Amanda Knox was ordered to a retrial yesterday by Italian Supreme Court judges for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher in Perugia.
Knox was convicted of the murder in 2007 and served four years of her sentence before the decision was overturned due to a lack of evidence. Knox returned to the United States in 2011.
Knox’s former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito was also ordered to a retrial. He was acquitted with her in 2011. As an Italian citizen, he will have to go to trial.
Another man, Rudy Guede, was convicted separately from the murder. He admitted to having sexual relations with Kercher.
The Kerchers’ family laywer, Francesco Maresca, said that the family wants a retrial because the acquittal was “superficial and unbalanced.”
Knox cannot be forced to return to Italy for the retrial, but the Italian government could appeal to the U.S. government to get her there, according to CNN. However, U.S. laws state that a defendant cannot be tried twice for the same allegation, so officials may deny the request, should it be placed.
Kercher’s body was found half-naked with her throat slashed in the home she shared with Knox. Both were studying at the University for Foreigners of Perugia.
According to Kercher’s family, there are still many questions about the murder that remain unanswered, so they are happy about the retrial. Knox released a statement blaming the prosecutors for discrepancies in the case.
Knox wrote a book about the case that is set to be published in April. The retrial is not definite until the court rules whether the “not guilty” verdict is truly inaccurate.
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