According to various reports Amanda Knox has allegedly told an Italian newspaper that if she is found guilty of murder for a second time she will become a fugitive from Italian authorities. In 2009 Knox and her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted and sentenced to over 20-years in an Italian prison for the murder of Knox’s roommate Meredith Kercher. Knox, a Seattle resident was studying abroad in Perugia, Italy and was sharing a home with Kercher and two other young women. In 2007 British student Meredith Kercher was found murdered in her bedroom.
Knox and Sollecito appealed their convictions and were released in Oct. 2011 due to a lack of evidence. The Kercher family was disappointed that the person they believed killed their loved one was free to go home. In 2013 the Italian court announced they would retry Knox and Sollecito. While Sollecito has appeared in court during the trial Knox has refused to leave the United States. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica Knox said if she is once again found guilty she would not return to Italy, essentially becoming a fugitive.
A representative for Knox spoke with the Today Show to clarify the statements she made to La Repubblica. Knox said that if she were convicted again “legally I’ll be defined a fugitive. But I will continue to fight for my innocence. I will not willingly submit myself to injustice.” In a past interview with Matt Lauer Knox said she could not in good conscience go back to Italy if she were to be found guilty again. “I was already imprisoned as an innocent person in Italy, and I can’t reconcile the choice to go back, with that experience.”
Knox has maintained her innocence since her initial arrest as well as that of her former boyfriend. Italian prosecutors offered Sollecito the opportunity to turn on Knox but he refused saying they were both innocent. A third man by the name of Rudy Guede confessed to Kercher’s murder and even went so far as to say Knox had nothing to do with it. Guede would later change his story after being sentenced to 16-years in prison. Only Guede’s DNA was found at the crime scene. Blood evidence supports the claim that only one person was in the room when she was killed.
Knox has requested to one day visit the Kercher family in order to tell them she is not responsible for taking Meredith’s life. Speaking with La Repubblica Knox said, “I want to speak to them. I want to tell them I had nothing to do with Meredith’s death that I liked her and we were friends.” Knox also said that when she saw the Kercher’s in court she asked her lawyers to arrange a meeting but the Kercher’s lawyers rejected the request. The Kercher family has stated they have no desire to meet with Knox.
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