In Italy, Amanda Knox asked an appeals court on Monday to overturn her conviction and 26-year jail sentence for the murder of her British roommate in 2007. Knox has asked to be allowed to return to the United States to resume her life. “I did not kill; I did not rape; I did not steal; I was not there,” Knox said to the court in Italian. “I am innocent, Raffaele is innocent and we deserve our freedom because we didn't do anything wrong.” In December 2009, Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of the murder of Knox's roommate Meredith Kercher. The three were students in the Italian town of Perugia. “I lost a friend in the most brutal and inexplicable manner possible, my faith in the police was betrayed, I had to cope with unjust accusations and I am paying with my life for things that I did not do,” she said. The murder case has garnered a lot of media attention around the world and has drawn the attendance of over 400 journalists present in the courtroom on Monday. Knox has often been depicted by the media as a young, drug abusing party girl who murdered her roommate in cold blood with no reason. Knox and Sollecito were both arrested on November 6 in 2007. Kercher's body was found four days prior, semi-naked with her throat slit. In 2009, the court ruled Kercher had been murdered during a sexual assault. The defendants have denied involvement in her murder. The case has been widely documented and has spawned numerous books and a full length feature film currently in development. The case has also sparked countless blogs and social media arguments passing judgement on the trial. Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, the presiding Judge in the case warned the court there would be “no space for fan clubs.” In order to maintain the integrity of the trial and the Italian justice system, Hellmann reminded the court that the lives of two people hung in the balance. “Let's remember that a marvelous girl died and that the lives of two young people are on the line,” he said. “I have never hurt anyone, never in my life,” Sollecito said. “What happened during these four years was so unreal I thought it would end but that hasn't been the case.” “I hope that today, for me and Amanda, there will be new hope and a new future.” The outcome of Monday's court case could see the two walk free if the court rules on the basis of insufficient evidence, a stance their lawyers have argued vehemently. Both Knox and Sollecito maintain their innocence. BM
