Amanda Knox Latest News: Knox Makes Emotional Statement Hours After Being Cleared of Murder
Italy's highest court has ended Amanda Knox's long, high profile legal saga on Friday, March 27 as it overturned her murder conviction.
Knox, 27, and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 30, are cleared in the 2007 death of Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher, the court ruled. The ruling means that the Court of Cassation's judges concluded that the evidence doesn't support the original murder convictions, but the court's reasoning will not be made public for another 90 days, according to the Associated Press.
Addressing reporters outside her mother's home in Seattle, Knox thanked supporters as she struggled to hold back tears.
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"I am incredibly grateful for what has happened, for the justice I've received, for the support that I've had from everyone, from my family, from my friends, to strangers, to people like you," she said. "You saved my life."
"Right now I'm still absorbing what all of this means … What comes to mind is my gratitude for the life that's been given me," she added.
Knox and Sollecito were convicted in 2009 in Kercher's death. The 21-year old British student was found dead in her apartment, her throat slashed and police said that there were signs that she had been sexually assaulted.
They were initially sentenced to 25 years in prison, but in 2011, an appeals court acquitted her and Sollecito and they were freed. Knox returned to the United States.
According to CNN, Knox's family released a statement as well:
"We want to express our profound gratitude to all those who have supported Amanda and our family. Countless people — from world-renowned DNA experts to former FBI agents to everyday citizens committed to justice —have spoken about her innocence. We are thrilled with and grateful for today's decision from the Supreme Court of Italy. We are grateful beyond measure for all that so many of you have done for her."
