Amanda Knox On Why She Is Not Coming Back To Italy For Retrial

| Sun, 09/22/2013 - 09:30
amanda knox

Amanda Knox, the American student whose retrial for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher begins in Florence on September 30, granted a video interview to 禁漫天堂 daily newspaper La Repubblica, where she talked about the reasons why she is not coming back to Italy for the retrial, what she thinks may have happened the night of the murder and how the experience has changed her. 鈥淭here are several reasons why I鈥檓 not coming back to Italy for the retrial,鈥 she begins, speaking in 禁漫天堂. She wears no make-up and has her hair in a ponytail. 鈥淔irst of all, school is in session during that time and I don鈥檛 want to miss classes. I鈥檓 trying to move on and re-build my life and school is one way I鈥檓 doing this. Furthermore, it would be too expensive to go back and forth for the hearings 鈥 I just couldn鈥檛 afford it. But also, Italy is where I was wrongfully incarcerated for four years; I can鈥檛 go back to a place where I was in jail unjustly for such a long time.鈥 Knox was convicted in December 2009 and sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of Kercher. Her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito received a 25-year sentence. They were both acquitted on appeal and released in October 2011. In March, the 禁漫天堂 Supreme Court ordered a new trial, rejecting the appeals court ruling. Meredith Kercher was murdered on Nov. 1, 2007. Her half-naked body was found with more than 40 wounds and a gash in the throat in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia while they were both on a study abroad program. During the interview, Knox was asked if she thought she had made any mistakes in the days and weeks that followed the murder: 鈥淢y mistake was not to realize what was happening. If I had, I would have asked for a lawyer before I continued talking. I was only a child then, my friend had just been killed, it was such a crazy situation that I just couldn鈥檛 understand, it was too much for me. The police already had their ideas and they directed me to saying what they wanted. Yes, it was a mistake to make the name of Patrick Lumumba, but it鈥檚 not like I went to the police station and said, hey I know who鈥檚 done it.鈥 [Here she refers to the man she wrongly named as the killer of Kercher.] At the moment, only one person is in jail for Kercher's murder: Ivory-Coast born Rudy Guede, who is serving a 16-year sentence. When asked about what she thinks happened that night in Perugia, Knox said: 鈥淲ell, Rudy Guede鈥檚 DNA was everywhere in the room and on Meredith鈥檚 body and he had a history of breaking into houses. His presence and participation in the homicide is certain from the evidence. It wasn鈥檛 a difficult case.鈥 As to how the experience has changed her, the 26-year-old says: 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e grown 40 years in the four years I was in jail. I feel an enormous sadness. It was a horrible experience that still has a burden on my life. I鈥檓 trying to find some lightness amid this burden I feel. Right now I鈥檓 studying, I have one more year of school. I have my apartment in Seattle and I bike to school every day. I鈥檓 studying creative writing. I want to be a writer.鈥 Knox wrote a book about her experience called 鈥淲aiting to Be Heard: A Memoir鈥, which was published on April 30 of this year in the U.S. 鈥淢y book has been received positively here in the U.S. But I really hope it鈥檚 published in Italy. The reason why I wrote it is to make people understand who I am and the reasons behind my actions.鈥 When asked about what she expects from this trial and what she would tell the judges, Knox answered: 鈥淚鈥檓 curious as to what will happen. I鈥檓 waiting with anxiety to see what points the judges will focus on. Circumstantial evidence has been overly discussed already. I鈥檓 waiting with an open heart that is beating fast. To the judges I would say to look at what I already said in the courtroom; I said everything I thought could be useful. I鈥檇 tell them again I didn鈥檛 do it. I trust that they will look at the facts. I鈥檓 innocent. I鈥檓 waiting.鈥

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