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| Meredith Kercher murder: Amanda Knox breaks down in first live interview after second guilty verdict and says 'It hit me like a train' | Meredith Kercher murder: Amanda Knox breaks down in first live interview after second guilty verdict and says 'It hit me like a train' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Amanda Knox wept as she gave her first live interview since being found guilty of the murder of Meredith Kercher for the second time. | Amanda Knox wept as she gave her first live interview since being found guilty of the murder of Meredith Kercher for the second time. |
| The 26-year-old expressed her shock and fear over the court’s decision, which she watched on an Italian television from her home in Seattle. | The 26-year-old expressed her shock and fear over the court’s decision, which she watched on an Italian television from her home in Seattle. |
| “I couldn't believe what I was hearing,” she told Good Morning America. “This really has hit me like a train. I did not expect this to happen. I really expected so much better from the Italian justice system. | “I couldn't believe what I was hearing,” she told Good Morning America. “This really has hit me like a train. I did not expect this to happen. I really expected so much better from the Italian justice system. |
| “They found me innocent before, how can they find me guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?” | “They found me innocent before, how can they find me guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?” |
| In the latest twist in the tortuous legal process, an appeals court in Florence ruled that Knox, 26, and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 29, should serve 28 years and six months and 25 years in prison respectively for their part in the killing of Ms Kercher, 21. | In the latest twist in the tortuous legal process, an appeals court in Florence ruled that Knox, 26, and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 29, should serve 28 years and six months and 25 years in prison respectively for their part in the killing of Ms Kercher, 21. |
| The pair already spent four years in an Italian jail after their first conviction, which was subsequently quashed in 2011. | The pair already spent four years in an Italian jail after their first conviction, which was subsequently quashed in 2011. |
| If the verdict is confirmed in the Supreme Court - the same court which ordered the retrial - Italy will seek Knox’s extradition. | If the verdict is confirmed in the Supreme Court - the same court which ordered the retrial - Italy will seek Knox’s extradition. |
| “I'm going through waves of emotion,' Knox told Robin Roberts. “ My first reaction was, ‘No, this is wrong. I'm going to do everything I can to prove that it is’. | |
| “I felt very determined, but it was only on my way here that I really got my first cry.” | “I felt very determined, but it was only on my way here that I really got my first cry.” |
| Robin Roberts interviews Amanda Knox on ABC's 'Good Morning America' in New York, 2014 (Reuters/Andrew Kelly) She said that her first thought was for Sollecito, who was in Italy at the time of the verdict. He has had his passport confiscated after being found in a hotel near the Italian border, but will not yet return to prison. | Robin Roberts interviews Amanda Knox on ABC's 'Good Morning America' in New York, 2014 (Reuters/Andrew Kelly) She said that her first thought was for Sollecito, who was in Italy at the time of the verdict. He has had his passport confiscated after being found in a hotel near the Italian border, but will not yet return to prison. |
| “My initial thought after the verdict was, ‘oh my God, Raffaele’, ” she said. | |
| “I feel very supported and respected and believed here and I know that he feels very supported and respected by people in Italy, but he is vulnerable. | “I feel very supported and respected and believed here and I know that he feels very supported and respected by people in Italy, but he is vulnerable. |
| “I don't know what I would do if they imprisoned him. It's maddening.” | “I don't know what I would do if they imprisoned him. It's maddening.” |
| Knox also said that her thoughts were with Meredith’s family and that she had sent them a letter. | Knox also said that her thoughts were with Meredith’s family and that she had sent them a letter. |
| “I just want them to know that I really understand that this is incredibly difficult,” she said. “When the case has been messed up so much, a verdict is no longer consolation for them. | “I just want them to know that I really understand that this is incredibly difficult,” she said. “When the case has been messed up so much, a verdict is no longer consolation for them. |
| “The thing that people want when they've been victims is just simple acknowledgement - and they deserve respect and that's been lost. I wish them the best.” | “The thing that people want when they've been victims is just simple acknowledgement - and they deserve respect and that's been lost. I wish them the best.” |
| But Knox vowed to fight against the verdict, saying she would not willingly return to Italy. | But Knox vowed to fight against the verdict, saying she would not willingly return to Italy. |
| Speaking before the verdict was read out, Knox told BBC’s Newsnight programme: “I'm definitely not going back willingly. They will have to catch me and pull me back kicking and screaming into a prison that I don't deserve to be in.” | Speaking before the verdict was read out, Knox told BBC’s Newsnight programme: “I'm definitely not going back willingly. They will have to catch me and pull me back kicking and screaming into a prison that I don't deserve to be in.” |
| However, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said that if the Supreme Court in Italy turns down her appeal, the United Sates will have to abide by its decision. | However, Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said that if the Supreme Court in Italy turns down her appeal, the United Sates will have to abide by its decision. |
| He told NBC News: 'The United States seeks extradition of more people than any country in the world. We’re trying to get NSA leaker Edward Snowden back and we’re not going to extradite someone convicted of murder?' | He told NBC News: 'The United States seeks extradition of more people than any country in the world. We’re trying to get NSA leaker Edward Snowden back and we’re not going to extradite someone convicted of murder?' |
| Professor Dershowitz also cast doubt on the possibility that Knox could be protected by double jeopardy laws because she was initially found guilty and her acquittal was heard at an intermediate appeals level. | Professor Dershowitz also cast doubt on the possibility that Knox could be protected by double jeopardy laws because she was initially found guilty and her acquittal was heard at an intermediate appeals level. |
| “If that happened in the U.S., it wouldn't be double jeopardy,” he said. | “If that happened in the U.S., it wouldn't be double jeopardy,” he said. |
| However, a legal expert told CNN that Knox is not likely to serve any more prison time in Italy. | However, a legal expert told CNN that Knox is not likely to serve any more prison time in Italy. |
| Sean Casey, from Kobre & Kim in New York, said: “She was once put in jeopardy and later acquitted. Under the treaty, extradition should not be granted.” | Sean Casey, from Kobre & Kim in New York, said: “She was once put in jeopardy and later acquitted. Under the treaty, extradition should not be granted.” |
| Ms Kercher’s brother, Lyle, who was in the court for the verdict, said he would not be able to forgive those responsible for his sister’s death. | Ms Kercher’s brother, Lyle, who was in the court for the verdict, said he would not be able to forgive those responsible for his sister’s death. |
| In an interview with Sky News, Mr Kercher said: “I think you’d have to be a very strong-willed – arguably religious – person to find that forgiveness. I think it is so easily forgotten what happened to Meredith. When I read reports even now, I find myself skimming past the paragraphs that refer to what actually happened to her because it is so horrific.” | In an interview with Sky News, Mr Kercher said: “I think you’d have to be a very strong-willed – arguably religious – person to find that forgiveness. I think it is so easily forgotten what happened to Meredith. When I read reports even now, I find myself skimming past the paragraphs that refer to what actually happened to her because it is so horrific.” |
| Kercher's sister, Stephanie Kercher (L) and brother Lyle Kercher speak during a press conference in Florence, 2014 (EPA/Maurizio Degl' Innocenti) The jury, of two judges and six lay people, took far longer than the expected eight hours to arrive at the verdict, indicating some disagreement. | Kercher's sister, Stephanie Kercher (L) and brother Lyle Kercher speak during a press conference in Florence, 2014 (EPA/Maurizio Degl' Innocenti) The jury, of two judges and six lay people, took far longer than the expected eight hours to arrive at the verdict, indicating some disagreement. |
| Kercher, 21, was found dead in a pool of blood in the bedroom of the apartment she and Knox shared in the town of Perugia, where they were studying. Kercher had been sexually assaulted and her throat slashed. | Kercher, 21, was found dead in a pool of blood in the bedroom of the apartment she and Knox shared in the town of Perugia, where they were studying. Kercher had been sexually assaulted and her throat slashed. |
| The original trial in 2009 relied on DNA evidence, confused alibis and Knox’s false accusation against a Congolese bar owner. The pair was convicted and spent four years in prison. | The original trial in 2009 relied on DNA evidence, confused alibis and Knox’s false accusation against a Congolese bar owner. The pair was convicted and spent four years in prison. |
| Prosecutors originally argued that Kercher was killed in a drug-fuelled sex game gone wrong, but in the latest trial, a new prosecutor instead argued that the violence stemmed from arguments between roommates Knox and Kercher about cleanliness. | Prosecutors originally argued that Kercher was killed in a drug-fuelled sex game gone wrong, but in the latest trial, a new prosecutor instead argued that the violence stemmed from arguments between roommates Knox and Kercher about cleanliness. |