Amanda Knox Case: Knox Showcases Photography, Opinions on Personal Blog
- Jessica Michele Herring
- Apr 17, 2014 11:11 AM EDT
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Amanda Knox may be a guilty woman in Italy, but in her hometown of Seattle, Wash., she's free to follow her favorite leisure pursuits.
Knox, 26, who was found guilty Jan. 30 of murdering British student Meredith Kercher, runs a blog that showcases her love for photography and writing.
Her blog has photos from around Seattle, including blooming spring flowers, trees, buildings and everyday objects photographed in an artistic fashion.
Her blog also has written entries in which she offers personal opinions about her murder trial, the conviction, and recent developments surrounding her conviction.
On Feb. 13, she wrote about a "hate campaign" started on Facebook by citizens of Perugia, Italy, which is where the murder took place. The campaign shows photos of Perugian citizens holding placards reading Perugia Vi Odia ("Perugia Hates You"). She claims the photos mimic a photo she posted to her website and Twitter account that professes that she and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are innocent.
The city of Perugia has received a great deal of bad publicity due to the trial, which the "hate campaign" is supposed to represent.
Knox responded to the campaign on her blog, saying: "There are two reasons I bother to acknowledge these messages of hate in particular. The first is because these individuals claim to represent the feelings of Perugia as a whole. The second is because, while their disagreement with my declaration of innocence is implied, what these individuals choose to explicitly express is not a judgment, but a feeling that is irrelevant, if not impedimentary, to judgment. This is, unfortunately, not a surprise.
"I know for a fact that not everyone in Perugia hates me or believes I'm guilty," she continues. "My family and I have received tremendous support from many Italians and Perugians in the form of verbal and written messages of sympathy and solidarity, legal and linguistic assistance, generous hospitality, and friendship."
Knox was sentenced to 28 years in prison for killing Kercher with Sollecito, who was also found guilty.
Kercher, 21, was found dead with her throat slit in the house she shared with Knox in Perugia on Nov. 2, 2007.
Knox and Sollecito were previously convicted of murdering Kercher in 2009, and were sentenced to 25 and 28 years, respectively. They were then acquitted and released in 2011 after the case was overturned in an appeals court. Knox returned home to Seattle, where she stayed when the case went to retrial last September. Then, in late January, an Italian appeals court reconvicted Knox and Sollecito of slaying Kercher. Sollecito received a sentence of 25 years.
"I am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict," Knox wrote after the ruling. "Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system."
The U.S. Supreme Court must now confirm Knox's guilty verdict before Italy can apply for her extradition back to Italy.
Rudy Guede, who Knox and Sollectio both pegged as Kercher's murderer, is serving a 16-year sentence for murdering and sexually assaulting Kercher.
During Guede's trial, he said he was at the murder scene, but that he was in the bathroom at the time of Kercher's attack. He said he saw "someone resembling Sollectio" fleeing the scene and "Knox outside the house" on the night of the murder. Guede's lawyer, Valter Biscotti, said Guede is now eligible for day release, and has been given permission to study history at an Italian university.
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