Portrait of Amanda Knox

Photo: Geraldbostrum · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born in United States · Nationality American — Meredith Kercher case / Italian criminal proceedings / defence rights

Amanda Knox

Documented profile covering 11 controversies, including “January 2025: final conviction for criminal slander against Patrick Lumumba” and “June 2024: renewed criminal slander conviction in Florence concerning Patrick Lumumba”.

Are you concerned? Right of reply

Profile No. 1952 · Updated on 12 October 2026

Portrait of Amanda Knox

Photo: Geraldbostrum · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

11Documented controversies
9Sources
1 followed by a conviction ·

I. Documented controversies

Case · 4 documented stages

January 2025: final conviction for criminal slander against Patrick Lumumba

Conviction
01

23 January 2025

January 2025: final conviction for criminal slander against Patrick Lumumba

Conviction

The First Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation definitively upheld Knox's three-year sentence for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba during the 2007 investigation.

Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 1

  1. [1]

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

02

5 June 2024

June 2024: renewed criminal slander conviction in Florence concerning Patrick Lumumba

Conviction

The Florence Court of Appeal again found Knox guilty of criminal slander against Patrick Lumumba and imposed a three-year sentence, already covered by time spent in custody.

State of the evidence
Established by a court
Attribution
Directly implicated

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

03

13 October 2023

October 2023: Court of Cassation reopens criminal slander case following Strasbourg judgment

Conviction

The Court of Cassation granted Knox's request to reconsider her conviction for criminal slander against Patrick Lumumba in light of the ECtHR judgment and ordered a new trial.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    European Court of Human RightsKnox v. Italy, application no. 76577/13Court recordVery high reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

11

5–6 November 2007

November 2007: interrogation, implication of Patrick Lumumba and arrests in Kercher investigation

Conviction

During the early days of the investigation into Meredith Kercher's murder, Knox signed statements implicating Patrick Lumumba. He was arrested and subsequently released after his alibi was verified. These statements formed the basis of the separate criminal slander case.

State of the evidence
Established by a court

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    European Court of Human RightsKnox v. Italy, application no. 76577/13Court recordVery high reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

04

24 January–24 June 2019

2019: ECtHR finds Italy violated defence rights during interrogation

Civil / administrative proceedings

The European Court of Human Rights found that Italy had breached Knox's defence rights during the 2007 interrogation, particularly concerning access to a lawyer and the interpreter's role. It awarded her compensation and costs.

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    European Court of Human RightsKnox v. Italy, application no. 76577/13Court recordVery high reliability
  2. [2]

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

Case · 5 documented stages

March 2015: definitive acquittal of Meredith Kercher's murder by Court of Cassation

Acquitted / conviction overturned
05

27 March 2015

March 2015: definitive acquittal of Meredith Kercher's murder by Court of Cassation

Acquitted / conviction overturned

The Court of Cassation overturned the murder convictions of Knox and Sollecito without ordering a retrial, definitively ending the proceedings against them for this crime.

Sources · 1

  1. [1]
    ANSAMeredith, le tappe della vicendaPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

06

30 January 2014

January 2014: renewed conviction on appeal in Florence, 28 years and 6 months

Acquitted / conviction overturned

Following the appeal trial ordered by the Court of Cassation, the Florence court again found Knox guilty of murder and increased her sentence to 28 years and six months.

Attribution
Accused

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    ANSAMeredith, le tappe della vicendaPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

08

3 October 2011

October 2011: acquitted of murder on appeal and released after nearly four years

Acquitted / conviction overturned

The Perugia Court of Appeal acquitted Knox and Sollecito of the murder-related charges. Knox was released and returned to the United States.

State of the evidence
Documented

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    ANSAMeredith, le tappe della vicendaPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

09

4 December 2009

December 2009: first-instance conviction for murder and criminal slander, 26-year sentence

Acquitted / conviction overturned

The Perugia Court of Assizes sentenced Knox to 26 years in prison for Meredith Kercher's murder and for criminal slander against Patrick Lumumba.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Accused

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    ANSAMeredith, le tappe della vicendaPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

10

November 2007–2008

2007–2008: pretrial detention and indictment for Meredith Kercher's murder

Acquitted / conviction overturned

Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were detained and prosecuted in Italy for Meredith Kercher's murder, while Rudy Guede was subject to separate proceedings.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Accused

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    ANSAMeredith, le tappe della vicendaPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

07

26 March 2013

March 2013: Court of Cassation overturns acquittal and orders new appeal trial

Acquitted / conviction overturned — against a third party

Protagonist not prosecuted — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.

The Italian Court of Cassation overturned the 2011 acquittal on the murder charges and referred the case to a new appeal court.

State of the evidence
Documented
Role of the person profiled
Protagonist not prosecuted

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    ANSAMeredith, le tappe della vicendaPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 13 September 2026

Add to this entry

II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.

Support the archive

Controversia checks and updates its profiles independently. Support is optional and has no effect on the content of profiles.

Donate

iPhone and iPad

Install Controversia

  1. Tap Share
  2. then Add to Home Screen

Tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.