Amanda Knox Still Branded 'Killer' After 2011 Overturned Murder Conviction
Amanda Knox's guilty murder conviction in the death of Meredith Kercher was overturned in appeals court in 2011 – but she's still considered a killer today. On her podcast The Truth About True Crime with Amanda Knox, she reveals how serving time in an Italian prison continues to haunt her today.
"I spent four years in prison for a crime I didn't commit," she said on the podcast, which premiered its first two episodes today. "My name was slandered in the courtroom. Till this day, I'm called a killer online."
She explained how the experience gave her a "unique perspective" on the justice system, and how easy it is for the truth to be "lost."
In SundanceTV and Sundance Now's 7-episode podcast, Knox will explore the 1978 Jonestown massacre. Cult leader Jim Jones ordered over 900 followers, including children, to commit suicide by drinking poisoned Flavor Aid.
Knox's guest Ron Haldeman, who was Jones' former mentor, claimed, "I don't think the event at Guyana really was his fault and was an unexpected event."
Knox explained how while she can sympathize with his point of view because Jones did good things, such as make an effort to end segregation; the opinion takes away for his responsibility of the massacre.
"I spent four years locked in a room with people who had done terrible things," she said. "If there is anything I've learned from that experience is that even people who had done terrible things are people and they're doing the best they can a lot of the time."
- Amanda Knox Teams Up With Monica Lewinsky for Hulu Series About Meredith Kercher's Murder 8 Years After Acquittal
- 'Lost Forever': Amanda Knox's Ex Says He Is Still Haunted By The Murder Of Meredith Kercher As He Reflects On 4-Year Prison Sentence
- Amanda Knox's Husband Unloads On Meredith Kercher's 'Cruel' Murderer Rudy Guede After His Early Release From Prison
She then brought up Bryan Stevenson, who is an anti-death penalty advocate.
"He said something that has always stayed with me: 'Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done,'" she said. "Society we tend to label someone according to best thing they've ever done or the worst thing they've ever done so we can either decide to celebrate them or despise them. The black and white nature of characterizing people in the world is not truthful, but at the same time, it doesn't mean we are not responsible for the things we do. This idea that there is this gray space that we've done good and bad things means all of those things, including the bad things that we've done, are part of us. It also means it's never too late to start making better choices cause we're not defined by the worst thing we've ever done."
Knox, who is also the host of The Scarlet Letter Report, was convicted of murder in 2009 and sentenced to 26 years in prison. The ruling was overturned in 2011.
Two years later, Knox was retried and her acquittal was overturned, along her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.
In 2015, the Italian High Court overturned the decision.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.