Amanda Knox Appeal in Concluding Stages

Last semester I wrote an assignment about the Amanda Knox case and the decision by lifetime to turn the crime into a drama documentary starring Hayden Panettiere. I became facinated with the case, largely due to its highly publicised nature and the relentless efforts of the Italian Press to paint Knox as a sex crazed American teenager with a heart of ice. The crime itself occurred in Perugia, Italy in 2007, where 21 year old British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found stabbed to death in her apartment. Amanda Knox, who was her roomate at the time, was convicted for Kercher's murder along with her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. The crime is believed to have resulted from a drug-fuelled sexgame that went to far. The Italian press pounced upon the case, deeming Knox the Angel Faced Killer and painting her as a promiscous devil nicknamed 'Foxy Knoxy'. The Italian court system does not require juries to be sequestered and some depictions of Knox in the media are likely to have impacted their perception of her. The case was also a hot topic of international bulletins and was heavily featured in the British, American and Italian media due to the diverse nationalities of those involved. The crime was not the only aspect heavily featured or debated, as the Italian justice system came under attack for their handling of the case and their method of trial which greatly differs to that of the American System. Amanda Knox has already served 2 years of a 26 year sentence with an appeal verdict expected within the early days of October. Knox and her boyfriend have maintained their innocence throughout the entire investigation and trial, claiming that they were together in Sollecito's apartment the night of the murder.

The case is particularly interesting when considering its radically different portrayal across continents and integral role of the media in shaping the conclusions and perceptions of audience. The press can wield a lot of power and influence when reporting on controversial crime stories and the Amanda Knox trial is a perfect example of the media's ability to subvert opinion.

The tralier for the lifetime adaptation is included below (the quality is very bad but it was the best I could find that was in English)