Netflix and Amanda Knox: Revealing the true nature of the case
I followed this case from the beginning. After the story erupted in 2007, I found myself intrigued by the news coverage just like millions of others around the world. But my interest was different. Unlike the media who portrayed Amanda Knox as a sex-crazed lunatic, even inappropriately naming her “Foxy Knoxy”, I maintained an interest in the facts of this story.
Amanda Knox escorted by Italian police.
A brief recap:
On November 1, 2007, British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found dead on her bedroom floor at her residence in Perugia, Italy. At the time of her murder, Kercher shared her flat with American exchange student, Amanda Knox. Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were subsequently, arrested, charged and convicted of Kercher’s murder. After nearly four years of incarceration, Knox and Sollecito were retried during a higher-level trial and then acquitted. Knox and Sollecito were ultimately exonerated in 2015 by Italy’s Supreme Court. It was a case that stunned the world and threw up countless conspiracies and controversies, with far more questions than answers.
So what was Amanda Knox exactly in relation to the case? Was she a sex-crazed psychopath who planned and carried out the murder? Was she caught in a web of bad company along with Meredith Kercher, in the dark side of Perugia, Italy? Or was Knox at the wrong place at the wrong time? Did Knox really deserve her sentence?
The Netflix series, aptly named Amanda Knox sought to shed light (or at least provide a different point of view) on all these questions and so much more.
Amanda Knox today.
The documentary itself has been applauded for conciseness and for its solicitations of different perspectives from those involved in the case, from the suspects themselves to the prosecutor and media. This approach is in stark contrast to the endless rambling coverage in news and even gossip sites, which inaccurately stereotyped Knox rather than revealing the facts of this case by shedding light on Italy’s fragmented justice process. The examination of the case is thorough, but privileges personal reconstructions of events rather than a logical piecing together. But for people who haven’t doggedly followed this case like I have, this documentary proves to be a great illustration of what really happened, and how the prosecutor and media relied on improper “scientific” methodologies, as well as how authorities blatantly ignored exculpatory evidence throughout their investigation.
If you haven’t added Amanda Knox, this original Netflix true crime documentary to your must-see list, do it.
And do it soon.
Adam Quirk has 15 years of experience as a criminal justice professional. Part of his passion lies in true crime. For more about Quirk, his work, and his hobbies, follow this link.