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Amanda Knox Murder Conviction Overturned on Appeal

Christine Detz |
October 3, 2011 | 12:25 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

 

An Italian jury overturned the verdict in the Amanda Knox murder trial Monday.  The jury, consisting of two judges and six civilians, could have upheld the original verdict, altered the sentence or overturned the 2009 conviction entirely.  The jury upheld Knox's conviction of defamation.

Knox was originally convicted of killing her British roommate Meredith Kercher while they were both studying as exchange students in Perugia, Italy.  Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison while her Italian boyfriend received a 25-year sentence. A third person, Rudy Hermann Guede, was also convicted in Kercher’s murder.  Guede received a reduced sentence of 16 years upon appeal.

Kercher was stabbed more than 40 times and sexually assaulted in the brutal 2007 attack that took her life. Knox’s appeal hung on an independent inquiry into the DNA evidence in the case.  The inquiry found multiple errors in the way the police handled evidence collection.

During the 10-month long appeal the prosecution told the jury that Knox was a she-devil who committed a brutal murder and asked the court to increase her sentence to life in prison.  Knox addressed the court on Monday “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.”

Kercher’s family addressed the media prior to Monday's verdict saying that the true victim in the case, Meredith, had been forgotten.

Knox, who was visibly emotional after the verdict was read, is expected to return to the United States as soon as possible.  The prosecution vowed to appeal the decision.

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