A verdict was reached in the Amanda Knox trial that dates back to 2007. Knox has been found guilty by an Italian court and sentenced to 28 years, six months in prison, according to ABC News.
Knox’s former Italian boyfriend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito, was sentenced to 25 years. The two were found guilty of murdering Knox’s former roommate, Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy.
Knox was in Seattle watching the verdict with her family.
“I am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict,” Knox said in a statement. “Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system.”
“My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution.”
Following the verdict, the lawyer for Knox, Luciano Ghirga said, “We have not lost our courage. We respect this judgment. We will appeal.”
Stephanie and Lyle, the sister and brother of Kercher, sat in the courtroom for the verdict.
Lyle said, “No matter what the verdict is it is never going to be a matter of celebrating…. It is probably the best thing we could have hoped for.”
Prior to the verdict, Knox spoke with the Guardian. She said, “I’m definitely not going back to Italy willingly. They’ll have to catch me and pull me back kicking and screaming into a prison that I don’t deserve to be in. I will fight for my innocence.”
She spent four years in prison in Italy from her arrest in 2007 until an appeals court freed her in 2011.
Knox’s full statement following the verdict is below:
“First and foremost it must be recognized that there is no consolation for the Kercher family. Their grief over Meredith’s terrible murder will follow them forever. They deserve respect and support.
I am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict. Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system. The evidence and accusatory theory do not justify a verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Rather, nothing has changed. There has always been a marked lack of evidence. My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution.
This has gotten out of hand. Most troubling is that it was entirely preventable. I beseech those with the knowledge and authority to address and remediate the problems that worked to pervert the course of justice and waste the valuable resources of the system: overzealous and intransigent prosecution, prejudiced and narrow-minded investigation, unwillingness to admit mistake, reliance on unreliable testimony and evidence, character assassination, inconsistent and unfounded accusatory theory, and counterproductive and coercive interrogation techniques that produce false confessions and inaccurate statements.
Clearly a wrongful conviction is horrific for the wrongfully accused, but it is also terribly bad for the victim, their surviving family, and society.”