Amanda Knox spent her first night behind bars as a convicted murderer after an Italian court found her guilty early yesterday in the brutal 2007 killing of her British housemate.
The 22-year-old was sent to prison for 26 years, while fellow defendant Raffaele Sollecito, her boyfriend at the time of the murder, was sentenced to 25 years for their roles in the sex murder of Meredith Kercher.
Knox’s family immediately said she would appeal the verdict.
PHOTO: AFP
“We will continue to fight for her freedom,” they said in a statement.
“We find it difficult to accept this verdict when we know that she is innocent, and that the prosecution has failed to explain why there is no evidence of Amanda in the room where Meredith was so horribly and tragically murdered.”
“It appears clear to us that the attacks on Amanda’s character in much of the media and by the prosecution had a significant impact on the judges and jurors,” they said.
Knox, 22, cried out, “No, no,” and broke into sobs when the judge began reading out the lengthy verdict, while 25-year-old Sollecito’s face was blank.
Judge Giancarlo Massei cited extenuating circumstances for reducing the sentence from the maximum life terms sought by the prosecution.
Prosecutors presented DNA and other forensic evidence against Knox, Sollecito and a third person, Rudy Guede of the Ivory Coast, who was convicted separately after opting for a “fast-track” trial in exchange for clemency.
The prosecution alleged that the three youths were high on drugs when they tried to engage Kercher, 21, in a sex game that turned violent, leaving her dead with stab wounds to the neck.
Knox’s aunt, Janet Huff, told CNN: “We are just crushed.”
“The media from the get-go was fed false information and they ran with it,” Huff said when asked what had “most damaged” Knox’s case. “Boy, is it a sexy story: beautiful, young American girl caught up in this horrible nightmare.”
Huff said the US government was expected to wade into the fray.
“They are involved. They have been involved since the beginning,” she told CNN.
“We’ve been receiving e-mails from government officials saying now it’s time to do something,” Huff said, without naming US officials or describing how they would step in.
Kercher’s relatives said they were pleased with Knox’s conviction but said there was no sense of celebration.
”Ultimately we are pleased with the decision, pleased that we’ve got a decision, but it’s not a time for celebration,” said Lyle Kercher, the victim’s brother.
Kercher’s sister, Stephanie, said the verdict “does bring a little bit of justice, for us and for her.”
“Life will never be the same without Mez,” she said.
The case cast a dark shadow over Perugia and the prestigious University for Foreigners where Knox and Kercher studied.
The defendants were provisionally ordered to pay 1 million euros (US$1.5 million) to each of the victim’s parents, plus 800,000 euros to each to Kercher’s two brothers and a sister.
The Kercher family had sought 25 million euros in damages.
Knox and Sollecito went on trial in January, more than a year after the murder on Nov. 1, 2007.
The defense insisted that Guede, described as a drifter who was taken in by a Perugia family who have since broken ties with him, was the sole killer.
Guede, now 22, is appealing his 30-year sentence.
Knox was also found guilty of defaming her former part-time employer Patrick Lumumba, whom she accused of the murder early in the investigation, and ordered to pay him 10,000 euros in damages and 40,000 euros in court costs.
Lumumba, who ran a bar in Perugia, spent two weeks in jail before being freed without charge.
An extra year was added to Knox’s sentence for this charge.
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