Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Amanda Knox is an American author and activist who spent four years in prison after her wrongful conviction for Meredith Kercher’s murder in the university town of Perugia in 2007. Knox, who was just 20 at the time, was convicted alongside her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, who was 21. They were given sentences of 26 and 25 years, respectively. After the couple served some time in prison, they were acquitted of the crime owing to a lack of substantial evidence.
Meredith Kercher was a 21-year-old student from London who shared a home with Knox during her time in college. Kercher was found dead in her bedroom with multiple stab wounds. She was partially undressed and was also found to be sexually assaulted. According to the Guardian, the European Court of Human Rights had found that Amanda Knox’s defence rights had been violated during the police questioning in 2007.
Rudy Guede, 36, was also convicted and remains the only one whose conviction stands to date. Guede was convicted and given a 30-year sentence. The sentence was lowered to 16 years and Guede was released after serving just 13 years in 2021. According to Fox News, Guede was allegedly on a burglary spree after his adoptive family abandoned him a few days earlier when he raped and murdered Meredith Kercher.
Amanda Knox accused Patrick Lumumba, a local bar owner in Perugia, of Kercher’s murder. The court found the accusation to be wrongful and convicted her of defamation. Lumumba served two weeks in jail owing to the conviction.
Where is Amanda Knox now?
During her time in prison, Amanda Knox reportedly learned Italian by reading Harry Potter books. After her acquittal, Knox moved back to Seattle. She reportedly experienced significant paranoia and anxiety after she was released, owing to the media’s extensive coverage of her wrongful conviction that didn’t emphasise as much on her release and acquittal.
In 2013, Amand Knox’s memoir, Waiting to be Heard, was published. The book explores the details of her experience ever since she moved to Ital and how she was accused of the crime and was wrongfully convicted.
It also follows her experience through her imprisonment and subsequent acquittal. In September 2016, a documentary following her experience, titled Amanda Knox, was released on Netflix.
After her exoneration, Amanda Knox married Christopher Robinson in a time-traveler-themed wedding. She first met him when she had to interview him about his novel, “The War of the Encyclopaedists,” for the West Seattle Herald.
According to the New York Times, Knox and Robinson live in West Seattle, away from the rush of the mainland. The couple started a podcast called Labyrinths, on which they discuss various topics from philosophy to quirky misadventures.
They welcomed their first child, Eureka, in 2021. Knox and Robinson revealed details of her pregnancy and experience with childbirth on their podcast. In September 2023, Amanda Knox gave birth to her second child. By November, the couple confirmed that it was a son and they named him Echo. In her conversation with the New York Times, Knox was also vocal about her intentions to keep her children away from the noise of the paparazzi. She is now 36 years old.
Amanda Knox is now reportedly in line to make a limited series based on her experience for Hulu. The series will explore her 16-year journey towards freedom from wrongful convictions.
