Amanda Knox Case: Knox Writes Letter to Thank Supporters, Promises to Help Wrongfully Convicted People
One week after Amanda Knox was cleared of any involvement in her roommate's murder by Italy's highest court, she vowed to help those who are wrongfully convicted of crimes.
Knox thanked her supporters and her family and friends who stood by her while she was facing difficult times in her letter published in the Seattle Times.
"Your kindness sustained me," she wrote. "I am, and forever will be, grateful to the many people who helped me survive when I was at my most vulnerable and almost entirely lost. To them I say, 'Thank you.'"
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Knox promised to help those who don't have the kind of support that she had during her legal dilemma, which spanned more than seven years. Besides frequently appearing with signs in hand at court dates and rallying near her Seattle home, Knox's supporters provided financial assistance and contacts to DNA experts and former law enforcement investigators.
"I am all too aware of how lucky I am to have received such strong support," she continued. "I am also aware that countless other wrongfully convicted people do not have such support. I will work to give a voice to those individuals. I will do this because I know how a wrongful conviction can destroy one's life, and because we best honor crime victims by ensuring that actual perpetrators are brought to justice."
Knox and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, served four years in prison before their 2009 convictions were overturned on appeal. Knox returned to the US after she was released.
Since her return to the U.S. in 2011, Knox has attempted to have a semblance of a normal life despite the persistence of paparazzi and the workings of the Italian court. She is now engaged to musician Colin Sutherland and has begun working as an arts reporter for The West Seattle Herald.
