By COLLEEN BARRY (Associated Press)
MILAN (AP) — Amanda Knox is facing another trial for slander in Italy this week. The trial could remove the last legal accusation against her, eight years after Italy’s highest court overturned her conviction for the murder of her 21-year-old British roommate, Meredith Kercher.
Knox, who was a 20-year-old student when she was accused of murdering Kercher along with her then-boyfriend in 2007, has since rebuilt her life in the United States. She is now an advocate, writer, podcaster, and producer, drawing much of her work from her own experience.
At 36 years old and a mother of two, Knox advocates for criminal justice reform and raises awareness about forced confessions. She has recorded a series on resilience for a meditation app and has a podcast with her husband, Christopher Robinson. Additionally, she has an upcoming mini-series on her struggles within the Italian legal system for Hulu, with Monica Lewinsky as an executive producer.
Despite Italy’s Cassation Court rulings in 2015 that Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito did not commit the crime, doubts persist about Knox’s involvement, especially in Italy. This is partly due to her slander conviction for falsely accusing a Congolese bar owner of the murder, which was confirmed by the highest court in 2015. However, this conviction was overturned last November based on a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Knox’s rights had been violated during a long night of questioning without a lawyer and official translator.
Knox is uncertain whether a not guilty verdict in the new trial, which begins Wednesday in Florence, will change the minds of her critics.
“I am glad I have this chance to clear my name and hopefully remove the stigma I have been living with,’’ Knox said in December on her podcast Labyrinths. “On the other hand, I don’t know if it ever will, in the way I am still traumatized by it.
Knox mentioned on her podcast that she anticipates testifying, but her lawyer stated she is not expected in court on the opening day.
Knox expressed that she expects to testify on her podcast, but her lawyer stated she is not expected to be in court for the opening day.
Knox said on her podcast that she expects to testify, but her lawyer said she is not expected in court for opening day.
The Kercher family lawyer, Francesco Maresca, stated that the high court’s exoneration did little to dispel doubts following Knox’s conviction by a trial court and two appeals courts, the first confirming her sentence of 26 years and the second raising it to 28 ½ years.
“This trial never ends,’’ Maresca told