Amanda Knox, the American woman who was convicted in 2007 for the murder of her college roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Italy, found herself back in court in Rome on Wednesday.
Kercher, a British student, tragically lost her life in her bedroom at the apartment she shared with Knox in the beautiful city of Perugia, Italy. It is devastating to know that she was not only sexually assaulted but also subjected to multiple stab wounds.
Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito faced a conviction for the murder, with prosecutors portraying them as sexual deviants who had killed Kercher in a tragic turn of events during a sex game. However, following a series of contradictory verdicts and extensive global media coverage, the two were ultimately cleared by a higher court in 2015.
Knox is still convicted of one charge. She was found guilty of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba, a Congolese bar owner, of killing Kercher. Knox used to work part-time in Lumumba’s bar in Perugia. The trial that began in Florence is specifically focused on this charge of slander.
Shortly after the murder of Kercher, Knox, who was 20 years old at the time, underwent a grueling 53-hour interrogation without the presence of a lawyer or official translator. As the process unfolded, she ultimately accused Lumumba of being responsible for Kercher’s death. The police documented these statements, which she later signed.
Shortly after, she penned a four-page statement in English, raising significant concerns about the credibility of her earlier testimony to the police.
“I must clarify that I have serious doubts about the accuracy of the statements I made last night. At the time, I was under immense stress, shock, and extreme exhaustion. I was threatened with arrest and a 30-year jail sentence, and I was even physically harmed when I couldn’t recall a specific detail correctly,” she explained in her statement. “Given the immense pressure and the hours of confusion I experienced, my mind generated these responses.”
She described experiencing “flashes of blurry images” of Lumumba in her mind. However, she expressed uncertainty about the authenticity of these recollections, stating that they felt more like dreams concocted by her own mind in an attempt to make sense of the questions swirling in her head and the inquiries posed to her.
The court made a ruling stating that the initial testimony drafted by the police would not be accepted as evidence in the retrial. However, Knox’s handwritten note will be allowed as evidence in the ongoing proceedings that commenced on Wednesday.
Knox is currently being tried in absentia and is not expected to make a personal appearance for the trial. According to her attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova, Knox is staying in the United States as she is occupied with the responsibilities of caring for her two young children, one of whom was recently born.
Accused by Knox, Lumumba found himself spending two weeks in jail, even though he had a strong alibi. As a result, he decided to leave Italy.
The prosecutor urged the court on Wednesday to uphold the conviction for slander and recommended a three-year penalty. However, even if Knox is found guilty, she has already spent enough time in prison in Italy for the murder conviction, which has since been overturned, so she would not have to serve another sentence.
