Why a retrial for Amanda Knox? Italy's top court explains its March order
Italy’s top court explained on Tuesday why it ordered a retrial for Amanda Knox, the U.S. student whose 2009 conviction for murdering her roommate was tossed by a midlevel appeals court.
The top Italian court found fault with the appellate ruling that acquitted Knox and her former boyfriend, saying it contained “multiple shortcomings, contradictions and inconsistencies,” report the Associated Press, the Guardian, ABC News and Reuters.
The high court, known as the Court of Cassation, said the intermediate appeals court had undervalued some of the evidence. One piece of evidence: Knox initially implicated a man who had nothing to do with the crime. Another: Knox gave an initial statement to police in which she said she couldn’t remember everything clearly, but she had an image of herself covering her ears while Kercher screamed.
The high court said a third person still in jail for the murder may not have acted alone. It noted one hypothesis that the slain roommate was forced into “a group erotic game that blew up and went out of control.”
Knox has returned to the United States. Her lawyers have said she does not plan to return to Italy for the retrial.
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Would double jeopardy claim bar Amanda Knox’s extradition?”
ABAJournal.com: “Amanda Knox must be retried following her acquittal, Italian Supreme Court rules”
