Amanda Knox's Acquittal
Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend were convicted in 2009 of killing roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia. Yesterday, the appeals court overturned the conviction and Knox is scheduled to return to the United States this week. The verdict was a severe embarrassment to the Italian justice system. The verdict came after independent forensic investigators criticized police scientific evidence in the original investigation, concluding it was unreliable. The court upheld a conviction against Knox for slander because she had falsely accused Patrick Lumumba of the murders. The court sentenced her to three years in prison which she has already served. Knox's appeals lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said his client "would be marked by the case for life and by the memory of her friend Meredith but wanted to get back to normal life."
After all this, the Italian public prosecutor said that he would appeal against the acquittal. The prosecution can't file their appeal until the court publishes their explanation of its decision, which wont be available for a few months. The prosecution plans to appeal to Italy's highest appeals court, the Court of Cassation. The prosecutor mentioned, "if the two who were released yesterday were not the guilty parties, we are left wondering who are the other person or people and for us it feels very much like back to square one." An appeal to Italy's supreme court is open to both sides in a case. But Lyle Kercher, a family member of the victim, noted that the prosecutor would need authorization from his superiors to move forward.
What's next for Amanda Knox? Her stepdad,Chris Mellas, said that their family's priority is to live together normally for a while, "so that she can get used to not being in prison, which is going to take some time". Of course there are rumours of at least one T.V. interview in the United States with a major news network to tell her story. Her family says that Amanda would like to publish a book about her experiences that should reveal more about her personal character. "She'll write, because that's her way of dealing with things," said Mellas. He added, "her experiences since the death of Meredith Kercher have made her pretty wary of journalists."
Without Amanda Knox's appellate attorney, she may have had to spend much much longer in prison for a crime she claims she did not commit. If you or someone you know would like to appeal a criminal conviction, call one of the experienced appellate lawyers at The Mace Firm to help you with your case.
If you or someone you know has been convicted of a crime and would like to appeal, please call one of our South Carolina appeal lawyers to represent you. Our good federal criminal appeal lawyers have handled federal appeals for years.
