Italian High Court Overturns Acquittal Of Amanda Knox

Oli Scarff/Getty Images via guardian.co.uk

Italy's highest court has overturned the acquittal of Amanda Knox, the American student who was initially found guilty of murdering a British student in Italy, before she had her conviction overturned.

Knox, 25, was originally arrested in November 2007 after one of her roommates, Meredith Kercher, was found dead in her bedroom.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison, but was sent home after having her conviction overturned in 2011.

On appeal the appellate court noted that the murder weapon was never found, that DNA tests were faulty, and that Knox and her boyfriend had no motive to kill Kercher.

It's unlikely that Knox will be compelled to return to Italy, even with this setback.

Per the AP's analysis yesterday: "Italian law cannot compel Knox to return to Italy, although a court could declare her in contempt of court, which carries no additional penalties."

As the NYT's Rachel Donadio notes, the court's decision only pertains to the technical matters of the case, not the merits of the case.

Here's what Knox had to say (via ABC News Foreign editor Jon Williams):

Knox: "Painful to receive news. Prosecution’s theory of my involvement in Meredith’s murder repeatedly revealed to be unfounded & unfair."

— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) March 26, 2013

Knox: "Will face continuing legal battle confident in truth & with heads held high in face of wrongful accusations & unreasonable adversity"

— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) March 26, 2013

Rudy Guede, a young drifter from Ivory Coast, is currently serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting and stabbing Kercher.