Amanda Knox Reconvicted of Slander in Italy for Wrongful Accusation in 2007 Roommate Murder Case
Florence, Italy (AP) — On Wednesday, an Italian court reconvicted Amanda Knox of slander, dashing her hopes of clearing her name after her exoneration in the 2007 murder of her British roommate.**
The Florence appeals court decision marked the sixth time Knox was found guilty of falsely accusing an innocent man, Patrick Lumumba, the Congolese owner of the bar where she worked part-time.
Knox has maintained that her statements were coerced during an intense night of questioning, during which she struggled with her then-limited Italian as a 20-year-old student.
Despite these claims, the panel of two judges and six jurors upheld the three-year sentence, which Knox has already served during her four years in Italian custody. The court's detailed reasoning will be released in 60 days.
Knox, appearing in the Florence court for the first time since her 2011 release, was accompanied by her husband, Christopher Robinson. She displayed no visible emotion as the verdict was read.
Her lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, expressed disappointment, stating, "Amanda is very embittered," and that the outcome was unexpected as they had hoped for an acquittal to conclude nearly 17 years of legal battles. Another defense lawyer, Luca Luparia Donati, indicated plans to appeal to Italy's highest court.
Knox's retrial followed a European court ruling that Italy violated her human rights during her initial questioning, denying her access to a lawyer and competent translator.
In court, Knox apologized for wrongly accusing Lumumba, attributing it to intense police pressure. "I am very sorry that I was not strong enough to resist the pressure of police," she said in Italian.
The murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher in Perugia generated global headlines, with suspicion initially falling on Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. The case, marked by flip-flop verdicts, polarized public opinion and became an early example of trial by social media.
Even after Knox's exoneration and the conviction of Rudy Guede, whose DNA was found at the crime scene, doubts lingered in Italy due to her accusation against Lumumba. His lawyer, Carlo Pacelli, noted the lasting damage to Lumumba's reputation and business, though he has since rebuilt his life in Poland.
Now a 36-year-old mother of two, Knox advocates for criminal justice reform and fights against wrongful convictions. She was freed in 2011 by a Perugia appeals court, which overturned her and Sollecito's murder convictions. They were definitively exonerated in 2015 by Italy's highest court.
Last fall, Italy’s highest Cassation Court ordered a retrial of the slander case, citing a 2022 judicial reform allowing reopened cases if human rights violations are found. This time, the court had to disregard two statements Knox signed under duress, in which she implicated Lumumba.
Hours after signing these statements, Knox wrote a new statement in English, expressing doubt about her earlier confessions, which she said were made under immense pressure and exhaustion.
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