An Italian court ordered the release of Amanda Knox after a jury overturned her murder conviction following eleven hours of deliberation.
The 24-year-old American woman spent four years in prison, and is now free to go home with her family to Washington state.
The family had a plane ready and waiting in Perugia, Italy to fly their daughter out of the country. Her father said, “We’ll take her home and find out what kind of trauma she’s experienced in prison.”
Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were tried and convicted of brutally murdering her British roommate Meredith Kercher. An appeal process began in December 2010 after new evidence and additional witnesses surfaced.
Allowed to speak prior to the start of deliberations by two judges and six jurors, Knox said, “I lost a friend in the most brutal inexplicable way. My trust in the police has been betrayed. I had to face absolutely unjust charges, accusations and I’m paying with my life for something that I did not commit.”
Check out Amanda Knox photos here and video coverage below:
Photo: WENN