Amanda Knox Romps Around Chinatown With New Beau; Is She Still Mourning Meredith Kercher?
Latest News: Knox Celebrates Freedom With New Boyfriend, But Many Question Her Sensitivity Towards Deceased Meredith Kercher
Amanda Knox has been spotted celebrating her newfound freedom by traipsing around Seattle with new love interest James Terrano.
Terrano, an acoustic guitarist, and Knox share a cheap apartment in Seattle's Chinatown. The two were spotted recently, holding hands and smiling while they shopped for groceries close to their neighborhood.
Knox and previous Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were accused of the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, who was found in her Perugia flat with signs of sexual abuse and stab wounds on her body and neck.
Knox originally received 26 years in Italian prison, while Sollecito received 25 years.
Knox spent four years in Italian prison awaiting her verdict, and won her appeal on Oct. 3.
Although Amanda Knox continues to avoid the public eye after her return to America, paparazzi have spotted her hanging out with friends and shopping multiple times around her hometown of Seattle since she disembarked by plane Oct. 4 – just one day after she was acquitted in Perugia, Italy.
While some agree that Knox should relish her newfound freedom after her four years in Italian prison, others argue that she continues to take the murder of her British roommate too lightly.
Knox received public scrutiny when she was photographed just days after Kercher's death doing cartwheels and smooching with then-boyfriend Sollecito.
She received more heat on Oct. 31, 2011, when she attended a Halloween party dressed as a cat burglar.
Many saw this as offensive on the anniversary of her roommate's death, especially because it was alleged that Kercher died as a result of a robbery.
"I think it's very insensitive of Amanda Knox, especially considering it is the fourth anniversary of Meredith's death," father John Kercher told the Daily Mail regarding Knox's Halloween costume.
"The anniversary is obviously a very difficult time for our family and images like this don’t help," he added.
Others have congratulated Knox on her freedom, arguing that the Italian media and court system unrightfully portrayed her as a sexual deviant and "she-devil."
"It became clear that it wasn't facts but Knox, her femaleness, her Americaness, her beauty, that was driving the case," reported the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 4.
Knox continues to enjoy her free time in Seattle. Her legal woes are not over, however. Knox must pay $54,000 to Congolese bar owner Patrick Lumumba for defaming his name in court, telling the jury he was Kercher's killer.