Amanda Knox

Amanda Marie Knox was born on July 9, 1987, in Seattle, Washington. She is the eldest of three daughters to Edda Mellas, a mathematics teacher, and Curt Knox, a vice president of finance. Raised in West Seattle, her parents divorced when she was ten. Knox attended Seattle Preparatory School, graduating in 2005, and then studied linguistics at the University of Washington, making the dean’s list in 2007. She worked part-time jobs to finance an academic year in Italy, driven by an interest in the country developed during a family holiday at age 15 and reading “Under the Tuscan Sun.”

In 2007, at age 20, Knox moved to Perugia, Italy, living in a four-bedroom apartment with three other women, including British exchange student Meredith Kercher. On November 1, 2007, Kercher was found murdered in their apartment. Knox, along with her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, was arrested and subsequently wrongfully convicted of the murder. This verdict led to international controversy, with American forensic experts citing inconsistencies in the evidence. After serving almost four years of a 26-year sentence, her conviction was overturned, and she was definitively acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation in 2015. However, a conviction for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba of the murder was upheld.

Since her release, Knox has become an autobiographical author and activist, contributing memoirs and commentary related to her experiences. Her first book, “Waiting to Be Heard: A Memoir,” was released in 2013, with proceeds used to cover legal fees. She has hosted “The Scarlet Letter Reports” on Facebook Watch, a series exploring public shaming, and podcasts like “The Truth About True Crime” and “Labyrinths.”