by ALISON LEVIER Section Editor
Amanda Knox, one of the three main suspects in the murder of Meredith Kercher, was sentenced to 26 years in jail, but that sentencing was overturned in October 2011 after Knox only served four years. As of March 26, that acquittal is overturned for Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, and the case has thus been reopened.
Backing way up to 2007, Kercher, Knox’s roommate while she studied abroad in Italy, was found stabbed to death in the apartment she shared with Knox. Five days later, Knox and Sollecito, Knox’s then boyfriend, were charged with murdering the 21-year-old.
Knox reported to have found her friend the morning after she was murdered, but the evidence collected did not fit in with the story Knox and Sollecito were telling. Knox was almost immediately arrested and put on trial for murder and sexual assault against her roommate.
Patrick Lumumba, the man Knox originally accused of murdering Kercher, was found innocent during his first trial. Knox had to pay for that, and was sentenced to three years in jail.
Knox then fell into a slew of incidents, including accusing a police officer of slapping her in the face (which turned out to be untrue), as well as an outcry from Knox’s family that she had not been given an interpreter. She claimed she was not receiving food, water, and was being verbally and physically abused.
Throughout this whole situation, Knox gained extreme notoriety and attention from the media, focused mostly in Italy, the UK and America. She was given the nickname “Foxy Knoxy,” and the public became fascinated with her image and personality.
The case has been reopened as of late March, and now Knox, who has been living in the Seattle area, faces another trial for the murder she promises she did not commit. The Italian Supreme Court has sent the case back for revision.
“I feel that they should forget it and move on to different trials,” says senior Samantha Widmer.
Whatever the outcome, it seems like history is about to repeat itself. It is something of a flashback to the 2007-2011 chunk of time, when the name “Foxy Knoxy” flooded the covers of newsstands everywhere. The media had a field day, dissecting every bit of the suspected 20-some year old killer, and the scandal that came along with it.
“While I think that this is totally ridiculous that they are trying Knox for a second time, I do hope justice is served to whoever killed that girl. No one deserves to be killed and the family certainly does not deserve to not have an answer as to what exactly happened to their loved one,” says sophomore Krystle Danza.
It is trivial to assume that this retrial will spark as much attention from the media as the last one did, but the people who followed the original case will surely be keeping their eyes peeled for news about this one.