Knox could get knocked off conviction row

VIRGINIA CALCAGNI — Special to Southern News
The chance to explore another country for a semester in a country of your choice, without your parents around, is your own personal adventure; a dream come true for most. However, for Amanda Knox, her semester abroad in Perugia, Italy turned into a nightmare.
Knox has been in the news since 2007 after the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher.  The case is mesmerizing because there are so many questions.  I mean, there are always questions in these cases, but this is especially mind-numbing.
Descriptions of Knox make her relateable to most college students out there. She was a good student, athletic and liked to have fun; this is what college kids do. But the consequences of being on social networks and in the paper are shown in this case:  Knox being called a killer with an angel’s face from the Italian press.
Knox has been in prison for almost four years now, and the final stages of her appeals trail is almost over, some sources saying that the Italian court may have a verdict by the end of this month.  It looks as though Knox might actually be free (if I was her I would be flipping out about the Casey Anthony verdict.)  There was more evidence pointing the finger to Anthony then there was to Knox.  There is nothing that attaches her to the scene of the crime that night, aside from the fact that the two girls shared a bathroom together. There is none to very little DNA evidence against her.
This case brings a scary light to how other countries prosecute.  Perugia, Italy, being a very small city just mainly known for its chocolates, wanted to ward the press off the crime and sweep it under the rug as quickly as possible. According to a Rolling Stone article written about Knox, she helped the police do just that and ended up convicting herself.  In this case, it seems like her only faults were that she was young, naïve and not from Europe.
When this whole tragic event went down, I was personally starting my first year in college, and it was scary. I believe I was in my second semester at the time. The point is, this girl is my age, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she now might spend her life in prison.  Knox was convicted for 26 years, while her co-defendant and ex-lover, Raffaele Sollecito, was convicted for 25 years.
Everyone’s go-to network for sappy, tear-jerking love movies, Lifetime, made a movie about the case of Ms. Knox, and there was tons of controversy from that film, especially since her case is still in the stage of appeals (if she doesn’t get off on appeal this time, she has another chance to appeal the sentence. But if she is found guilty again, her sentence may be increased).  The movie was raw and to the point. It showed the audience how naïve Knox was, but it also showed how quickly things played out, and the lack of evidence against Knox.
Knox’s main downfall was the confession she wrote and signed for the Perugia police (who apparently hit her and yelled at her until she finally broke down—this case actually went to a Perugia courtroom as well). This was her real prison sentence.  As the appeal moves forward, the DNA evidence is being looked at again, and things that were omitted from the first case are being put into this one, which could be a good sign for Knox.  However, it is unclear what will be decided.
There are firm believers (that of Kercher’s friends and family and otherwise) that strongly believe in her guilt. Then there is a large base that thinks Knox is innocent and just wants to see the poor girl out of jail.  This case is so mind perplexing it is addictive. How can this girl be convicted on pretty much no DNA evidence or motive? This is mind-blowing, especially with the Casey Anthony case.
One can only hope that the right choice is made and everyone involved can move forward; remember the late Kercher.  I wonder if Lifetime will make a sequel to the movie after this is over, which is hopefully soon.