Amanda Knox “The prosecution responsible for the many discrepancies in their work must be made to answer for them, for Raffaele's sake, my sake and most especially for the sake of Meredith's family. Our hearts go out to them. 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. ”

Childhood Grew up in West Seattle Three younger sisters Parents divorced when she was only a few years old, mother soon remarried Middle class family Good at soccer, got nickname “Foxy Knoxy” from athletic skill Graduated from Seattle Preparatory School in 2005

College Life Majored in Linguistics at University of Washington Good student, Made Dean’s List Known to throw parties Friends knew her as a “Kind, gentle individual” Worked part-time jobs to save for a study abroad year in Italy. Roomed with 21-year old Meredith Kercher, who was from London, in Italy.

Murder The Italian police receives a phone call from Amanda. They arrive at the house and find Meredith Krecher’s body. Her throat is slit and the police find evidence of rape. The police take Amanda and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito into custody. After hours of interrogation and alleged police brutality she signs a confession that states she was at the scene during the murder and accuses Patrick Lumumba of the crime.

Conviction The police find DNA evidence tying the murder to a man named Rudy Guede, who is known to burglarize houses. They sentence him with the murder and he claims Amanda and Raffaele had nothing to do with it. However, Amanda and her boyfriend are tried and found guilty after the prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini, painted a picture of Knox as a sex-crazed, marijuana-smoker— even calling Knox a "she-devil.”. She is then sentenced to 26 years in prison, and Raffaele to 25 years. The case became an international sensation. Supporters criticized the Italian legal system, which they said had major flaws, and claimed Knox was discriminated against because she was American, and because she was an attractive young woman.

Acquittal In April 2010, Knox's and Sollecito's lawyers filed appeals, contesting the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses. The appeal process began in December This time, forensic experts said that DNA used in the first trial was unreliable. On October 3, 2011, two years after their first trial, the murder convictions against Knox and Sollecito were overturned. Knox's prior conviction for defaming Patrick Lumumba was upheld, and she was sentenced to a three-year term and fined. She then returned home to America.

Second Conviction Not long after returning home, Knox picked up her studies at the University of Washington, majoring in creative writing. In a sharp turn of events in March 2013, Knox and Sollecito were both ordered to stand trial again for the murder of Meredith Kercher by the Italian Supreme Court. Italy's final court of appeal, the Court of Cassation, overturned the acquittals of both Knox and Sollecito. In a decision that created shockwaves around the globe in early February 2014, Knox and Sollecito were again found guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher. Sollecito received a 25-year prison sentence while Knox, who was convicted of slander in addition to murder, was sentenced to 28 1/2 years in prison.

Final Decision In March 2015, the Supreme Court of Italy overturned the 2014 convictions of Knox and Sollecito after finding a lack of evidence. After learning about the verdict, Knox issued a statement, saying "I am tremendously relieved and grateful" for the court's decision.

Crime Chart

Evidence against Knox Signed Confession Witnesses place them near building at time of murder Suspicious 911 calls Knox DNA on Knife (Claimed she used it to make dinner the day prior) Other DNA evidence (Thrown out by Judge)

Books about/by Amanda Many books made either condemning her or claiming her innocence Waiting to be Heard- By Amanda Knox herself Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox, by her co-defendent, former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, with co-author Andrew Gumbel. (2012) Meredith: Our Daughter's Murder and the Heartbreaking Quest for the Truth, by John Kercher, a British journalist and father of murder victim Meredith Kercher. (2012) The Fatal Gift of Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox, by Nina Burleigh. (2011; 2012) A Death in Italy: The Definitive Account of the Amanda Knox Case, by John Follain. (2011) Amanda Knox and the Perugia Murder, by Giacomo Brunoro, Jacopo Pezzan and Yacine May. (2011) Injustice in Perugia: A Book Detailing the Wrongful Conviction of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, by Bruce Fischer. (2011) Sequel Finding Justice in Perugia. (2011) The Monster of Perugia: The Framing of Amanda Knox, by Mark C. Waterbury. (2011) Murder in Italy: The Shocking Slaying of a British Student, the Accused American Girl, and an International Scandal, by Candace Dempsey. (2010) Take Me with You: Talks with Amanda Knox in Prison, by Rocco Girlanda. (2010) Walking with Amanda, by Florisbela Inocencio de Jesus. (2010) The Murder of Meredith Kercher, by Gary C. King. (2010) Angel Face: Sex, Murder and the Inside Story of Amanda Knox, by Barbie Latza Nadeau. (2010) Darkness Descending: The Murder of Meredith Kercher, by Paul Russell, Graham Johnson and Luciano Garofano. (2010)

Documentaries/Movie Movie: Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy- College student Amanda Knox (Hayden Panettiere) stands trial in Italy, accused of murdering her roommate, Meredith Kercher (Amanda Fernando Stevens). Documentaries A Long Way From Home: CBS 48 Hours documentary, broadcast in April 2008 in the United States American Girl, Italian Nightmare: CBS 48 Hours documentary, broadcast in April 2009 in the United States The Trial of Amanda Knox: NBC Dateline NBC documentary, broadcast on December 4, 2009, in the United States The Trials of Amanda Knox: The Learning Channel documentary, broadcast on March 24, 2010, in the United States Beyond the Headlines: Amanda Knox: Lifetime documentary, broadcast on February 21, 2011, in the United States Cold Blood: Life Behind Bars For Amanda Knox: Investigation Discovery Cold Blood documentary, broadcast on April 20, 2011, in the United States Murder Abroad: The Amanda Knox Story: CNN Presents documentary, broadcast on May 8, 2011, in the United States Amanda Knox: The untold story: CBS 48 Hours documentary October 8, 2011, 7:45 pm Murder Mystery: Amanda Knox Speaks: ABC News 20/20 special interview with Diane Sawyer, Knox's first interview after being released from prison

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Social Theory: Differential-Association Theory The prosecution in Amanda Knox’s cases claim that her motive for murdering her roommate was “Assult that escalated out of control.” If this is to be believed, Differential-Association Theory would best explain her motive. It is believed that Raffaele Sollecito and Rudy Guede also participated in Meredith’s murder. It is likely that Knox was persuaded to join the assult by Sollecito and Guede. This comes from the fact that Guede had already been caught for burglary, and that Knox had a clean record.

Differential-Association Theory continued Knox’s background seems clear and innocent other than some college partying. She came from a loving family and received top grades through high school and college. She had saved up for years to study in Italy and was close to finishing her linguistics degree. These factors show that Amanda had everything to lose and nothing to gain by killing her roommate. However, with her partying background and proof of drug use it is possible that Knox, Guede, and Sollecito forced Meredith to join a “party” that got out of control. Knox’s choice to participate in this deviant behavior likely came from the influences of the other people involved, making it Differential-Association Theory.

Innocent or Guilty? You Decide!