The initial trial found both Knox and Solecito guilty of murder, but they had gotten off on appeal.

The details of Kercher’s murder and the subsequent trial caught the attention of the global media. Kercher, who was 21 at the time, was found dead in her bedroom under a duvet, half-naked and with her throat slit. Both Knox and Sollecito were arrested days later, charged with murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison – all of which were successfully appealed in October 2011. Meanwhile, a third individual, Rudy Guedg of Ivory Coast, was tried separately, sentenced to 16 years in prison and had his appeal rejected.

Since their release, both Knox and Kercher have resumed their education. She’s been studying creative writing at the University of Washington, while he’s been living in Verona pursuing a degree in computer engineering. Seattle-based Knox was pained to learn that the trial against her was to be reopened, but was insistent on her innocence and resilience in the face of this new hurdle to her freedom.

“No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity,” her statement read, according to The New York Times.

The new trial will take place either by the end of this year, or in early 2014. Knox will not have to return for the trial. In the meantime, Knox will be making her publishing debut with her book Waiting to be Heard on April 30. She’ll also be featured on ABC’s World News in an interview with host Diane Sawyer. While this will be her first public appearance since she was released from prison, her story has hardly been out of the spotlight. Lifetime aired a docudrama about the case starring Hayden Panetierre, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, in 2011.

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