Amanda Knox faces new verdict in notorious Kercher case

An American woman stood before an Italian court yet again in the case of Meredith Kercher's murder and the defamation of bar owner Patrick Lumumba. She heard the verdict but will not go to prison. What is the reason for this decision?

The Meredith Kercher murder case has once again sparked media attention. Amanda Knox, now 36, returned to Italy for the first time in over 12 years to, as she put it, clear her name "once and for all" from all accusations. Although it was determined that she did not take the life of her roommate in 2007, the specter of defamation accusations still loomed over her.

As mentioned above, Knox is not facing imprisonment because she already served four years in prison before being acquitted the first time (this included a three-year sentence for defamation). Nevertheless, the court's decision undoubtedly affected Knox, who cried during the verdict's reading.

Her lawyer, Carlo Della Vedova, told the media she is "bitter" about this turn of events and confirmed that they plan to appeal.

According to Onet, Knox implored the eight Italian judges and jurors to clear her of the defamation charge during the hearing. She explained that her accusations were due to "the pressure of police." She also expressed that she was "very sorry" she could not resist the pressure they put on her.

I didn’t know who the murderer was. I had no way to know. I never wanted to slander Patrick. He was my friend, he took care of me and consoled me for the loss of my friend (Meredith) - Knox confessed in court.

Lumumba's defense argued that her accusations destroyed their client's life. After the trial, he became known as the "monster of Perugia," her lack of accurate knowledge didn't matter for the case since her statements tarnished the bar owner's reputation. According to the court's verdict, Knox will have to cover the trial costs and pay compensation to Lumumba. The amounts have not yet been specified.

This concludes another high-profile chapter in the case of the 21-year-old student Meredith Kercher, for which Amanda Knox was initially accused. Due to a lack of evidence, Knox ultimately returned home and was acquitted; however, the case still left a significant mark on her.

The case was so high-profile that it inspired several feature films and the 2016 Netflix documentary "Amanda Knox," which focused heavily on the actions of the accused herself. The documentaries emphasized how the high-profile trial and imprisonment affected Amanda Knox.