Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods
Amanda Knox and the Murder of Meredith Kercher
 
 
On October 3, 2011, the jury in the Amanda Knox appeal reached a verdict. Knox made an impassioned plea to the court for her life and exoneration in the case. Knox told the court, "I did not kill, I did not, rape, I did not steal, I was not there." The Italian appeals system offers juries any number of options: upholding the previous verdict, extending the sentence to as much as life in prison, which is what the prosecution has been arguing for, or reducing the sentence, even exonerating the plaintiff — or anything in between. The jury decided to partially overturn the conviction finding her guilty of defamation for falsely implicating her old boss Patrick Lamumba in Meredith's murder. She must also pay his legal fees and reimburse him for general expenses. Defamation carries a three-year sentence; Knox has already served four years, so she and Raffaele Sollecito are free.

Click through for more on the Murder of Meredith Kercher
Categories
We're Following
Slender Man stabbing, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Gilberto Valle 'Cannibal Cop'
Advertisement