Amanda Knox Convicted Again For Murder In Italian Court

Seattle native Amanda Knox has once again been found guilty in the murder of Meredith Kercher by an appeals court in Florence, Italy, and sentenced to 28.6 years.

Kercher was found brutally murdered in the apartment she shared with Knox in Perugia, Italy, in 2007. Knox had been previously convicted of murder in 2009. The verdict was overturned in 2011, after which Knox returned to Seattle and resumed her education at the University of Washington.

However, Italy’s supreme court vacated the ruling and sent it back to a Florence appeals court. Under the Italian justice system, both the prosecution and defense can appeal a decision.

Anne Bremner spoke on KUOW’s The Record shortly after the Florence court ruled against Knox. Bremner is a Seattle attorney and spokesperson for the Seattle-based Friends of Amanda Knox group. “I was stunned when the appellate court overturned her innocence, and even more stunned with this,” she said. “Up until now it looked like she would be acquitted.”

Despite the decision, Bremner said Knox is unlikely to be extradited to Italy. However, if a warrant is put out through Interpol, she will not be able to travel outside the U.S.

Bremner said Knox has lawyers in Italy to once again appeal the decision.

After the verdict, Knox issued a statement in which she first offered support for Kercher's family and said she was "frightened and saddened" by the decision. "The evidence and accusatory theory do not justify a verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," the statement said. "There has always been a marked lack of evidence."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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