Here's What Could Happen If Amanda Knox Is Found Guilty On Retrial

APEarly Tuesday Italy's highest criminal court ordered a new trial for Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend.

The pair was previously convicted for the murder of Knox's British roommate in Italy, but an appeals court acquitted them.

The high court's ruling annuls the appeals court and means the two could be convicted of murder again.

Italian law cannot compel Knox, 25, to return to Italy because the U.S. could cite the double jeopardy rule — which protects people in the U.S. from being tried twice for the same crime — in blocking her extradition.

(Reuters has an in-depth analysis here, noting that double jeopardy may not be an option.)

But international law expert Rebecca Shaeffer told Michael Day of The Independent that "if Ms. Knox were definitely convicted and extradition were refused by the U.S., there are other things that Italy might do."

From The Independent:

“As a country seeking to extradite the person it might contact Interpol for help or use a red notice (and international arrest warrant). This means she would be safe in the U.S. territory – but not if she traveled abroad. She could be seized were another country minded to act on the request by the Italian authorities. So traveling would be the biggest danger for her.”

Shaeffer added that given the relative rarity of extradition requests between the U.S. and Italy as well as the peculiarities of this high-profile case, speculation about what could happen if Knox is found guilty is “entering hypothetical territory.”

After finally being acquitted of murder following four years in Italian jail in Italy, Knox flew back to Seattle, enrolled at the University of Washington student, and got a book deal.

“Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir” is due to be published on April 30 — the same day Knox is scheduled to appear in her first television interview on the ABC network with Diane Sawyer.

There are no plans to delay the interview or the book, the latter of which Knox reportedly earned $4 million for writing.

The retrial in Italy wouldn’t start until 2014, the date of which would be set after the top court explains its decision in the next three months.