Amanda Knox's Slander Conviction Affirmed by Italian Supreme Court

Amanda Knox's conviction for falsely accusing an innocent man in the 2007 murder of her housemate has been upheld by Italy’s highest court, despite her previous acquittal for the murder itself.

In a landmark ruling on January 23, 2025, Italy’s Supreme Court upheld the slander conviction of Amanda Knox. This ruling comes more than 17 years after the murder of her British housemate, Meredith Kercher, ignited a media frenzy that spanned both Europe and the United States. The court maintained Knox’s 3-year prison sentence, although she will not serve additional time since she has already completed four years behind bars from 2007 to 2011.

At 37, Knox, who currently resides near Seattle, was not in attendance during the court's decision. Her lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, conveyed her disappointment, noting that Knox had hoped to finally put this chapter behind her. For Knox, the struggle to clear her name has been ongoing, even after her definitive acquittal for Kercher's murder a decade ago.

The saga began in November 2007 when Knox, then 20, and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested for the brutal murder of Kercher, whose body was discovered in her Perugia apartment with signs of a violent struggle. The involvement of young, attractive international students drew significant media attention, particularly due to the sensational scenario suggested by prosecutors, which included elements of a sexual encounter gone awry.

Initially convicted in 2009, Knox's murder conviction was later overturned on appeal. After her return to the U.S. in 2011, her case continued to oscillate through the Italian judicial system until 2015, when Italy's highest court dismissed the charges against her for lack of sufficient evidence and a hasty investigation.